YUCATAN, THE MAYAN WORLD

February, 2015 with Jim Cline

Cost: $TBD includes all ground transport, all 8 nights hotel accommodations, breakfasts and dinners, entrance-fees at tourist sites, guides, boat trips, and drinking water.  
The price is based on double occupancy.  A single supplement of $TBD applies. 
The trip will be limited to 8 participants.

The Yucatan peninsula is an area of natural wonders and a fascinating

history. Now home to the mega tourist resort of Cancun, the area once was

home to the great Mayan civilaization. On this journey we will photograph

the Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Tulum, as well as the beautiful

capital city of Merida, with its bustling plazas and colonial buildings and

churches. We'll also explore the cenotes - underground cave systems filled

with stalagtites and crystaline fresh water. And of course we'll spend time on

the white pristine beaches on the shores of the turquoise Caribbean Sea.

Long before the Europeans showed up in America the Maya had established a complex civilization in the Yucatan and its surrounding areas. They built enormous pyramids and temples, and made advancements in science, math, astronomy, and the arts. Many reminders of this world still remain - in the ancient ruins at such sites as Chichen Itza, Uxmal, and Tulum, and in the faces of the local people. We will photograph these archeological sites in the best light in the morning and late afternoon (also avoiding the mid-day crowds); and the trip is timed for a full moon.

Merida has been a center of Mayan culture in the Yucatan region since before the conquistadors arrived. Today it's a prosperous city of narrow streets, colonial buildings and shady parks. On Sundays hundreds of local Meridanos come to the the colorful Plaza Grande to stroll and eat food from the vendors and listen to the musicians playing in the park. We'll find plenty of great photo opportunities here.

The beaches in this area are some of the most beautiful in the world. The

famous"air-conditioned" sand is powdery and white, and the Caribbean

Sea is a beautiful turquoise color. All this makes for wonderful beach and

travel images. The Mayan ruins of Tulum sit right on a cliff overlooking the

sea with a beautiful white sand beach below.

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Nearby are several cenotes, underground caves filled with fresh water.

In anceient times these were the Mayas' principal water source, and today

are popular places to take a refreshing dip, or snorkel or scuba dive.

Those who want to, will find some chances to take a luxurious swim in the

cenotes, or in the turquoise Caribbean.

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This trip will encompass a wide variety of photography - white sand

beaches and turquoise seas, colonial architecture and colorful people, and

magnificent ancient Mayan temples and pyramids.

To see a gallery of the 2004 trip click here

To see more of Jim’s images of the Yucatan click here

Day one:  Arrive from your flight to Cancun. You will be transported from the airport to our hotel on the beach.

Those who arrive early enough can join us for a sunset shoot and an informal dinner. We'll spend the night in Cancun.

Day Two: In the morning after breakfast we'll go to Tulum. We'll go for a boat ride off the coast of Tulum for a great perspective with the turquoise Caribbean Sea in front of the ruins on the shore. Mid-day We'll visit a cenote, an

underground pool in the jungle connected to an estensive underwater cave system. Those who wish will have

a chance to swim and snorkel as well as photograph. We'll also visit a pristine Caribbean beach. We'll shoot the

late light at the Mayan ruins at Tulum. We'll spend the night at Tulum.

Day Three: Get up early and shoot the early light at the Tulum archeological site. We'll then depart for the

extensive ruins at Chichen Itza, stopping for lunch in the charming town of Valladolid and go to Cenote Dzitnup, a

beautiful cavern with a turquoise water swimming hole. We'll shoot in the afternoon through sunset in the ruins at

Chichen Itza. After dinner we'll return to the ruins for the evening presentation/light show. We'll spend the night at a

charming hotel in Chichen Itza.

Day Four:  Wake up early and Photograph the ruins at first light. We'll continue shooting in the morning, and then

go to Cenote Il Kil, a beautiful cenote with a resturant where we'll eat lunch. We'll head back to the ruins for an

afternoon and last light shoot. Those who want to can go back for the light show again. We'll spend the night in

Chichen Itza.

Day Five: Those who want to can get up and shoot first light on the ruins. We'll head for the beautiful colonial city of

Merida, stopping on the way in the village of Izamal, a quiet, colonial gem of a town. It is called the yellow city for the traditional yellow that most of the buildings are painted. There we'll photograph one of the first monestaries in the

western hemisphere, and its church, the Santuario de la Virgen de Izamal. We'll arrive in Merida in time to shoot the

last light on some of the many colonial buildings and churches in town. We'll have an optional night shoot as

well. We'll spend the night in Merida.

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Day Six: We'll spend all of Sunday in Merida. On Sundays in Merida hundreds of people fill the colorful central

plaza to buy food from venders, listen to live music, watch folkloric dance shows, and enjoy themselves. This provides wonderful opportunities for photographs of the people and culture, as well as the beautiful colonial architecture

surrounding the plaza. We'll spend the night in Merida.

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Day Seven: In the morning we'll head to Uxmal, the site of beautiful, but less-visited Mayan ruins. On the way we'll

stop at two old henequin haciendas, one of which has a nice lunch restaurant. We'll arrive in Uxmal in time to

photograph the ruins there in the afternoon light. In the evening we'll go to yet another light show at the ruins. We'll

spend the night just steps from the ruins in Uxmal.

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Day Eight: We'll arrive at the ruins when they open. After shooting the morning light in Uxmal, we'll head back to

Cancun, making some photo stops along the way at modern day Mayan villages, where we'll photograph colonial

churches, and the local village life. We'll spend the night in Cancun.

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Day Nine: Depart for your flight home (or perhaps stay an extra day to relax).

What past participants of Jim’s tours to the Yucatan had to say:

"Jim - I enjoyed my first visit to Mexico very much and it was made even more pleasureable through your well-

planned and executed tour. The accomodations and meals complemented the numerous photo ops. And the weather

was fully supportive too. Congrastulations!!" Ralph Baron, Columbus, New Jersey

"The trip was well organized, well-paced, and flexible - with a great variety of sites (we saw all the "must-see" places

but so much more). I really enjoyed the people of the Yucatan - I knew that I would enjoy the ruins - but the kindness

of the people surprised me. I really liked that you stopped the van and arrangd for us to take pictures of the villages.

Thank you for such a wonderful experience!" Wille Oelbaum, San Diego

Jim's photos of Mexico have won numerous awards, and have been exhibited at the San Diego Natural History Museum.

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