The Best Of Guatemala

Today we can enjoy a morning cultural walking tour of Antigua, we will visit 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.

The Pacaya volcano is one of three active volcanos in Guatemala, standing at 2,552 metres elevation. The hike is a relatively easy ascent and offers spectacular views of the whole volcanic chain. If you prefer, you may hire a horse at the entrance to the park for the ascent. We will head along a trail through a pine forest to the volcanic ash and finally reach the cone of the volcano. From the top, you can enjoy excellent views of the volcanoes. After enjoying our volcano adventure tour, we will descend to the foothills and hand back to the hotel.

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.

After breakfast, we will visit San Juan La Laguna to 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 town's saint, taking care of their cigarette, smoking God.

1463. The city was important before the Spanish arrived, yet almost a century later, it played a decisive role in the Spanish conquest of this Guatemala region. The remains of the city 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 to Guatemala City for t the connecting flight to Flores, where we will spend the evening.

Today we will wake 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. For lunch, we will enjoy a BBQ served inside the park. In the afternoon, we will head back to our hotel 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. In the evening, we will head to the airport for our flight back to the City of Guatemala, where we will spend our final evening.

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!