'I'm a 40-plus solo traveller and this is the stylish tour for me'

I’m here to sample the latest tour from group adventure tour specialists, G Adventures. Called Geluxe this new range of 45 itineraries across 26 different countries has been G’s most successful launch to-date in terms of pre-bookings. The first trips begin this month, with more to follow in October.

Promising a “premium” active experience, the tour’s focus on being physically active, with one-of-a-kind accommodation, elevated dining, and a heavy focus on community and culture, is described as being unlike any other programme of trips currently on the market. Though open to anyone, the launch targets a growing demographic of specifically 40+ women who want to solo travel in style – and I happen to be one of those. 

“The idea of slow travel, the idea of authentic, immersive experiences, is not unique anymore,” says Samantha Couture, director of product development at G Adventures. “It’s what everyone sort of expects in this space. With these tours, we’re going places where there’s usually not a lot of tourism dollars going there. It’s about access. The price point has allowed us to go further afield, places that are more difficult or complicated to get to. Each itinerary focuses on a story we want to tell. Stories that haven’t been told. And with this one, the Yucatan Peninsula, that’s the story of the Mayans.”

So far our itinerary, which started in Playa del Carmen, passing through the picturesque colonial town of Valladolid, and city of Merida, has included stays in boutique properties. With a courtyard pool, hammock-laden roof terraces, up-market Mexican crafts, and welcome cocktail, Valladolid’s Le Muuch is a great example. I’m not used to such stylish digs on my backpacking adventures.

We’ve explored colossal Mayan ruins such as the pyramids of Chichén Itzá, one of new wonders of the world. And leisurely cycled from cenote to cenote for otherworldly swims below ground in spaces that remain sacred to Mayan people. Here, the sweet smell of copal incense lingers.

Kitchen nightmares

Lunch in a Mayan home was a highlight. Though close to the crowds that visit Chichén Itzá, Claudina Noh Balam’s village is humble; tourism spend doesn’t usually reach communities like this. Yet a steam roller outside finishes the tarmac on a formerly dirt road. After six years, her home restaurant is now expanding, with groups from G Adventures regular customers. “I used to work every day, all day in the hotel kitchens in Cancun for very little,” she says. “Now, we’re able to see a future where we can relax.”

But unlike other G tours is the OMG Stay and OMG Day – signature experiences unique to Geluxe. “Three nights in a place is really unique to G Adventures,” adds Sam. “The OMG Stays are what we’ve built our trip around.” We make our way inland from Merida to Hacienda Sotuta de Peón. Built on the wealth generated from the rope or sisal industry, the grand 19^th century house is surrounded by working agave fields from which the fibres are still sourced.

Today, most income comes from visitors. During our stay, we marinade pork and bake it underground in a traditional Cochinita Pibil-making experience. A horse-drawn tram takes us through the agave to the property’s own private cenote. A series of crisscrossing wooden steps traverse the cave, leading me to mesmerising blue waters beneath tree roots, stalactites, and the occasional shade-seeking bird. Uniquely crowd-free for a cenote, it’s all ours.

Rooms are vast, thatched single or double storey suites with individual accent tiles; all with outdoor hammocks, some with private plunge pools. There’s a colossal main pool too. After three days, I settle into the magic of watching the commotion of sheep run across the grass at 6am every morning, or peacocks and iguanas ambushing me on walks across the grounds. It’s a relaxing change from the norm of backpacking, and it’s right up my street. 

For our OMG Day there’s a choice of heading to the remote, lesser visited Mayan ruins of Uxmal. But I opt to paddle the mangroves of the Celestún Biosphere. From November to March is flamingo season, where vast numbers flock to graze. Here in April, I find a crocodile – so still and perfect I begin to doubt if it’s real… until it languidly blinks – sitting meters away on a muddy bank.

And having walked more Mayan ruins, including Tulum’s and now the intimate, smaller pyramids of the Sian Ka’an reserve, we’re ending our trip floating, carried by water that flows from underground, creating expansive lakes, and ultimately heading out to sea. It’s a place like no other.

Mayan culture is not a thing of ancient history, it’s still evolving, adds Gilberto, as he tells us what it means for his cooperative and other native-owned businesses to protect nature and share their story. “For me, this is a sacred, sacred, holy place,” he says. “And I contribute to take care of it. After school, I went to Cancun to find work in the hotels. But I went back to my village, to try to recover and rescue and preserve the ancient words, the ancient knowledge. And I’m still learning. A long time ago, only the big businesses, the big hotels were allowed to do business here. But our culture, we want to share it.”

And as a new train line, Tren Maya, a 1,554-kilometre intercity railway in Mexico that traverses the Yucatán Peninsula, originally scheduled for December 2023, nears completion, their stewardship and the promotion of alternate ways of travelling such as this, has perhaps never been more vital.

Book it: The Geluxe Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula is an eight-day tour, priced from £2,299 per person, excluding flights, based on sharing a room with another traveller. The first departure for the tour is October 19. The single-room supplement for the tour is £1,419; gadventures.com/agents