2024 Mexico City Canatlan 7 Night Total Solar Eclipse Journey with Luxury Boutique Hotels

Welcome at the Mexico City´s “Benito Juarez” international airport. Arrange your transfer to your hotel on your own.

Overnight in Mexico City.

We will visit the Historical downtown district that is a Unesco´s world heritage site, the National Palace, the Zocalo which is the Mexico City’s principal plaza, fills such a role and is the heart of that great metropolis. As for the term “zócalo,” it derives from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs and kindred peoples. It means “base” or “plinth,” referring to the base of a planned column which was never constructed. Though long-since removed, the name stuck as a designation for the plaza. Architecturally, the Zócalo follows the Spanish plaza-style found in Spain and Latin America. A plaza is a square or rectangle at the heart of the city where the seat of government and a Catholic church are often located. Experts think the temple on the exact spot where the Aztecs saw their symbolic eagle perching on a cactus with a snake in its beak – the symbol of Mexico today. In Aztec belief this was, literally, the center of the universe.

Next, continue to the Metropolitan Cathedral, on the Zocalo ‘s north side is the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Catedral Metropolitana de la Asunción de María, seat of the Archbishop of Mexico. Mexican history has had its share of church-state conflict and yet there they are — the Cathedral and the Palacio in close proximity on the Zócalo, a microcosm of Mexican society. The Cathedral replaced an earlier post-Conquest Spanish church which, in turn, had been built over the site of the Aztec temple precinct. The Cathedral was a work in progress for several centuries. Its foundation began to be laid in 1562 and construction began in 1573. It was finally completed in 1813. Then proceed to Reforma boulevard, the Chapultepec Park, the most glamorous residential districts of the city and the Zona Rosa (Pink Zone). We continue with a panoramic Tour of the World Trade Center, the Siqueiros Cultural Polyforum, the Mexico Bullring, the Theater of the Insurgentes, the Olympic Stadium, the University City, the lava gardens of San Angel; after, visit Xochimilco, a world heritage site, to ride an Aztec boat; and then to the colonial district of Coyoacan with its XVI century mansions and the impressive paintings at the church of Saint John The Baptist.

Overnight in Mexico City.

Breakfast. We will begin our journey at Mexico City visiting the Square of the three cultures, where the past and the present mix; continue to the impressive archaeological zone of Teotihuacan, to admire the monumental Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon, the temple of Quetzalpapalotl, the citadel and the avenue of the dead. The most important and largest city of pre-Aztec central Mexico located about 30 miles (50 km) northeast of modern Mexico City. At its apogee (c. 500 CE), it encompassed some 8 square miles (20 square km) and supported a population estimated at 125,000–200,000, making it, at the time, one of the largest cities in the world. It was the region’s major economic as well as religious center. Teotihuacán was designated a UNESCO World heritage site in 1987. In addition to some 2,000 single-story apartment compounds, the ruined city contains great plazas, temples, a canalized river, and palaces of nobles and priests. The main buildings are connected by a 130-foot- (40-metre-) wide road, the Avenue of the Dead (“Calle de los Muertos”), that stretches 1.5 miles (2.4 km); oriented slightly east of true north, it points directly at the nearby sacred peak of Cerro Gordo. The Avenue of the Dead was once erroneously thought to have been lined with tombs, but the low buildings that flank it probably were palace residences.

Today we will also visit an arts & crafts center. Return to Mexico City to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of America. According to tradition, Mary appeared to Juan Diego, who was an Aztec convert to Christianity, on December 9 and again on December 12, 1531. During her first apparition she requested that a shrine to her be built on the spot where she appeared, Tepeyac Hill (now in a suburb of Mexico City). The bishop demanded a sign before he would approve construction of a church, however. Mary then appeared a second time to Juan Diego and ordered him to collect roses. In a second audience with the bishop, Juan Diego opened his cloak, letting dozens of roses fall to the floor and revealing the image of Mary imprinted on the inside of the cloak—the image that is now venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe. Return to the hotel and rest of the day free.

Overnight in Mexico City

Please arrange your transfer to Boutique hotel Urajan de La Luna in Nombre de Dios near Durango, where you will spend the rest of the tour for 4 nights and 5 days, including the Eclipse viewing day. You may either arrive in Durango by air from Mexico City or prefer to use intercity coach services. The best way to get from Mexico City to Durango is to fly, which takes 2 hours and 59 minutes and costs $80 .
Alternatively, you can take a bus from Mexico City to Durango, which costs $55 – $120 and takes 10 hours and 35 minutes. As you arrive in Durango, please arrange your own transfer to your hotel.

After a hearty breakfast at the hotel, you will have a lazy morning and the opportunity to use the spa and pool at the hotel. A delicious lunch will be served, including beverages such as cocktails with mezcal and non-alcoholic drinks. Late afternoon around 3 PM, our 4-hour tour of Durango will start. We will meet in the lobby and follow our guide to our vehicle to head out to Durango, which is only 30 minutes of driving from our hotel. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, we will visit iconic places and stop at the Durango market. We will return at 7:30 PM for dinner by the bonfire, where cocktails with or without alcohol will be served.

An early breakfast at the hotel and departure to the selected spot for eclipse viewing in Canatlan at 6:00 AM. We will arrive in Canatlan around 10 AM. The ONE DAY EXPERIENCE includes round-trip transportation, meditation, brunch, welcome kit, barbecue, beverages with and without alcohol, in a spectacular and private location. Guided by experts in stars and eclipses, we will return back to our hotel Urajan de la Luna around 19:00 PM and have our delicious dinner at the La Estancia de Urajan Restaurant.
Total Eclipse Duration 3m 48s Altitude:6200 feet
• Start of partial eclipse: 11:55:42.11
• Start of total eclipse: 13:12:04.05
• End of total eclipse: 13:15:53
• End of partial eclipse: 14:36:39
(Local times)

After breakfast, we will give you three different options to choose from, all starting from 11:00 AM, and you may choose any of the following to join:
o Kayaking in the riverside area
o Cultural walk in NOMBRE DE DIOS
o Mountain bike route
Return to Urajan de la Luna hotel and have lunch around 1:00 PM. After having lunch around 1:00 PM at Urajan de la Luna hotel, you can spend the rest of your final day in Urajan de la Luna relaxing and enjoying the hotel’s amenities.

Please arrange your own transfer to the airport or bus te