Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Chichi, Copan, Rio Dulce, Tikal & Yaxha
12 days / 11 nights
From $3,065 per person, double occupancy for 2009

Day 1 (Wednesday or Sunday): Guatemala City – Antigua
Welcome to Guatemala! Upon exiting customs and immigration you will be met outside the baggage terminal. Set out on a private transfer (approximately 45 minutes) to your Antigua hotel. Overnight at an Antigua hotel, breakfast included – 2 nights.

Day 2: Architecture & History Tour
You will be met at your hotel reception this morning by your private guide for a half-day walking tour of Antigua. Your tour will cover the architectural and historical highlights of this colonial city, with a behind-the-scenes look at some of the many ruined churches, convents, and cathedrals. Entrance fees are included to the Iglesia San Francisco, the Cathedral, Central Park, and La Merced Church. This tour is flexible and if you have specific sights that you wish to see please notify your guide. If you wish to visit other monuments you will need to pay the entrances directly. At the end of the tour your guide can either accompany you back to your hotel or take you to a drop off point of your choosing. Strolling the streets you'll see that Antigua has kept its original character by preserving its monuments and retaining its original architectural forms. As a consequence, Antigua was declared a Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO in 1979. Afternoon at leisure. (B)

Day 3: Azotea Coffee Farm, Maya Museum
You will be met at your hotel by your private driver and guide. First you drive to the village of Jocotenango, on the outskirts of Antigua, where you can visit the local workshops of the traditional woodcarvers of the area. You can also see the interesting pink and white façade of the Jocotenango church before you transfer across to the wonderful Azotea Coffee farm and museums. Here you can have a private guided tour of the coffee farm and the museums covering Mayan traditional music and costume. Learn about the importance of coffee in Guatemala's history and its impact today as well as hearing about the Maya way of life. Afterward, you will transfer to Lake Atitlan (3 hrs). Overnight at a Lake Atitlan hotel, breakfast included – 2 nights. (B)

Day 4: Lake Atitlan - San Juan & Santiago
This morning guests will take a scenic 30-minute boat ride across Lake Atitlan to the village of San Juan La Laguna where you can visit the women’s textile cooperative and watch hand weaving and natural dye process. Here, you can also visit the studios and homes of the celebrated naïf painters. From here you continue to the village of Santiago where you will have lunch at a local hotel and tour the village. Along with your guide, you will walk to the house where the Maya God Maximon is living. Each year a different "brotherhood" has the privilege of taking care of their God so his location changes. Once with Maximon you may see local shaman performing rituals for local people and if you wish you can ask your guide to help you hire the services of a shaman for a personal ceremony performed. After visiting Maximon you can visit the local church and learn about the history of this very traditional town and also see the market and learn about the distinctive textiles and primitive art that is famous from this area. You will learn about the textiles, spiritualism and beliefs of the T’zutujil Maya. Return to your hotel via St. Catarina village. (B,L)

Day 5: Lake Atitlan – Chichi Market (Market days – Thursdays and Sundays) – Antigua
You will be met at your hotel by your private driver and guide for the 1-hour transfer to the highland town of Chichicastenango. Along the way you will pass through the central highland region and see the local Maya people in their traditional dress going about their daily lives - working in the fields, collecting firewood, traveling between markets, selling their wares. Full of narrow, cobbled streets and red-tiled roofs, Chichicastenango is home to Central America's largest open-air market (market days – Thursday and Sundays). You'll feel as though you're a part of real Guatemalan life as you bargain with Maya traders from all over the region selling their textiles, handicrafts, and other products at this market which encircles the Santo Tomas Church, built around 1540. Lunch is included and will be served at the Hotel Santo Tomas. Upon arrival in Chichicastenango your guide will take you to explore this famous market (market days – Thursdays and Sundays). Market areas include fruits, vegetables and everyday items as well as the craft area where you can find endless variety of beautiful textile, wooden and ceramic crafts. You will also visit the famous Santo Tomas Church where local Maya people come to perform Maya rituals within the Catholic Church - demonstrating the interesting way the two faiths have combined in recent times. You may also opt to hike up the hill to the Pascaul Abaj ritual site to see if local shamans are performing rituals and/or to the cemetery on the outskirts of town. You will have time for shopping in this fabulous craft market and an opportunity to see Maya rituals being performed in the Catholic Church before transferring on to Antigua (approx. 3 hours). Overnight at an Antigua hotel, breakfast included. (B,L)

Day 6: Copan (Honduras)
Transfer overland* (approx. 5 hours) across Guatemala towards the border with Honduras. Just across the border you are in the pretty colonial village of Copan Ruinas. Free afternoon to relax or explore this pretty colonial town on your own. Overnight at a Copan hotel, breakfast included – 2 nights. (B) *Upgrade with a private 40-minuite charter flight **Upgrade with a dinner and presentation at the home of archaeologist David Sedat

Day 7: Copan and Bird Park
Your guide will meet you at your hotel and transfer you to the Maya Site of Copan. Enjoy a private guided tour of Copan Ruins site with its famous hieroglyphic staircase, ball court and tunnels. Lunch is at the tropical bird park where you can also enjoy a visit of this beautiful facility that cares for rescued tropical birds and works to educate people about conservation. Add dinner at Hacienda San Lucas (not included in trip cost). (B,L)

Day 8: Transfer to Rio Dulce
Transfer overland across Guatemala through the central desert region to the lush tropical area at Rio Dulce (approx. 5 hrs.). Visit the beautiful, UNESCO protected small Mayan Temple site at Quirigua along the way. Once at Rio Dulce you will board a boat for a scenic trip along the Rio Dulce to your riverside hotel in Rio Dulce/Livingston, breakfast included. (B)

Day 9: Rio Dulce
Cruise the Rio Dulce through the central canyon and down to the Garifuna town of Livingston on the coast. Explore Livingston on a guided walking tour then journey back downriver to Rio Dulce (with the possibility to spot the elusive Manatee). Back in Rio Dulce, board your transfer vehicle to the Tikal area (3-4hrs.) Overnight at a Tikal area hotel, breakfast included – 2 nights. (B)

Day 10: Yaxha Sunset
Day at leisure. You may opt for a morning Canopy Tour. This afternoon you will be met at your hotel and transferred with guide and driver to Yaxha, a seldom-visited Mayan city. Yaxha is the third largest Mayan site in Guatemala, and has only just been extensively investigated; though little has yet been restored. The view from the top of Temple 216 over the jungle lagoon is inspiring. Sunset drinks are then enjoyed at the end of the tour on top of the main temple with views over the surrounding rainforest and nearby lake Yaxha. You will then trek back through the jungle with torches as it starts to turn dark - perhaps spotting some nocturnal wildlife along the way - and return to your hotel. (B)

Day 11: Tikal – Guatemala City
This morning you will be picked up at your hotel and transferred to Tikal National Park for a privately guided tour. You will explore the amazing UNESCO protected Mayan Temple site of Tikal where huge Mayan temples rise above the jungle canopy and monkeys and tropical birds are abundant in the surrounding rainforest. Tikal is the grandest of all Mayan Ruins, and the stunning beauty of this tropical paradise will leave you breathless. Along with your private guide you will tour the ruins. Lunch is included (you may upgrade to a luxury picnic lunch).Climb to the top of the "Temple of the Jaguar" rising above the jungle to overlook the many temples and main plaza to imagine yourself in the hey-day of this thriving ancient city. Your guide will give you an excellent overview of the discoveries made here, an insight into the Mayan way of life, and the historical significance of the ruin. You will also encounter many species of birds and the rich flora of tropical hardwoods like mahogany and teak, along with countless ornamentals and edibles flourishing here. After lunch you will have time to relax and refresh before transferring to the Flores Airport for your flight to Guatemala City. Airport reception and transfer to your hotel. (B,L)

Day 12: Int’l departure
Hotel pickup and transfer to the airport. (B)