A popular gem of a destination in Central America that offers first-rate beaches, spectacular natural sights and charming cultures with fascinating heritage, Costa Rica has a little bit of something for everyone to appreciate.
Truly a naturalist playground, Costa Rica is best known for its untouched nature, from lush jungles and fairytale-like Cloud Forests, to looming volcanoes and the wildlife-brimming national parks and reserves that protect one-quarter of the country's entire territory. We wander the paths past banana and cocoa plantations, through quaint rural villages and amid stalls in bustling marketplaces in the capital, San Jose. We'll also board a riverboat to glide along natural canals and man-made thoroughfares to see otherwise inaccessible pristine nature.
Before hopping over to Guatemala, we take the opportunity to cross into Honduras and explore its capital city, Copan, where we visit museums and spend time in world-famous archaeological sites that detail the existence of the once-great Mayan Empire; we even have the rare opportunity to enter into a Mayan pyramid! We begin our Guatemala leg of our adventure in the colourful street markets of Chichicastanengo and meeting some Maya Quiche Indians, said to be the purest descendants of the Maya.
Spending time in villages that have remained in relative isolation due to geographic considerations yields unique experiences of traditional peoples adorned in traditional garb and the shimmering waters of Lake Atitlan provides the most serene of backdrops. We travel through volcanic landscapes to what was once the third largest cities in all of Spanish America, Antigua, where we get our fill of colonial sights and attractions and head to Tikal, perhaps the most spectacular of Mayan sites, before heading into Mexico, bound for the Yucatan. We are transported into the past as we learn about the ancient Maya and the later-arriving Toltec civilizations with visits to archaeological sites and the many ruins and temples in Chichen Itza, a place that displays a fusion of highland Mexican and Puuc architecture that makes it wholly unique. Merida brings us face-to-face with what is perhaps the most beautiful city on the Yucatan peninsula and the World Heritage Site of Uxmal conveys the power and legacy of ancient peoples with its majestic palaces set around courtyards.
As we journey deeper into the Yucatan, to Coba, we come across clifftop ruins and temples shrouded by jungle and we don't pass up the incredible opportunity to watch the sun set from atop a Mayan pyramid; truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
Price Includes:
- Breakfast and dinner daily (hotels and local restaurants)
- All transport, sightseeing and entrance fees for sites noted as 'visited' in the detailed itinerary
- Gratuities for local guides, drivers, restaurant staff, hotel porters (if available)
- Airport transfers for land / air customers arriving / departing on tour dates.
Price Excludes:
- Tour Leader gratuity, lunches, drinks, personal items (phone, laundry, etc), departure taxes, domestic and international air taxes (if applicable)
- Airport transfers for early / late arrivals / departures or Land Only customers
- Optional trip cancellation insurance
- Our post-reservation trip notes offer further guidance on not included meal costs, shopping, and locally paid departure taxes.
Also see tour packages in:
Central America and Caribbean
Costa Rica
Guatemala
Mexico
Cultural Journey
Ecotourism
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