Have you ever imagined visiting a place that encompasses all the aspects of a great vacation... a different and vibrant culture, spectacular landscapes, ancient architecture, fine arts and crafts, excellent cuisine and welcoming, hospitable people? Would you like to combine this with a moderate level of physical activity, biking along quiet country trails, walking through Aztec ruins and rafting down a jungle river? If so, then Eastwind Cycle's Tour of the Volcanoes 2010 could be the trip for you! New this year our tour is designed with the biker in mind ...less site seeing - more riding

Eastwind Cycle, a small company specializing in bike tours of Canada's Atlantic Coast has teamed up with Selva Azul Adventures of Puebla to offer a seven night/ eight day tour of one of Mexico's most enchanting regions. We will bike and visit the back country in the states of Puebla and Veracruz, staying in small inns and two simple back country lodges where you can really connect with the rural heart of this wonderful place.

We provide quality accommodations and meals. Our routes are designed to access areas that many tourists never see, while simultaneously providing you with a safe and manageable bike ride. We ride in the early part of the day to avoid extreme heat. We'll use a mix of country roads and some single track, no killer climbs but lots of up and down coupled with an altitude of 7000 + feet and you'll have plenty of exercise

We use quiet, traffic free roads and well-marked trails. Our bikes are well-maintained, front shock mountain bikes, perfect for the type of terrain we encounter. Two guides show you the route and provide an expertise that makes this tour an unforgettable experience.

Peter Williams owner of Eastwind Cycle invites you to accompany him on this very special trip.

Accommodations & Meals

We stay in a variety of accommodations from simple yet comfortable tourist class hotels ,to a brand new off grid inn, Selva Azul Lodge in the Veracruz cane fields and our final night in the bustling centre of Pueblas historic district. While in town centres dinners are on your own giving a chance to choose retaurants. One of the big surprises to first time travelers is the variety and complexity of Pueblan cuisine, nothing like that Tex-Mex style. Each day the guide crew will prepare a road side picnic and breakfast will be at hotels.

Come take advantage of this unique opportunity. Hasta pronto!

Warning!! Danger in Mexico - Myth vs. Reality

Mexico has been in the news a lot during the past year due to the sharp rise in drug related violence. By no means should this be sugar-coated but it is important to understand exactly what is happening and where. This is a small scale civil war being fought by the Mexican government against narcotics traffickers and is limited to the US border region as well as some remote areas in the states of Sinaloa and Michoacan along the Pacific Coast. Most areas of Mexico remain unaffected and tourists have not been targeted.18 million Us citizens plus 1.2 million Canadians and milllions more vistors from around the world had safe vacations in Mexico during the past year. The areas we visit in Puebla and Veracruz are calm, friendly country villages where we are constantly approached by local folks who want to meet us and marvel at why we would choose to visit their land. Remember that most media outlets have a vested interest in keeping us afraid.

Useful Links

Excellent discussion of safety in Mexico written by one of our partners

http://riveros.com.mx/portal/About/FAQtoCarlosRivero/SafetyinPuebla/tabid/106/Default.aspx

Our partner Selva Azul: http://www.selvazul.com/ingles/Company.html

Hotel Colonial in Puebla: http://www.colonial.com.mx/

Alba Sol Tours  http://albasol.bravehost.com/index.html Alba Sol is offering social and political tours in Venezuela

Hiking Oaxaca    http://www.judesfairtrade.ca/activities/mexico/   Socially responsible tourism in coffee villages