Guatemalan Perspectives

Today we can enjoy a morning walking tour of Antigua.  We will visit ruins, churches, and museums of the city, where colonial times' myths and legends are still part of everyday culture.  After lunch, we will visit La Azotea Farm for a coffee tour to see coffee plants in their different phases of development. There are a fabulous coffee museum and Mayan music museum that includes a collection of Mayan Musical instruments, relics, costumes and naif paintings on exhibition. We will also head to the textiles and customs museum for a more cultural insight of the area. 

Bright and early, we will head off to the colourful and vibrant market of Chichicastenango, where the traditions of the Quiche civilisation come alive.  These people's everyday life is demonstrated in this ancestral market every Thursday and Sunday, providing a unique insight into the village's indigenous commerce. In the afternoon, we will then travel to the famous and spectacular Lake Atitlan, where we will spend the evening. 

After breakfast, 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 to learn more about these ancient weavings, spiritualism, and the belief system of the T’zutujil Maya people. 

We will then head back to Panajachel where you will have a free afternoon to explore this stunning area. 

Today we will wake at dawn to head to the Antigua airport for a connecting flight to Flores on the Caribbean coast. At the airport, our car will be waiting to take us to the impressive archaeological site of Yaxha. 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, and marvel at the birdsong that accompanies the setting sun over the park. We will then head back to Flores for 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, as well as Howler monkeys, Spider monkeys, butterflies, and spectacular insects. We will head back to Flores after this spectacular archaeological site.

Ixpanpajul Park is located about 15 km from Flores Island. You will have two optional activities to choose from, either the Sky Walk, walking across amazing suspension bridges and the twisting paths full of lush green jungle vegetation where we will have direct contact with nature. OR you can fly through the rainforest tree canopies like Tarzan on a zipline adventure for a totally different perspective of the jungle. We will head back to the airport for the afternoon flight to Guatemala City for 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!