10 days - 2 weeks from/to Mexico City or from Mexico City to Oaxaca
The highlight of the expedition is the climb of the Pico de Orizaba. Mexico's highest volcano offers an arduous challenge to any experienced climber and is the best introduction to high altitude mountaineering.

ITINERARY

Day 1: Arrival in Mexico City, pick up form airport and transfer to hotel, where you will get a chance to meet the other members of the team and have a general introduction about the adventure.
Day 2: Morning departure to visit the archaeological site of Teotihuacan (50 km northeast of Mexico City). This magnificent ritual city with its worldwide famous pyramids of the Sun and Moon was one of the main cultural, religious and economic centres of Mexico. Return to Mexico City and visit to the Museum of Anthropology. Accommodation in hotel.
Day 3: Departure from Mexico City, east toward your first challenge, the La Malinche Volcano (14,600 feet - 4,446 meters above sea level). This mountain was named after Hernan Cortes interpreter and lover. This volcano is where most of Mexico' famous Olympic long distance runners train. You will spend the night in a chalet.
Day 4: Acclimatisation hike. Night in a chalet.
Day 5: You will climb through the lush coniferous forest and beyond the tree line in order to reach the narrow ridge that will take you to the top of La Malinche. Here, on the horizon, you will be rewarded with the first glimpse of your next objectives, Iztaccihuatl to the west to the west, and massive Pico de Orizaba to the east. Return to camp and spend the night in a chalet at 9,850 ft.
Day 6: After a breakfast of fresh squeezed juice and your favorite grain, you will drive to the base town of Amecameca, where we will arrange permits for the national park and for our climb of Izta. (The Iztaccihuatl to the west is affectionately known to the locals simply as Izta�). You will sleep in a comfortable cabin at Paso de Cortez, at an altitude of 13,000 feet, helping you continue the acclimatization for Pico de Orizaba.
Day 7: You will have breakfast while enjoying breathtaking views of the active Popocatepetl Volcano directly outside of your window. To continue with the acclimatization process, you will be guided to several important breathing exercises. Next you will start a glacier training class, allowing you to safely attack Izta (17,400 feet - 5,200 meters above sea level). In preparation for the ascent, you will get your pack ready and climb up to 15,000 feet, the location of high camp. In the ancient Aztec language of Nahuatl, Iztaccihuatl to the west means 'the sleeping woman', as the mountain's silhouette resembles a women lying on her back. It is a sacred place, and in the prehistoric times was used for human sacrifice. Night in a shelter.
Day 8: Departure to Puebla. Rest of the day free.
Day 9: Transfer to Refugio Piedra Grande. Night in a shelter
Day 10: Climb to the summit of Pico de Orizaba (18,850 feet - 5,700 meters above sea level). Ultimately, there is no other place in the world where you can be in arctic conditions at such an altitude, and yet less than 60 miles away from the ocean! After the climb, you will spend the night in the village of Tlachichuca, Pico de Orizaba's base camp village, where you will enjoy the local cuisine.
Day 11: Return to Mexico City and transfer to airport, or morning transfer for Oaxaca if you continue the trip. You will stop in the cactus forest of Zapotitlan Salinas, and will arrive in Oaxaca in the afternoon. Visit to the city's historical centre, with its beautiful colonial buildings.
Day 12: Visit to the archaeological area of Monte Alban, the capital of the Zapotecs for over 1000 years. Monte Alban was both an inhabited city and a ceremonial centre, and the well preserved ruins will give you a good idea of the complex original structure of this important pre-columbian city. Transfer to some craft villages in the surrounding central valleys, where you can see handcraft masters showing their techniques in weaving, green and black pottery, and wood carving and painting. Accommodation in bungalows at Rancho Buenavista.
Day 13: Departure to the Oaxaca South Coast and arrival to the village of Mazunte in the afternoon. This small fishing village has been dependent for centuries on killing sea turtles and has now become an ecotourist destination, hosting the Centro Mexicano de la Tortuga: a laboratory/aquarium/museum dedicated to the study and protection of this endangered specie.
Day 14: Free day to enjoy Mazunte. The village is quiet and you can enjoy the laid back atmosphere, chilling out on the palapas on the beach. Opportunity to go sea kayaking or rafting (these extra activities are not included in price).
Day 15: Visit to the Ventanilla Lagoon, located on the outskirts of Mazunte. This is an ecological refuge and controlled breeding grounds for the crocodile, and you can watch a large varity of brids, also part of this amazing natural environment. Boat tours are done with oars only, not to damage the estuary and the wildlife. Rest of the day free.
Day 16: Return to Oaxaca. End of the services.