Guatemala & Honduras Adventure

Join tour Guatemala City and check-in to hotel. Guatemala City is the busy capital of Guatemala, most of which is modern build. However the colonial centre around the main square harks back to the time when the area was officially declared the new capital in the eighteenth century.

Overnight Standard Hotel

We will start our day with a short orientation tour by bus of Guatemala City before heading to Copan in Honduras. This afternoon, you have free time to visit Macaw Mountain (optional).

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Everyone 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 US$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. The famous Hieroglyphic Stairway is composed of 2500 individual glyphs; its sides are flanked by serpentine birds and snakes. We have the whole day to enjoy this special place, leaving you plenty of time to explore on your own. In the afternoon, is free to either visit the museum dedicated to the site or visit Macaw mountain. 

Overnight Standard Hotel

This morning we will stop en route at Quirigua to admire its fine Maya carvings, covered with intricate glyphs which still remain a mystery to scholars and archeologists. Quirigua was dominated by Copan but was valued as a trading centre for the jade that can be found throughout the surrounding area. Independence from Copan was finally achieved under Quirigua’s most powerful leader, Cauac Sky in 737AD. We will then continue to Puerto Barrios where we will board our launch and cross the bay to the lazy, laid back town of Livingston on the Caribbean coast. Here we can enjoy the colourful, lively Garifuna town, with its unique racial blend. In the evening there may be the chance to hear the increasingly popular local music or enjoy the fresh seafood in one of the many restaurants along the main street.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel

We start our day by heading West on the Rio Dulce. The river squeezes through an impressive gorge of towering cliffs covered in a mass of jungle creepers with Egrets, pelicans and cormorants lining the shores. En route we will stop at the small community project of Ak Tenamit where you will have the opportunity to learn more about this educational support project that has been set up. From the town of Rio Dulce we will continue by bus to Tikal, possibly the greatest of all the Mayan cities, located in the heart of the Peten jungle. The ruins of Tikal can easily be compared with the masterpieces of Egypt and Greece. Initially settled about 600 BC, Tikal was abandoned by its rulers around AD 890 and totally deserted a hundred years later, overgrown by the jungle. Rediscovered in 1848, they comprise many great temples and pyramids. The city covers an area of more than 16 square kilometres with temples, palaces, causeways, ballcourts, spacious plazas, and hundreds of other architectural ruins – a superb example of sophisticated Maya engineering.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Dinner

We will have an early start to get into the site for a guided tour. The site is so large we leave you free time to explore at your own pace this afternoon. Those with a good head for heights could climb one of the pyramids which pierce the jungle canopy for splendid views over the whole area. In the afternoon we will drive to Flores where this evening we have a chance to wander the streets of Flores. Situated on a small island in the tranquil Lake Peten Itza and joined to the mainland by a causeway, Flores remains a quaint and peaceful town.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Leaving Flores behind we head south into the southern mountains for a long day’s drive through varied scenery. En route we will stop at the Candelaria cave, thought to be the longest cave in Latin America. The cave was considered by the ancient Maya to be the entrance to the underworld of Xibalba, and the cave contains a Mayan ceremonial alter. The Q'eqchi' Maya still come to pray in the Candelaria Cave. We will continue to the Biotopo del Quetzal, a wildlife reserve and home of the national bird, the resplendent Quetzal.

Overnight Standard Hotel Included meals: Dinner

This morning we have a very early start as it is the best time to go bird watching; we start the day with a walk in the cloud forest; if we are lucky we may see the elusive Quetzal which feeds on the fruit of the aguacatillo tree at dawn. The Quetzal was sacred to the ancients of Central America and the plumed serpent god Quetzalcoatl was a supreme deity. Killing a quetzal was punishable by death and the 2ft long iridescent green tail feathers were worth more than gold. Driving south we will stop on route at the Mayan site of Iximche - a small site set in beautiful pine forests before continuing to Santa Catarina, a small village on the shore of Lake Atitlan; there are always magnificent views of the impressive volcanic peaks of Atitlan (3537m), San Pedro (3020m) and Toliman (3158m) towering over the lakeside.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

The volcano-ringed Lake Atitlan is a place of stunning beauty. Some fifteen miles long by ten wide, it lies at an altitude of 1585m. On the first day, we include a boat trip to visit villages inhabited by Tzututils Indians, including Santiago Atitlan. Poignant reminders of the recent history of this village are visible as we visit the church, originally built in 1547, and we may see more traditional Mayan rituals at the shrine to Maximón. The second day is left free visit the popular town of Panajachel, where you can enjoy the comfortable climate, relaxed atmosphere and stunning setting. The lake changes hue at different times of the day and can appear green, deep blue, or grey, while at sunset it glows fiery red.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel

We start today with a visit to the colourful local market of Solola before we embark on an adventurous journey into the famous Ixil mountains. The drive is spectacular as we wind our way up through valleys and over hills, passing gushing rivers, heading north from Sacapulas. Finally we arrive at Nebaj, part of the lxil triangle. Accommodation available in this remote area is simple.

Overnight Simple Hotel

The Ixil are famous for their fine weaving (some of the best to be found in Guatemala), especially the geometric designs in purple, green, yellow and red on the huipiles (blouses) worn by the Indian women. We spend the day exploring and plan to follow a trail over and out of Nebajs valley to the neighbouring valley . Weather permitting, we will enjoy good views of the mountain range as we walk up over a pass and descend to the village of Acul. We are bound to come across colourfully dressed Ixil using the trails, but there are certainly few other foreigners in this isolated area.

Overnight Simple Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

Early this morning we drive to the famous mountain village of Chichicastenango, the ‘sacred town’ of the Indigenous Quiché. The Thursday market is a colourful affair which attracts people from the surrounding countryside to trade their produce and handicrafts. It is also the perfect place to pick up souvenirs of your visit. We will then continue to Antigua de Guatemala, set in a beautiful valley between the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel Included meals: Breakfast

After an orientation tour this morning you will have free time to explore further Antigua Guatemala. An orientation tour of this graceful old colonial city shows how it can justly claim to be one of the most charming in Central America despite the damage caused by a series of earthquakes and floods over the ages. The afternoon is free to wander the timeless streets and hunt for souvenirs. One of its lively restaurants makes a perfect setting for our last meal together.

Overnight Comfortable Hotel

Our tour ends this morning in Antigua.