Mexico Mayan Experience for Recovering Addicts

Right now we do not have any more trips booked in 2010. We look forward to booking trips in 2011, so please do sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of the page. 

We will have the unique experience of being guided by Eric Humbert, Sober World Travel’s founder and president. Eric holds Mexican Permanent Residency, speaks fluent Spanish, and has lived and worked in the Yucatan peninsula for 15 years. Eric is intimately familiar with all the sites and has developed relationships with various groups in the region.

**Accommodations are all-inclusive and alcohol free**

**Each evening Eric Humbert will lead recovery meetings**

**All meals are provided and most are cooked by Mayan Grandmothers**

 

TRIP ITINERARY

DAY ONE
We arrive in Cancun and transfer to the charming town of Akumal. Akumal is the last town on the entire Riviera Maya that has no mega resorts; it still retains its small fishing village feel. In the Mayan language, Akumal means "Place of the Turtles," and you are virtually guaranteed to see turtles while snorkeling on the house reef (a turtle sanctuary) directly in front of our accommodations.

We will be staying in our very own exclusive First-Class Beachfront Condominium with a pool overlooking the ocean. Each unit is a two bedroom exquisitely decorated condominium with air conditioning, satellite TV, full kitchen, and living room. Limited internet access.

DAY TWO
Today we will visit the Mayan ruins of Muyil. We will be met there by Ismael Caamuul from the local Mayan Cooperative. Mr. Caamuul is a world-renowned Mayan ornithology expert. We are blessed that the Mayan Cooperative will work with us because as a rule, they do not meet with large hotels or tour operators.

After viewing the spectacular ruins, we will walk through the jungle to visit a tiny "off limits" Mayan community. After leaving the community we will board small boats to venture into the spectacular Siaan Kaan Bio Reserve. Siaan Kaan in the Mayan Language means "where the heaven is born." We will witness wildlife and flora at its most pristine and view virtually unknown underwater Mayan ruins.

The day wouldn’t be complete without spending a little time on the beach for a dip in the Caribbean and then return home. (The condos really do feel like home).

DAY THREE
Today is Beach day! We will board our own "Robinson Crusoe” sailboat right in Akumal and head out to a pristine deserted beach to spend the day snorkeling, beach combing, and lounging in the warm crystal blue Caribbean waters. We will arrive back in Akumal with time to explore this charming town. A short walking tour of the town will be offered.

DAY FOUR
Tulum!! The only Mayan ruin erected on the ocean is truly a lifetime must see. We’ll have our very own certified guide who will leisurely lead us through the remarkable site. Time will be allotted to climb around and explore and even check out the amazing beach below.

We will then head into the beach town of Tulum to have a beach-front lunch followed by some free beach time. On the way back to our beachfront condo, we will stop in Tulum for a bit of shopping and wandering. A short guided tour will be offered or you can just explore a bit.

DAY FIVE
Today, we'll have some free time in the morning to stroll through Akumal, walk the beach, lounge by the pool, snorkel, or scuba dive. At 11 am, we'll head to infamous Playa Del Carmen (locals just call it Playa) to attend an English language Alcoholics Anonymous meeting (Expat AA meetings in foreign countries are always an interesting treat). Following the AA meeting, we'll have lunch at one of my favorite "hidden jewel" restaurants, "La Cueva Del Chango,” which serves healthy Mexican food in a jungle setting right in the middle of Playa Del Carmen.

After lunch everybody will have three hours of "structured independence." What's that!? Well, we will provide everyone with maps of Playa del Carmen (an easy grid layout) indicating the highlights of "Playa" and a meeting place and time. Then we set you free! (day five continued….)

Playa has wonderful shops, galleries, boutiques, ice cream shops, and of course the beautiful beach is 2 blocks away. If you don’t feel like you can handle time alone or you just want to hang out with Eric, he’d love your company. He will offer an optional walking tour of his favorite places in Playa. Then back to "home sweet home."

DAY SIX
Today, we check out of our condos and head to the Mayan ruins of Coba. This is Eric’s favorite place because it offers ample areas to get "lost." He has come across ruins there that he ventures to say that 95% of tourists never see. Wildlife viewing is great here. Additionally, the site sits by 5 lakes, the only 5 lakes on the entire Yucatan Peninsula.

After lunch at an amazing lakeside Hacienda, we head off to the colonial town of Valladolid. This will be your first taste of the "Real Mexico." After the multinational, Pan-Mexican world of the Riviera Maya, Valladolid comes as a sudden blast of colorful local life. You will immediately feel the region’s distinctive way of being, or rather, of not being.

One of Eric’s very favorite things to do in ALL of Mexico is just to sit in Valladolid’s central Plaza at dusk. At dusk, the plaza comes alive with adolescents walking around, doing their well- mannered courtship "dance,” and older folks play dominoes while kids eat homemade ice cream. The cathedral bells are beautiful, highlighting the distinctive laid back way of life.

In Valladolid, we will be treated to a wonderfully unique accommodation experience: A hacienda-style home in the center of town that has been converted by an American Expat into a Sober Hotel. Each single or double room is decorated in a different theme. We will have this wonderful property all to ourselves. This is a place where ypu can walk into the kitchen and help yourself. All meals will be served family style by Mayan women. You can take advantage of on-site massages or a cleansing ceremony by an elder Mayan shaman. WIFI throughout.

DAY SEVEN
Today, we head to the Mayan Ruin of EK Balam (black jaguar). This is a little known jewel of the Mayan World. Recent excavations (begun only in 1998) have produced extraordinary results in the shape of the finest of all Mayan sculptures. It is also the most unusual of all Mayan ruins, with an architectural and sculptural style entirely different from any other Mayan site. You can "Feel" an energy at this site.

Eric can't wait to get back to see what else has been uncovered. After wandering time, we'll have lunch at a wonderful Italian restaurant in the jungle near the ruins and then return to soak up some of that wonderful Valladolid feeling, do a little shopping and explore the colonial city. A walking tour of the city will be offered in the afternoon. A last supper Mayan feast and celebration with a Mayan shamanic ritual will put us in the mood to never want to leave this "old" Mexico...

DAY EIGHT
But, alas, leave we must. We’ll have an early morning departure back to the Cancun Airport.

All Sober World Travel trips are subject to change depending are subject to change depending on weather conditions, emergencies and other factors beyond the control of Sober World Travel.