Bountiful Mayan Adventure

Today we will head to San Cristóbal El Alto, where we can enjoy a nature experience and have breakfast with spectacular views of the volcanoes and the City of Antigua. We will visit the ruins, churches and museums of the city. The stories and legends of colonial times are still part of everyday culture and we will visit: La Merced Church, Convent Las Capuchinas, Saint Joseph Cathedral, Central Park, the local craft market & Chocolate Museum.

Today we will head to San Cristóbal El Alto, where we can enjoy a nature experience and have breakfast with spectacular views of the volcanoes and the City of Antigua. We will visit the ruins, churches and museums of the city. The stories and legends of colonial times are still part of everyday culture and we will visit: La Merced Church, Convent Las Capuchinas, Saint Joseph Cathedral, Central Park, the local craft market & Chocolate Museum.

Today we will head to the market town of Chichicastenango, where the Mayan and Catholic traditions come together in glorious and colourful fashion! The scent of incense and the people's mysticism offers a unique atmosphere found only in Guatemala. The combinations of tastes, smells and colours combine uniquely here and we will head for a traditional lunch with a local Mayan family for the full, cultural experience. We will then head to Lake Atitlan for the evening.

Today, we will visit San Juan La Laguna, where we can see the women’s textile cooperative for hand weaving and natural dye processing of the textiles. We will also visit the homes of the famous naïf painters before we continue to Santiago Village. We will then head to see the famous Maya deity, Maximon and learn about the textiles, spiritualism and beliefs of the T’zutujil Maya. Each year a different family houses the saint of the town, taking care of their cigarette smoking God. We will then head back to our hotel.

After breakfast, we will visit Iximche in Tecpán, a Mayan city founded in 1463. Before the Spanish arrived, the city was important, yet almost a century later, played a decisive role in the Spanish conquest of this region of Guatemala. The city's remains can still be found in the surrounding pine forests, with its ceremonial plazas, temples and ball courts still on display. We will enjoy a traditional lunch in Tecpán before heading off to Antigua, where we will spend the evening.

Today, we will head for the city of Copan in Honduras, travelling down the eastern part of  Guatemala. The landscape and climate with change gradually from the fresher weather of Antigua to the dry and warm Chiquimula. We will then head towards El Florido to cross the border into Honduras. We will head directly to the hotel to leave our belongings before heading off to the incredible Mayan city of Copan. Our guide will take us to the important ceremonial centres, the ball court, the hieroglyphic stairway and the acropolis, which are the most important features of this archaeological site. We will also visit the Rosalila Temple, which was hidden for centuries and only recently discovered. We will then head back to the hotel for the evening.

Today we will leave the Copan area and back into Guatemala, heading to the Izabal Lake, the biggest lake in Guatemala. The giant lake is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the Río Dulce River. Our journey through colourful villages will lead us to the ancient Maya city of Quiriguá, located in Izabal, Guatemala. This site is home to incredible sculptures, considered to be masterpieces of the Mayan Culture. After a visit to this impressive site, we will head to our hotel in Rio Dulce.

Today we will enjoy a panoramic tour of the Río Dulce, including the Castillo de San Felipe de Lara, a fortress built by the Spanish to protect the goods to be imported and exported back to Spain. This was a plentiful bounty for the pirates of the area back in colonial times who often attacked the area. We will then visit the Island of the birds, where we will have the opportunity to see these magnificent birds who inhabit the island, the great Canyon and the traditional Garifuna village of Livingston. We will then head back to Río Dulce village and take the 3 hour car journey to the Flores area, where we will spend the evening.

Today we will wake up early once more to appreciate the spectacular Tikal in all its glory. We can see the incredible flora and fauna in the jungle, with an array of Mayan temples offering the most spectacular setting for an archaeological site. The National Park is the perfect opportunity to discover the birds that are endemic to Tikal and Howler monkeys, Spider monkeys, butterflies, and spectacular insects. For lunch, we will enjoy a BBQ served inside the park. In the afternoon, we will head back to our hotel to relax for the evening.

After breakfast, we will visit the Yaxhá National Park, located n the banks of the Yaxha Lake. We will walk along the causeways beneath a lush tropical forest, where howler monkeys fill the air with their calls, hoping to impress a female or to defend their territory. We can climb Mayan temples that offer spectacular views over the rainforest. We will finish our tour at the highest temple in the park, the temple 216. We will then head to the airport for our connecting flight to Guatemala City, where we will spend our final evening of the tour.

Today is our final day in Guatemala. Our driver will take you to the international airport in time for your flight back home or onto your next exciting destination!