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highlights
Day walks and short hikes around cities and Mayan sites

Cultural visits to Colonial Antigua, majestic Lake Atitlan, the crafts market at Chichicastengo

Hiking in the Peten rainforest and visiting the major Mayan site of Tikal

highlights
Villa Colonial in Antigua, with colonial-style architecture and extensive tropical gardens.
Villa Santa Catarina, a peaceful retreat right on the shores on Lake Atitlán.
Villa Maya, with its open-air restaurant and tranquil lakeside setting in a private nature reserve.
Chimino’s Island Lodge, with bungalows overlooking the beautiful Petexbatun Lagoon.

Turneffe Island Lodge (Optional Extension) on remote Turneffe Atoll, with 12 guest rooms and a unique location providing quick access to the Belize Barrier Reef, or Isla Marisol on one of the islands that make up Glover’s Reef, with 12 tropical cabanas set on white-sand beaches.

Hotel upgrades available in Antigua and Atitlan only

Casa Santo Domingo (Optional Upgrade), a 16th century monastery in Antigua, on Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best Hotels list.

Hotel Atitlán (Optional Upgrade), with its lake views and lovely gardens full of birds.



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Armenia & Karabagh
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Tikal and the Land of the Mayas

Guatemala Private Journey

Discover the living Maya culture in traditional mountain villages, then enter the heart of El Mundo Maya and explore the spectacular ruins of lavish temple cities that rise out of misty rainforests. Extend your journey to the glorious Barrier Reef of Belize for world-class snorkeling adventures in an extraordinary coral reef kingdom.

Below is an Itinerary-in-Brief. To view a complete Detailed Itinerary, Download Full Itinerary or Email our Area Specialist

Itinerary-in-Brief

Days 1-2
Colonial Antigua, Maya Culture

Surrounded by majestic volcanoes, Antigua is an enchanting highland city of cobbled streets, courtyard cafés, finely preserved plazas, and ornate colonial-era fountains. Explore this beautiful city—a World Heritage Site—on a fascinating walking tour, discovering its traditional artisan markets. Textile weaving has played an important part in Guatemala’s indigenous K’iche culture for centuries, and the region is renowned for its unique fabrics and complex use of color. Weaving is done by K’iche women on backstrap looms, with each village and family retaining its own distinct weaving patterns, motifs, and colors.

Days 3-4
Lake Atitlán and Chichicastenango

World-famous for its outdoor market full of color and textiles, the highland town of Chichicastenango is a rainbow of traditional Mayan designs. Explore narrow lanes that lead to the mystical 16th century Santo Tomás Catholic Church, where Mayan shamans perform ancient ceremonies on the front steps. Each of the 18 steps that lead up to the church stands for a month of the Mayan calendar year. Continue to Lake Atitlán, one of the most beautiful mountain lakes in the world, ringed by three majestic 10,000-foot volcanoes—Tolimán, Atitlán, and San Pedro. Visit lakeside villages and enjoy an excursion on Atitlán’s deep blue waters, where simple wooden dugout canoes remain the main form of transport.

Days 5-7
Rainforest Lagoons and Hidden Ruins

Visit Guatemala City’s impressive museum of archaeology then head to the lush world of the Petén rainforest to explore exquisite off-the-beaten path Mayan sites including Ceibal, a Late Classic-era ruin with a unique circular temple and Aguateca, which you reach by way of an Indiana Jones-style river journey.

Days 8-9
Secret World of Ancient Tikal

Unforgettable Tikal is a towering temple-city spread over a dozen square miles in the heart of the wild Petén jungle. Once a wealthy metropolis of 100,000 inhabitants and the seat of power for the great Jaguar Clan lords, Tikal now lies silent and mysterious, its immense temples cloaked in vines. As you explore this ancient Mayan world, learn about the enigmatic civilization that built thousands of amazing structures here. The pyramids and giant temples are breathtaking, most notably the famous Temple IV, the highest Mayan temple still standing and the highest known structure built in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. Depart on Day 9.


Optional Belize Snorkeling Extension
Days 9-13

The Barrier Reef of Belize, the longest reef system in the Western Hemisphere, offers a dazzling variety of underwater life and exquisite islands protected by the shelter of the reef. Enjoy unforgettable snorkeling in warm, crystal-clear Caribbean waters. Comfortable lodge accommodations put you just steps from the sea.

Copán Extension
Days 9-11

Explore the beautiful, mysterious Mayan city of Copán on this 3-day extension. Set on the banks of the Río Amarillo in Honduras, this World Heritage Site is the most artistically advanced of all Mayan cities, surpassing other Mayan sites in its wealth of sculptures, hieroglyphics, and beautifully carved stone stelae.

Tour Costs

$2195 per person double occupancy
Single Supplement: $190
Optional Hotel Upgrade: $310
Internal Airfare: $225 (subject to change)
Optional Belize Snorkeling Extension: from $1590 per person double occupancy

*Prices valid through 2008
Includes all land transportation and private guides throughout

When to Go

Year Round

Route Map
   
 

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