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Sustainable Guatemala
offered by supplier M19774 (view this supplier profile)
Key Information:
Tour Duration: 14
day(s)
Group Size: 2
- 14
people
Destination(s):
Guatemala
Specialty Categories:
Cultural Journey
National Parks
Season: January - December
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
Minimum Per Person Price: 2799 US Dollar (USD)
Maximum Per Person Price: 4599 US Dollar (USD)
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Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Guatemala City. On arrival meet your guide at the airport and transfer directly to your hotel in Guatemala City. The restaurant and café surrounded by a lush tropical garden will be the nicest place to relax upon arrival. Dinner will be served at our hotel.
Day 2: To Pacaya Volcano and on to Antigua Guatemala
After an early breakfast we will leave for a 2,000 ha natural reserve in the Subtropical Humid Forest, at 2,500 m above sea level. Our destination will be Volcano Pacaya National Park, located only 30 km from Guatemala City. Volcano Pacaya is considered the most active volcano among the 33 active volcanoes of Guatemala. A local guide from the community living by the volcano will join your guide for the excursion. We will make easy trekking to the top, where lava rivers flow. There will be availability for an optional horse back riding for almost the whole trail.
We will pass through the forest and we will reach the area where the recent eruptions covered of dark fascinating gravel the whole surface. For those who climb a volcano for the first time it will be an unforgettable experience. It’s such an emotion, even for those used to the volcanoes landscapes, to get close to the lava rivers, feel the heat coming from the magma and get to look at the red fluorescent melted material coming from the bottom of the earth. It’s a real fantastic emotion! In the afternoon transfer to your charming hotel in colonial town of Antigua Guatemala.
Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Antigua offers one of the best example of well-preserved Spanish colonial town, reminding the aspect and atmosphere of towns in Southern Spain. Antigua was the capital of Guatemala, until a series of terrible earthquakes starting in 1773 forced, in 1776, the Spanish Crown to order to move the capital to a safer location. Nowadays it is famous for its well-preserved Spanish Mudéjar-influenced, Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. You will enjoy dinner in town and overnight in a very unique hotel, a real museum hotel.
Day 3: Antigua Guatemala to Private Nature Reserve Los Tarrales
Day 4: Private Nature Reserve Los Tarrales
After breakfast at our hotel we will transfer to the South East part of the country to visit the private nature reserve Los Tarrales, located by the Atitlan volcano. The reserve protects pristine forest from the upper volcano slope at 3,000 m (9,800 ft) down to 700 m (2,300 ft). Cloud forest occurs above 1,800 m (5,900 ft), and below this elevation occurs humid broadleaf forest, interspersed with coffee plantations. It is an important place for conservation and has promoted bird monitoring and forest preservation of the area. It is home to several globally threatened and regional endemic bird species like Horned and Highland Guan, Azure-rumped Tanager, and Pink-headed Warbler.
It is easy to see animals like White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), Agouti (Dasyprocta punctata), White-bellied Chachalaca (Ortalis leucogastra) and Crested Guan (Penelope purpurascens). The Puma (Puma concolor) populates the are, but it is more rare to see. Inside the reserve there is an active farm that produces coffee and ornamental flowers to export. A community of 60 families of the “Kaqchiquel indigenous live here. People work in cultivation and processing of coffee and ornamentals, as forest rangers, and in providing tourism services. Young people of the community have been trained to work as naturalist guides.
The reserve is private and self-sustainable; costs for its conservation are covered from income of various activities operated within the reserve (coffee and ornamentals production) and through providing tourism services. Los Tarrales is providing social services for the people living within the protected area. A private primary school is run in order to ensure the children's education. Classes in nature science and conservation are included in the educational program. The administration is organizing sessions of medical care provided by specialized national and international organizations.
We will enjoy our first day at the reserve and spend the night at its charming eco-lodge. On the second day at the reserve we will enjoy birdwatching activity. Given the richness in birds species at the reserve we can’t miss the opportunity of spotting Crested Caracara, Laughing Falcon, Highland Guan, Orange-fronted Parakeet, Yellow-naped Parrot, Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl, Blue-tailed Hummingbird, Violaceous Trogon, Blue-crowned Motmot, Collared Aracari, White-throated Magpie-Jay and many others. We will enjoy a delicious dinner and overnight at the reserve’s ecolodge.
Day 5: Lake Atitlán – San Juan La Laguna Communitarian Project
We will leave our hotel after breakfast and drive to Lake Atitlán. Few places in the world can match the spectacular beauty of Lake Atitlan, one of Guatemalan’s most prized natural treasures. Aldous Huxley wrote in ‘Beyon de Mexique Bay’ in 1934, referring to our today’s destination: “Lake Como, it seems to me, touches the limit of the permissibly picturesque; but Atitlan is Como with the additional embellishment of several immense volcanoes. It is really too much of a good thing.” From many it has been described as the most beautiful lake in the world and since 1955 the area around the lake is part of a national park. It is certainly unique and spectacular, surrounded by three impressive volcanoes, Toliman, Atitlan San Pedro.
On arrival this morning, while our luggage will be transfer directly to the hotel, we will take our private boat across the calm waters to visit the fascinating lakeside village of San Juan La Laguna, in the Department of Sololá. It is a Maya Tz’utujil village that, with the support of NGO’s and foreign countries aid, started a community project that turned out to be extremely successful. We will visit he communitarian Project of Rupalaj K´istalin, in San Juan La Laguna. This community offers guided tours in which they show their daily activities, traditions, culture, handicrafts and art work, in which they proudly present their Mayan Tz’utujil culture.
Most of the people of the community participate in the project continuing activities they always did for their own living but in a way that is organized to show the visitors their works and sell their products. Almost all products – clothes, herbal products, meals - are natural and hand made. Other community members learnt to speak English and how to guide tours in the community and even bird watching tours. At a restaurant part of the community project we will have a delicious and natural lunch, prepared by the women of the community. In the afternoon we will transfer by boat to our beautiful hotel. You will enjoy the tropical garden facing the lake and the volcanoes, but also the nicely furnished hotel. The warm Guatemalan colonial style of the interior design, the vivid colors and amazing views will make your stay especially pleasant. We will have dinner at the hotel.
Day 6: To Chichicastenango
Early in the morning the hotel garden facing the lake – there is another beautiful garden facing the forest- hosts lots of birds, mainly hummingbirds, and you might want to be up at sunrise to enjoy the spectacular scene and singing! After an early breakfast, we will transfer to Chichicastenango, or “Chichi”, was named by Mexican interpreters who accompanied Spaniards in their conquest of Guatemala and refers to a thorny plant that grows in the area. It was a market centre for the Cakchiquel Maya before the Spanish conquest. On Thursdays and Sundays each week, the plaza of this Maya-Quiché town is converted into bustling market packed with vendors selling traditional handicrafts, including hand-women textiles, hand-carved masks, ceramics, jewelry and much more. We will have a guided visit with our local guide: Don José to the famous Mayan market, Cathedral and cemetery, and we will learn from him interesting explanations about the Mayan culture. We will have lunch in Chichicastenango . In the afternoon we will drive back to Panajachel for our last stay by Lake Atitlan.
Day 7: Iximché Archeological Site – Private reserve Molino Helvetia
Day 8: Private reserve Molino Helvetia full day birdwatching
After breakfast at the hotel we will transfer to Tecpán. This was the first Capital of the Guatemalan Kingdom settled in 1524 and the ancestral Maya Kaqchikel Capital of Iximiche. Music has always been characteristic of Tecpan´s people. The “tun” and the “chirimia” are two of the ancient musical instruments that are still used by Kaqchikel artist of the municipality. America is crossed by a long mountain range called Andes Mountain Range. In Guatemala it splits into two systems: Sierra Madre and Cuchumatanes. Tecpán Guatemala is located precisely at the foot of the Sierra Madre. The Archeological Site of Iximché is a park with great archaeological wealth, proof of the high development reached by the Kaqchikel Mayan group.
This Post-Classic highlands city was active at time of Spanish conquest. Founded by the Mayan Kaqchikel nation in 1463, it was burned by its own habitants in 1524 during a rebellion against Spanish conquistadores. We will have dinner and lodging at Molino Helvetia. Its history dates back to 1924 when it functioned as a wheat mill. The lodge house called casa Xara has a name which in the Kaqchikel language means jay, a very common species in this region. On our second day at the Molino Helvetia we will explore the reserve located in the Mountain Forest biome of Sierra de Tecpán. In the Pine-Oak Forest, at about 2100 above sea level, there is a diversity of birds. We will look for Black and White Mockingbird, Rufous-collared Thrush, Bushy-crested Jay, Black-headed Siskin, Painted Redstart, Greater Pewee, Eastern Bluebird, White-eared Hummingbird and lots more. We will have dinner and overnight at Molino Helvetia.
Day 9: Private Reserve - Comalapa Community – Antigua Guatemala
After breakfast in Molino Helvetia we will transfer to the town of Comalapa. Its original Kaqchikel name was “Chi-Royal Xot. We will visit a colorful and authentic Mayan market displaying and selling local products. The handcraft production in Comalapa is very important; the women elaborate textiles expressing the way of life of their people. In Comalapa you will find the internationally well-known artistic paintings of Naïf style. There are plenty of local artists who will welcome visitors in to see their varied and fascinating colourful art. This afternoon we will transfer to Antigua Guatemala, where we will have dinner and lodging at the Hotel Museo Uxlabil.
Day 10: Antigua Guatemala
After breakfast we will start our walking visit of what is considered one of the best-preserved examples of Spanish colonial style. “Old Guatemala” served as the capital of all Central America from 1543 until 1773, when an earthquake destroyed it. The capital subsequently moved to its present location of Guatemala City. Nowadays Antigua is famous for its well-preserved Spanish Mudéjar-influenced, Baroque architecture as well as a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. The city’s original name was Santiago de los Caballeros, and the town fair is still celebrated on the saint’s day for Santiago, July 25, each year. The third university in the Americas, the University of San Carlos, was founded in Antigua in 1676, and the city attracted a total of 16 religious orders, which built their own monasteries, convents and churches. Today we will visit the most important historical monuments, the market and the main plaza. In the afternoon we have planned some time to scroll in the cobblestone streets of Antigua and enjoy the nice town atmosphere and, if you like, shopping. We will have dinner and lodging at the Hotel Museo Uxlabil Antigua.
Day 11: Maya Biosphere – Yaxha National Park
After an early breakfast we will leave for the International airport of Guatemala City where we will take our inland flight to Petén, the northern region of Guatemala. Following breakfast, we travel into the northern rainforest area of Peten. The area is located at a lower altitude than the places we visited on this tour. Be prepared to the tropical heat and chances of mosquito’s presence for the next three days. After lunch in the picturesque island town of Flores located on Lake Peten Itza, we will continue to the Yaxha National Park – home to Guatemala’s third largest Maya Site. It has more than 500 structures, including 40 steles, 13 altars, 9 temple pyramids, 2 Mesoamerican ball courts, and a network of ‘sacbeob’ (causeways) that connect the central, northern (Maler) and eastern 'acropoleis'. It is located in the Maya Biosphere Yaxhá and it is a stunning place for nature and archeology. At the foot of the ruins there is a lagoon carved in limestone and framed by tropical rainforest, which is home to many Neotropical species of flora and fauna. The forest inside are very well-preserved and the Yaxhá Lagoon is one of the most important water system in the Maya Biosphere. More than forty species of mammals can be found as well. Yaxhá is one of the few places in Guatemala where the reproduction of the Baird's Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) has been confirmed. Dinner and lodging will be at Hotel Villa Maya.
Day 12: Maya Biosphere – Tikal National Park
After breakfast at our hotel we will start our visit of nearby Tikal National Park and archeological sites. Tikal site is the largest excavated site in Mesoamerica and located in the Tikal National Park, part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. We will walk through the park admiring great nature, stopping to spot spider monkeys, colorful toucans, flocks of parrots and have the chance of seeing many other species. With over 400 species of birds, Tikal offers one of the best opportunities to experience archaeology while searching for birds and other animals. We will enjoy a breathtaking sunset a top one of the ancient temples in Tikal. We will have dinner and lodging at Hotel Villa Maya.
Day 13: Natural Park xpanpajul – Guatemala City
After breakfast we will transfer to Ixpanpajul Natural Park, an amazing subtropical forest and a natural shelter of a wide variety of plants, trees and animals. It is the best nature tourism and adventure-oriented destination for people who are seeking sustainability and conservation of our natural resources. The park has an area of 450 hectares, with more than 200 species of trees, 150 species of birds and around 40 species of mammals. Ixpanpajul offers several activities full of emotion and adventure, such as: walking through the spectacular suspension bridges and the twisting paths. This is a great opportunity for having direct contact with the surrounding exuberant vegetation. Some of the bridges are 140 m long. We will enjoy lunch inside the park. In the afternoon we will transfer to the airport of Petén to take the inland flight back to Guatemala City. On arrival a private transfer to hotel will be waiting for you. Dinner and lodging will be at Hotel Ciudad Vieja in Guatemala City.
Day 14: Transfer out. We will have breakfast at our hotel before transferring to the International Airport of Guatemala to take the flight back home. With many unforgettable memories and emotional experiences, you will leave beautiful Guatemala. But you may come back for exploring new destinations!
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
The fee for the entire tour from Guatemala City is dependent on the number of tour participants. The prices quoted are per person in double accommodations and quoted in US$.
Price Includes:
- Lodging and meals from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 14
- All ground transportation by minivan with A/A
- Round trip inland flight Guatemala – Flores – Guatemala
- Professional bilingual guide in English/Spanish during the entire trip
- Land transportation
- An expert archeological guide in the National Park Tikal and Yaxha
- Local guides in the communitarian projects
- Coffee tour and ornamental flower tour
- Sky Way Circuit in suspension bridges in Ixpanpajul Natural Park
- All entrance fees described on the program
- 14 days Travel Assistance Insurance
- All local taxes and airport taxes for the Guatamala City
- Peten – Guatemala City flight.
Also see tour packages in:
Central America and Caribbean
Guatemala
Local Culture
Cultural Journey
National Parks
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