Hop on board with Va y Ventures, a spirited offshoot of the IWC Explorers Club! We’re discovering our surroundings one route at a time—by Va y Ven bus, IE-Tram, and even the Tren Maya. Join us for scheduled outings full of exploration, connection, and a little adventure around every corner. Whether you’re a seasoned rider or just curious, we welcome all IWC members and their occasional guests.
Description
Here’s how it works:
- View the Upcoming Trip Itineraries of our planned rides below.
- After choosing a trip, click on the Reserve Here button and fill out a short form.
- If you’d like to reserve more than one trip, click on Submit another response.
That’s it. We’ll send you a confirming email, and we’ll see you at the scheduled meeting point. If we have special instructions or if we need to put you on a waiting list, we’ll let you know. (Our maximum for each trip is ten, so reserve early. And if you reserve but find that you can’t come, please contact us.)
At each meeting point, we’ll spend some time together going over apps and maps, but if you are more than fifteen minutes late, we may be gone. Grab the next bus and meet us there! (And if you don’t live near Centro, feel free to drive, uber, or take a bus to join us at any of our destinations.)
For all trips, bring: water / sun hat / comfortable shoes / bus card* / shopping bag/backpack. Also, we will spend some time on each trip walking (up to several blocks) in a fairly warm climate. Please consider sunscreen and/or carry an umbrella.
Contact person: Connie Burk – burk.connie@gmail.com (phone no. in IWC Directory)
* If you don’t have a card yet, no problem. You can use ours for your first trip. (See How to… below to get your card.)
Upcoming Trip Itineraries
(Click on each trip to see its itinerary. Click again to put it away.)
05-12-2025 (Mon) – Mall Walking – The Harbor
Destination(s): Roberta is moving her walking day to air-conditioned plazas for the summer. If there is interest, we’ll do it twice a month. For our inaugural walk, we will take a 73 or 74 up C. 64 and Av. Tecnológico to The Harbor.
Meeting Time & Location: 10 am at Café la Habana, C. 59 x 62, Centro for a popular, inexpensive breakfast
Departure Time: approximately 10:45 am
Return Time (Estimated): 3 pm
05-19-2025 (Mon) – Costco & Chedraui Selecto
Destination(s): We will take the 72, 73 or 74 up C. 64 and Av. Tecnológico, first stopping at Chedraui Selecto, then re-boarding and stopping at Costco. Lunch? Where? We can decide on the road.
Meeting Time & Location: 10 am at Café la Habana, C. 59 x 62, Centro
Departure Time: approximately 10:30 am, after coffee and discussion
Return Time (Estimated): 4 pm
05-26-2025 (Mon) – Mall Walking – La Isla
Destination(s): We will take the 63 through Itzimná and up Av. Libano. We can decide together on lunch or not, and where.
Meeting Time & Location: 10 am at Parque La Plancha’s Mercado Gastronómico
Departure Time: approximately 10:30 am, after coffee and discussion
Return Time (Estimated): 3 pm
06-06-2025 (Fri) – Advanced Bus Riding Workshop
Destination(s): This is a more serious workshop to explore bus riding in Mérida. We’ll choose a destination and find a way to get there, and then choose another, passing through several transportation “hubs” and getting comfortable with transfers. We’ll travel by both Va y Ven buses and IE-trams, and we’ll have more learning opportunities along the way.
Meeting Time & Location: 10 am at Parque La Plancha’s Mercado Gastronómico
Departure Time: approximately 10:30 am, after coffee and discussion
Return Time (Estimated): 4 pm
06-09-2025 (Mon) – Mall Walking
Destination(s): To be decided by the walkers (in advance).
Meeting Time & Location: 10 am. Location to be decided by the walkers.
Departure Time: approximately 10:45 am, after coffee and/or breakfast
Return Time (Estimated): 3 pm
06-16-2025 (Mon) – Bowling & Lunch at Alta Brisa
Destination(s): Another trans-boarding experience, this time with IE-Trams (yay-TRAM). We’ll take the 906 IE-Tram from Santiago Park, get off at Mejorada Park, walk a couple blocks, and take the 61 up to Plaza Alta Brisa for at least one round of bowling. How many years has it been? Then we’ll walk seven minutes to dine at the exquisite Mora Restaurante Hindú, and head back to Centro on the 55, transferring to the 905 IE-Tram to return.
Meeting Time & Location: 10 am at Santiago Park near the church front gate
Departure Time: approximately 10:15 am
Return Time (Estimated): 4 pm
06-23-2025 (Mon) – Mall Walking
Destination(s): To be decided by the walkers (in advance).
Meeting Time & Location: 10 am. Location to be decided by the walkers.
Departure Time: approximately 10:45 am, after coffee and/or breakfast
Return Time (Estimated): 3 pm
Trip Reports
04-12-2025 (Fri) – City 32 & La Isla
Our first trip! We had eight riders, some with bus experience and some not. We chatted for a good while at Parque La Plancha, downloading apps and perusing maps. We planned to walk about a block and a half to get on the La Isla bus heading north, but a quick look at the Va y Ven app showed us that the next bus was not very near, and the sun was hot. So instead, we got on the same bus on C. 50 and rode through the market area in air-conditioned comfort before eventually heading north.
Ellyne and I were happy to show off City 32’s fantastic rainforest lobby to those who hadn’t seen it. We walked around for fifteen minutes or so and then got back on the bus. At La Isla, we split up for shopping, met for lunch, and then split up for a little more shopping. We all loved our restaurant choice: Brazilia Mérida, and loved our first bus rides together!
How to…
Get a general (green) card. (Rides cost 12 pesos.)
Go to any OXXO, Dunosusa, Willy’s, or Aki stores.
The card will cost 25 pesos and you can charge it up for as much as you want.
Get a senior (yellow) social card. (Rides cost 5 pesos.)
Go to the Va y Ven office (C.39 #523 x 66 y 72) or to Mercado San Benito (2nd floor),
or to a government kiosk at Gran Plaza, Plaza Las Americas, Plaza Fiesta, or Plaza Oriente. Bring a residency card, your INAPAM card, and a comprobante (utility receipt in your name).
The card will cost 25 pesos and you can charge it up for as much as you want.
Recharge your general or senior card.
You can recharge your card with the Va y Ven app on your phone, or at: the Va y Ven office, OXXO, Dunosusa, Willy’s and Aki stores, Mercado San Benito (2nd floor), a government kiosk at Gran Plaza, Plaza Las Americas, Plaza Fiesta, or Plaza Oriente, or at any Va y Ven cajero machine along the Periférico.
Ride the bus.
Choose your route, go to the stop, stand under the sign, or in line, and flag down the bus.
Wave your card at the machine until it beeps happily that you were successful. Walk on.
Hints: There are often two machines. Use the bright blue one. Wait until the machine has reset from the person boarding before you. If you see a big checkmark, you’re too soon. Wait a second until it’s gone. If you get a loud beep even after waiting, look at the driver. S/he will usually wave you on. Then check your balance on your app.
Sit wherever you like and, if you don’t know the route well, keep your Va y Ven and/or Google Maps apps open on your phone to track your ride.
Press one of the red buttons when you are close to your stop, two in the center and one in the front. (Even if you press the button in the front, you need to exit out the middle doors.)
Apps and Maps
The Va y Ven App
Using Google Maps to plan a bus trip and to ride the bus
Tiny Routes – an overview of Mérida’s new bus system
Selected Routes and Analysis