Learn Spanish Abroad
Spanish Language Schools
Guadalajara, Mexico

Excursions

Guadalajara City Tour
Relax and enjoy the magnificence of a tourist journey through the most beautiful areas that Guadalajara, Zapopan and Tlaquepaque have to offer. Ride through some of the cities most traditionally, historically significant and culturally transcending landmarks as well as the progressive new areas of the city that are ushering Guadalajara into the new era. The tour bus is 2 floors, similar to those striding through the streets of London and, of course, fully equipped with audio tracks for the tour in various languages.

The price is $90.00 Mexican pesos for adults and $50.00 Mexican pesos for children from Monday to Friday. Saturdays and Sundays: $110.00 Mexican pesos for adults and $90.00 Mexican pesos for children. Tours run throughout the day and your ticket grants you service to get on and off the bus as you please throughout the entire day of your purchase to allow you to actually walk around the sites you visit and then take the next bus to move on.

Lake Chapala and Ajijic
Lake Chapala, the largest lake in the country, is located 48 km (30 miles) southeast of Guadalajara. A visit to its towns and villages along the shore is a truly memorable experience. The town of Chapala boasts a beautiful church and pier, and has nearby Chulavista, a beautiful American residential colony. Ajijic is an old rustic town with craft shops, hand made rugs, clothing, leather goods, and silver jewelry. The tour takes approximately 6 hours, including one hour for lunch, and is available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday with departure at 9:30 a.m. ($25 USD).

Tequila
You will be taken to the land of Tequila, 48 km (30 miles) west of Guadalajara. Learn the history of Mexico’s national drink: planting, harvest, distillation, aging process, and its taste. You will visit La Roseta, the Jose Cuervo Hacienda where you can see the cultivation of the plant that is used to make tequila, the blue agave. After experiencing the Mexican ranch, you will then be taken to the processing plant where the distilling process is explained. You will also see the aging warehouses. Souvenirs and samples are available. Do not miss this unique experience. The tour takes approximately 6 hours and is available Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday or Sunday with departure at 9:30 a.m. ($25 USD).

Tequila Express
The Chamber of Commerce of Guadalajara, Ferrocarril Mexicano and the Jalisco State Goverment have organized a unique train tour on weekends, the "Tequila Express".

The trip begins at 10:30 AM at the train station located at Washington Avenue and Calz. Independencia. Once there, passengers are received with live mariachi music. Once they check in they are assigned a wagon and boarding begins at 11:00 a.m. During the trip to the town of Amatitïan (1h, 30min) snacks and complimentary drinks are offered while the mariachi bands play Mexican music. A tour guide, meanwhile, explains the history of Hacienda San Jose del Refugio (home place of "Tequila Herradura").

The stewardesses and security guards make the trip more enjoyable. The staff will gladly listen to any complaints, suggestions or comments from the passengers. The train features Red Cross paramedics and private security for added security.

Once the train arrives at its destination, passengers board a bus that takes them to Hacienda San José del Refugio where a tour guide shows the premises. Next, the guests visit the tequila production area, passing by the steam ovens where the agave pines are cooked, followed by the old distillery (circa 1800) where you can see all the tools and instruments of the time that were used to produce tequila, included a device pulled by a mule.

The tour includes a visit to the museum where a video is shown depicting everyday work at the hacienda. Finally, guests have a buffet lunch of Mexican dishes accompanied by a live show of folk dances, charro tricks, impersonators, mariachi music, and a dance contest (winner receives a free gift from the host). Guests can sing and dance in a real Mexican atmosphere, surrounded by gardens, trees, plants and live animals.

The tour costs $80.00 USD (approx.) for adults and $40.00 USD (approx.) for children under 12. Kids under 5 travel free of charge.

IMAC will be happy to order your prepaid tickets, or they can be purchased at the Historic Downtown Chamber of Commerce only a few blocks from our school (Chamber of Commerce Office hours: 9:00am-2:00pm and 3:30pm-6:00pm).

Magdalena, Jalisco - OPAL Mining zone
Live a different experience, visit the mine, "Santo Niņo de Atocha", in the heart of the San Simon mining zone located only 9km from Magdalena, Jalisco one and a half hour from Guadalajara. Come and we'll take you into the fascinating and mysterious world that encompasses this precious gem.

The journey includes a visit to the mine where you can find your own opal inside, a visit to the workshops where we can help you polish your opal, and information, an orientation and details so you can understand, distinguish and value the different qualities of opals. Then a break will be taken and visit the gift museum where you can appreciate photographs of the different mines in the region and winning pieces from the National Craft Competition, shop for silver and gold jewellery, buy obsidian turtles with opal shells, animal figurines in opal quarry, loose stones and many other interesting things that have been prepared for you.

Venture to discover and explore the magical and mysterious world that surrounds this extraordinary gem.

“THE NATIONAL STONE”

COSTS:
$25.00 USD per person, it includes:

• Guadalajara-Magdalena-Guadalajara Transportation
• The guarantee that what you find is yours

The tour takes approximately 7 hours departing at 9:30 a.m. from outside of IMAC on Donato Guerra #180. Please note that the cost of the excursion does not include meals. The excursion is available every other Saturday.

Guachimontones Pyramids Teuchitlan Jalisco, Mexico.
The “Guachimontones” are located in Teuchitlan, just one hour and 30 minutes from Guadalajara. It is considered as one of the most important archaeological zones of Mexico.

This complex was built around 200 B.C. and 400 A.D.

“Guachimontan” means “closed place”, making reference to the constructions found in the area: circle shaped ruins.This is the only archaeological site in Mexico where the public is allowed to visit while the excavations are being performed. You visit the Teuchitlan Museum, where several artefacts of the inhabitants of the Guachimontones are found. Here you will see the archaeological site in a scale model, showing the 9 round pyramids. After visiting this museum, you visit the archaeological site for an interesting and unusual experience. An archaeologist working on the site will give you an extensive explanation of the area.

The tour takes approximately 6 hours and is available on Saturdays departing at 10:00 a.m. at a cost of $25 USD per person. Please note that the cost of the excursion does not include meals.

Walking and Bus tours
Another exciting activity during the summer months is the walking and bus tours. These are open to all people, so our students join with other vacationers. The tours visit many places and sites of interests around the city. Since Guadalajara sports a wealth of beautiful architecture and historical buildings these tours are very worthwhile. Most of the sites visited are located in the downtown area, as are we. There are also tours to other parts of the city and some little known, but very important sites. The tour guide informs the participants about the significance and cultural points of the different sites. The great thing about these tours is that they are completely free. They are conducted on various days of the week. There are both morning and afternoon tours, as well. During the summer months we update our students on the different tour options so that they can take advantage of them.