Contours Travel, the longest running Latin American tour operator in Australia, is offering Australians a 19-day itinerary to experience Mexico’s exciting ‘Day of the Dead’ festival.
On 1 and 2 November each year, it is believed that the border between the underworld and living world is at its thinnest, so the dead come and visit.
The ‘Day of the Dead’ festival blends Indigenous and Hispanic traditions, celebrating colour and love with families decorating tombstones and giving offerings to ancestors.
Contours Travel offers independent travellers a unique ‘Discover Mexico’ itinerary which showcases Mexico’s delicious cuisine, beautiful handcrafts, incredible ruins and snow-capped volcanoes.
Starting in Mexico City, the itinerary can be tailored to each guest’s taste, budget and timeframe, and can include the Day of the Dead festival.
Contours Travel recommends Oaxaca in Southwest Mexico, where guests stay on the sixth-eighth nights of the itinerary, as the perfect place to take part in the festival.
The vibrant city will be bustling with markets, altars, music, dancing and fireworks, accentuating the colonial architecture and amazing ancient archaeological sites.
Oaxaca’s delicious food, including sweet bread decorated with bones and skulls, can be enjoyed, and locals paint their faces as skulls adding to the character of the city.
The Discover Mexico itinerary also includes traditional cooking classes, a Grijalva River boat ride, a swim near Agua Azul waterfalls, and tours of the ancient Maya and Aztec ruins.
