Intrepid’s new trips and experiences in Mexico and Central America are ripe with adventure, taking you to the heart of it all via wildlife encounters, jungle hikes and steaming volcanoes.
Hike and kayak your way through jungled mangroves and volcanic trails. Get a deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures. Savour hands-on cooking classes with rural communities or simply kick back on a black-sand beach. This is Mexico and Central America done right.
1. Nurture rescued animals in Costa Rica
A new experience on the Costa Rica Family Holiday takes you to a wildlife sanctuary for orphaned and injured animals, such as sloths, toucans and spider monkeys, where you can learn about the project from a team of passionate conservationists. Explore the reserve together with a knowledgable guide, then get stuck in and help prepare meals and mood-boosting enrichment toys for the resident critters.
2. Get active in Mexico’s Baja Peninsula
Strap on your boots – but don’t forget to pack your swimwear – for the all-new active Mexico’s Baja Peninsula: Hike, Bike and Kayak adventure. Venturing to a new part of Mexico for Intrepid, this trip lets you unleash your inner mercreature as you paddle to the iconic arch of Cabo, then snorkel the tropical kingdom beneath at nearby Pelican Beach. You’ll also hike to spectacular viewpoints and bike along mountainous paths, cooling off at hidden pools and waterfalls. To re-energise, take your pick of authentic Baja flavours – fish taco, anyone?
3. Sample the flavours of Belize and Guatemala
Ancient ruins, untouched nature and corn-based cooking – they’re the foundation of any Central American adventure and you’ll get to grips with them all on the new Tikal Guatemala and Belize Short Break. Spot river turtles, spider monkeys and Morelet’s crocodiles in Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park, step back in time among Tikal’s epic Maya ruins and learn how to make chicken pepian, a hearty stew closely tied to Guatemala’s cultural identity.
Read more: 14 new food and drink experiences for 2026
4. Ascend volcanic peaks in Guatemala
Short on time? Get your fill of adventure without sacrificing too much leave on this new four-day Acatenango Volcano Hike & Antigua Short Break. Rest assured, an action-packed schedule still awaits. Connect with locals at a women-led regenerative farming project, before taking on a highly rewarding two-day hike up Acatenango volcano. The first leg gets you to base camp and face to face with neighbouring Fuego volcano. You’ll rise early the next day to reach the summit of Acatenango and watch the sun rise over the clouds.
5. Cook family recipes with the kids in Costa Rica
Gather your clan and head to a rural Costa Rican village, where culture is kept alive through cuisine. Learn all about local, authentic recipes, then roll up your sleeves and help prepare some classic dishes. That’s not the only new experience on the 14-day Best of Costa Rica Family Holiday. In Costa Ballena, you’ll also take part in a conservation workshop, restoring crucial coral that will one day be reintroduced into the ocean.
6. Hike through heritage in Oaxaca, Mexico
Intrepid’s new Hiking in Mexico: Oaxaca Indigenous Highlands trip does more than get you active; it facilitates meaningful encounters with a small community of self-governing villages – the Pueblos Mancomunados – that is forging a new path for ecotourism. Wander through sacred landscapes with a Zapotec guide and meet with other community members for traditional food and drinks workshops. The surrounding Sierra Norte mountains make for a mighty backdrop – quiet, encompassing and a side of Mexico many haven’t seen before.
7. Birdwatch with a naturalist guide in Costa Rica
The Best of Costa Rica trip just got even better. Now, you’ll team up with a naturalist guide in search of the luminous resplendent quetzal. It’s an extraordinary but elusive bird, so peer high into the canopies of Quetzales National Park for a glimpse of its turquoise feathers.
8. Take on a new adventure in Guatemala and El Salvador
Want to get up close and personal with Central America’s peaks? As part of Intrepid’s new Central America: Hike, Bike & Kayak trip, you’ll ascend not one but two mighty volcanoes. After cycling the colourful streets of Antigua, Guatemala, you’ll spend a night at base camp on Acatenango volcano, watching neighbouring Fuego volcano glow in the distance, before reaching the summit at dawn. In El Salvador, hike to the top of Santa Ana volcano for incredible crater views, followed by kayaking in a volcanic lake.
Read more: 13 new active adventures for 2026
9. Embrace local culture in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador
If you crave local connection and a more laidback pace, listen up. On the new Discover Guatemala, Honduras & El Salvador trip, you’ll find pristine beaches, ancient ruins and abundant wildlife, with plenty of free time thrown in. If that thought doesn’t get you buzzing, the freshly roasted beans you’ll taste on a Salvadoran coffee plantation tour certainly will.
10. Track wildlife with a Costa Rican nature expert
Get to know South America’s largest native land mammal on a new experience just added to the Classic Costa Rica trip. In Tapir Valley Nature Reserve, you’ll follow rainforest trails and promising tracks with a naturalist guide until you spot a tapir or two. Learn more about the biology and behaviour of this nocturnal jungle resident, keeping an eye out for all sorts of other tropical frogs, birds and bugs as you go.
11. Journey through Maya sites in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula
Every moment of the new four-day Tulum to Chichen Itza Short Break is a celebration of Mexican culture and Maya heritage. From your base in beachy Tulum, you’ll venture through jungled mangroves on a boat tour of UNESCO-listed Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, sit down to a sustainable farm-to-table dinner showcasing local produce and try to wrap your head around the ancient Maya architecture on display at Coba, Muyil and Chichen Itza.
Find out what else is new for 2026 with The Goods – a collection of new trips and experiences to inspire a year of adventure.
