The largest of the fish species, the whale sharks of the Caribbean are beginning to arrive from their annual migration to the waters just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Each year, these mammoth sharks migrate from tropical waters around the world to certain feeding spots of which Mexico’s Isla Mujeres and Isla Holbox are two favorites.

Although these giants of the fish kingdom can grow to be over 40 feet in length, they mainly feed on plankton and pose no threat to humans, which makes swimming with whale sharks in their natural habitat a must-do for every true adventurer’s bucket list.

Thousands of whale sharks migrate to Mexico each year, the season starts May 15 and goes through September 15. Their distinctive patterns of pale-yellow spots and stripes make them a truly beautiful sight. In fact, they photograph so well, we’ve made them the star of  Our Mexico web-ad dedicated to the nature of Mexico, which can be viewed here. You can also view thew whale sharks of Mexico in action in the video below.

 

For the opportunity to swim with the whale sharks of Mexico, check out our  Swim With Whale Sharks and Visit Ancient Ruins Trip. One of the highlights of this adventure includes swimming and snorkeling with docile whale sharks (ranging from 10 to 65 feet in length) on a secluded island. After a few days of nature immersion, explore the ancient Mayan ruins at the world renowned Chichen Itza. Your private guide will explain the significance of this archeological site and the achievements of the Maya civilization. You will also have the chance to cool off in a beautiful sinkhole before enjoying a picturesque lunch nearby. Accommodations at the Isla Holbox (a tranquil island 3 hours from Cancun) are in a quaint eco-friendly hotel.

November brings two of Mexico’s most cherished food festivals: The International Gourmet Festival in Puerto Vallarta (Nov. 10-20th) and the Taste of Playa in the Riviera Maya (Nov. 20th).

The International Gourmet Festival in Puerto Vallarta is a ten-day, annual event that has been attracting thousands of people from around the world every year since 1995. Founded by master chefs Thierry Blouet, Heinz Reize and Roland Menetrey, the International Gourmet Festival gives food enthusiasts an incredible opportunity to sample cuisine, taste wines from around the world, and watch cooking demonstrations in the finest restaurants of Puerto Vallarta.

The video below gives a nice overview of previous years’ events, and more. The full schedule and pricing for 2011’s Gourmet Festival in Puerto Vallarta can be found here. Be sure to contact one of our expert planners to build a trip around this world-renowned event!

True culinary fanatics can leave the Gourmet Festival a day or two early and hop over to the gorgeous Riviera Maya to savor the flavors of Taste of Playa. Only in its second year, this international event is quickly gaining recognition as reason to visit the Riviera Maya. Last year’s event attracted over 3,200 attendees eager to sample the best of what local chefs from over 25 of the area’s restaurants had to offer. For more information about the even, visit the Taste of Playa’s website and to book a trip for the event, contact one of Journey Mexico’s expert trip planners.

The archeological sites of Mexico having been offering up fresh findings at such a rapid rate, it’s tough to keep up. Just a few days ago, archeologists discovered what is believed to be a 2,000 year old Mayan Palace in the state of Chiapas.

This new discovery is particularly significant as the palace has become the first piece of evidence suggesting that Mayans occupied the Upper Usumacinta basin region of the Lacandona jungle as early as the year 50 B.C. Before finding this Mayan palace, it was believed that the Mayans hadn’t occupied the region until 250 A.D.

As is common of many ancient Mayan sites, this newly discovered palace had been covered by other structures that were built on top of it during the Classic Period (around 250-800 A.D.). Because the Mayans of the Classic Period often built atop previous temples and buildings, once uncovered, the structures underneath are usually very well preserved, offering archeological travel enthusiasts the unique opportunity to experience the re-writing of history as we know it – first hand.

The discovery of this ancient Mayan Palace comes just a month after a pristine carving of three jungle cats (deemed “The Triad of Felines” and believed to date back to sometime between 1500 to 400 B.C.) was discovered south of Mexico City. Just months before The Triad of Felines was discovered, archeologists found two Mayan sculptures at the ancient site of Toniná (also in Chiapas) that depict two captured enemy warriors, kept as trophies of strength and might.

For more information about visiting this and other newly discovered Mayan sites, contact Journey Mexico.

The Lonely Planet recently published an article called Riding the Rails: Classic Train Journeys of the World and guess which trip was at the top of the list – Mexico’s very own Copper Canyon Railroad Adventure!

The trip aboard Mexico’s first-class Ferrocarril Chihuahua al Pacifico train can be found on bucket lists worldwide – and for good reason. The train journey whisks you over 36 bridges and through 87 tunnels as it travels 655km in length, offering unforgettable views of the Copper Canyon. During the trip, travelers stop to visit the local people of small, remote towns in the Sierra Tarahumara mountains to experience their unique culture.

The luxury of the train is matched in Posada Barrancas, where passengers unwind at the gorgeous hotel Mirrador, the only hotel that offers sweeping views of the canyon from each and every room!

Reaching the town of Creel, adventurous travelers leave the luxury of the train behind to descend the rugged switchbacks into the depths of the Batopilas Canyon. Passing through La Bufa Canyons, adventurers take in the local wildlife, beautiful rivers & streams, and have the chance to explore historic mining outposts. Another highlight of the trip is a visit to the “Lost Cathedral of Satevo,” whose grandeur and magnitude attest to the importance of its town and the riches that it produced at the turn of the 20th century.

Though perhaps lesser known, the Copper Canyon Railroad Adventure undoubtedly desserves its ranking amongst the legendary train trips of the world. It’s nice to know that Lonely Planet agrees.

#MexicoToday: Mexico was recently featured as one of the world’s top five destinations for family eco-travel in a recent article from the Kansas City Star. The article showcases only Playa Viva, an all-inclusive coastal eco-lodge near the Pacific paradise of Ixtapa, yet due to the country’s abundance of natural phenomena, Mexico is home to endless opportunities for families to enrich their knowledge of the way the Earth, its animals, and its people are interconnected.

Focusing on “preserving the cultures, traditions, communities, species and habitats that make this planet worth exploring,” Playa Viva offers a sustainable boutique hotel for families interested in enjoying “Guilt-Free Luxury” while exploring the hotel’s Sea Turtle Sanctuary, where thousands of endangered sea turtles come to lay their eggs each year.

Like Playa Viva, many local initiatives in Mexico have joined together with international non-profits like SEE Turtles and Earth Watch as well as with operators like Journey Mexico to offer travel enthusiasts an opportunity to enhance their holidays with hands-on interaction with many of the Mexico’s ecosystems and their wildlife.

The goals of these trips include:

• To Educate travelers about the fragility of the natural ecosystems of the world and about what we as individuals can do to build positive relationships with these ecosystems
• To get travelers physically involved in the solution through volun-tourism activities like helping aggregate sea turtle census data and monitoring endangered animal populations
• To expose children to new cultures and languages in order to facilitate cultural understanding
• To inspire a lifelong desire to travel and learn about the cultures and ecosystems of the world

Another benefit of eco-travel is that it can often be incorporated with a child’s science, social studies, foreign language, even art and music lesson plans. The Rainforest Alliance, of which Journey Mexico is a member, offers curriculum guides for kindergarten through eighth grade students, which parents can use to enrich the life-learning experiences of their children.

We all know that Disney World is a blast (and I hear the butter beer at The Wizardry World of Harry Potter is awesome) but how much of a real benefit are these mass-market attractions for children? If you’re thinking, “Not much,” I agree. But imagine your children actually petting a Gray Whale in the Sea of Cortez; running, arms raised, through a blizzard of Monarch Butterflies that have migrated thousands of miles to the Mexican countryside; or exploring a Mayan pyramid built hundreds of years before the Common Era. Now those are experiences that change lives for the better. And in Mexico, they happen every day.

After several months of debate, it’s official – Mexico’s annual Tianguis Turistico will be held in Puerto Vallarta next year. Tianguis is the most important travel trade show in Mexico, providing a unique business arena where domestic and international purchasers are able to meet with over 500 Mexican tourism service providers. The 2012 Tianguis will be the first time the event has been held outside the city of Acapulco since the event’s inception, and the city of Puerto Vallarta couldn’t be happier about the decision.

Earlier today, The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita tweeted: “We are so proud Riv Nayarit & Puerto Vallarta won for be the host of the 2012 Tianguis Turistico!! Worked so hard for this,” reflecting the buzz that has quickly engulfed the media outlets of Puerto Vallarta and the Riviera Nyarit, the new hot spot of Mexico’s Pacific Coast. The P.V. Mirror, one of Puerto Vallarta’s top print/online news sources recently posted on Facebook: “We beat 18 other destinations (including Cancún, Mazatlán, Querétaro, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Mexico City) to host the biggest tourism trade fair in Mexico – The Tianguis!!! Congratulations to all concerned and involved!”

Although booming with expats (Puerto Vallarta was recently named the number one place to retire abroad by the AARP), Puerto Vallarta has seen a decline in tourism over the past few years due to the relentless negative reports about Mexico pouring out of US media. It seems you can’t keep a good city down, however, as Puerto Vallarta has been chosen to host a portion of the 16th chapter of the Pan American Games later this year and now looks forward to hosting the 10,000+ buyers expected to attend the 2012 Tianguis as well.

The primary Journey Mexico office has been located in Puerto Vallarta since the company originally moved to Mexico in 2006, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome the Tianguis and its participants into our beautiful home on the sea!

The numbers continue to climb as Mexico has seen an increase of about 200,000 international visitors from Jan to May of this year when compared to the same time period of 2010. A recent press release from the Mexican Tourism Board confirms the trend we’ve been seeing lately, where international travelers from outside the US have been filling the void left by American travelers discouraged from traveling to Mexico by negative media.

According to the press release, Mexico has seen substantial growth in travel from Russia (58.1 percent), Brazil (40.9 percent), and China (32.8 percent) since the start of the year. At this rate, Mexico is expected to receive a record number of international foreign visitors, trumping its previous high of 22.4 million achieved in 2010.

When asked to comment on this rapid increase in travelers to Mexico from outside the US, Journey Mexico founder and President, Zachary Rabinor, replied with the following:

“It doesn’t surprise me at all; Mexico is a world class destination with incredible geographic, cultural, natural diversity and great selection of hotels and experiences for every interest and budget.  Following on a few years of discounting and incredible value added offers due to the worldwide economic downturn and then multiple shocks to demand in N. America (by far Mexico’s largest market), there has never been a better time to travel to Mexico – we can offer outstanding value right now!  Fortunately, European, Russian and S. American visitors can differentiate between one sided, sensationalist reporting and the great travel experiences that Mexico offers. Hopefully N. Americans will take the cue and return to Mexico in force before too long!”

As Mexico continues to offer new and authentic travel experiences (did you know two major new Mayan archeological discoveries were made in just the past few months?) at such great value and proximity, it’s surely just a matter of time before discerning travelers from the US grow tired of the sensationalized reports about Mexico and begin to return to Mexico in droves. The return of the US market in combination with these exploding foreign markets should give Mexico a real chance of hitting its goal of being in the top five international tourist destinations by 2018.

Last week, we published a post speculating about an interesting trend in tourism to Mexico. The theory goes something like this: The negative/slanted media coverage of Mexico pouring out of the US is hurting the Mexican Tourism industry, which has caused the industry to lower prices and offer enticing deals. These deals are being eaten up by international travelers from outside the US, causing an overall rise in tourism to Mexico. A recent press release from the Mexican Government seems to be adding validity to theory, predicting Russian tourism to Mexico to increase by 400% in 2012.

2010 saw 27,137 travelers from Russia, which was an increase of 134% increase from 2009. From Jan. to April of this year, Mexico has already welcomed more than 14,000 Russians, which is a 64% increase from the same time period in 2010. Taras Kobishchanov, the President of the Association of Tour Operators of Russia, said that not only is Russian tourism to Mexico expected to explode in 2012 but that if this trend of growth continues, Mexico could be seeing about  500,000 yearly visitors from Russia by 2018!

Even more interesting (and important for Mexico) is that the average group of Russian travelers spends about 10 days in Mexico, whereas US travelers usually stay for only 4.5 days per trip. In addition, Russian groups spend an average of $1,000 dollars a day during their travels in Mexico.

According to the press release, “The most attractive destinations for Russian tourists are: Cancun-Riviera Maya (64.8 percent), the Federal District (29.7 percent), Puerto Vallarta (1.7 percent) and Los Cabos (1.6 percent).”

Russian travel agencies have reported that the Mundo Maya program and the approach of 2012 have sparked great interest among their clients. To capitalize on this interest, the international airline Aeroflot has announced that they will begin new flights to Mexico beginning October 3rd.

Needless to say, this new influx in Russian travelers is great news for Mexico as the country continues its march towards the Top Five International Travel Destinations in the World.

#MexicoToday

#MexicoToday: Two recent articles (one from the Washington Post and one from Sand Diego Red) are indications of an interesting scenario: The negative/slanted media coverage of Mexico pouring out of the US is hurting the Mexican Tourism industry, which has caused the industry to lower prices and offer enticing deals. These deals are being eaten up by international travelers from outside the US, causing an overall rise in tourism to Mexico.

Proof of this can be found in the continual increase in international flights to Mexico. The prestigious Virgin-Atlantic has recently reported that as of June, 2012, they will be adding a twice-weekly flight from London’s Gatwick Airport to Cancun. Virgin sees demand for Mexico rising and expects to carry 94,000 passengers during the first 12 months of service.

In addition to the new Virgin flight from London, airlines such as Aeromexico, Air Europa, TAM, and LAN have added new flights from Lima, Peru to Cancun; Sao Paulo, Brazil to Mexico City; and Madrid, Spain to Mexico City – many beginning in the next few months. Earlier this year, the Mexican Tourism Board said they anticipate 2011 to see up to a 15% rise in tourism (coming off 2010 which saw a 12% increase), but I doubt they imagined so much of it coming from outside the US.

So if the San Diego Red is right and it’s bargains that are driving this year-over-year increase in tourism, one must ask for how long is this bargain model sustainable? Now more than ever we’re seeing public backlash against the “daily deal” model as business owners continue to say that large discounts offered by companies like Groupon are not sustainable and do more damage to the business than good. If all these new tourists come to know Mexico as a land of cheap deals, how can the industry ever raise their rates back to normal?

Pretty easily, actually. According to the Mexican Tourism Board, Mexico boasts a 97% retention rate, meaning that 97 percent of travelers to Mexico say they plan on returning. Being almost two million square kilometres in size and home to more UNESCO World Heritage Sites than any other country in the Americas (including the US), it’s not surprise that Mexico leaves visitors wanting more. As tourism continues to increase, Mexico should be able to gradually raise rates to normal as demand rises.

In May of this year, Mexican President Felipe Calderón stated that he wants Mexico (currently number 10) to be one of the top five tourism destinations in the world by 2020. If current trends continue, international tourism continues to rise, and the US starts to realize that 99% of Mexico is perfectly safe for travel, Mexico should have a real shot at hitting the top five.

The Ancient City State of Palenque

In January, we published an article about a robotic camera used to explore an underground tunnel running under the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent at Teotihuacan. Recently, another robotic camera has been used to produce the very first images of an ancient tomb at the archeological site of Palenque in Chiapas.

New Murals Found in Ancient Tomb of Early-Classic Palenque

Palenque is most known for the impressive pyramid called the Temple of Inscriptions, which is the burial site of a Pakal, a Late-Classic ruler of Palenque. The later rulers of Palenque are known to have written extensively about Palenque’s long history but because the Mayans (under the rule of Pakal and his successors) built what is currently seen at Palenque on top of they structures of the Early Classic dynasties, researchers have had a difficult time getting to the older structures.

Temple of Inscriptions

This newly explored tomb is located in the Southern Acropolis area of Palenque and is believed to be approximately 1,500 years old. The remote-controlled camera that was lowered into the tomb has revealed an “apparently intact funeral chamber, with offerings sitting on the floor. Wall murals depicted a series of nine figures, painted in black on a blood-red background.” A funerary costume of jade and shell were also seen, indicating that the site is most likely a royal necropolis possibly containing the remains of K’uk’ Bahlam I, the first ruler of the city-state.

1,500 Year Old Paintings Found in Tomb

Because of the date and on the identities of ancestral figures painted on the walls, there is also speculation that the tomb is the burial site of a noted female ruler of Palenque named Ix Yohl Ik’nal. If true, this would be the second remains of a female ruler found at Palenque, the first being those of the famous “Red Queen,” believed to be either Pakal’s wife or mother.

These new images (as we often like to point out) illustrate the continual opportunity for those interested in archeological travel to literally witness history in the making here in Mexico. It is believed that only ten percent of the archeological site of Palenque has been excavated, which is common as most of the Mayan archeological sites in Mexico still have much to be discovered. Stay tuned as we report on new findings as they are uncovered!