Marvelling at a 1300-year-old Maya palace at Palenque as parrots screech and howler monkeys growl in the sweaty emerald jungle around you. This is Mexico. Sliding from a palm-fringed sandy beach into the warm, turquoise waves of the Pacific at Puerto Vallarta. This, too, is Mexico. Dining on salmon enchiladas and chrysanthemum salad at a Mexico City fusion restaurant, dancing through the night at a high-energy Guadalajara nightclub, kayaking at dawn past a colony of Baja California sea lions – all these are unique Mexican experiences.

Every visitor goes home with their own unforgettable images. Such a large country, straddling temperate and tropical zones, reaching 5km into the sky and stretching 10,000km along its coasts, with a city of 19 million people at its center and countless tiny pueblos everywhere, can hardly fail to provide a huge variety of options for human adventure.

Mexico is what you make of it. Its multi-billion-dollar tourism industry is adept at satisfying those who like their travel easy. But adventure is what you’ll undoubtedly have if you take a just a few steps off the pre-packaged path. Activity-based tourism, community tourism and genuine ecotourism – the type that actually helps conserve local environments – are developing fast in rural areas. The opportunities for getting out to Mexico’s spectacular wild places and interacting with local communities are greater than ever – from world-class canyoneering near Monterrey or cooking lessons in the Veracruz countryside to hiking the Oaxaca cloud forests and snorkeling the coral reefs of the Yucatán.

Planning your first trip to Mexico? Be ready for more crowds, noise, bustle and poverty than you’re accustomed to, especially if it’s your first trip outside the developed world. But don’t worry – most Mexicans will be only too happy to help you feel at home in their country. Invest a little time before your trip in learning even just a few phrases of Spanish – every word you know will make your trip that little bit easier and more enjoyable.

Getting Ready to go?

• Download our new Spanish Offline Translator app. Simply talk or type, and it translates. Available for iPhone, iPad and Android
• Download the free 20-page ‘Mexico – Getting Started’ guide, featuring a detailed overview, highlights, and nine Lonely Planet itineraries
• Tour around the highlights of Southern Mexico and Guatemala
• Visit the famous whale sanctuary at Magdalena Bay

Family-Friendly Vacation on Riviera Maya With its all-inclusive lifestyle, 1,000 feet of white-sand beach, family-friendly atmosphere, and seemingly infinite lineup of activities, Grand Velas Riviera Maya is one of the world’s premier vacation destinations. Classic Vacations invites you to stay for four nights and includes a tour to Xplor, $50 spa credit per adult, private roundtrip airport transfers and more. Virtuoso rates FROM $1,789 per person. Available through December 19, 2012; book by December 12, 2012. 5-Night Riviera Maya Getaway Take back the quiet with an adults-only (13+) stay at the Riviera Maya’s Royal Hideaway Playacar, arranged by Pleasant Holidays. Magnificently appointed villa accommodations are punctuated by attentive concierge service and a bundle of thoughtful amenities, from a room upgrade and priority dinner reservations, to a $70 spa credit. The Yucatan Peninsula setting is sublime. Virtuoso rates FROM $1,001 per person for a five-night stay. Available through August 27, 2012. Riviera Maya Getaway, 3rd Night Complimentary Mexico’s Riviera Maya beckons you, and there’s perhaps no more indulgent resort to call home than Rosewood Mayakoba, a 1,600-acre luxury enclave south of Cancun and north of Playa del Carmen. Your third night is gratis, you’ll receive exclusive Virtuoso amenities and you’re guaranteed to return home rested and rejuvenated. Virtuoso rates FROM $600 per night (three-night min. stay, rate includes discount). Available through October 15, 2012.

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