Compare Mexico: Todos Santos by Walking Connection vs Mexico City Stopover by Intrepid Travel

Day 1: Arrive Cabo San Lucas – Todos Santos

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Los Colibris Casitas (4-Nights)

Todos Santos is located 90 minutes north of Cabo San Lucas and you can either self-drive or we can arrange ground transportation to and from the airport to your hotel or Casita. Upon your arrival, you’ll be met by our friends Bryan, Sergio or Mauricio and they will give you the lay of the land and show you to your accommodations. They will also serve as your hosts and guides during your entire vacation.

Tonight you dine at the world famous Hotel California in Todos Santos.

Days 2: Whale Watching! (October-April), Birding Watching, Rock Art

Meals: Breakfast

Morning

The whales of Todos Santos love people watching, so come out on the water and meet the neighbors! In Todos Santos we have 2 main whale species that visit each year, the humpback and the gray. The humpback can usually be spotted October through February, then again in April. The gray whale arrives from Alaska in late January and stays through mid-March to breed, mate and train the babies for the long journey back. We go out with local fishermen who are very familiar with the habits of these visitors.

OR Bird Watching – Baja California Sur has over 400 bird species, 150 of which have been spotted here in Todos Santos. The confluence of three different ecosystems in Todos Santos – ocean, desert and estuary – means a huge variety of birds. Most birders add to their lifetime lists here.

Afternoon

Rock Art Painting Walk – An indigenous culture that persisted for possibly 1,000 years is now long gone, but evidence that the Guaycura Indian tribes once lived and thrived here in Baja is all around us. A local anthropologist has spent the last four years creating a photographic journal of pictographs and murals made by these now-extinct peoples, and in this walk he’ll share with us one of his favorite sites, a spot that is still not open to the general public.

Day 3: Free day!

Meals: Breakfast

No activities are included today so that you can enjoy your vacation at your pace. Relax by the pool, go to town and wander the shops or choose from a variety of optional activities. Here are a few ideas:

San Vicente/Visit Mountain Potters

This is a fantastic opportunity to experience the traditional way of life of the mountain ranchers in Baja. We’ll meet local potters in a true mountain oasis, and learn how Baja Californians have carved their homes and livings out the mountains for centuries. Doña Ramona will give us a pottery class while sharing her ranching way of life. Her family will prepare an incredibly delicious ranch lunch for us, and will give us a tortilla-making lesson just before dining.

Cooking Adventures Day

Today you’ll take in the glorious scenery and nature of Baja, all the while preparing for the evening’s cooking class. Start the day off with a trip to Basilfields, Kayle Nordbo’s beautiful organic farm that supplies many of the restaurants in Todos Santos. Here Kayle will give you a tour of the farm and help you pick out the fruit or vegetables you want to have transformed into tortillas for the evening meal. Yep, that’s right. Whatever fruit or vegetable strikes your fancy – spinach, tomato, strawberry, nopale, basil, mint – we’ll take it to a local tortilleria that will turn it into a batch of fresh, delicious tortillas for you by the end of the day. With the tortillas in process, head out for a desert canyon walk to learn more about the beauty and bounty of the desert, then reward yourself for your exertions with lunch at one of the town’s great local restaurants like El Pastorcito – best place in town for tacos al pastor, or Compa Chava’s – a cute local joint serving up dynamite ceviche. After lunch head over to the beach at Punta Lobos to procure the final ingredient for tonight’s meal – the fish! Todos Santos is home to two fishing cooperatives whose captains and crew are all 4th generation fishermen and you’ll buy the fish from them right as they land with the day’s catch. Doesn’t get much fresher! After stopping to get the tortillas, you’ll head to the restaurants for a fabulous cooking class with the ingredients we’ve procured during the day!

Day 4: Hike in the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve, Cooking With Chef Iker Algorri

Morning

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

Hike in the Sierra de la Laguna Biosphere Reserve

The Biosphere Reserve is one of Baja’s most beautiful but least explored areas. Part of an island off the coast of Baja 10 million years ago, the Reserve is home to an incredible diversity of plant and animal life, many of them endemic species – over 23% of plants and 10% of animals found in the Reserve are endemic to the area. It’s a glorious hike!

Mexican Cooking Lessons with Local Chef

This evening we take over Café Brown and local lawyer turned chef Iker Algorri teaches us authentic Mexican cooking! Great fun!

Day 5: Depart Todos Santos For Points Beyond

Meals: Breakfast

Day 1 Mexico City

Bienvenidos! Welcome to Mexico City. Check in to your hotel, where a welcome pack will be waiting for you. This will include all the information you need for your Short Break Adventure. If you have free time today, why not venture into the streets and check out this incredible city. Modern meets ancient in Mexico City – one of the world's largest urban centres. Although crowded and smoggy, D.F. (Distrito Federal) offers a great variety of impressive museums, galleries and architecture, along with exciting night life and delicious street food. Why not head to the Zocalo – the city's huge central square – to see Aztec ruins and colonial architecture or relax in one of the many parks, plazas and gardens.

Day 2 Mexico City

Pick up the rest of your travel mates today and head out of town by public transport, experiencing how locals move about this crowded city. Hop off at the archaeological area of the Teotihuacan pyramids and explore the grounds. Visit the Moon Pyramid, the Calzada de los Muertos (Dead Pass), and the 63-m-high Sun Pyramid, the tallest and most spectacular in the area. Next, head to a nearby village and stop by a family-run business where you’ll learn about obsidian – the material that the Teotihuacan people use to make their tools, idols and decorations. You’ll also get to sip pulque (an ancient sacred drink), considered by some as the great-grandfather of tequila! After working up an appetite, be welcomed into a family home for a memorable lunch where you’ll be served authentic dishes bursting with local flavours and plenty of Mexican hospitality. After lunch, head back to Mexico City.

Day 3 Mexico City

Have breakfast this morning and then take some time to refresh and pack up, before checking out of your hotel. You can leave your luggage here this morning, before heading out on today’s final adventures. Your guide will pick you up from the hotel, at 10 am, for an epic journey of exploration through Mexico’s incredible capital. Let your expert guide bring 700 years of history back to life as you uncover little-known facts and hidden hotspots, from Aztecs to art, in one of the biggest cities in the Americas. Head into the heart of Mexico City – the Plaza de la Constitucion – and hear about the remains of an ancient city located under the modern metropolis. Visit iconic sites like the Templo Mayor and the Metropolitan Cathedral – the biggest cathedral on the continent – and see one of Diego Rivera's most famous murals at Museo Mural. Head to the fresh food stalls at Mercado San Juan and shop for snacks and souvenirs. Wander through the Palace of Fine Arts (Palacio de Bellas Artes) and when you’re finished, your guide will lead you back to your hotel, where your trip will come to an end.