Highlights Of Central America

Arrive Antigua and check-in to hotel. Famed for its well-preserved Spanish Mudejar influenced Baroque architecture, the stunning city of Antigua de Guatemala was founded in the early years of the 16th century.  Set in a beautiful valley between the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango, this graceful old colonial city, with its cobbled streets and lovely old buildings, is one of the most charming in the country and one of the most picturesque in Central America. Despite the damage caused by a series of earthquakes and floods over the centuries, the city’s colonial heritage has seen it designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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This morning’s walking tour visits the churches of San Francisco, San Jose and La Merced. Much of Antigua has been repeatedly devastated by earthquakes, but still it retains a graceful charm and its buildings and ruins give it the air of a snapshot in time. This afternoon has been left free for you to continue exploring at your own pace.

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Leaving the Guatemalan capital behind this morning we head to the town of Panajachel on the shores of Lake Atitlan. An old volcanic caldera, Lake Atitlan is justifiably considered to be one of the most spectacular lakes in the Americas. Encircled by the volcanoes of Toliman, Atitlan and San Pedro, the lake’s fertile shores are sprinkled with small communities of farmers and fishermen who still uphold the traditions of their Maya ancestors. Panajachel itself is an old Spanish settlement that has attracted visitors to this charming setting for years and today it is one of the region’s most popular tourist spots, filled with galleries, handicraft shops and cafes, making it an ideal base from which to explore this captivating setting. This afternoon we head out by boat to explore one such village, that of Santiago Atitlan, lying at the base of the volcanic peaks of Toliman and Atitlan, and home to the Tzutujil Maya people. The Tzutujil can trace their ancestry back to the post-classic period of the Maya (around 900-1500 AD) and still wear a traditional form of dress, with the women in particular sporting colourful blouses that depict wonderful embroidered geometric designs and small multicoloured birds. We return to Panajachel on the boat having the remainder of the evening to explore the town and enjoy dinner in one of the many restaurants available.

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After an early start we will head north, towards the highlands of the El Quiché Province and the bustling market town of Chichcastenango. Steeped in Mayan culture, the town is famed for its market, where you can buy everything, from chickens and copal, to pigs and pottery. Following our visit we board our bus and head towards neighbouring Honduras. Our destination is Copan, a lovely village of adobe buildings very near to the magnificent Mayan ruins of Copan. Crossing through a landscape of lush vegetation and mountainous valleys we arrive later this afternoon and check into our hotel.

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This morning we visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site with a local guide. Anyone familiar with Catherwood’s incredible drawings (which first appeared in John Stephens’ 1841 narrative – ‘Incidents of Travel in Central America and Yucatan’) will recognise scenes and objects from this marvellous site. Stephens actually bought the entire site for $50 from a local farmer! The Great Plaza is one of the most amazing achievements of the Classic Maya period (AD 750) and contains the greatest collection of Maya sculpture anywhere in Meso-America. Next to the Great Plaza is the Acropolis, a group of massive pyramidal structures where royal power was once concentrated, and which hold beneath them a wealth of information about Copan's ancient past.  Ascending one structure is the famous Hieroglyphic Stairway. Composed of some 2500 individual glyphs, its sides flanked by serpentine birds and snakes, this is the New World's longest inscribed Pre-Colombian text.The subject of exploration and investigation since the 1830s, the continual discoveries being unearthed by archaeologists are uncovering remarkable finds that represent a Maya resurrection, and have made Copan the most thoroughly researched and understood of all Maya sites. This afternoon has been left free to further explore the site or participate in several optional activities in the area.

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This morning we take a scenic drive towards the El Salvador border. Crossing into our third country, we then continue to the colonial city of Suchitoto, travelling by way of the handicraft markets of La Palma. Our town is nestled between the mountains and Suchitlan Lake. Suchitoto is a little slice of El Salvador at its timeless best, a charming colonial town of cobblestone streets and pretty houses that lie besides the shores of Lago Suchitlán. Surrounded by the lush landscapes of the northern highlands, the town was once at the heart of the country’s indigo trade and today provides visitors with one of El Salvador’s most captivating gems. A rapidly developing centre for art and culture, Suchitoto is filled with colonial elegance, craft shops and a rich vein of historic and cultural highlights, making it a wonderful place to explore.

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Options for today include a chance to take a boat trip out onto the waters of the lake, a haven for birdlife of all kinds, with over 200 species being recorded here, including hawks, and falcons! Alternatively you could pay a visit to the nearby Cascada Los Tercios, a 30 metre high waterfall formed by a uniquely sited composition of hexagonal basalt rocks that almost look as if they have been placed there by hand.

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After a short drive we stop and visit  Illobasco where they are famous for their ceramics. We will continue our journey through rich agricultural land until we reach the border with Honduras. We will follow the Gulf of Fonseca  until we cross into the Pacific lowlands of Nicaragua before completing our journey to the stunning colonial town of Leon. One of the old colonial capitals, Leon  lies in the shadow seven volcanoes and is still considered the intelectual centre of Nicaragua.  Leon was the countries capital for 200 years and today its old buildings and its massive cathedral, all add to an elegant atmosphere of a city that seems almost to have been trapped in time.

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Today has been left free to further explore this colonial gem or you may wish to take one of the optionals available in the area. You may wish to take a hike on the nearby Cerro Negro Volcanoe or visit Las Penitas pacific beach or San Juan Venado Mangrove Reserve. 

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This morning there will be time to explore something of Nicaragua’s former colonial capital, before we depart for the volcanic landscapes of the Masaya Volcano National Park. One of Nicaragua’s most stunning natural highlights, the park was the country’s first national reserve and is home to two volcanoes and five impressive craters. We’ll stop to view the geothermal activity at the Santiago Crater, before paying a visit to the park’s visitors centre, to learn a little more about Central America’s seismic history. We’ll be ending our day in another of Nicaragua’s colonial gems. Atmospheric Granada is situated at the foot of Mombacho volcano on the north-west shore of Lake Nicaragua. It was the first colonial city in Nicaragua, founded in 1524 by the conquistador Hernandez de Cordoba and its magnificent setting, set off by baroque and renaissance buildings, is a visual delight. On arrival we plan a city tour, which will include visits to the Parque Central, the Monument to the war of independence, the plaza and the convent of San Francisco, we also aim to visit the casa des Tres Mundos and the neoclassical Bishop’s Palace.

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Today has then been left free for you to enjoy the city’s many highlights as you wish. Granada is the perfect city to explore on foot, wandering narrow lanes and alleyways. It is possible to visit Las Isletas by boat or sea kayak, a group of tiny islands dominated by the Volcano Mombacho and located just offshore.  Your tour leader will be more than happy to help arrange any excursions you may like to try.

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This morning we head for Nicaragua’s Pacific coast for a chance to spend some time swimming and relaxing on the beach. We head straight to the bustling town of San Juan del Sur, one of the country’s most vibrant coastal resorts. Once a sleepy fishing village, San Juan del Sur is today a summer favourite for travellers and locals alike. The variety of restaurants that line its waterfront overlook a bay that is lined with fishing boats and yachts, whilst the town itself still retains a little something of its laid back ambience, providing us with a perfect place to break the journey and enjoy some welcome beach time.

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This morning we continue towards the border with Costa Rica, in the distance there will be views of the northern Mountain ranges, Including Rincon de la Vieja.  Our destination today is the Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge over the border in Costa Rica, where this afternoon we will enjoy a nature walk in the company of a local naturalist guide. Caño Negro lies in the centre of the flight path for millions of migrating species of birds, making it an ideal stopping off point for glossy ibis, Nicaraguan grackle and roseate spoonbills.

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There is the option this morning to take an early morning boat trip along the Río Frío, in search of monkeys, iguanas and caimans. After breakfast we then continue on to La Virgen de Sarapiquí and the incredible biodiversity of Sarapiquí, home to the endangered Green Macaw. Famed for its rich natural diversity, its outdoor festivals and its sense of adventure, Sarapiquí is home to a number of national parks and reserves, including the Braulio Carrillo National park and the Sarapiquí Protected Zone.

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This morning has been left free to enjoy any number of optional excursions in the area, including hiking, horseback riding and an exhilarating canopy zip wire tour that takes you across the jungle canopy some 20-30 metres above the rainforest. Costa Rica has been rated as one of the best white water rafting destinations in the world and this morning also allows a possibility to tackle the foaming torrents of the Sarapiqui River. Classified as a Grade III river, the Sarapiqui is fringed by lush vegetation that provides an ideal refuge for toucans, monkeys, parrots and all manner of birdlife, making it the perfect setting to combine exhilarating rafting with some stunning natural backdrops. All safety equipment will be provided and the excursions are all run by professional and trained guides. This afternoon we then continue through the scenic grandeur of the Braulio Carillo National park to San Jose, Costa Rica’s vibrant capital. Founded in 1738 and set in a fertile valley blanketed in a lush abundance of coffee and sugar cane plantations, the city is one of the youngest and most cosmopolitan capital’s in Central America. A fitting end to our remarkable journey across this incredible region.

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Our tour ends this morning in San Jose.

Included meals: Breakfast