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Locally Hosted Independent Tour Suggested Departure Day: Thursday

ITINERARY (Subject to change without notice):

Day 01 - USA – Guatemala City:  Upon arrival you will be met and transferred to your hotel, the Camino Real, in the area known as the “Zona Viva”  with its many boutiques and fine restaurants.

Day 02 – Guatemala City - Antigua: Before you leave the present capital for the colonial one, Antigua, you will have a brief visit of the highlights of the city such as the Central Square, flanked by the Cathedral and National Palace, a visit to the scaled to relief map of the country and the very good Central Craft Market. Also included will be a choice of visiting two of the following three museums (depending on the day of the week), Archaeology & Ethnology Museum with its very good collection of Maya artifacts, including a scale model of Tikal and interesting displays of Indian culture; the Ixchel Museum features an excellent collection of thousands of samples of hand woven textiles, there are some painting and jewelry displays as well; the Popol Vuh Museum has a large exquisite collection of pre-Columbian jewelry, artifacts, colonial art, religious art, ceramics and antiques, most of the items came from a private collection. Lunch will be included in the city before the one-hour drive to Antigua and your hotel, El Convento. (B/L)

Day 03 – Antigua:  This moderate rated hike begins with a 1-hour transfer to the foothills of the active Pacaya Volcano. The first part of the hike is fairly strenuous through a pine forest, up to the tricky volcanic ash section, reaching the sulfur smoking cone. En route you may see small eruptions and lava flow. From the summit, spectacular views of the northern volcanoes, Pacific lowlands, and right into El Salvador! A picnic lunch will be provided before returning to the base of the volcano. (B/L)

Day 04 – Antigua - Quezaltenango:  Today will be a rather long day (about 12-hours!). You will leave Antigua and head deep into the heartland of the Quiche Maya. About 1-hour from Antigua, you will enter San Juan Comalapa, quite well known for its talented local painters, many who have workshops and studios in town. Visit a very authentic market, whose stalls are manned by the indigenous that still dress in their traditional textiles. After lunch, mount up on bicycles and peddle through some of the most picturesque parts of the country to Totonicapan, where a vehicle will await you for the drive to Quezaltenango and your hotel for the night, Bonifaz. (B/L)

Day 05 – Quezaltenango-Lake Atitlan: Today you will be driven to what many call the "Switzerland of Central America," the area of Lake Atitlan/Panajachel. One the way, stop at San Andres Xecul, a picturesque hillside village noted for it’s famous, rather ornate, multi-colored (predominately yellow) church with extraordinary, eclectic mix of Catholic and Maya iconography, unconventional figurines on its façade, overlooking the valley. Also visit the Santa Ana textile cooperative of some 500 women in Zunil, producing extraordinary weaving. Continue to the blown glass factory at Cantel, producing hand blown glass works from vases, pitchers, goblets ,to ornaments, angels and Madonnas. Depending on the time, may even stop at the Almolonga produce market with the biggest, freshest vegetables found in perhaps all of Central America, with reason it is often called the “Vegetable Basket of the Americas!” Lunch will be included in route. Continuing on to Atitlan for a two night stay at Casa Palopo-Atitlan . (B/L)

Day 06 – Lake Atitlan: This morning guests will kayak on what Aldous Huxley described as “the most beautiful lake in the world”, Lake Atitlan. Kayak pass by local fishermen, indigenous Maya women doing their washing and men working in the fields wearing their famous embroidered Santiago shorts as well as enjoying views of the three lake volcanoes. Once at Cerro de Oro, you will hike this impressive and sacred hill. Sometimes one can witness Mayan rituals in process, which is an amazing and authentic glimpse of local Mayan life in this area. Enjoy the great views of the whole lake and the surrounding volcanoes from the top of this hill. You then are transferred to one of the 12 towns named after the Apostles, Santiago de Atitlan, for lunch at the charming Posada Santiago. After lunch, visit Santiago de Atitlan, a lively Tzutuhil Maya town with its market and strange Maya God, “Maximon”. Locals revere and perform rituals in front of Maximon to bring good luck. (B)

Day 07 – Atitlan- near Santa Cruz La Laguna: By boat and bike we make our way around the most beautiful Lake in the world. Stop at crystal clear beaches, meet local farmers en route or share some of your thoughts with a traditional fisherman. Visit San Pedro La Laguna (along with Santiago Atitlan, the only two Tzutujil speaking villages in the country) also, San Pedro is now one of the country main areas for Spanish schools; San Juan give quite an authentic appearance as few tourists stop here and it also has several artisan collectives, one being a local women’s weaving co-op;  San Pablo is known for its hand crafted skills of weaving reed mats;  and San Marcos is surrounded by fruit trees and is fast attracting those wishing to meditate , practice Yoga or Reiky. End the biking at the village of Tzununa and board the motorlaunch to Laguna Lodge (NOTE: Time, conditions permitting, you may want to hike to the Lodge, about 2.5-hours) A box lunch will be provided on today’s excursion. And your last night in Atitlan will be spent at the tranquil Laguna Lodge (NOTE: cuisine is vegetarian).   (B/L/D)

Day 08 – Santa Cruz La Laguna-Panajachel-Antigua: Today will be a long day…beginning with early departure back to Panajachel by boat, where the vehicle awaits to whisk you to the colorful indigenous market at Chichicastenango, one of Latin America’s most famed native markets. The market traditionally was for trade and barter among the indigenous of the area which included fruits, vegetables, poultry, meats, flowers, herbs, medicinal plants, woodworks, textiles, etc. Over the years tourists flocked in and began the bargaining process as well in dollars, not for barter. The churches of El Calvario and Santo Tomas flank either end of the square. Santo Tomas built in 1540 on the site of a Maya temple is revered to this day. Only the Maya are allowed to walk up and sit on the steps leading in. Non-Indians enter the church through a side door. Across the plaza, stands El Calvario Church, smaller, mainly used exclusively by the Indians for prayers and services, both Christian and otherwise. Throughout the market area the aroma of pom and copal incense pervades. Enjoy lunch at one of the town’s charming hotels before continuing on to Antigua for overnight at El Convento. (B/L)

Day09 –  Antigua-Livingston: Another long day that will begin at round 0700, with a 5-hour to the Caribbean area  and Rio Dulce, where you will have lunch at Nanajuana Hotel & Resort. After lunch, transfer by boat about 45-minutes through Rio Dulce Canyon (sheer white-stone cliffs and vine covered walls that rise up to 400 feet above the river), to Finca Tatin.  Here, take the kayaks down to the Garifuna town of Livingston (a 3-hour kayak excursion), on the Bay of Amatique, at the mouth of the Rio Dulce. Here you will spend the night at Villa Caribe.  (B/L)

Day10 – Livingston-Flores: Before you drive up to the Peten, boat transfer through the Rio Dulce Canyon and  visit the Biotopo Chocan Machaca reserve, home to the manatee. The drive to the area of Flores/Tikal will take about 3-hours. Lunch will be provided en route in the Peten town of Poptun (about 1-hour or so from Flores). NOTE: time permitting AND your stamina, a stop will be made to visit the Naj Tunich Caves noted for their erotic Maya paintings; bearing in mind that this can be a challenging hike). Accommodations will be at the Nitun Eco-Lodge on the banks of Lake Peten Itza. (B/L/D)

Day11 – Flores: Early morning drive to the river port of Sayaxche on the Rio de La Pasion, about 1.-5 hours away; from here you will either continue by land or board a motorlaunch up river to the seldom visited, but unique set ruins of at El Ceibal (Place of the Sacred Tree or Place of the Ceiba Tree, within a lush tropical forest, shaded by huge Ceiba trees. NOTE: if coming in by river, the climb is fairly steep up the hillside). Here there are numerous superbly carved stelae that clearly reveal "northern Maya" influence by depicting Mexican clothing, facial features and design motifs. There are some who refer to this site as the "Art Gallery of the Maya." Another distinct feature of this site is the round platform believed to be astronomical observatory. Box lunch provided. (B/L/D)

Day12 – Flores: Morning visit will take you to Ixpanpajul, a short distance from the airport AT Santa Elena. The nature park covers some 450 hectares and is home to 200 species of trees, 150 of birds and about 40 species of mammals. Within this natural environment are a host of eco-adventure orientated activities. Arrangements have been made for you to partake in the Tarzan Zip-line of nine platforms. In addition, you will also enjoy a leisurely horseback ride through forest areas. A delightful box lunch will be provided so that you can continue near to the Belizean border to visit the site at Yaxha National Park. Yaxha (Green Waters), the third largest site in the Peten (after El Mirador & Tikal) and the only post-Classic architecture found in Peten. The site is not often visited, therefore exudes serenity and abounds with birds, butterflies, spider and howler monkeys. There are some 500 structures, with temple 216 providing great vistas from atop. Enjoy sunset drinks from on top of the main temple with views of the surrounding jungle and Lake Yaxha. If you wish, you can trek back through the jungle with torches as dark sets in, maybe even spotting nocturnal nightlife! (B/L/D)

Day13 – Flores-Guatemala City: Today will be the highlight of your Peten visit, the Tikal National Park,  the most breath-taking site of the Classic Maya Period, Tikal (City of Voices). Hidden for over 1000 years in the dense rainforest of the Peten region, Tikal was once perhaps the most beautiful and powerful city of the Maya. The Tikal National Park covers some 22,000 hectares of the 2+ million hectares Maya Biosphere Reserve. The bulk of the excavations have centered on the 16-square miles that are believed to have been center of the city. So far over 3000 structures have be discovered and mapped. In 1979, UNESCO declared it a Cultural Treasure of Humanity and World Heritage site. Being within the dense rainforest, it is also a treasure house of over 54 species of mammals, over 400 species of birds, countless insects and flora. At the S.Morley Museum you will view pieces found over the 13 years of excavations done by the University of Pennsylvania. Enjoy a delightful picnic lunch on site. From here you will be transferred to the Santa Elena airport for the flight to Guatemala City and your last night at the Hotel Camino Real. (B/L)

Day14 – Guatemala City - USA: Transfer to airport for return flight to the USA.(B)

RATES and DETAILS: