Happy Birthday Frida Kahlo!

Posted by & filed under Culture, News.

Today marks Frida Kahlo’s would-be 103rd birthday. Commonly regarded as one of Mexico’s (and the world’s) finest artists, Frida’s works are celebrated as emblematic of the national tradition of Mexico. In homage, Google has dedicated today’s homepage “doodle” of Google.mx to Frida.

Journey Mexico proudly features the Frida Kahlo Museum as a staple of our cultural trips to Mexico City. The famous “Little Blue House,” the site of the museum, was the birthplace of Frida Kahlo as well as her place of residence with famous artist Diego Rivera from 1929 until her death.

Journey Mexico is also a proud supporter of the Museum and Studio of Diego Rivera in San Angel, another staple in many of our trips to Mexico City. Journey Mexico was honored to be chosen to manage much of the 2010 Virtuoso Symposium, including several half-day cultural/culinary experiences in Mexico City, one of which was a visit to the Museum and Studio of Deigo Rivera for lunch and a private presentation. This was the first time such an event has ever been held at the location. During this lunch, Journey Mexico donated several computers and monitors so that the museum could showcase historical footage and works of Diego Rivera.

Almost Time for the Music Festival in San Miguel de Allende

Posted by & filed under Guanajuato & San Miguel Allende, Holidays, Fairs & Festivals.

July 30th to August 15th marks the 32nd annual Chamber Music Festival in San Miguel de Allende in Mexico’s Colonial Heartland. The festival of San Miguel, the largest chamber music festival in Mexico, draws lovers of fine music from around the world each year.

During the event, music can be heard pouring out of the churches, the theaters, and the town’s square.This year’s concert schedule can be found at the San Miguel Chamber Music Festival’s website. To build a trip around the event, contact our expert planners.

Below, you’ll find a video of the Amernet Sting Quartet performing at last year’s event.

At the heart of the festival is San Miguel’s Chamber Music Student Program. Below, you’ll find a video of the festival’s director speaking about the event.

New Video on Our Experiences: Music Page

Posted by & filed under Culture, Journey Mexico TV, Media.

We just uploaded a new video on our Experiences: Music page. The video was filmed on a recent trip to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico’s Colonial Heartland.

In the video, you’ll see Journey Mexico trip members walking the streets with a band of local musicians called Trobadores as they play traditional Mexican songs. Singing and playing as they stroll the streets, Trovadores are common to the area of San Miguel de Allende.

At the end of the video, you’ll see trip members climbing to the rooftop terrace of their hotel to enjoy an incredible view of San Miguel’s extraordinary parish church, famous for its neo-Gothic design.

New Architecture Video

Posted by & filed under Journey Mexico TV, Media.

We just uploaded this new video on our Experiences – Architecture page. In the video, you’ll see a Journey Mexico guide illuminating a recent trip to the Juarez Theater in Guanajuato, part of Mexico’s Colonial Heartland.

Exhibiting a variety of architectural styles, the Juarez Theater is one of the most beautiful theaters in Mexico.

New Flights to Mexico!

Posted by & filed under Los Cabos & Baja Californias, News.

In the past week, two major airlines, Frontier and Virgin America, have expanded their flight inventory to include more flights to Mexico.

Frontier Airlines has added two new, non-stop routes from Denver and Kansas City. Frontier will fly from Denver to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo from January 15th through March 26th, 2011. Flights from Kansas City to Los Cabos are scheduled from December 18th through April 16, 2011.

Frontier also reports that they are expanding the dates of their seasonal, Saturday only service from Indianapolis to Cancun to run from November 6th to April 30th, 2011.

Virgin America spokesman, Richard Branson, has announced that Virgin plans to be offering flights to Mexico before the year’s end. As it stands, Virgin will be running three flights: San Francisco to San Jose del Cabo, San Francisco to Cancun, and Los Angeles to Cancun.

*UPDATE – On June 9th, 2010, Continental Airlines began a twice-weekly (Wed and Sat) flight from Bush InterContinental in Houston to Tuxtla Gutierrez in Chiapas, Mexico. The addition of this flight makes 30 Mexican destinations that Continental serves, making it the leader in US flights to Mexico.

*UPDATE – On November 20th, Alaska Airlines plans to begin weekly, non-stop flights between San Jose, California and Los Cabos, Mexico.

Celebrate Mexico at The Smithsonian Folklife Festival

Posted by & filed under Culture, News.

2010 marks the 44th edition of The Smithsonian Festival in Washington D.C., and Mexico is one of the this year’s three featured programs. Since 1967, the festival has been drawing participants and visitors from all over the United States and from 80 nations around the world. This event, a museum without walls, and has come to be known as the world’s “Largest cultural conversation.” Although the first part of the festival has just concluded, the second part begins on July 1st and runs through the 5th.

As a reflection of the vast diversity of Mexico’s people, its land, and its culture, the  Mexico program consists of four themes: The Plaza, The Market, The Workshop, and The Field. Participants of the event “will engage visitors in ceremonial and social dances, satirical processions, traditional and rock music, foodways, crafts, vernacular architecture, healing traditions, farming and fishing techniques, tequila and mezcal production, and demonstrate the knowledge and creativity that has sustained their communities and helped to shape contemporary Mexico.”

More information, including photographs and videos, about this year’s festival can be found at the Smithsonian’s website.

Journey Mexico President, Zachary Rabinor, will be visiting Washington D.C. just after the festival and will be available on July 12th and 13th to meet and talk about the highlights of the Mexico program as well as about the incredible travel opportunities that the country of Mexico has to offer. If you will be in D.C. after the event and would like to meet with Zach, please leave us a message on our Facebook Page with your availability!

June Newsetter

Posted by & filed under News, Newsletters and Promotions.

As demand for our newsletter continues to grow, we will now be publishing on a monthly basis. To the left is a snapshot of this month’s addition, but you can view the newsletter in its entirety here.

To subscribe to our newsletter, simply visit the newsletter, scroll the bottom, enter your name and email address in the required fields, and click submit.

We look forward to bringing you the latest news about Journey Mexico and Travel  in our beautiful country!

British Airways Now Flying to Cancun, Mexico

Posted by & filed under News.

Starting in November of 2010, British Airways will be offering two direct, weekly flights from London Gatwick to Cancun, Mexico. The flights will be via a Boeing 777 with the choice of three cabin types, including British Airways’ Club World Business class, where passengers can relax on fully reclined, flat beds.

The addition of Cancun to Gadwick’s list of direct flights makes it easier than ever for England’s cultural and luxury travel enthusiasts to take advantage of the vast number of historical and UNESCO World Heritage sites that Mexico has to offer. The first flights will come just after the Bicentennial of Mexico’s Independence Day, but the celebrations will, no doubt, carry on through the end of the year, making the end 2010 an incredible time to travel to Mexico.

Team JM Supporting Team Mexico!

Posted by & filed under News.

The futbol fans of Journey Mexico came to the office early today to make time to support team Mexico in the opening game of the 2010 World Cup. Lucky for us, Blake’s Sports Bar, located just next door to our office in Puerto Vallarta, opened early today for the game.

So far, the game has been scoreless, but it’s clear that Mexico is dominating play. We’re looking for a big second half from the boys in black.

Thanks Zach and Rebecca! Go Mexico!

Cave of Crystals in Chihuahua, Mexico Video

Posted by & filed under Adventure, Copper Canyon, Nature, News.

Here’s a really wild video of the Naica Cave in Chihuahua, Mexico. More than 300 meters below the Earth’s surface, super-heated water separated minerals as the water was forced through the above layers of rock. As the water reached a pocket of earth far enough from the lava to cool but close enough to the earth’s core to remain pressurized and heated, the minerals reformed as the crystals you see in the video.

You can find more information about the cave and watch a trailer for a documentary about the cave at the NAICA la Pelicula website.

Celebrating Mexico’s Bicentennial

Posted by & filed under Culture, News.

As the year moves on, celebrations in Mexico will no doubt reach historic proportions. September 16th of this year marks the bicentennial of Mexico’s Independence and in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism’s current promotion of cultural tourism, the pre-independence day celebrations are already kicking off, especially in Mexico’s Colonial Heartland.

Ellen Himelfarb wrote an excellent article for Telegraph.co.uk entitled: “Mexico: Freedom fiestas mark independence bicentennial” in which she describes a recent trip from Mexico City to the heartland via the newly revamped highway (currently called “The Freedom Route”) that connects the two.

In her article, Himelfarb gives some nice, brief descriptions the culturally and historically rich towns of San Miguel, Zacatecas, Atotonilco, Dolores Hidalgo, Querétaro, and Guanajuato – all featured locations in our trips to the Colonial Heartland. For more information about experiencing this important year of celebration in Mexico, visit our Colonial Heartland page where you can browse through sample itineraries of trips to the region, or you can click the “Build a Custom Trip” button to work with our expert planners to build a fully customized trip of a lifetime.

New Photos From Baja Wine Country

Posted by & filed under Culinary Vacations, Culture, Los Cabos & Baja Californias, Luxury, News.

We just received a batch of photos from the wine country of Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California via The Baja Wine Country Guide. The Valley of Guadalupe has been producing world-class wine for some time and is now beginning to receive the international attention it deserves. Many of the wineries in photographs are visited on our Valley of Guadalupe Wine and Cheese Tour.

Thanks again to JP at PeaPolz Media and to Bajawine.info.


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Partner Location Hacienda de San Antonio Summer Promotion

Posted by & filed under Newsletters and Promotions.

Journey Mexico partner location, Hacienda de San Antonio in Colima, is offering a two-night promotion to celebrate the town’s annual tribute to Saint Anthony on June 13th.

In Mexico, Saint Anthony is venerated saint who is often called upon for assistance with lost items. In 1913, a nearby volcano erupted and threatened to destroy the areas coffee plantations. The people of the town gathered and prayed to Saint Anthony promising to build a chapel in his honor if the plantations we not harmed. The coffee fields did in fact go unharmed, and the town’s people gathered and built the Chapel of San Antonio. Since that year, people from all around the area gather annually at the Chapel on June 13th to pay tribute through dance, music, and celebration.

The Hacienda de San Antonio is opening its doors to all who wish to partake in this year’s celebration with a promotional package that includes:

  • 15% off of normal room rates
  • A 55 square meter suite with a large bathroom, a fireplace, an iPod dock, a king size bed, and either volcano, garden, or river views
  • Hikes throughout the property
  • Evening margaritas
  • A bottle of mangrapa and a bag of organic coffee

The two-night promotion is being offered for $1,070 USD. There is also an optional food and drink promotion for $180, which includes three meals a day with all alcoholic beverages included. To take advantage of this offer, visit the Colonial Heartland page and click the Build a Custom Trip button.

The Whale Sharks are Here!

Posted by & filed under Nature.

Each summer, thousands of Whale Sharks (the world’s largest fish) migrate through the waters surrounding Isla Mujeres, a Caribbean Island off the cost of Cancun, Mexico. Although Whale Sharks can grow to be over 60 feet in length, they pose no threat to humans whatsoever, which creates an incredible opportunity for humans to interact with these massive creatures. Diving into the blue waters of the Caribbean to swim with Whale Sharks is a thrilling experience, which, those who have done it will tell you, simply can’t be described with words.

To celebrate the beautiful Whale Sharks, the exhilarating bond between the fish and Isla Mujeres, and to promote eco and responsible tourism of the region, a festival is held annually on the island. This year’s events are scheduled for July 16-18 and will include trips to swim with the Whale Sharks, traditional dances performed by locals of the region, guest speakers, and opportunities to explore the ancient Mayan Ruins nearby.

Visit our Whale Sharks Experience Page for more information about these incredible fish and to view sample itineraries of trips built around swimming with the Whale Sharks, visiting ancient Mayan archeological sites, and experiencing the culture of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Swimming with Whale Sharks

Journey Mexico and Eco Tourism

Posted by & filed under Ecotourism, Things We're Proud Of.

A dedication to conservation and Eco-minded travel has always been a core value of Journey Mexico. We are proud to work with RED Sustainable Tourism and SEE Turtles (of which JM president Zachary Rabinor is an advisory board member) to offer several eco-tourism travel experiences in Baja California where travelers have the opportunity to help with sea turtle restoration and monitoring, learn about sustainable fishing practices, help protect local ecosystems, learn about the most important Gray Whale ecosystem in the world – first hand, and more!

You can search for these eco-adventures on our website under Baja California, Sea Turtles, and Whale Watching and, of course, if there is custom eco-adventure that you’d like to experience, we’ll be happy to create a unique itinerary for you!

To read more about eco-friendly hotels in Mexico, read more of our ecotourism blog posts.