Vegan Escapes: Meditation & Mole - Mexico Group Tour
Vegan Escapes Group Trip to Mexico
November 4th-10th, 2020
Join me for this 7-day intimate vegan group tour to Mexico City, what I 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 EscapingNY 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.
Enjoy vegan meals with new friends!
Climb the world’s 3rd largest pyramid
Take in spectacular views from various pyramids
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.
Vegan omelette, a la Mexicana
Vegan Mexican enfrijoladas
The most Instagrammable tacos in Mexico City
“This was literally the best trip of my life. The vegan food was amazing! You can’t find half of the restaurants online. Luckily, EscapingNY/ Cassandra knows the best places to eat and has great relationships with the owners. We brought home at least 10lbs of vegan pastries! Delish!””
“This trip was my first trip as a solo traveler and yet I wasn’t actually alone. The group was so much fun and I met some wonderful people that I hope to keep in touch with! I was blown away by how amazing our vegan meals were. Each meal seemed better than the last! It really was one of the best trips I’ve ever taken!”
“It was the trip of a lifetime with amazing food, people and places. The perfect tour for people who hate group tours and want to have an authentic experience.”
Trip Itinerary
Friday, October 15th
Arrive, get settled
Neighborhood walking tour
Group dinner at a vegan Mexican-Japanese fusion restaurant.
Tour Mexico City markets with a local journalist
See Mexico City’s best graffiti
Cleansing ceremony in Mexico City
Travel with like-minded people
Saturday, October 16th
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, October 17th
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
Margaritas and mezcal in the famous “Mariachi Square”
Evening folkloric ballet performance (optional)
Monday, October 18th
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.
Bike tour of Mexico City
Visit historic sites across the city
Visit the most colorful & photogenic locations
Escape to the serenity of Tepoztlan
Tuesday, October 19th
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.
Making tortillas during a Mexican cooking class
Sample pre-Hispanic food indigenous to the region
Enjoy a shaman-led Mayan sweat lodge ceremony
Wednesday, October 20th
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.
Thursday, October 21st
Farewell breakfast before heading to the airport
Need more time? Arrange to stay additional days to explore on your own or with a trusted guide or local friend.
Vegan Mexican fusion at it’s finest
Tacos during the vegan food walking tour
Traditional Mexican cuisine, veganized
Price per person*:
$1599 per person if booked by February 15th
$1799 per person if booked by May 15th
$1999 per person if booked by August 15th
Pricing includes round trip airport transfer, accommodations at well-located B&Bs, all museum and attraction admission, trip-related transportation, guides, bike rentals, all breakfasts and all lunches. Pricing does NOT include airfare, or dinners.
*These prices are based on double-occupancy. If you wish to have your own room, please add $599. In the past, guests have enjoyed inviting friends and family to share a room, though I will try to pair up interested singles looking for a roommate.
A 50% deposit is required by the indicated date to reserve your spot. The remaining balance is due by September 1st, 2021. Should the Coronavirus / COVID-19 crisis make travel to Mexico unsafe by September 1st, the trip will be postponed until November, 2022.
IMPORTANT: Proof of travel insurance is required for this trip. Read my article Why You Should Buy Travel Insurance to learn why it’s so important. You may chose your own travel insurance provider but I recommend World Nomad's. I've used their insurance for many years, as have many of my clients, and they offer comprehensive coverage and excellent customer service at a reasonable price. More information can be found in the Terms and Conditions.
