CENTRAL AMERICA VOYAGE – 17 DAYS

Today, we dont have a plan. You will need to get to your joining hotel in Tulum. Airport buses are scheduled almost every hour or you can find a taxi or Uber. Travel time to Tulum beach town is around 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Overnight 3* Tulum

Today is your opportunity to do an activity. If you prefer to spend the daty at a relaxed pace, then the option to visit Tulum beach just a few minutes from town or a short walk to see the ruins by the iconic beach is probably the way to go.
However, if you prefer to spend the day to go to Chichen Itza a tour (to and from Tulum) can be pre-arranged.
Overnight 3* hotel Tulum

Today we leave early in order to travel to the border of Mexico and Belize – takes approximately 3.5 hours.
Then we transfer on to Belize city (another 2 hours) and hope to arrive in time for the 3pm vessel across to Caye Caulker caribbean Island.

In the evening we can take the opportunity to relax on a sunset sail bit if for some reason we dont have much time we can do this the next day,

Overnight 3* La Isla Resort or Seabreeze

This is your chance to ‘Go-slow’ – the islands motto. No cars or traffic

Day time activities will be depending on costs and what people want to do, but here the specialties are more focused on Fishing and Snorkeling, scuba-diving and Manatee spotting and swimming with nurse sharks.

Overnight La Isla resort or Seabreeze, Caye Caulker

We will ideally take on of the first morning boat around 7am back to the mainland and Belize city. We then drive for around 2 hours to Hopkins – a town located beautiful section of coastline and typically Caribbean.
We take part in a cultural-exchange at a Garifuna heritage centre. Here, we learn the history and ancestry of the local people who are descendents from Africa. We will explore which plants they grow and their medicinal uses. We will learn what is the typical cuisine (based mostly around sea-food, plantains and coconuts. We will taste their traditional rum and finish with a drumming class by a professional instructor.
If time allows, we may take 1-2 hours to enjoy the beach setting before continuing to our next stop San Ignacio, 2 hours, 20 minutes by road.

Overnight 3* Cahal Pech resort, San Ignacio

Although this can be a day to relax or visit the town, the most popular activity is to visit the ATM Caves, a cave system with pools to swim through, stalagtites and stalagmites and where some ancient Mayan ceremonies took place a long time ago.
This is one of the most amazing experiences you could do in the entire country. However, we leave as optional due to the cost (around $125 per person) and anyone who is not keen on closed, dark spaces. There is also around 1 hour walk to get there and come back and a few hours in the caves themselves – a full day trip.

Overnight 3* Cahal Pech resort, San Ignacio

After some time for breakfast, we transfer 30 minutes to the Guatemala border, take some time to pass through immigrations then on to Tikal Archealogical site in around 1 and a half hours.
After a guided tour of the main temples and some free time to explore the site, you will then continue to Flores Island arriving by late afternoon.
You can then relax, go for dinner or take an optional boat cruise around the island in the evening.

Overnight – 3+* hotel Isla De Flores, Flores Island

In the early afternoon we then transfer around 4 hours to Rio Dulce.
On the way you will get a great insight to the rural way of life in Guatemala.
When we arrive to Rio Dulce we will need to take a 5 minute boat-shuttle to the property across the water in a small boat or water taxi to the cabin style accommodation.

Hotel accommodation 3* Tortugal Boutique river lodge, Rio Dulce

We can take a relaxed morning to enjoy our surroundings at Lake Izabel/the beginning of Rio Dulce.
If you want to paddle to San Filipe fort – It takes about 30 minutes to get there by Kayak and 20 minutes back due to the currents. Kayaks can be rented for free at the lodge.

Around 9.30am, we take a private motor boat to cruise along the river, hopefully we can spot an array of bird-life such as Igrits, pelicans and cormorants as we pass by Mangroves and water lilies
We will then spend time at a Maya communities project located alongside the river.
First, we will receive a welcome reception by the community – traditional music with Marimba followed by some walks on nearby trails where we can then visit the ceremonial site and Educative centre of Ak’Tenemet community. Where we will receive the background to the incentive of the rural community tourism prokect a visit Ak Tennamit’ community project is an Non-for profit focused on teachings to surrounding local ethnic groups about sustainability, preserve Mayan traditions, literacy and numeracy, as well as many other things. Our visit helps fund their education and has a positive social impact. Also, we learn how to Cook traditional food and make tortillas at a gastronomy workshop and some local dancers (some of the students) provide a warm welcome.

Overnight: 3* tortugal Boutique river lodge, Rio Dulce

At around 8.30am, you will transfer by boat out along the river to the ocean then continue to the Cascades of 7 altars – a series of beuatifal rock pools where swimming is very possible. A little later we arrive to Playa Blanca in time for lunch. Playa Blanca is a remote beach spot only accessible by boat and with splendid carribean sands and with views to Belize.
You can relax or if you want to stay activies you can swim or play beach volleyball.
When then make our way back to livingston, a real fishermans town and a taste of culture.
Overnight 4* hotel, Villa Caribe, livingston

After an early breakfast, around 7am, we will take a 30 minute boat-ride from Livingston to Puerto Barrios, then get in the van for around a 4.5 hour journey to the border. Like we will need to have a snack-stop on the way. At the border control we take our passports to stamp out and in. Should be no more than around 30 minutes. Then we have just another 30 minute drive to Copan.
arrive by early afternoon (around 1.30pm) and enjoy an afternoon visit to the ruins of Copan (3-5pm) – if we are too late, we can go on the next morning
We will enjoy a visit the ruins of Copan with its magnificent Stelae (towering sculpted statues) and a UNESCO world heritage site. Cost for the entry is included but the tour guides can be hired at the entrance if desired
Overnight 4* Hotel Copan

Copan has plenty to see. Therefore we suggest various options today for you to choose.
There is the “Macaw Mountain Eco-reserve to see the birdlife radiant with Scarlet Macaws – this is a bird ‘rehabilitation and release’ centre so not a zoo (price of entry is $10 USD), or horse-riding trips available (prices depending on numbers), a visit to the Mayan village of ‘La Pintada’, or some local walks along the river and to the mysterious ‘los sapos’ site – ancient rocks carved into frogs. There is also the Mayan Sculpture museum.
And for coffee lovers we can take a tour of one of the nearby coffee farms.

Overnight 4*, Copan
Overnight 4* hotel, Cusco

For most of today we need to travel by road. Leaving early,we continue back to the border in 30 minutes, then another 5 and a half hours drive to Antigua. We will not have planned activities, but we can do a local orientation (market in time for local lunch).
For the rest of the afternoon you have the opportunity to explore this exceptionally pretty town or you may wish to rest. There is the local market and craft market Museo ‘Casa De Tejido’ famous for local textiles.
La Antigua art gallery and the ruins of the Old San Francisco church, ruins of La Merced and convent are also worth walking to in your free day of exploring + also a walk to Cerro Arco Cruz view point. Most of these things cost very little to see or visit or nothing at all!

Overnight 3* Las Marias or similar
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Today, we are met by a local English speaking guide after breakfast.
Our 2 hour walking tour of Antigua, one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites, will bring you past all of the breathtaking landmarks that make Antigua famous. We will discuss Antigua’s history, interesting facts about Guatemala, some details of Mayan culture, and what makes all of the beautiful sites here in Antigua so important.

During the tour, we will visit/discuss the following: La Merced Church, Santa Catalina Arch, Central Park, City Hall, the Captain General’s Palace, Santiago Cathedral Ruins, Tanque Union Park, and San Francisco Church. You will hear about some of the hotspots in town that serve the best food and drinks, and will be provided with tips and suggestions for other excursions to do while in Guatemala.

Overnight 3* Las Marias or similar

After breakfast, we drive to Lake Atitlan (around 3 hours by road) where we will then continue around the lake to the village of San Juan De Laguna. We have the afternoon to visit the different artisanal workshops they do as part of their culture, including how they produce medicinal plants, textiles, coffee and cacao.Around 4pm we will then take a short walk outside of the village to a location in the rural countryside where we will initiate a Ancient Mayan Practice of tree planting.

Mayan tree-planting ceremonies are part of a local ancestral tradition in giving back to the land and by asking for blessings from Pacha Mama (mother Earth) where we can be allowed to initiate to cultivate. They beleave that all living things, birds, animals, insects and trees all need to be in harmony and that by tree-planting this allows to give back the harmony with nature.
As part of the ceremony we burn candles or effigies in order to connect from the land to the gods of the skies and mountains.
This practise is done with local farmers and a form of respect in look after our land.
Something we should do everywhere across our planet!
Each person (or couple) will be given a baby tree to plant wherever they choose.

Overnight homestay or Mayachik hostal

A pre-breakfast trek Is worth the earlier start to get phenomenal views of the lake and its 3 volcanoes. The trek takes around 2 hours and sunrise is at 6.30 so we should start no later than 4.30am, and we can return in time for breakfast.
In the late morning we will travel across the lake by boat to visit several villages including the colourful town of Santa Catarina Palopo where we can visit a local workshop-museum there.
We will finish at Panajachel for lunch and end at a nice hotel for our final night of the trip.

Overnight 3+* Villa Catalina, Lake Atitlan

In the morning we take the 3.5 hour drive back to Guatemala city where our services end. If you prefer to go direct to the airport then we will drop you there. If you need to catch a flight the next day and stay at an airport hotel, or prefer one more night back in Antiuga we can drop you off on the way.

END OF TOUR SERVICES