Guatemala’s culture is a unique product of Native American ways and a strong Spanish colonial heritage. About half of Guatemala’s population is mestizo (known in Guatemala as ladino), people of mixed European and indigenous ancestry. Ladino culture is dominant in urban areas, and is heavily influenced by European and North American trends.
But unlike many Latin American countries, Guatemala still has a large indigenous population, the Maya that has retained a distinct identity. Deeply rooted in the rural highlands of Guatemala, many indigenous people speak a Mayan language, follow traditional religious and village customs, and continue a rich tradition in textiles and other crafts. The two cultures have made Guatemala a complex society that is deeply divided between rich and poor. This division has produced much of the tension and violence that have marked Guatemala’s history. Peace agreements signed in 1996 to end the war pledged to respect and promote indigenous culture.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Arrive Guatemala City. We are welcome upon arrival at the Int’l airport by our hosts and are transferred for immediate check-in to the hotel. Rest of the day is free. Overnight Hotel Camino Real, Guatemala City (1 night). Includes: (D).
Day 2: Guatemala City/Antigua (drive). Founded in 1776, the Capital city it is since the seat of government and the main hub of the country’s economy. The Congress, the Supreme Court and the Presidential National Palace are also here in Guatemala City. La Recolección, La Merced and La Candelaria are just a few of the regal churches that grace the streets of the city. Within all three churches, we will find immaculately robed religious figures of the Virgin Mary and Jesus of Nazareth that are carried out year after year during Holy Week.
We start our tour today with the Historical Center of the city, The Cathedral, the Relief Map, The Civic Center, the regal churches, Government Offices & National Theatre, continuing later to a residential zone. In the afternoon we visit one of the most important museums, Ixche, Popol Vuh Museum or the National Museum of Archeology & Ethnology (depending on your choice), where can find the best representation of Mayas Estelas and Prehispanic artifacts. In the evening, we’ll drive to Antigua, the first Capital city, located at 1 hour from the City. Overnight Hotel Museum Casa Santo Domingo (2 nights). Includes: (B), (D).
Day 3: Antigua Guatemal. The story of Antigua’s eventful arrival to the site where presently lies is a rich story, like a novel full of adventure, conflict and passion. The first Antigua was founded near the Maya city of Iximché. It was soon abandoned when the Kaqchiquel residents rebelled at the Spanish demands for gold. The Spanish moved their capital to the valley between the Agua and Fuego volcanoes, but fate was against them and the town was swept away by a flood. Soon after the town was moved to its present day location where it has stood for more than 400 years.
After a particularly devastating earthquake in 1773, the capital of Guatemala was moved to Guatemala City and Antigua was virtually abandoned. It wasn’t until the late 1800´s, that Antigua was virtually rediscovered and interest in the colonial city reawakened. The surrounding countryside became the focus of coffee farmers and the valley once again became prosperous. Named a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO, Antigua attracts visitors to its cobblestone streets by the thousands. We will visit the town and wander through its ruins, its picturesque streets, richly textured colonial buildings and friendly residents, who work their way into the heart of any visitor.
Today’s Antigua is a cosmopolitan town that somehow manages to conserve its small town ambiance. Its streets are quiet enough for artists to set up their easels and attempt to paint or sketch their perspective of a particular church to paper. While visitng the city we will get to know the Central Park, The Cathedral, University of San Carlos (Now Museum), San Francisco Church, the ruins of Capuchinas, Casa Santo Domingo and a Jade & Silver Factory. In the afternoon we’ll be touring some of the lovely towns around Antigua like San Juan del Obispo, San Pedro Las Huertas, Ciudad Vieja - the second Capital of Guatemala – and San Antonio Aguas Calientes. Later we return to our hotel. Includes: (B), (D).
Day 4: Antigua/Atitlan (drive). Atitlan, also called Choi Lake by the modern-day Maya-Cackchiquel people, means "Near the Water". The lake is located 144 kilometers (90 miles) from Guatemala City and is today, without a doubt, the most important landmark of the whole county. When the famous novelist Aldous Huxley visited Guatemala, he referred to it as being "the most beautiful lake in the world".
Three spectacular volcanoes, Toliman, Atitlan and San Pedro form the frame of the lake itself, which is 13 km long, with depths up to 341 meters. The mountains that surround the lake have become a natural launch pad for those who enjoy air gliding.
Another attractive feature of the lake is its wildlife, wich includes specimens of such beauty as the common dunking duck and other migratory duck species. Around Lake Atitlan we’ll also visit Panajachel, the main town on the Lake, have a walk through its most important streets and take a boat ride across the Lake and visit three other small, but lovely towns. Overnight Hotel Atitlan (1 night). Includes: (B), (D).
Day 5: Atitlan/Guatemala City (drive). Thursday is Market Day. We leave in the morning to visit Chichicastenango Market, the most important and impressive open air market in Central America and its church Santo Tomás. We walk through the market to wander, bargain or just simply take several photos. After we visit the church early in the afternoon we drive back to Guatemala City. Overnight Hotel Camino Real, Guatemala City (1 night). Includes: (B), (D).
Day 6: Guatemala City/Flores (flight) & Tikal (drive). Very early in the morning we are transferred from our hotel to the National Airport, where we’ll check in for our flight from Guatemala City to Flores. We will arrive here around 7:45 am, meet with our representative and go from Flores airport to Tikal National Park. The National Park was instituted on 1955. In 1979 UNESCO has declared Tikal a Cultural Treasure of Humanity, in light of its unequaled value in gathering endless cultural and natural resources.
In 1848, Colonel Modesto Méndez and Ambrosio Tut Administrador and Governor of Petén, respectively, performed the first official survey of the site. To this day, the mapped surveyed area totals about 16 sq. kilometers, where almost 4000 different structures are located. The first sings of occupation date back to 800 BC. The last buildings found are from the late Classic period (900 AD). These 1500 consecutive years of occupation conveyed this civilization with a high cultural, artistic, architectural, urban, mathematical, astronomical, agricultural and commercial development. After our walking tour in the Park with our guide, we’ll have Lunch in the Park and later also visit the local Museum, before returning to our hotel. Overnight Hotel Camino Real Tikal (1 night). Includes: (B), (L), (D).
Day 7: Flores/Rio Dulce (drive). This morning we leave again early and we drive toward Izabal county, known from its famous Izabal Lake, which spans over almost 45 kilometers and ends after another 40 km of flowing as a river at the Amatique Bay at the Caribbean Sea. The Rio Dulce River has a wider portion along its path, know as the Golfete (62 km) which can almost be considered a lagoon. It is surrounded by lush tropical rainforest inhabited by hundreds of bird species, monkeys and many other animals. The waters of the lake are rich in fish. Unique to the lake is the fresh-water sea cow (manatee), a mammal that can weigh up to a ton. This species is in danger of extinction and the manatees are the largest mammals in the country. Overnight Hotel Banana Palms (1 night). Includes: (B), (D).
Day 8: Rio Dulce/Livingston/Copan (cruise & drive). This morning we will take a longer boat ride through the Lake & River, visiting El Castillo de San Felipe, The Birds Island & Livingston town. The Old Spanish Fortress of San Felipe is found near the town of Frontera, where a bridge spans Rio Dulce. This small Fortress was built in 1651-52 at the lake's mouth, to keep out marauding pirates. Later it served as a prison and was reconstructed as a historical monument in 1956. The Rio Dulce (sweet river) runs about 40 kilometers from Lake Izabal before it empties into Amatique Bay at Livingston. At its upper end there is the town of Frontera. Downstream, the river widens (into an area known as Golfete), before flowing through a narrow, spectacular gorge and then on to the bay. Here is Livingston, a charming town located at the mouth of the Rio Dulce, which is unique in Guatemala also due to its Garifuna culture. Originally a mix between a native tribe, the Kalipuna's and slaves from Nigeria mixed in the 17th Century and conserved their own language, music and religion. Livingston is also unique because it can be only accessed by boat, either traveling across the Bay from Puerto Barrios or down the Rio Dulce from Frontera.
We then return to Rio Dulce and from here we drive to the Archaeological Site of Quiriguá and to Copan, located 12 kilometers inside of Honduras. The archaeological site of Quirigua contains the largest stelae ever discovered in the Mayan world, doe Quirigua is one of the smallest Mayan cities. It is doe one of the most notable one, due to its splendid series of monuments. Quirigua was probably founded in the Late Pre-Classic era and flourished until the 10th Century, when it was abandoned for unknown reasons. Nine stelae are arranged around the central plaza, accompanied by altars carved into zoomorphic shapes. The largest of these, Stela E, is eight meters tall. The ruins are un-restored, but deciphered hieroglyphs from the stelae and altars tell a fascinating story of Quirigua's relationship with the nearby Copan.
The Maya Ruins of Copán – a magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site - is one of the most distinguished cultural monuments in the world. Copan was a special place of the Mayan world, where art and astronomy flourished. There were larger Mayan cities to the north, in present-day Mexico and Guatemala, and the structures at Copan are relatively modest compared to those at Tikal, Palenque or Chichen-Itza, but there are more carved monuments at Copan then elsewhere, and the intricate, swirling, decorative art surpasses not only that of other Mayan cities, but of any other civilization. Overnight Hotel Marina Copán, Honduras (1 night). Includes: (B), (D).
Day 9: Copan/Guatemala City (drive). This morning we’ll visit the ancient ruins of Copan. Copan, with ruins covering about forty acres including an acropolis with five plazas, was geographically, economically and culturally distinct from other Maya lowland sites. We’ll visit the ‘Astronomical City’, where most of the temples and other structures are located. Evening we return to Guatemala City.
Overnight Hotel Camino Real, Guatemala City (1 night). Includes: (B), (D).
Day 10: Guatemala City/Homebound. After our Guatemala encounter, we are transferred to the International Airport in time to reach our flight back home. Includes: (B).
Tour highlights & World Heritage Sites (WHS):
* Guatemala City
* Antigua Guatemala (WHS)
* Lake Atitlan
* Chichicastenango Market
* Tikal National Park (WHS)
* Lake Izobal and Rio Dulce
* El Castillo de San Felipe & Livingston town
* Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua (WHS)
* Maya Site of Copan (WHS)
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Hotels as mentioned or similar category
- All transfers, tours and sightseeing specified in the itinerary with AC minibus/minivan
- Domestic flight: Guatemala / Flores with TAG airline
- Two boat services as mentioned in the itinerary
- Entrance fees to all Sites, Museums and Performances as mentioned
- Services of English-speaking local guides
- Road taxes, parking fees, drivers’ wages
Price Excludes:
- International flight tickets and airport taxes
- Excursions not specified in the itinerary
- Visa fee and any kind of insurance
- Personal expenses, bar-bills, laundry or phone bills
- Any drinks or beverages with meals
- Tips or other such costs
- All other services not mentioned
Single supplement USD: 580.00 / CAD: 610.
*Additional 30% for departures between December 23rd 2007 to January 2nd 2008 & Easter week: from March 15th to 23rd, 2008.
Also see tour packages in:
Central America and Caribbean
Guatemala
Archeology/History
Cultural Journey
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