Aventura Azteca

This final section of the Path of the Jaguar begins in the charming, historic city of Antigua, with its lovely colonial architecture. Riders head to beautiful Lake Atitlán before climbing into the Guatemalan mountains, past small indigenous communities and across the border into the Mexican state of Chiapas. A rest day in San Cristóbal de las Casas gives riders a taste of the region's unique cultural and political identity.

The route then descends from the mountains to a rest day in Tehuantepec, the centre of local Zapotec culture, before climbing back into the central Mexican mountains with sweeping views over cactus-covered hillsides. A double rest day in Oaxaca gives cyclists time to take in the city's spectacular street art and sample its signature dish, mole.

Riders continue north through the hills, stopping in friendly small rural towns, before reaching Cholula, home to the Great Pyramid, the largest pyramid by volume in the world. The final two days pass Volcán Popocatépetl on the way into Mexico City, the former Aztec capital Tenochtitlán, to finish the section and, for those riding both sections, the full Path of the Jaguar from San José. With six rest days, there's plenty of time to explore the culture, food and history along the way.

Highlights:

• Lake Atitlán and the Guatemalan highlands
• San Cristóbal de las Casas in Chiapas
• Zapotec culture in Tehuantepec
• A double rest day in Oaxaca, with its street art and mole
• The Great Pyramid of Cholula
• Riding past Volcán Popocatépetl into Mexico City

Surface and terrain:
1–5% unpaved, so mostly sealed roads. Mountainous for much of the route, with sustained climbs through the Guatemalan highlands, Chiapas and central Mexico, and a descent to the lowlands around Tehuantepec.

Likely weather:
Typically dry season. Highland days are mild at around 18–25°C, with cold mornings and nights at altitude (San Cristóbal, Oaxaca and Mexico City can drop to 5–10°C). Lowland Tehuantepec is hot and can be very windy.

Suitable for:
Fit, adventurous riders comfortable averaging around 90km a day over mountainous terrain at altitude, who want culture, food and history as much as the riding. Adventure category, 3.5/5 difficulty.