Chance to explore further

Chance to explore further

Delegates at Pueblaito will have a choice of seven pre orpost-tours. They include visits to Veracruz on the Gulf coast, Mexico City and colonial cities including Oaxaca (pronounced Wa-ha-ka). Here we outline details of two of the tours that AITOis organising for delegates and give a sample price for a similar tour offered by an operator.

Puebla, Oaxaca and Veracruz

Delegates with time at the end of the conference will be able to discover some of the regions beyond the beaches.

The five-day tour visits Veracruz is a lively city on Mexico’s Gulf coast, where the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés made his first land fall in Mexico. This tropical city is famous for its festivals.

It also visits Oaxaca, a region with a large indigenous population that maintains its traditions and myriad different languages. There is a spectacular journey from Puebla to Oaxaca through the Sierra Madre Mountains.

Sample product: Veloso Tours can assemble an itinerary including Puebla, Oaxaca and Veracruz, with time in Mexico City at the beginning and end of the tour. This 12-night package includes flights from London, accommodation with breakfast, bus transportation and excursions, and costs from £1,162.

Cox and Kings’ features a 14-day escorted group tour. It begins in Mexico City and takes in Oaxaca, the Indianvillages near San Cristóbal de las Casas and the great Mayan sites at Palenque, Edzná and Chichén Itzá. Prices start at £1,895 and include all flights, transfers, accommodation, some meals and excursions.

Rosario Butterfly Sanctuary, Morélia and Patzcuaro

Delegates at this year’s Pueblaito conference will have the opportunity to witness one of the wonders of the natural world.

Between November and March, 500 million Monarch butterflies spend winter feeding on the milkweed plant, peculiar to the state of Michoacán, before returning north to the US and Canada. At the Rosario sanctuary, there are so many butterflies that, when they take to the air in huge red clouds, you can hear the sound of their wings flapping.

Sample product: an eight-day tailor-made itinerary is offered by Cathy Matos Mexican Tours and includes two nights in Mexico City and five in the colonial city of Morélia. Included is a tour to see the Monarch butterflies and a visit to Lake Patzcuaro and the picturesque town of the same name. The price for the tour is from £1,569 including flights and transfers.

Dancing queen: a traditional display in Oaxaca

Mayan statue, Oaxaca