The 7 Volcanic Summits challenge!
Itinerary
END OF EXPEDITION
For reasons that cannot be foreseen at this stage, such as unpredictable weather, the physical fitness or lack of fitness of participants or other circumstancess (customs formalities, road conditions, traffic, landslides, force majeure, etc.), your expedition leader may have to adapt the program, if necessary, to ensure the smooth running of your trip. He remains the sole judge and the one who guarantees your safety. Activity times are given as an indication and may vary from one participant to another.
The itinerary for all our expedition programs, or the ascent program for our high-mountain expeditions, are given here as a guide only. They are flexible enough to adapt to weather conditions with a few contingency days. In any case, you should follow the recommendations of your guide, who may suggest that you cancel your expedition due to weather, safety or physical conditions.
It is important to remember that this is a truly unsupported expedition, and that anything can happen. Expeditions Unlimited, your expedition leader, your guide or our local teams can in no way be held responsible.
Any costs incurred as a result of a change in the expedition schedule (extra nights' accommodation, extra flights) will be borne by the participants and not by the organizers. "Contingency days" refer to the expedition in the strict sense of the term (base camp/base camp in the mountains, departure point/exit point on a traverse, etc.).
Any early return of the expedition or of certain members only (early success, abandonment, etc.), generating costs for accommodation, meals, changes to air tickets or other activities not provided for in this program, will be charged in full to the participants.
Trip notes
Guiding
French-speaking Mexican tour guide for 4 or more participants. (For 2 and 3 participants, Spanish-speaking or French-speaking driver according to availability, and French-speaking local guides).
For unpredictable reasons at this stage, like adverse weather conditions, insufficient physical condition of participants, insufficient competencies of participants related to the intended activities, your guide may decide to adjust the intended program and/or activities. At all times, his decision will be final on all matters likely to affect the safety and well-being of the trip.
Difficulty level
Level rated: challenging
This program is designed for participants who take part in a regular sports activity several times a week, including endurance activity.
Technical difficulty
Mountaineering level: F like... Easy (Facile in French!)
In this program, the use of mountaineering equipment (crampons, harness, ice ax, ropes, etc.) is necessary but the route covered does not involve any technical difficulty. It is therefore aimed at beginners or even participants who have never practiced. Clearly, a little prior experience in the activity can be interesting, knowing how to equip yourself, knowing how to tie a few essential knots. The mountaineering courses at our Adventure School from three days are for you. And this technical rating applies of course to normal weather conditions: the difficulty can increase in the event of bad weather conditions, fresh snow on rocks, insufficient or lack of quality of the ice, etc. Likewise, the situation changes radically, for the same technical level, with the altitude, the weight of the bag, the lack of equipment on the route, the fatigue associated with the approach if it is long, the environment if particularly hostile, etc.
Compagnies aériennes internationales
From Paris on scheduled economy-class flights with the following airlines: Air Caraîbes, Iberia, Air France, etc.
Accommodations
In 1*, 2* and 3* hotels (based on double occupancy), summary in local homes.
Meals
In the cities, there are many restaurants where you can discover Mexican cuisine.
Mexican cuisine:
It's varied and of good quality. The staple diet remains that of the Amerindians: corn combined with black beans, squash and tomatoes to accompany meats. Hot sauces (or small whole peppers) are served on the outside of dishes. Few dishes are spiced as standard. Breakfast tends to be savory. Popular or tourist restaurants offer “typical” or American breakfasts including eggs, beans, fresh and salted cheese, plantains, coffee or tea. But you'll also find pancakes, fruit salads, etc. Restaurants are open all day, from 7.30 am to 9 pm. You can eat at any time. The price of a meal varies, of course, depending on the establishment. In a popular “comedor”, you'll find meals for less than US$5. In an average tourist restaurant, you can expect to pay US$10 for a meal (main course and drink). A good meal in a good restaurant (main course, dessert and a glass of wine) costs US$25. Corn, used much like bread, is presented in the form of baked cakes (tortillas) or berlingots (tamalitos). Tourist restaurants offer a choice of bread or tortillas. Fruit is extremely varied, given the country's many different climates: in all seasons you'll find
Some specialties:
- enchiladas: grilled corn tortillas filled with vegetables and/or meats
- tacos: grilled pancakes filled with vegetables and meats
- tamales: corn cakes filled with meat and sauce and boiled inside banana leaves
- guacamole: avocado purée seasoned with lime, onion and coriander.
Drinks: As well as sodas (soft drinks), you'll find delicious licuados (fruit mixed with water or milk), naranjadas and limonadas (orange and lemonades). Beer is the most common alcoholic beverage.
Water: bring tablets (Micropur or similar) to disinfect the water you put in your flask, depending on the source and on the advice of your guide. You can also buy mineral water locally (not included in the price), but as you know, it has a poor environmental record. So we don't recommend it.
Transfers / Transport
Scheduled international flights. Within the country, specially chartered vehicles, or domestic flights with local airlines.
Group size
The group is composed of 4 to 10 participants maximum. The number of participants is deliberately limited to allow for greater immersion, to avoid embarrassing our hosts, and to develop freedom and flexibility. However, the maximum number may be exceeded if the last person to register wishes to travel with one or more other people. The services will not be modified, and the conditions of the trip will remain the same.
Equipment
Personal equipment is not provided. However, a complete list is provided to allow you to check that you are taking what is necessary.
All logistics equipment is provided.
Our commitments to sustainable development
Our commitment to a better planet has been a reality since the beginning of our story but we always need to do more and better. Please find out more about our charter and our commitments in terms of sustainable development. We have drafted our charter and take action through six themes on which we act as concretely as possible, most often with you: social equity and cultural respect, preservation of water, waste management in expedition, protection of biodiversity, raise public awareness on these subjects and finally, the optimization and recovery of CO2 emissions.
Regarding carbon emissions, most of which are due to air travel, we calculated and communicated in 2018 on the carbon footprint of each of our programs, expressed in tonnes of CO2.
These calculations made us aware of the importance of the total carbon emissions generated by our activity. Also, we have committed in 2022 to a carbon reduction that we believe is unprecedented in the tourism industry, aiming to reduce the total emissions of our activity by 5% per year, taking 2019 as the reference year (3,430 tonnes of CO2). This commitment is in line with the trajectory of the Paris climate agreements of 2015, the current benchmark. Thus, in 2030, we commit ourselves not to exceed 2,160 tonnes of C02. Thus, our maximum “carbon” budget for 2024 is 2,950 tonnes and for 2025, this budget will be reduced to 2,800 tonnes. And so on until 2030. To find out more about all of our calculations and our commitments in terms of reducing our carbon emissions.
In addition, since 2019, we have been encouraging you when you book for your journey to contribute with a donation to an independent NGO, among the two we have selected that share the commitments made in our charter. We matched the amount of this donation to this program's carbon footprint. Thus, the journey you are considering generates 3,22 tons of CO2, which corresponds to a 100% donation of €97 for an estimated value today of €30 per tonne of CO2. This donation remains of course optional and you can decide to give between nothing and 100% of this amount. Since 2019, including covid years of 2020 and 2021, we have been able to collect thanks to you nearly €7,000 for these associations.
Please do not hesitate to come back to us with any questions you might have regarding this carbon footprint mechanism, our other sustainable développement commitments or even to share with us your experience through a chat or a mail at contact@secret-planet.com.
Dates and prices
Please find below all dates and prices for this expedition. Prices are quoted "from" and may be adjusted notably according to the number of participants (see trip notes for details). Please note that dates and prices for years beyond 2024, when given, are for guidance only and are subject to change and readjustment to take account of current economic realities.
No date works for me!
I initiate a new dateYour custom expedition
We put our expertise, our knowledge of the terrain, our creativity, our experience, the quality of our guides and the reliability of our partners at your service to build your custom expedition. We can also personalize an expedition to your wishes as soon as you form a "closed" group, whatever the number of participants.
This means that, unless you authorize us to do otherwise, no outside participants join you, and we can personalize your expedition by adapting it to your own pace, with the program extensions you desire, a higher level of comfort, certain activities, other encounters, etc.
Every expedition of this type is subject to a specific quotation. To get in touch with us now, please fill in the short questionnaire below. One of our experts will get back to you to refine your request and make you a proposal.
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