Aventura Guatemala

Day 1 : Guatemala City

Bienvenidos a Guatemala !

Arrive at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, meet your driver and transfer to your hotel. Overnight stay at the hotel Stofella.

Day 2 : Guatemala City

Market day in Chichicastenango

Departure at 7am for Chichicastenango and its famous market (Thursday and Sunday). The Kaqchikel Indians come down twice a week from the surrounding villages to sell their goods. The women wear the traditional huipil representing the seasons of the Mayan calendar. The city is then transformed into a real kaleidoscope of colours and smells. In the centre of the village, shamans purify the church stairs with incense and perform Mayan rituals.

Transfer to Quetzaltenango , the main city of the Guatemalan Altiplano. Overnight stay at the hotel Modelo.

Day 3 : Quetzaltenango

Located at an altitude of 2300 metres, the department of Quetzaltenango is populated by a large majority of Indians of Mayan origin.

Visit Almolonga , its church and vegetable market. Relaxation break at Fuentes Georginas . We cross the cultivated fields on the slopes of the Zunil volcano, whose activity heats the springs. Relaxing swim in this beautiful setting.

Descent to Lake Atitlan , a highly emblematic place in Guatemala. It is nestled between 3 volcanoes at an altitude of 1600 metres and offers magnificent panoramas. The small villages along the lake – often only accessible by boat – perpetuate festivals and markets rooted in local traditions. Arrival in Panajachel. Option included : Entrance fees to fuentes georginas. Overnight stay at the hotel Dos Mundos Panajachel.

Day 4 : Panajachel

Free day in Panajachel.

Suggested activities :

– discovery of the Atitlan Reserve (zip line routes, suspension bridges, butterfly greenhouse, interpretive trails, monkey and bird watching)
– visit the colorful village of Santa Catarina Palopo (15mn by taxi)
– kayak or paddle board on Lake Atitlan
– visit of the Mayan villages along the lake accessible by taxi boat : San Juan, San Marcos, Santa Catarina, Santiago Atitlan. . .
– guided hikes.

NB : day without transport service. Overnight stay at the hotel Dos Mundos Panajachel.

Day 5 : Panajachel

Collective shuttle from your hotel in Panajachel to your hotel in Antigua.

Available hours (optional): 9:30 a. m. ; 12:00 p. m. ; 4:00 p. m.

End of the day free in the pretty colonial city. Overnight stay at the hotel Meson María.

Day 6 : Antigua

Quad discovery of the Antigua area:

Getting started with our off-road vehicles and heading north from Antigua towards the village called La Guardianía . We start our off-road adventure on a pleasant road lined with lush vegetation. Arrival at 1800 meters altitude and walk to San Mateo on a dirt road enjoying the bean and corn fields, as well as beautiful views of the Agua, Fuego and Acatenango volcanoes. We cross a colourful village before taking a break in a restaurant with a panoramic view for a well-deserved rest. Last stop at Cerro de la Cruz to admire the view of the colonial city. Return to Antigua at 12:00.

NB: Tours in small groups (2 to 12 people) with an English-speaking guide.

Driver’s license required for the driver.

Headset provided; third party insurance.

Overnight stay at the hotel Meson María.

Day 7 : Coban

Option included : Entrance fees to volcan Pacaya. Option included : english speaking local guide in XXX (meeting at xxx at xxx) Option included : english speaking local guide in XXX (meeting at xxx at xxx) Overnight stay at the hotel Casa Gaia.

Day 8 : Coban

Early departure from Cobán to the Cahabón River (07:00). The village of Lanquín and the valley are particularly famous for their caves, waterfalls and natural pools.

Excursion to Semuc Champey

Semuc Champey’s natural swimming pools are one of the most beautiful landscapes in Guatemala. The Cahabón River flows under a limestone bridge, forming a series of turquoise water basins on its surface. Amazing and superb! Possibility to access a viewpoint by a steep path to enjoy the panorama (30 to 45 minutes walk). Swimming in these pools with calm and fresh water.

After the visit, continue to the department Alta Verapaz to reach a charming lodge near the Caves of Candelaría . End of the day in this tropical oasis. Option included: private transport by 4×4 vehicle between Lanquin and Semuc Champey (10 to 15 mn of steep road). Overnight stay at the hotel Candelaria Lodge. Excursion cuevas Candelaria (1h30)

Day 9 : Tikal

Tubing in the caves of Candelaria:

A 3-hour excursion through the rainforest and caves of Candelaria. The main gallery is nearly 22 kilometres long and 60 kilometres of ancillary networks are added, making up one of the largest underground networks in Latin America.

After an approach walk, we embark on the sacred river in a large buoy. We then let ourselves be carried away by the current to discover the impressive stalactites, stalagmites and other surprises that these deep caves have in store for you. A unique experience in the bowels of Guatemala.

Departure for Tikal National Park in the heart of Peten.

Overnight stay at the hotel Jaguar Inn Tikal.

Day 10 : Tikal

Sunrise in Tikal

Early departure (4:30 am) for Tikal. The impressive Mayan city built in the 4th century BC reached its peak between the 3rd and 9th centuries AD.

We enter the site in the darkness to climb the highest pyramid and witness the awakening of the jungle: first the howler monkeys whose cries can be heard several kilometers away, then the birds that cross the twilight. The light rises over the tropical forest, gradually revealing the pyramids that surround us.

Return to the hotel for breakfast. Then visit the archaeological site. Some 3,000 structures emerge from the rainforest in a mystical atmosphere. The temple of the great jaguar faces that of the masks in the great square, the nerve center of the city. At 65 meters high, the Snake Temple was the highest building in the New World until the 19th century.

Nature is not to be outdone, engulfing the traveler who enters the reserve. We are watching for spider monkeys, pheasants, coatis, toucans and other multicoloured parrots. The screams of howler monkeys can be heard from several kilometers away. The traveler is surprised by the smell of vines and roots.

Transfer to Flores located on a peninsula of Lake Peten Itza.

Option included : english speaking local guide in Tikal. Option included : Entrance fees to Tikal. Overnight stay at the hotel Isla de Flores. Premium Room.

Day 11 : Livingston

Today, travel approximately 4 hours to the Rio Dulce . Here you can feel the atmosphere of the Caribbean! Visit Fort San Felipe which was built in the 17th centre to stop the continuous pirate attacks and view the many sailboats that anchor here today.

Sweet Rio Dulce

Take a private boat trip out onto the Rio Dulce. Travel past a canyon and take a dip in some hot springs. Arrive at the village of Livingston where part of the population are the ethnic group Garifuna , who are descendants of black slaves. You will notice how different the culture is here to the rest of Guatemala! Overnight stay at the hotel Villa Caribe.

Day 12 : Livingston

Coconut trees, white sand & Caribbean

Departure in the morning by boat to an isolated beach near the border with Belize. It takes 45 minutes to 1 hour of navigation to reach the Playa Blanca site. On the program of this excursion: relaxing on the white sand and swimming in the turquoise water of the Caribbean.

Return to Livingston in the early afternoon. Afternoon free.

NB: 4 USD to be paid on site for access to the private beach.

Overnight stay at the hotel Villa Caribe.

Day 13 : Livingston

Boarding for Puerto Barrios (40mn of navigation) and road to Quirigua (1h30).

Visit of the archaeological site in the Motagua Valley. Quirigua was an important and respected city during the Mayan classical period (200 – 900 AD). The site is particularly renowned for the beauty of its stelae, the highest reaching 10. 70 metres high and weighing 65 tonnes. Continuation to Guatemala (5h).

Option included: private boat from Livingston to Puerto Barrios. Overnight stay at the hotel Stofella.

Day 14 : Guatemala City

Today, meet your driver and transfer to Guatemala City Airport.