2018 Primetime Emmy
& James Beard Award Winner

Roam

  • The Best of Mexico City

    CDMX Under the Volcano

    Jan 17-21, 2025

    ?

    Only four days and nights to tackle one of the world’s richest and wildest culinary cities? No problem. Here’s the plan: start strong, end hard, rely on our smartest and most well-connected friends in the city to show us how to cook and eat and drink well, Chilango-style. And we’ll be spending deep moments at the remarkable Hacienda San Andrés for a dive into the rich rural and culinary heritage that surrounds CDMX.

    3 Rooms Left
    Nathan Thornburgh

    R&K Host

    Co-founder, Journalist
    Nathan Thornburgh

    Ro Vazquez

    Local Guide

    Pioneering Travel Host
    Ro Vazquez

Overview

CDMX Under the Volcano

Only four days and nights to tackle one of the world’s richest and wildest culinary cities? No problem. Here’s the plan: start strong, end hard, rely on our smartest and most well-connected friends in the city to show us how to cook and eat and drink well, Chilango-style. And we’ll be spending deep moments at the remarkable Hacienda San Andrés for a dive into the rich rural and culinary heritage that surrounds CDMX.

  • Mexico
  • Jan 17-21, 2025
  • from $6,500
Map
  • Mexico
  • Jan 17-21, 2025
  • from $6,500
CDMX Under the Volcano 3 Rooms Left

DISCOVER MEXICO CITY:
DAY-TO-DAY ITINERARY

Day
1

Bienvenido güey

  • Casa Izeba
  • Colima 183, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México
  • +525548733306
  • Private transfer to our home in CDMX, Casa Izeba, a gem in the heart of Roma Norte
  • Welcome drinks at Limantour, perennial member of The World’s 50 Best Bars, private pop-up bar at the hotel
  • First night private dinner with chef Edo Nakatani at the beautiful Sobremesa space
  • Joining us at dinner will be Sophie Avernin: sommelier, winemaker, writer
Day
2

Markets and More

  • Casa Izeba
  • Colima 183, Roma Norte, Cuauhtémoc, 06700 Ciudad de México
  • +525548733306
  • Morning architectural walk through Hipodromo, en route to Mixiotes and tacos de Canasta
  • Subway to the market
  • An insider’s tour through Mercado de Jamaica fresh market for a masterclass on the region’s produce and products with the female-run and -led crew of Eat Like a Local
  • Siesta! Or shopping in Juárez if you’re too wired to sleep.
  • Mezcal tasting and craft chocolate pairing with Mario Mendoza
  • Late-night taco and mezcal crawl with Rocio and her company Eat Like a Local
Day
3

CDMX Origin Story

  • Early rise today for a glorious morning on the chinampas, the last remaining pre-Hispanic laguna landscape in CDMX. Cafe de olla at sunrise in the pre-Hispanic glory of Xochimilco
  • Workshop of Pulque, the great and gentle pre-Columbian intoxicant, on a pulque farm en route to the area near Mt Popocatépetl
  • Keep heading south, to the volcanic plains of Ayapango, where we’ll spend the day and night at the Hacienda San Andrés, an agricultural pillar of the region since 1535, now reimagined in the hands of chef Marco Margain.
  • Siesta, of course.
  • Happy hour looking out over the fields of maize toward Mt Popocatépetl
  • The preparations for a full traditional Barbacoa, including lamb slaughter for those who want to witness the sacred sacrifice of this life-giving food source of central Mexico
Day
4

The Legends of the Volcano

  • Wake warmly with the frost outside, have a gorgeous rural breakfast at Hacienda San Andrés
  • Optional early morning market run to see the bounty of rural Mexican markets
  • Nixtamal and salsa workshop: Learn the ancient process of grain preparation and help prepare salsas and sides for the barbacoa
  • The fruits of our labors: barbacoa lunch on the ranch
  • Happy hour of cocktails by the bonfire with seasonal ingredients
  • Last night big-deal four-hands dinner with chef Marco and a visiting CDMX chef
Day
5

A la próxima

  • One last breakfast at Hacienda San Andrés
  • Private transfer back to Mexico City airport for your flight home or to central CDMX if you’re staying longer

What’s Included

  • All breakfasts, lunches, dinners, as well as snacks and beverages between meals
  • Expertise and services of our experienced trip leaders: at least one guide and one host per trip
  • Additional guides and experts from the region
  • Transfers to and from the airport or wherever you are on the day the trip starts and ends
  • All ground transport (we’ll be moving around in Mercedes Sprinters or, in the chinapas, in trajinera boats)
  • Daily Roads & Kingdoms gifts related to the themes, activities and narratives of each trip
  • All gratuities for accommodations, meals, guiding or transport

What’s Not Included

  • International airfare to and from the journey (note: some trips begin and end at different airports)
  • Personal bar tabs (when not with the group)
  • Personal laundry or spa services
  • Personal travel insurance

Meet Our Hosts

Nathan Thornburgh

R&K Host

Nathan Thornburgh

Co-founder, Journalist

Nathan Thornburgh, a former TIME Magazine senior editor and foreign correspondent, co-founded Roads & Kingdoms in 2012 and ran the independent media company with Matt Goulding and Anthony Bourdain for years. He is an Emmy- and National Magazine Award-winning producer and editor and has reported everywhere from Russia to Iraq. R&K’s League of Travelers is his latest attempt to marry travel, journalism, and la dolce vita.

Ro Vazquez

Local Guide

Ro Vazquez

Founder of Eat Like a Local

One of Mexico City’s most innovative travel hosts and entrepreneurs, Rocio Vazquez is the founder of Eat Like a Local, a boutique, all-female tour group dedicated to responsible food tourism. One of the first food bloggers in Mexico, she got her start anonymously reviewing restaurants through her blog, Sin Mantel, eventually leading food tours through the city to make money on the side. In addition to Eat Like a Local, she founded 80IQ, a program dedicated to broadening the horizons of young girls from the areas around La Merced market.

Where You’ll Stay

Casa Izeba

Casa Izeba

Roma Modernist

On leafy Colima, arguably the most beautiful street of prime Roma Norte, Casa Izeba is a 20s-era modernist residence turned contemporary-minded boutique hotel. The roof terrace offers views of the city’s skyline under the shade of a jacaranda tree: peak CDMX.

Hacienda San Andrés

Hacienda San Andrés

Mountain Hacienda

A 16th-century hacienda turned sustainable farmstead, Hacienda San Andrés has become a model of a chef-driven agriturismo under chef Marco Margain and his wife Mariana Silva, who grew up on the property. One of the first haciendas built in Mexico, Diego Rivera depicted its main courtyard for his first recorded painting, “La Era,” in 1904. Today it offers 11 rooms on 40 hectares, with Mt Popo framing its gardens, agricultural fields, and vegetables for the contemplation of nature on a grand scale.

  • I could not imagine a more enjoyable way to see Mexico City in such a small window of time. Every detail was thought of.

    Amanda C.
    CDMX Under the Volcano 2024

  • Our trip to CDMX with Roads and Kingdoms will forever be in my heart. It’s inspiring and travel at its absolute best.

    Leslee K.
    CDMX Under the Volcano 2024

  • Traveling with Roads & Kingdoms, you gain access to people, places and experiences that you simply would not be able to do on your own.

    Julie I.
    CDMX Under the Volcano 2024

DISCOVER MEXICO CITY:
PAST TRIPS GALLERY

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CDMX Under the Volcano 3 Rooms Left
R&K League of Travelers

Ready for a new adventure?

Inquire Now.

    Fill out the form to join the waitlist. We’ll reach out if space opens up.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How large are your groups?

    We have a maximum of 12 travelers for each trip. Our guiding light: how many people could cram into a perfectly-sized bar in Ginza? That’s how many we want to travel with, that’s how we came up with that number. Each trip has at least two members from the R&K team.

    Do I really have to do an interview?

    Yes! We don’t offer a way to book online, because we want the chance to talk to each of you about how you like to travel, and about what we do on our trips. That includes spouses and partners! Don’t sweat it, we have an appropriately high acceptance rate, but it is a requirement, whether by Zoom or by WhatsApp.

    Is there a solo traveler supplement?

    Yes, we have an $1800 solo traveler supplement ($1o00 for four-night trips).

    Should I get travel insurance?

    Roads & Kingdoms is a fully insured travel provider but we recommend you purchase travel insurance for yourself to cover costs you might incur through change of plans, flights, etc. We do not have a recommended provider, but there are many reputable providers available online and the signup process is not onerous.

    What is included in the price?

    Our journeys are meant to free you from any financial decision-making whatsoever during the week, if you choose. You’re responsible for your own international airfare to our starting city. But then we take care of everything else, from tipping to transportation to hotels and meals and drinks along the way. You’re only responsible for personal bar tabs (when not with the group), personal laundry, or personal spa services.

    What happens if R&K cancels a journey?

    This has not happened in the post-acute-COVID period—nor do we anticipate it happening—but we do reserve the right to cancel or postpone a trip up to 100 days before departure. In that case, you would receive a full refund, including the $1500 deposit.

    CAN YOU ACCOMMODATE VEGETARIANS?

    The short answer is yes! Any trip can be adapted, but some work better than others. Salamanca and the World of Jamón, for instance, would probably not make sense for a vegetarian, whereas Tbilisi and the Western Winelands works well. Animal products do feature heavily throughout our journeys, and many include whole-animal barbecues, ceremonial slaughter, or other traditional culinary methods that might be off-putting to those who abstain.

    Traveler Rights And Responsibilities

    The League of Travelers is meant to be that: an intimate group of travelers who accompany us to some of our favorite places to spend time with some of our favorite people. That is why we interview all potential travelers. These trips are not for everyone, and we just want to be sure the vibe matches. Mostly, for you, that means treating the people who make these trips possible, from drivers to somms to waiters to hotel staff, with decency. We will do our best to accommodate special requests, but we don’t have fulltime concierge or waitstaff on these trips, we have chefs and writers and storytellers. Our groups are a diverse bunch, so please also come with an open mind and heart for your fellow travelers. And in exchange, we pledge to open all doors we can to you. We promise we will have poured our whole selves into these journeys, and we will do everything in our power to make it a wondrous experience.

    Refund And Deposit Policy

    We require 50% downpayment to secure a spot. Second payment due 60 days after first payment. If you cancel up to 60 days before the start of the trip, the trips are fully refundable except for a nonrefundable $1500 deposit. Within 60 days we will refund everything except the $1500 deposit if we are able to replace your seat, otherwise you must contact us to see if a transfer to a later journey is possible. If we cancel a trip for any reason, the entire trip, including the $1500 deposit, is fully refundable.

    Dates

    2025

    Destinations

    Europe

    Asia-Pacific

    Latin America

    Africa