Guatemala

• This trip offers a healthy dose of culture and adventure with diverse landscapes and beautiful natural scenery. Guatemala truly is a wonderful and gorgeous place to visit with traditional Mayan villages, ruins spread throughout the country, colorful colonial towns, mountains, lakes and waterfalls.

• Antigua, an UNESCO World Heritage city, is one of the most charming destinations of Latin America. It is set in a central highland valley surrounded by three volcanoes; the city once served as an important seat of the Spanish colonial empire and has perfectly preserved that era’s history and its enchanting baroque architecture.
• Lake Atitlán, considered “the most beautiful lake in the world” by many, was created in a massive volcanic crater in Guatemala’s southwestern highlands. It’s surrounded by steep, lush hills and seven Mayan towns around the lake. You can explore the small towns around the lake, it’s thermal baths, kayak, hike or just enjoy a glass of wine while you watch the beautiful sunset.
• There are local markets everywhere in Guatemala. Wandering around is an excellent way of immersing myself in the local culture.
• The people are warm and welcoming which really makes Guatemala such a special place.
• The diversity in the cuisine is such that you can taste typical Guatemalan dished influenced by their Mayan or Spanish culture. Every region will have its own mix of regional ingredients and flavors.  Guatemala City also has some of the most modern and cosmopolitan restaurants.
• Guatemala’s weather is considered the “Eternal Spring”. Dry season (November to May) offering sunny skies and little rain. 
• Deluxe and unique accommodations at the Westin Guatemala City, Hotel Atitlán and Casa Santo Domingo, which was constructed within the ruins of the Santo Domingo church and monastery. 
• This tour is privately guided from start to finish.

DAY 01

On arrival at Guatemala’s La Aurora Airport, our representative will transfer you to your hotel for overnight accommodations. 

DAY 02 

You will be picked up at your hotel for your transfer to Lake Atitlán. Start your journey visiting the archaeological site of Iximché, which dates from the 15th Century and it was the Capital of the Chackchiqueles. The architecture of the site included a number of pyramid-temples, palaces and two Mesoamerican ball courts. Excavators uncovered the poorly preserved remains of painted murals on some of the buildings and ample evidence of human sacrifice. The ruins of Iximché were declared a Guatemalan National Monument in the 1960s. The site has a small museum displaying a number of pieces found there, including sculptures and ceramics. After lunch in Tecpán you will continue to Lake Atitlan. 

DAY 03

Today you will be picked up at your hotel for your transfer to Chichicastenango. Visit the most colorful and picturesque Indian open-air market in the country. Hundreds of Indians from the surrounding countryside gather to barter their goods and products. Also, witness the captivating religious ceremonies held on the steps and inside the 400-year old Church of Santo Tomás (No shorts or bathing suits are allowed inside the Church, PLEASE NO PHOTOGRAPHS INSIDE THE CHURCH). Typical Lunch. After you will return to Lake Atitlan. 

DAY 04 

You will board the motor launch to cross Lake Atitlán to the picturesque Indian village of Santiago Atitlán, one of the twelve lake-shore villages surrounding the Lake. Enjoy this bustling Indian community, where weavers work the colorful textiles. 

DAY 05

In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel for your transfer to Sololá Market which is an authentic indigenous market where men and women wear typical clothing from their communities and come from the different surrounding villages, which makes it even more colorful. Today, Sololá is still one of the few villages from the highlands where people proudly wear their traditional clothes, which, depending on the fabrics and threads used, as well as the amount of embroidered motives, portray the social and economic status and position of the civil and religious hierarchies. Continue to Antigua Guatemala. 

DAY 06 

This morning, you will be picked up at your hotel for your Antigua Guatemala tour. Visit the Central Plaza, which is surrounded by the antique Cathedral, the Municipal Government Building, and the Palace of the Captains General; colonial churches and monasteries, and a jade factory where this stone is worked into beautiful jewelry. 

DAY 07 

Day at leisure to explore Antigua Guatemala on your own. 

DAY 08

You will be transferred to the airport.

• 30 days prior arrival: 100% Refund
• From 29 days to 15 days: $150 fee
• From 14 days to no-show: No refund