Guatemala Encompassed

Arrival in Guatemala City. You will be picked-up from the airport and transferred to your hotel in the city for overnight accommodations. Please look out for our representative holding up a sign with your name on it.
Overnight: Barcelo Hotel or similar.

In the morning you will be picked up at your hotel for a panoramic sightseeing tour of Guatemala City where the principal sites you will visit include the National Palace, Cathedral, and Civic Center Complex. You will also visit residential areas, for an overall view of our rapidly growing metropolis (No shorts or bathing suits permitted). Then you will visit Iximché archaeological site, once the capital of the Cackchiqueles dating back to the 15th Century. After your visit, transfer to Chichicastenango. Overnight: Mayan Inn or similar.

Today we visit the superb market at Chichicastenango. Livestock, handicrafts, fruit and embroidery all give way in this bustling market to the focal point – the church, strewn with flowers and filled with genuflecting Indians whose elaborate rituals see them crawling to the altar, while ‘Cofradias’, or members of the traditional brotherhood, swing incense above their heads. In the afternoon, transfer for Quetzaltenango. Overnight: Latam Hotel or similar.

Visit San Andres Xecul, Zunil and Almolonga on the way to Lake Atitlán. In the afternoon, transfer to Panajachel (Lake Atitlan) to enjot Sololá Market. Lake Atitlan is surrounded by volcanoes and its shores are dotted with Indian villages, all of which have retained their distinctive cultures – the local dress and colours varies from village to village, and market stalls line the narrow streets. Overnight: Porta Hotel del Lago or similar.

After breakfast, join the launch excursion to the picturesque lake-side village of Santiago Atitlan, where we can learn more about the local people, their famous weavings and their typical clothes. After lunch, transfer to Antigua. Overnight: Porta Hotel Antigua or similar.

During the morning, you will have a sightseeing of this old colonial capital and its
surroundings. Discover the churches, squares, markets and stunning colonial houses of this fabulous city. Surrounding the city are the huge volcanoes that make this part of the world so dramatic. Antigua satisfies everyone’s desire to see a perfect colonial city. The remainder of the day is free to explore. Overnight: Porta Hotel Antigua or similar.

After lunch return to Guatemala City. Overnight: Barcelo Hotel or similar.

Early in the morning board your flight to Flores, upon arrival you will be transferred to the archaeological site of Ceibal for sightseeing of the site. After lunch transfer back to Tikal for overnight accommodations. Overnight: Camino Real Tikal or Villa Maya Hotel or similar.
The maximum check-in luggage weight for the domestic flights is 20 pounds (approx 9kg) and 10 pounds (approx 4.5kg) for hand luggage.

Transfer to Yaxha & Topoxte for sightseeing of the archaeological sites. After lunch transfer back to Tikal. Overnight: Camino Real Tikal or Villa Maya Hotel or similar.

Sightseeing of Tikal. The majesty of the Mayan ruins at Tikal is striking. The winding, mossy jungle paths open up to a surreal world of pyramids and temples, where howler monkeys, frogs and birds like toucans create a cacophonous crescendo. Tikal has a number of step pyramids whose forty-four or so metres you can climb to gain a view across the jungle canopy. From the maze of courtyards of the Great Plaza, temples spread out into the jungle, including the Temple of the Grand Jaguar, and the North Acropolis of King Moon Double Comb. The Mayans settled in Tikal around 700 BC and had started to build the grand North Acropolis by 200 BC. By the time of Christ, the Grand Plaza was being built from stone, but it wasn’t until AD 250 that Tikal became a religious and cultural centre. It reached its glory under King Great Jaguar Paw in AD 300 and underwent a renaissance around AD 700 under King Moon Double Comb, before falling into a mysterious decline, like other Mayan centres, around AD 900. In the afternoon board your flight back to Guatemala City. Overnight: Barcelo Hotel or similar.

Transfer to the airport for your onward flight.