Central American Highlights

Join trip in Antigua Guatemala, the graceful colonial city that sits just next door to the country's capital Guatemala City. Set in a beautiful valley between the volcanoes of Agua, Fuego and Acatenango, its cobbled streets and pastel-coloured buildings make it one of the most charming and picturesque cities in Central America. Despite the damage caused by a series of earthquakes and floods over the centuries, Antigua's colonial heritage has seen it designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Due to the number of evening flights into the international airport, your Leader plans to do the welcome meeting on the morning of day two, and will leave a message in reception with details on timings and everything else that you'll need for the day. There are no activities planned today, so you are free to arrive in Antigua at any time. If you would like an airport transfer today, you'll need to arrive into La Aurora International Airport (GUA). The drive between the airport and our hotel is only 40km but can take between 1.5 and 4 hours depending on the traffic and the time of day.

If your flight arrives earlier in the day, we recommend a gentle stroll around the compact centre of town, famed for its well-preserved Spanish Mudejar-influenced architecture.

This morning's walking tour takes us to some of the spectacular colonial churches for which the city is famed, including those of San Francisco, Santa Clara, La Merced and Las Capuchinas. Some of the churches have museums and ruins attached which you can choose to enter later in the afternoon. The city is also famous for its jade, not only green but the rarer black and lilac, and we will visit a museum explaining more about this industry.

This afternoon has been left free for you to continue exploring at your own pace. You may choose to do a short hike up Cerro de la Cruz for panoramic views of the city, or enjoy a bit of bargain hunting in what is regarded as one of the best cities for shopping in Central America. There is everything here, from high-end jewellery to street vendors selling locally-produced crafts and textiles. Alternatively, try the choco-museum for a Mayan hot chocolate, which comes with pure chocolate, hot milk, honey and chili powder to mix to your personal taste.

This morning, we continue our journey to the town of Panajachel on the shores of Lake Atitlan, which will be our base for the night. An old volcanic caldera, Lake Atitlan is considered to be one of the most spectacular lakes in the Americas and is certainly the deepest in Central America. 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 which has attracted visitors to this charming setting for years. Today, it is one of the region's most popular tourist spots, filled with galleries, handicraft shops and cafes, and is a good place to start our exploration of the area.

This afternoon, we head out by boat to explore two of the many Mayan villages surrounding the lake. Santiago Atitlan lies at the base of the volcanic peaks of Toliman and Atitlan, and is 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). They still wear a traditional form of dress, with the women in particular sporting colourful blouses with embroidered geometric and bird designs. This is a busy village with lots of visitors and locals going about their business. Our second stop, on our return to Panajachel, is to the quieter island of San Antonio and the textile and ceramic co-operatives found there.

Returning to Panajachel by boat, we have the remainder of the evening to explore the town and enjoy dinner in one of its many excellent restaurants.

After an early start, we will head north towards the highlands of the El Quiche Province and the bustling town of Chichicastenango. Steeped in Maya culture, the town is famed for its market, where you can buy everything, from chickens and copal, to pigs and pottery. The best way to enjoy the market is to throw yourself into the melee and haggle with the traders, or escape to the beautifully colourful cemetery located just a short walk from the market.

Following our visit, we travel to Guatemala City. Time allowing, we may enjoy a city tour in our vehicle before arriving at our hotel.

Today we need to depart at around 4.30am to beat the traffic in Guatemala city and get on the road to Copan. The journey takes approximately 6 hours including the border crossing into Honduras, and we arrive into Copan where a local guide will escort us around the spectacular ruins - one of the richest archaeological sites to be uncovered in Central America and now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 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 from a local farmer for just $50.

The Great Plaza is one of the most amazing achievements of the Classic Maya period and contains the greatest collection of Maya sculpture anywhere in Meso-America. Next door is the Acropolis - a group of massive pyramidal structures where royal power was once concentrated. 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.

Copan has been the subject of exploration and investigation since the 1830s. Remarkable finds continue to be unearthed by archaeologists, making it the most thoroughly researched and understood of all Maya sites.

This afternoon has been left free for those who want to explore the site independently, or visit the accompanying museum of statues found in the site (not included). Alternatively, you may choose to participate in one of several optional activities in the area including horse riding or visiting the macaw mountain project, a tropical bird reserve that cares for rescued or endangered birds of the American tropics.

This morning we have 2 border crossings, passing back into Guatemala before crossing through another Honduran border and then through into El Salvador. Driving through scenic countryside, we arrive at the pretty town of Las Palmas, with its charming walls covered with drawings by the town's children. We make a little stop at the town's handicraft markets before continuing on to Suchitoto. Nestled between the mountains and Suchitlan Lake, this charming colonial town, with its cobblestone streets and pretty houses, is a little slice of El Salvador at its timeless best. The town was once at the heart of the country's indigo trade. Today, as a rapidly developing centre for art and culture, Suchitoto is filled with craft shops and a rich vein of historic and cultural highlights, making it a wonderful place to explore and spend the next two nights.

Today has been left free for you to spend as you wish. In the morning you may take a boat trip out onto the lake, where over 200 bird species have been recorded, including hawks and falcons. In the afternoon, options include paying a visit to the nearby Cascada Los Tercios - a 30 metre-high waterfall which flows over an impressive cliff of tightly packed hexagonal basalt rocks, or making pupusas, the typical food of El Salvador. These corn or rice 'tortillas' are stuffed with cheese, refried beans, meat, herbs and vegetables, before being grilled on a hot plate. They are sold throughout the country and are part of the staple diet of any self-respecting Salvadorean.

Before leaving El Salvador this morning, we will stop off in Ilobasco - a town famous for its ceramics. The journey today is a long one, and including the stops totals approximately 13 hours. We travel through rich agricultural land towards the Honduran border, following the Gulf of Fonseca before crossing from Honduras into the Pacific lowlands of Nicaragua. We finish our journey in the charming colonial town of Leon, where we will spend the next two nights.

As the country's capital for 200 years, Leon is still considered the intellectual centre of Nicaragua, and was at the heart of the revolutionary years of 1978 to 1989. Lying in the shadow of seven volcanoes, its old buildings and massive cathedral contribute to the elegant atmosphere of a city that seems almost to have been trapped in time.

After yesterday's long travel day, today has been left free to explore this colonial gem at your own pace. Alternatively, you may choose to enjoy one of the optional excursions available in the area. One option is a hike on the nearby Cerro Negro Volcano - one of the most active volcanoes in Nicaragua. The hike takes approximately 1.5hrs at a moderate pace, and there are stunning views across to the Pacific ocean as well as the surrounding countryside. The fun is in bouncing down the volcano, as we run/jump/walk down through the scree. For something less exertive, Las Penitas Beach is a great place to relax for the day, whilst a visit to San Juan Venado Mangrove Reserve provides the opportunity to spot wildlife including crocodiles, caiman and iguanas.

This morning we head off on a three-hour drive to the colonial city of Granada. 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. Its magnificent setting, set off by baroque and renaissance buildings, is a visual delight and a superb location for our next two nights' accommodation.

On arrival, our city tour will take in highlights such as the Parque Central, the monument to the War of Independence, the plaza and the San Francisco Convent. We also aim to visit the Casa des Tres Mundos and the neoclassical Bishop's Palace. The afternoon is at your leisure. Choose to walk down to the central plaza, marvel at the striking yellow cathedral and relax in one of the many restaurants or cafes.

This morning is left free. A recommended optional activity is a boat trip through Las Isletas on Lake Nicaragua. This is a great way to explore Lake Cocibolca, also known as Lake Nicaragua. Situated at the foot of the impressive Mombacho Volcano, the area we visit consists of around 360 small volcanic islands which were formed when the Mombacho Volcano erupted about 20,000 years ago. These small islands are inhabited by families who make their living from fishing, while other islands are host to extravagant villas owned by Nicaragua's rich and famous. Along the way, the tour guide will explain a lot about the many birds that can be seen here as well as recalling the history of the area.

This afternoon we will head to Masaya's famous and diverse artisan market, where we can find many products quite unique to Nicaragua. From there, we continue to one of Nicaragua's most stunning natural highlights, the Masaya Volcano National Park, which was the country's first national reserve and is home to two volcanoes and five craters. All being well, we will view the simply astounding geothermal activity at the Santiago Crater.

This morning we wave goodbye to Nicaragua and head to our final country on this journey - Costa Rica! We have a two-hour drive to the border where we will be changing vehicles once through into Costa Rica. We then have a one-hour drive to the coastal haven of Bahia Salinas. You will be into the swing of things with the border crossings by now, so remember your patience and a good book!

On arrival into Bahia de Salinas we have the afternoon free to enjoy the beautiful beach and coastline.

This morning, we drive three and a half hours to Monteverde - one of the most well-known places in Costa Rica to see wildlife. This evening, we will have the adventure of a night walk, in search of nocturnal species such as pacas and tarantulas.

Rising early, we head into Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve for a guided walk, searching for a glimpse of the three-wattled bellbird or the Quetzal, whose feathers were traded as valuable items throughout pre-Columbian America. You have the afternoon free to explore this forest haven; you may wish to participate in the many amazing optional activities in the area such as an exhilarating zip-wire experience as you whiz through the canopy, or perhaps exploring the forest on suspension bridges strung at canopy height. Alternatively, the area's butterfly farm and orchid gardens are both well worth a visit.

This morning has been left free to enjoy the optional excursions in the area. We then make the three-and-a-half-hour drive to the capital of San Jose. On arrival we will have a short panoramic tour of San Jose including a walk along Avenida Central and, if open a stop in Mercado Central.

The trip ends this morning at our hotel in San Jose.

There are no activities planned today, so you are free to depart at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. If you would like an airport transfer today, you'll need to depart from Juan Santamaria International Airport (airport code: SJO), approximately a 30 minute drive from our hotel.