November 4th-10th, 2020

Join us for this 7-day intimate vegan group tour to Mexico City, what we consider to be the most delicious city in the world. This small group tour will connect you with Mexican culture and tradition through extraordinary people, life-changing experiences, and the most incredible food you’ve ever had in your life! Since the trip kicks off two days after Day of the Dead, so the entire city will be decorated and you’ll learn about this incredible holiday.

Mexico conjures up images of ancient Aztec temples, classic colonial towns, bustling public markets, and some of the world’s most colorful, flavorful, and delicious food. Join us for an unforgettable vegan group trip to Mexico City (CDMX), where we’ll feast on world-class cuisine, enjoy a cleansing Mayan sweat lodge in one of the country’s “magical villages”, and visit pre-Aztec ruins and the world’s third largest pyramid.

We’ll explore Mexico City’s intoxicating vibe by touring food, flower, and witchcraft markets with a journalist; cycling the city to learn about street art, history, and culture; and fully appreciating the rapidly growing Mexico City vegan scene through a vegan Mexican street food walking tour. Next, we’ll head to the tranquil village of Tepoztlan, where we’ll learn about pre-Hispanic cuisine from a world-renowned chef and enjoy a traditional Mayan sweat lodge cleansing ceremony.

We’ll indulge in all of Mexico’s famous “Ts”: tamales, tacos, tortas, tlacoyos, tlayudas, and tinga, crafted using fresh plant-based ingredients such as: squash blossom flowers, cactus, fava beans, avocado, hominy, amaranth, blue corn, mushrooms, and huitlacoche (known as “Mexican truffles”). Other veganized Mexican cuisine we’ll nourish ourselves with include: pozole, enchiladas, enfrijoladas, mole, gringas, sincronizadas, and esquites. Don’t worry, we’ll also have seitan milanesa (steak), soy al pastor, and chickpea vegan chorizo.

Forget stressing about where to find vegan food in Mexico - just show up and enjoy the delicious ride! Vegans, vegetarians, and non-vegetarians are all welcome and will enjoy the 100% animal-free vegan Mexican food during the trip.

Relax, play, eat, and drink in paradise with and a group of soon-to-be friends for life and with your tour leader, Cassandra, a travel planner, travel writer, and vegan of 15 years.

Wednesday, November 4th

• Arrive, get settled
• Neighborhood walking tour
• Group dinner at a vegan Mexican-Japanese fusion restaurant.

Thursday, November 5th

• Breakfast at a little-known-to-tourists food hall serving upscale vegan Mexican and fusion cuisine
• Morning visit to the “Blue House”, the historic home and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
• Afternoon / early evening Mexican vegan street food walking tour.

Friday, November 6th

We’ll head to Tepoztlan, considered the birthplace of the Mesoamerican god, Quetzalcoatl, and an important indigenous site. The town itself has a well-preserved historic center and is surrounded by soaring cliffs, on the top of which is the Tepozteco pyramid.

• Market and food stall walking and tasting tour with a local chef who is considered to be offer one of the top 10 culinary tours in the world. We’ll sample Mexican vegan traditional cuisine that is only found in this region and learn about the resurgence of (mostly vegan!) pre-Hispanic cuisine that relies heavily on flowers, seeds, and ancient grains.
• Optional one-hour hike to the Tepozteco pyramid the pyramid, which can be quite challenging, but offers a spectacular view.
• Enjoy a meditative temazcal or "Mayan steam bath", a type of sweat lodge which originated with pre-Hispanic Indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica.

Saturday, November 7th

• Guided tour of various markets, including Mexico City’s largest retail market, traditional food and spice markets, the flower market, and the witchcraft market, which specializes in hard-to-find herbs, potions, and medicinals. The tour will be led by a local journalist, who will guide us to sample vegan Mexican food staples such as mole, pipian, adobo, fresh tortillas, and hot sauces.
• Afternoon free to rest or explore museums and/or attend the Day of the Dead parade

Sunday, November 8th

• History, culture, and street art bike ride through closed-streets, Chapultapec Park, downtown Zocalo, and various neighborhoods and important sites not yet visited. The relaxed pace bike tour will be approximately 8 miles along flat roads, making frequent stops at important sites.
• Lunch at Mexico City’s best vegan taco and torta (sandwich) cart
• Afternoon visit to the Sunday antique market
• Margaritas and mezcal in the famous “Mariachi Square”
• Evening folkloric ballet performance (optional)

Monday, November 9th

• Day trip to Teotihuacan, a vast Mexican archaeological complex that was once a flourishing pre-Columbian city. We’ll tour the village and explore pre-Aztec ruins by bicycle then climb the third largest pyramid in the world for panoramic views of the entire region. The bike tour is a relaxed-pace, 8-mile ride along flat, paved roads.
• We’ll make frequent stops, including stopping for lunch at a mom and pop restaurant where local chefs create flavorful meals out of squash blossom flowers, cactus, mushrooms, and blue corn.

Tuesday, November 10th

• Farewell breakfast before heading to the airport