5 minute read
What is shaping travel to Mexico in 2026? After months of scouting, creating, and refining, we’re ready to share the trends and experiences we can’t wait to bring to our guests.
Journey Mexico was born from the spirit of adventure and a vision of what luxury travel in Mexico could be. Over two decades on, we keep dreaming big.
The end of each year is an invitation to look back and look ahead. The way our travelers light up when talking about the most impactful parts of their journeys inspires us to keep paving the way, with the type of authentic moments that become lifelong memories.
VALLE DE GUADALUPE: MEXICO’S EMERGING WINE COUNTRY
Valle de Guadalupe is quickly becoming one of Mexico’s most exciting wine regions and is increasingly in demand. Our team recently explored further in northern Baja, discovering innovative wineries, boutique stays, and a culinary scene rooted in local pride that travelers are loving.
Read five key takeaways from our team’s recent Baja exploration in Valle de Guadalupe and beyond.
GO BEYOND THE GUIDEBOOK IN POPULAR DESTINATIONS
Travelers are increasingly seeking more than a checklist. They want to feel a place, ask questions, and scratch beneath the surface, trading the role of spectator for something more engaged and meaningful. While iconic destinations and landmarks still inspire, they can often feel scripted, leaving little room for the personal sense of discovery that every traveler deserves.
Journey Mexico bridges that gap through curated experiences shaped by our own constant exploration and the long-lasting relationships we build along the way. These trusted, insider connections with passionate local experts, storytellers, and innovators open doors that are not available to most, giving our guests a richer perspective and a deeper understanding of the places they visit. We invite travelers to explore each destination in context, from a different angle, and as a welcomed guest rather than a visitor passing through.
Xochimilco’s Hidden History: Explore ancient chinampas with Arca Tierra, visiting the restored “floating gardens,”, meeting the farmers reviving them, and sharing a private chinampa-to-table lunch rooted in Mexico City’s past and future.
Curated Afternoons with Artists: Through deep local relationships in San Miguel de Allende and the Yucatán, guests are welcomed into artists’ private homes. Share conversation, creative exchange, and unhurried moments that turn meetings into genuine connection.
Urban Art in the Capital: Explore Mexico City’s murals and graffiti with a local expert, decoding symbolism and stories behind the art. Guests can also meet a graffiti artist and try their hand at creating their own – a fun experience for families.
Templo Mayor: Explore Mexico City’s origins through a private, after-hours visit to the Templo Mayor Museum with archaeologists, uncovering artifacts from the Mexica empire, later known as the Aztecs, and the lake-bound city that once stood beneath today’s Zócalo.
Depiction of the ancient Aztec center, now Mexico City’s Zócalo.
Fifa 2026 World Cup: Mexico will host the opening match of 2026’s Men’s World Cup on June 11 in the capital city’s Estadio Azteca. Mexico’s thirteen World Cup matches will be hosted across three cities, with five in Mexico City, four in Guadalajara and four in Monterrey. Watch this space.
LOCAL HOSTS BRING GUESTS INSIDE TRADITION
There’s a big difference between admiring a finished craft and understanding the dedicated path that shaped it. When guests truly step into the world of local makers and guardians of tradition, they gain a richer appreciation for how deeply each practice is tied to place. These customs, passed down through generations, give a grounding sense of continuity and a feeling of belonging to something larger. Participating in such rituals prompts reflection on our own values and connections, revealing the beauty of a skill refined over centuries and carried forward by countless hands.
Traveling with local hosts invites genuine exchange and a deeper bond with the culture, shaped by the privilege of being welcomed into traditions rather than simply observing them.
Day of the Dead 2026
- Curated programs in Mexico City, San Miguel de Allende, Oaxaca City, Chiapas and more. See what to expect in our blog on where to celebrate. Update 2024 DOTD blog to say 2025?
- Immersive moments: sipping Oaxacan hot chocolate at a twilight cemetery vigil, calling in at a family home to learn about traditions, hand-selecting materials at the neighborhood market to create your own personal altar, transforming into a ‘catrina’ skeleton with a local makeup artist, soaking in the Tzotzil Maya community’s celebration of life at a sacred burial hill.
- Availability for Day of the Dead travel becomes extremely limited quickly; we strongly recommend booking a year in advance to get your first-choice.
Catch of the Day with Ensenada’s Tight-knit Fishing Community
- Join Ensenada’s fishermen as they set out in the morning
- A slow and scenic fishing journey in northern Baja
- See another, hyper-local side of Baja beyond Los Cabos resorts
- Learn directly from those who’ve lived off the sea for generations
- Back on shore, cook the catch of the day Baja-style and eat together
Learn About the Everyday Rituals Preserving Maya Heritage
- The Yucatán’s Maya artisan communities carry a lineage of diverse crafts and cooking methods passed down through families
- Meet up with the Xcanchacán community: sit and talk about traditions with the makers of hammocks, Melipona honey, and herbal medicine
- Sow seeds, harvest crops and cook with the women who work with the earth to feed their villages
- Learn about the ancient “pib” underground oven technique as you prepare a Yucatecan favorite in palm leaves and share a meal with your hosts.
See more community-led experiences
MAXIMIZE SPECTACULAR NATURE WITH SPECIAL GUIDES AND SPECIAL ACCESS
Nature moves on its own schedule, and witnessing its most extraordinary moments comes down to being in the right place at the right time with someone who truly understands the land. Many of these experiences are remote, hard to reach, or easy to miss altogether, especially when crowds or timing get in the way. Journey Mexico removes that uncertainty with precise planning and responsible practices that bring even the wildest places into reach.
Our expert naturalists and local guides open doors to rare encounters, creating the conditions for guests to be fully present while we manage the details. The result is a clear, unobstructed connection to nature’s grandeur, whether in quiet seclusion or in awe-inspiring settings that feel like they were made just for you.
Baja Sur: The Gateway to Marine Megafauna
Mexico’s westernmost peninsula is surrounded by water: the meeting of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortez creates the conditions for biodiversity to thrive. We partner with experts who know these waters by heart and are committed to conscious encounters that respect Baja’s incredible ocean giants, while giving our travelers the chance to experience something profoundly moving.
The thrill of getting out onto the water to witness animals in the wild often comes from the elements of surprise and spontaneity – that’s what makes a sighting feel so special. It’s a magical moment when the ocean reveals life below the surface:
- Humpback whales teaching their babies in Magdalena Bay
- Mobula rays leaping from the waves near La Paz
- Watching playful pods of dolphins
- Slipping into the water alongside graceful whale sharks
- Getting close to mighty orcas
Spend the Day at a Magnificent Cenote with Nobody Else Around
Getting private access to pristine nature is a luxury, and one we love to extend to the Yucatán’s magnificent, cavernous swimming holes: cenotes. This peninsula, a vast platform of porous limestone, used to be completely submerged in tropical seas. Over millions of years, tectonic shifts, multiple glacier cycles and asteroid impact created the longest underwater cave system on the planet – connected to the Earth’s surface through thousands of prehistoric cenotes. This incredible system sustains all life in the area, and the lagoon-like sinkholes are beautiful places to spend time with nature.
Journey Mexico takes guests away from the crowds for the ultimate cenote experience:
- Private and personalized with an al fresco lounge
- Yucatecan lunch in an otherworldly setting
- Swim and snorkel in crystalline waters
- Guided dives to discover underwater rock formations
- Waterside Maya blessing ceremony
- Traditional Maya warrior dance performance
Cozumel Island: Snorkeling and Oyster Pearls
Experience Cozumel’s quieter side by private boat, from snorkeling El Cielo’s starfish-filled shallows to the island’s remote north, where a family-run pearl farm offers rare insight into Caribbean craftsmanship and tradition.
Monarch Butterfly Migration: See Thousands of Orange Wings Flutter in the Forest
Journey Mexico guides guests to Michoacán’s high-altitude forests at the ideal moment to witness the Monarch migration: millions of butterflies filling Oyamel firs in one of nature’s most moving, fleeting spectacles.
Stay in Colonial Valladolid and Explore Ek Balam After Hours
- Valladolid combines colorful streets, colonial architecture, and authentic local culture away from the coastal crowds.
- Stay at Oriundo Boutique, an intimate 12-villa property with its own private cenote, set in the heart of this Pueblo Mágico (link blog).
- Ideally located between Cancún and Mérida, perfect for a two-night stop.
- Explore the quieter, jungle-immersed Ek Balam archaeological site, less visited than the region’s larger ruins.
- Enjoy exclusive after-hours access to Ek Balam, with sunset views and stargazing from the ancient Maya structures
Underwater Adventures in the Riviera Maya
Explore the Riviera Maya’s thriving underwater world with a private ocean expert, from reef diving and shipwrecks to encounters with turtles and bull sharks, guided by one of Earth’s most biodiverse marine ecosystems.
DIFFERENT WAYS TO EAT IN MEXICO
Mexico’s mouthwatering gastronomy is UNESCO-recognized as an evolving expression of history, geography, and creativity. It’s about gathering and connection, linking diners to the land, the ingredients, and the hands that bring each dish to life.
Read our blog (link) for ideas on eating your way around Mexico in 2026!
NEW LUXURY HOTEL OPENINGS IN MEXICO
2025:
BAJA CALIFORNIA
Park Hyatt Los Cabos at Cabo Del Sol
MAINLAND PACIFIC COAST
Rosewood Mandarina
Siari Riviera Nayarit, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
2026:
BAJA CALIFORNIA
Amanvari by Aman, East Cape (Estimated Spring 2026)
MEXICO CITY
Pendry Mexico City
Kimpton El Castelar Polanco
Park Hyatt Mexico City (Date has not been released, Estimated Q3)
MEXICAN CARIBBEAN
Park Hyatt Cancún
Kimpton Tres Rios
Banyan Tree Veya Bacalar
St. Regis Costa Mujeres Residences
Mondrian Tulum Hotel & Residences
2027:
BAJA CALIFORNIA
Conrad Los Cabos
Siro Palmilla, Los Cabos
MAINLAND PACIFIC COAST
Montage Punta Mita
Pendry Punta Mita
Milaroca, A Belmond Hotel, Riviera Nayarit
Six Senses Xala
MEXICO CITY
Rosewood Mexico City
MEXICAN CARIBBEAN
Ritz Carlton
JOURNEY INTO 2026 WITH US
2026 is set to be a dynamic year for travel in Mexico. From nature-rich escapes and cultural immersion to rare access and expert-led exploration, Journey Mexico designs experiences that invite deeper curiosity and genuine connection, with moments that resonate long after the return home.
