Bike Mexico’s Mayan Historical Sites on ‘End of the World’ Adventure Tour

The Mayan calendar ends this December 21, and now travelers can ride to the heart of the intrigue of this once-in-a-lifetime event and its local celebrations. Bike Mexico’s Mayan Riviera while exploring local culture, natural wonders, and ancient archaeological sites on a multi-sport adventure. © 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

Apocalypse soon? According to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar, the world will end on December 21. Travelers can ride to the heart of the intrigue—and experience once-in-a-lifetime celebrations—during the “Riviera Maya Bike Adventure: End of the World Edition,” departing December 15, 2012. Bike Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula while exploring Mayan history, local culture, and rich ecological attractions, with convenient booking and payment through BikeToursDirect.

Mayan prophecy foretells that 2012 will bring the end of the world as we know it, or perhaps the beginning of a new cycle – an era of heightened awareness. These varied interpretations will be discussed and Mayan culture explored during this special edition Mexico bike tour, adapted from the popular Riviera Maya Cycling Adventure program.

“Riviera Maya is a fantastic region to visit any time for its white-sand beaches, delicious food, archeological sites, and friendly people, but this December will be a unique time of celebration. Travelers will be able to enjoy local flavor and customs at the many festivals and ceremonies marking this long-anticipated date,” said Jim Johnson, president of BikeToursDirect.

Starting December 15, 2012, this Mexico bike tour has a multi-sport itinerary, including cycling the Yucatan Peninsula from the jungle to the thatched-roof villages of the contemporary Mayan World. Travelers will explore the prominent archaeological sites of Tulum, Coba, Chichen Itza and Muyil as each of these ancient cities’ history and mysteries are discovered.

Guided by local ecologists, guests will cycle through this tropical paradise, averaging a leisurely 30 miles per day. Beyond cycling, this multi-sport adventure also includes hiking (including a crocodile-watching night hike), kayaking, swimming and snorkeling. Travelers will explore the 1.6 million-acre Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve and snorkel in the world’s second largest coral reef.

Educational evening programs will include lectures on ecology, Mayan culture and the Mayan calendar. Guests are encouraged to discuss their thoughts and interpretations of ancient Mayan beliefs and will also experience a Mayan purification ritual.

“The end of the world, or the start of a new cycle, is an opportunity to evaluate what’s most important in life. Our guides and lecturers hope to evoke this kind of reflection as guests explore the history, culture, and natural wonders of the Yucatan,” said Kenneth Johnson of Cancun-based trip operator EcoColors Tours.

Land cost starts at $1,515 and includes accommodations, most meals, cycling equipment, bilingual guides and entrance fees for all non-cycling activities. Airfare to Cancun must be booked separately. For travelers unable to join the “End of the World Edition,” additional departures of the similar Riviera Maya Bike Adventure are available, including a special edition family tour in February 2013. For more information or to book a tour, visit biketoursdirect.com or call (877) 462-2423 or (423) 756-8907.

BikeToursDirect serves as a central resource for bicycle tours around the world, representing 75 tour companies that offer more than 300 tours in 60 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and North America. BikeToursDirect offers a variety of resources to help travelers search for and choose tours and handles the entire booking and payment process.

Learn more at http://www.biketoursdirect.com.

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BikeToursDirect Launches New Website with 300 Cycling Tours Worldwide, Added Planning Tools

Biking the Danube Bike Trail, one of the popular BikeToursDirect programs. BikeToursDirect’s new website offers custom search tools to help travelers choose and book cycling vacations based on personal preferences. The site includes extensive information on nearly 300 tours in 40 countries worldwide as well as destination details and planning tips © 2012 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com.

BikeToursDirect has launched a new website designed to make it easier for clients to choose from its nearly 300 bicycle tours worldwide and to plan and book their cycling vacations.  Biketoursdirect.com helps visitors search for tours based on personal preferences such as destination, type of tour, level of difficulty, price range, date and duration. Additional filtering tools help further refine search results, which then link to detailed tour information such as tour descriptions, daily programs, dates, prices, route overviews, sample hotel lists and route maps.

“It can be daunting for clients to sort through hundreds of bicycle tours and find the right one,” says Jim Johnson, president of BikeToursDirect. “This is even more the case as we expand beyond Europe to Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas. Our new site is designed to make it easier—and fun—for clients to find their dream cycling vacations. We then provide the tools to help them plan their trips.”

The site also offers short cuts such as quick searches based on destination, interest or date and “Top 10” lists that link to top recommendations, including family-friendly tours, budget-priced tours (one-week tours start at less than $700), tours for first-time bike tourists, and bike and boat tours.

Biketoursdirect.com also offers resources to help travelers prepare for their trips, with extensive information on destinations as well as tips on training programs, transportation and recommended clothing and equipment, and a suggested packing list.

BikeToursDirect serves as a central resource for bicycle tours around the world, representing nearly 60 tour companies that offer almost 300 tours in 40 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and North America. BikeToursDirect offers a variety of resources to help travelers choose tours and handles the entire booking and payment process.

For more information, visit http://www.biketoursdirect.com,  call 877-462-2423 or 423-756-8907, email: info@biketoursdirect.com.

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BikeToursDirect Adds Mexico to Tour Roster, First North American Destination

 

BikeToursDirect, entering its ninth season, serves as a central resource for bicycle tours in Europe, including the popular Danube Bike Trail, and is currently expanding to Asia, Africa, Australia and North America. The company has just added four tours in Mexico for 2012, its first North American destination. © 2011 Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com

BikeToursDirect is expanding its tour offerings to its fifth continent, adding Mexico to its tour roster, its first North American destination. Following meetings last week at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Chiapas, Mexico, BikeToursDirect reached an agreement to represent EcoColors Tours, a Cancun-based tour operator.

“I’m very impressed with EcoColors’ professionalism and commitment to the environment and to local communities,” said BikeToursDirect president Jim Johnson. “Their focus is as much on ecosystems, history and culture as it is on recreation, and their guides are also biologists or naturalists.”

“We recognize our responsibility to the people and places we visit,” says EcoColors president Kenneth Johnson. “Our philosophy is ensuring that our clients’ holidays have a positive impact on the places they visit.”

Tours will be priced starting at about $1,500, including one week of lodging, dinners, professional guides, van support, transfers, sightseeing tours, admissions and other services. Partial proceeds from each tour go to local Mayan communities.

BikeToursDirect will offer four tours, which spotlight the archaeological history, biodiversity and natural wonders of Mexico:

•  Riviera Maya Bike Adventure, which takes cyclists across the Yucatan peninsula from the jungle to the Caribbean and explores Mayan archaeological sites and natural wonders hidden in Mexico’s second largest national park, the Sian ka’an Biosphere Reserve. Tour dates: January 7, March 18 and November 4.

•  Yucatan Bike Adventure, which winds along the Yucatan Peninsula and spotlights contemporary Mayan villages, ancient pyramids, archaeological sites and Mexico’s second largest national park, the Sian ka’an Biosphere Reserve. Tour dates: February 19, April 8 and October 7.

• Oaxaca Bike Adventure, which winds through villages with colonial-era structures and explores archaeological and historic sites, including Monte Alban, Santo Domingo Church, El Tule tree and petrified waterfalls in the mountains. Tour date: September 2.

• Chiapas Bike Adventure, a journey through the tropical rainforest of Chiapas, the most biodiverse state of Mexico, which features unique waterfalls, lagoons, canyons and mountains, as well as the amazing archaeological sites of the Olmec (first prehistoric culture) and the Maya: Palenque and Comalcalco. Tour dates: April 22 and September 23.

Each tour also features authentic Mexican cuisine and offers a variety of side excursions, including guided naturalist hikes, kayaking, boat tours and snorkeling on the world’s second longest coral reef—all geared at providing an opportunity to explore the unique and diverse ecosystems of Mexico.

“The primary mission of EcoColors is preservation: to protect and preserve the unique ecosystems in Mexico and combine this with ecotourism. Our goal is to amaze our travelers while giving them the opportunity to explore the ecosystems in an informed and safe manner,” says Kenneth Johnson.

The two Johnsons (no relation) met and spent time together during the annual Adventure Travel World Summit last week in Chiapas, Mexico. “Kenneth took me on a boat tour through the Sumidero Canyon, part of the Chiapas Bicycle Adventure,” says Jim Johnson, who shot a short video of the adventure. “I was impressed by his knowledge and passion for the region.”

Entering its ninth season, BikeToursDirect represents over 50 tour companies worldwide and offers more than 200 bicycle tours in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and North America. Unlike many companies, BikeToursDirect doesn’t operate tours but instead represents overseas companies that can keep their tour prices down due to the lower cost of doing business close to home and to spreading their expenses over a large client base. Clients book tours and make all payments through BikeToursDirect, usually at the same prices charged by the tour companies.

BikeToursDirect will add the Mexico tours to its new website in early December. Interested travelers can contact BikeToursDirect to be alerted when the new tours are online.

BikeToursDirect, entering its ninth season, serves as a central resource for bicycle tours in Europe, representing more than 50 tour companies that offer more than 200 tours in 35 European countries, and is currently expanding to Asia, Africa, Australia and North America. BikeToursDirect offers a variety of resources to help travelers choose tours and handles the entire booking and payment process. Learn more at www.biketoursdirect.com. Telephone: 1-877-462-2423 or 1-423-756-8907. Email: info@biketoursdirect.com.

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European Bicycle Tours on a Budget: 10 One-Week Tours Under $1,000

The Prague to Dresden bike trip follows the Vltava and Elbe Rivers from the cultural center of Prague through Saxon Switzerland to Dresden, the so-called “Florence of the North.” BikeToursDirect helps travelers choose tours and handles the booking and payment process © 2011 David Leiberman/news-photos-features.com.

Travelers interested in European bicycle tours can still find bargains—despite the weak dollar—with dozens of one-week, nearly all-inclusive tours in Europe under $1,000. Tours can be booked through U.S.-based BikeToursDirect, which represents nearly 50 European bicycle tour companies in 35 countries and offers more than 200 tours on its website, www.biketoursdirect.com.

The local tour companies can keep their tour prices down due to the low cost of doing business close to home and to spreading their expenses over a large, primarily European client base.   Another way travelers can save money: in addition to guided tours—with ride-along guides, support vans and dinners—most European companies offer less expensive self-guided options.

BikeToursDirect president Jim Johnson stresses that self-guided tours are far from self-contained. “With self-guided tours, you have a lot of support,” he says. “Your lodging is pre-booked, your luggage is transferred from hotel to hotel, your rental bikes are delivered to your start hotel and picked up at your end hotel, you get detailed maps and route information, and a local liaison is also there to orient and assist you.”

Most European bike tours are appropriate for families and novice cyclists, and many have weekly and even daily departures. Here are ten top tours under $1,000 (per person, double occupancy, based on mid-May 2011 exchange rates):

• Danube Bicycle Path (Austria): Experience Europe’s second-most popular bicycle path, which runs along well-signed, dedicated, nearly flat bike paths through vineyards and medieval towns, taking travelers from Passau, Germany to Vienna.
• Mosel Bike Path (Germany): Explore the best-known wine-growing region of Germany along one of its most scenic rivers, with visits to castles and medieval towns. The tour starts in Germany’s 2,000-year old city of Trier and ends at the Rhine.

• Loire Valley (France): Discover the most peaceful part of the Loire Valley with its vineyards, chateaux, quiet villages and medieval towns.

• Provence (France): Take a ride through France’s sunshine country, along the Mediterranean coast and through medieval towns, with visits to architectural masterworks such as the papal palace in Avignon, the Arena in Arles and the Roman aqueduct, Pont du Gard.

• Tuscany (Italy): Experience the “Italian jewel” of landscape and culture as you cycle past castles and hilltop villages, vineyards and olive groves.

• Lake Constance Bicycle Path (Germany, Austria and Switzerland):  Circumnavigate one of Europe’s largest lakes and across four islands on Europe’s most popular bicycle path.

• Amsterdam to Brussels by Bike and Boat (Holland and Belgium): Cycle between two historic cities with a stop in the Flemish port town of Antwerp, with lodging on a river barge.

• Prague to Dresden (Czech Republic and Germany):  Follow the Vltava and Elbe Rivers from the cultural center of Prague through Saxon Switzerland to Dresden, the so-called “Florence of the North.”

• Brussels to Bruges (Belgium): Explore a region rich with art and historic architecture along the Flanders Cycle Route, which features easy and flat cycling between sea, canals and dunes, with stops at churches, abbeys, castles and windmills.

• Vienna to Budapest (Austria, Slovakia and Hungary): Starting in the “city of charm,” experience untouched nature, little-known artistic treasures and cultural monuments.

BikeToursDirect bills itself as a “one-stop resource for bike tours in Europe and beyond” and helps cycle tourists find tours based on preferences like destination, month, duration, cost and level of difficulty. Clients book tours and make all payments through BikeToursDirect, usually at the same prices charged by the European companies. The site also offers helpful advice and travel tips such as how to choose a tour and what to pack.

BikeToursDirect’s primary offices are in Chattanooga, Tenn. Telephone:  1-877-462-2423 or 1-423-756-8907. Email: info@biketoursdirect.com. Web site: www.biketoursdirect.com.

About BikeToursDirect

BikeToursDirect, now in its eighth season, serves as a central resource for bicycle tours in Europe, representing more than 50 tour companies that offer more than 200 tours in 35 European countries and is currently expanding to Asia, Africa and Australia. BikeToursDirect offers a variety of resources to help travelers choose tours and handles the entire booking and payment process. Learn more at www.biketoursdirect.com. Telephone:  1-877-462-2423 or 1-423-756-8907. Email: info@biketoursdirect.com.

For more travel features, visit:

www.travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate

www.examiner.com/eclectic-travel-in-national/karen-rubin