Day to start this tour: Monday or Thursday
Day 1: Guatemala. Airport pickup by one of our representatives
Transfer to your hotel in Guatemala City
Day 2: Guatemala city - Antigua
Guatemala City was built in the late eighteenth century and still retains the urban-architectural features of the Spanish cities. However, it also has contemporary architecture reflected on its hotels, office buildings and shopping complexes, clustered in different areas. The tour includes visits to museums like Kaminaljuyu that is dedicated to the Mayan city of Kaminaljuyú, so in its main hall are displayed objects of up to 3,000 years old, discovered during archaeological excavations for decades of research.
Visitors will find information on sculpture, architecture, ceramics, hydraulic engineering, clothing, religious and other important aspects to better understand the ancient inhabitants of Kaminaljuyú. Later a visit to the ruins of Mixco Viejo, site located near the city of Guatemala. It has several old buildings in small and medium size, with a distinctive style quite different from Tikal and Quirigua. The city belongs to the era of the Post Classic Maya civilization, was the capital of the kingdom Pocomam and it is estimated that housed about ten thousand people. In the afternoon, transfer to the colonial city of Antigua Guatemala. Overnight in Antigua.
Day 3: Antigua
After a nice breakfast at your hotel, we invite you to enjoy a walking tour around Antigua. This Spanish style town is famous for the unique architecture that was inherited from the colonial years. Government buildings, churches, convents and houses had stood the test of time, and give us their history narrated by one of our local guides. For over 232 years this town was the center of the Americas, having the first university founded on this side of the world. Leisure time in the afternoon. Overnight in Antigua.
Day 4: Antigua – Iximche – Chichicastenango –Panajachel
Early departure from Antigua to Iximché, a word that literally means "Tree of Corn". This is an archaeological site and a Mayan ceremonial center located in the town of Tecpan Guatemala in the state of Chimaltenango. When the conquistadores arrived in the 1500´s this city was the capital of the Kaqchiquel. Then continue to Chichicastenango, famous for its colorful outdoor market that takes place on Thursday and Sunday. This market still runs the same way it did 100 years ago, people come here to buy and sell anything from wooden masks to live stock animals. Then you have people offering prayers to their gods inside the 2 churches that surround the plaza. In the afternoon we will take you to Lake Atitlan, considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Overnight in Panajachel.
Day 5: Lake Atitlan – Quetzaltenango
Lake Atitlan owes its greatness to its formidable size, and the surrounding 3 volcanoes around it: Toliman, Atitlan and San Pedro. The tour starts in the morning, includes transportation and guided tour by boat to San Pedro La Laguna, Santiago Atitlan and San Antonio Palopo. Return to Panajachel in the afternoon and our minivan will take you to Quetzaltenango. Overnight at Quetzaltenango.
Day 6: Quetzaltenango – Takalik Abaj
This day you will visit the most important churches in the colonial area of Quetzaltenango. We visit the church of San Jacinto in Salcajá founded in 1524, and was the first church in Central America. Later we go to San Andrés Xecul a church famous for its colors and ornamentation, after this we will visit a Mayan altar with San Simón (a wooden god). Finally we visit the church in San Cristobal Totonicapán, which has a richly ornamented church and convent, with altar pieces of the XVII, XVIII centuries. In the afternoon we will go to Takalik Abaj, another site that is part of what was the ancient Mayan civilization. Overnight at Takalik Abaj.
Day 7: Takalik Abaj – Guatemala
Early in the morning enjoy the Takalik Abaj tour on horseback or wagon. On this site you will encounter around 80 important structures and more than a dozen plazas. Diggings have uncovered over 200 stelae sculptured on stone since the discovery of this Mayan site. The architecture of this site was strongly influenced by the Olmecas, making it the only place in Mesoamerica that has both cultures well documented. Later in the afternoon our minivan will take you back to Guatemala City. Overnight in Guatemala City.
Day 8: Guatemala – Copan
Early departure towards Copan. Enjoy a step back into ancient Mayan civilization as we take you through the beautiful lush and mountainous valleys to one of the best-restored, interesting and elaborate Mayan cities known. Often termed The Paris of the Mayan World – Copan features some of the Maya´s most impressive accomplishments in architecture, in astronomy, in sheer civic organization. Leisure time in the afternoon. Overnight in Copan.
Day 9: Copan – Quirigua – Rio Dulce
Early breakfast in Copan. On our way to Izabal we will stop at Quirigua. Inhabited since the 2nd century A.D., Quirigua had become during the reign of Cauac Sky (723–84) the capital of an autonomous and prosperous state. The ruins of Quirigua contain some outstanding 8th-century monuments and an impressive series of carved stelae and sculpted calendars that constitute an essential source for the study of Mayan civilization. In the year 738 BC, the King of Copan was sacrificed in Quirigua. After this visit, we head out towards Puerto Barrios, where a boat awaits for you to take you to Livingston, the only place in Guatemala that has a garífuna culture. Overnight in Livingston.
Day 10: Livingstone - Rio Dulce – Florea – Tikal
After breakfast we take the boat on to Rio Dulce. The area called "the Rio Dulce" begins at the mouth of the river on the Bahia de Amatique at the Garifuna town of Livingston. Going upriver, one passes through a spectacular steep walled canyon lined with jungle vegetation and wildlife. The river then widens into a small lake, El Golfete, the shores of which are lined with beautiful locations, Mayan settlements and a manatee reserve. The river then narrows and passes the towns of Fronteras and El Relleno where there is an abundance of hotels, restaurants, marinas, services for boaters, medical care, communications and transportation. A little further and the river widens into 590 square kilometer Lake Izabal, the largest lake in Guatemala. We will visit the Project Ak Tenamit and at the end of the river trip we will stop at Castillo San Felipe. (Spanish fortress) In the afternoon we drive to Tikal. Overnight in Tikal.
Day 11: Tikal - Flores
Early in the morning you will visit Tikal. Tikal is also referred as the New York of the Mayan Civilization. With an area of 130 square kilometers, Tikal has temples measuring up to 45 meters high. The main square is surrounded by temples and palaces, including the Great Jaguar Temple. This temple is one of the only 2 temples in the Mayan world that was used as a burial site. In 1979 UNESCO declared Tikal a World Heritage Site for its unique value, and extraordinary natural and cultural wealth. In the afternoon we drive towards Flores. Overnight in Flores.
Day 12: Flores - Yaxha & Topoxte - Guatemala
Early transfer to Yaxha, the sight of Survivor Guatemala. The excavation of Yaxha has been controversial, done with private funds, for profit. The results however are marvelous. Centered between two lakes, the name literally translates to Blue Green Waters. Tall pyramids sit at precise astronomical coordinates conjuring up visions of ceremonial sacrifices. Roars of howler monkeys echo as flocks of green parrots flap overhead. All 9 temples can be climbed and most offer incredible vistas of the lakes trimmed in dense rain forest. Over 40 stelae occupy Yaxha but most remarkable is a Teotihuancan Rain God, Tialoc, showing the influence of other cultures. Our tour also includes Topoxte. In the afternoon we head back to Flores airport to take your flight back to Guatemala City. Overnight in Guatemala City.
Day 13: Departure from Guatemala. Our minivan will take you to the airport
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Hotel taxes and Income Tax
- Guided Tours in Guatemala City, Mixco Viejo, Antigua, Iximche, Chichicastenango, Lake Atitlán, Quetzaltenango, Takalik Abaj, Copán, Quiriguá, Rio Dulce, Tikal, Yaxhá & Topoxté
- Boat transportation in Lake Atitlan and Rio Dulce
- Land transportation on minivan on a collective Service
- All minivans have insurance
- In & Out Airport Transfers
- Lodging according to your choice on hotels
- Breakfast at the Hotels
- Entrance tickets to the sites included in the tour description except in Tikal for the people that chose 3* hotels.
Price Excludes:
- Departure tax at the airport for national and international flights
- Personal Expenses
- Phone calls
- Visa for Guatemala
- Personal Insurance
- Any medical bill of similar
- Tips for guides and drivers.
Also see tour packages in:
Central America and Caribbean
Guatemala
History Whiz
Archeology/History
Cultural Journey
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