Guatemala - 8 Days

Day 1: Arrive Guatemala City
Welcome to Guatemala! Upon arrival we are met by your tour guide, private coach and driver and then transferred to your hotel in Antigua, the former capital of Guatemala.

Day 2: Monterrico
We drive to Guatemala’s Pacific coast and the resort town of Monterrico, with its dark, volcanic sand beach. En route we take a tour of the Pacaya volcano, having the opportunity to see lava during the 3 hour hike. Overnight in Monterrico.

Day 3: Azotea Cultural Center / Antigua
This morning we visit a nature reserve, taking a boat trip through the canals and mangrove swamps while marveling at the vast array of flora and fauna found in this coastal plain. We also stop at the Tortugario (turtle hatchery) which nurtures the sea turtle population native to these beaches. Our exploration of the coastal plain continues this afternoon with a visit to the Azotea coffee plantation and Cultural Center. Today we drive to Antigua, the former capital city surrounded by three towering volcanoes.

Day 4: Antigua
We take a morning walking tour of enchanting Antigua with its colonial-era architecture. In 1979 UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site. Our tour includes the Plaza Mayor, the Palace of the Captains General (formerly the seat of Spanish rule over all Central America), and the Convent of the Capuchins. Lunch today is macadamia pancakes as we visit a macadamia nut farm. We also learn about the art of making jade jewelry.

Day 5: Chichicastenango market / Panajachel
It’s market day in Chichicastenango (Thursday and Sunday), a village in Guatemala’s western highlands. After an early departure, we arrive in “Chichi,” a center of the Mayan culture and home to the country’s most famous open-air market. Here we can shop among a vast array of vendors (dependent on flight schedule) or simply soak up the vibrant atmosphere. We visit the Iglesia de Santo Tomás, where Catholic and Mayan religious traditions blend and the Mayan ceremonial Pasqual Abaj Hill. At the end of our day we drive to nearby Lake Atitlan, our stay for the next two nights.

Day 6: Lake Atitlan
We enjoy this morning the stunningly beautiful Lake Atitlan, which Aldous Huxley called “the most beautiful lake in the world.” Our day includes a boat trip to some of the Mayan villages that ring the shore. We return to Guatemala City this afternoon and take and afternoon flight to Flores, the unofficial capital of the remote northeastern El Petén region.

Day 7: Tikal
This morning we meet a coach and transfer through thick, lush rainforest to Tikal, the greatest of the Mayan ceremonial sites. Here a fascinating tour reveals the secrets of this once-thriving city of an estimated 100,000 inhabitants. The Golden Age of the Mayan civilization lasted from 250 A.D. to 900 A.D. Historians still seek the reasons for its decline. Following our tour we return to Flores, a causeway-linked island town in Lake Petén Itzá and take an afternoon flight to Guatemala City.

Day 8: Return Home
We are transferred to Guatemala City’s airport. Adios Guatemala!

Contact a Global Travel Alliance representative to discuss how this itinerary may be modified. Additional days available.