The Duende Team

Duende Tours is a highly experienced adventure travel provider of ecologically and culturally-oriented tours in the Mayan World of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala.

As an international team we have been able to integrate western travel needs and quality standards into a local culture with different living standards and understandings. We have over 15 years of experience with a variety of tours within the Mayan world. Because of our history within the Mayan community; both by traveling and living in the Mayan jungle, we can take you to places where other tour operators don’t go.  

Our philosophy

What differentiates us from other tour organizations is our philosophy about adventure travel. We prefer to think of our tours as personal journeys of reflection, fun, and learning. Our tours are directed towards individuals that are looking to push their physical, educational, or cultural limits just a little further whilst off the beaten path. In other words, our tours are made for active travelers, interested not only in nature, but in the unique and stimulating learning experience of sound eco-friendly and culturally-sensitive methods of travel.

Duende Tours is an eco-friendly tour operator respecting the people and places we visit on our tours. We want to take adventure to a philosophical level, one based on “preserving and conserving” the jungle: the flora, fauna, archaeology, culture and community.

Our Tours

At Duende Tours Adventure Travel you can find many great offers for your trip to one of the most breathtaking destinations in Central America – Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. These are among the best places to visit if you are interested in Mayan ruins and civilization, birding, diving and snorkeling, swimming with whale sharks, exploring natural wonders such as rainforest, waterfalls, coral reefs, tropical beaches and cultural encounters with colorful markets and the local Mayan people.

This region of the world is especially picturesque, as it features all types of different landscapes – oceans, lagoons, lakes, rivers, mangroves, swamps, white secluded beaches, rain forests, jungles and active volcanoes. The variety of species of flora and fauna inhabiting these lands is huge, especially if you add to the count the number of migrating animals that come to Central America every year to nest, find food and take care of their young.

At Duende Tours we have carefully considered every destination we have to offer you and have made sure that we will be perfectly able to satisfy any need you may have, as well as giving you a memorable vacation experience. We focus on eco-friendly ways to travel and tour, as our main goal is to promote ecological awareness and to show the beauty of nature.

Our tours are split into categories based on their duration – from one day trips to longer multi day tours, as well as custom tailored tours for our clients who would like to reach a bit further and explore as much of the Mayan World and its wonders as they possibly can in one tour.

Day Tours

We have over 20 one day tours for the traveler who is interested in exploring Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Some of the tours are suitable for people who are interested in Mayan ruins, history and archeology, while other tours are specially tailored for people who would like to spend their time observing nature or performing different underwater activities such as reef or cenote snorkeling.

If you would like to learn more about the Mayan civilization and would like to visit some of the most popular Mayan ruins, we recommend that you check out our tours to Tikal, Chichen Itza, Coba, Calakmul, Palenque and many more.

Some of our top one day trips for nature lovers include our birding tours, whale shark tours or a visit to the island of Cozumel. 

Multi-Day Tours

If you have more spare time and would like to take one of our multi-day tours, you will be able to experience a lot more of the local atmosphere as well as see more Mayan ruins, national parks and wildlife reserves.

Our multi-day tours take between three and nine days, and visit remote Mayan sites deep in the Mayan jungle of Mexico, Belize and Guatemala. You will visit several destinations during our multi-day tours and stay at National Parks and Reserves such as Tikal, Yaxha, Sian Ka’an, Calakmul, El Peru and any other destination you may be interested in.

Customized Tours

To be able to provide you with the best vacation experience possible, we can organize activities that match your needs best. Activities such as rafting in the rain forests, hiking or biking tours and many others have been explored this way. Even if it is not part of our current tour menu, we'll arrange anything you need for an unforgettable experience. All you need to do is contact us, let us know what you are interested in and let us take care of the rest!

Long known as the largest fish that exists in the world today, you will easily be able to tell a whale shark when you see one. They have very thick skin that is colored a two-tone shade, with both lines and spots on them. The whale shark may actually swim at depths that are around 400 feet.

Whale sharks are among the gentlest giants in the world. Far more akin to a whale than they are to a shark, the whale shark diving experience tops the list of adventure vacations that many people say they would like to have. Once you dive with a Whale Shark, you'll understand why. The experience is difficult to describe until you've actually participated in it.

Among the grand Mayan ruins that are housed in the Yucatan area Palenque ranks easily in the top of the "must see" category. Easily competing with Chichen Itza and Tikal simply for the Mayan temples and the architectural beauties along the Palenque ruins provide a non-stop trip through history and culture for those who take the time to go and visit.

Somewhat off the beaten path, the Palenque ruins are about 650 kilometers from the beaches and white sands of the Riviera Maya, but makes for a reasonable overnight trip for those who would like to experience history as well as some sunshine.

If you have never been to the island of Cozumel, you are in for a wonderful surprise!

Cozumel is the largest inhabited island in Mexico, is a paradise for diving and snorkeling .

So, this is my first "blog". It's in quotations because, well,.....you'll see.......

A very good friend of mine once told me that traveling to distant and exotic places only meant as much as the person with whom you shared it. I disagree.

Mayans, baby!

OK, sorry for the pause in the vacation slides. I haven't been feeling well this week. I'm hoping for a tapeworm -- it'd save me a lot of money on Weight Watchers.

It’s everywhere. You see it in the movies, in the ranches and in the plains, you see it exhibition shows and in rodeos,…you even see it in the heart of New York City.

Ok, Now that I’ve woken-up and had a day to think about what I wanna write about,…part deux of my Mayan World trotting.