At a Glance
Click each day for more details.
-
Day 1: Antigua - Arrival
When you touch down in Guatemala City, meet your driver, waiting to whisk you 30 minutes away to Antigua, a colonial city tucked into a valley surrounded by towering volcanoes. Check into the stately El Convento Hotel, and settle into the lap of luxury in one of the country's most iconic locations.
-
Day 2: Antigua - Street food & colonial history
In this city, where old stands side by side with new, you'll get your first introduction to Guatemala. Step back in time on a private walking tour of the city, meandering alonglabyrinth cobblestone streets, taste testing a variety of mouth-watering delicacies and street fare, discovering fascinating ruins of convents and churches, and catching an glimpse of modern Guatemalan culture as you uncover secrets of Antigua’s ancient past.
-
Day 3: Antigua - Fair trade coffee production
Start your day on a bumpy dirt path up to Finca Filadelfia, a working coffee farm whose hilltop location affords stunning panoramic views over the valley. Visit the plant nursery and lab before heading out to the farm to handpick bright red coffee cherries right off the plants, then on to the processing plant where the beans are sorted, dried, and roasted. Finally, finish with a cupping session and a tasting of some of the estate’s premium roast.
-
Day 4: Antigua to Lake Atitlán - Chichicastenango market
After breakfast, depart for the colorful open-air market of Chichicastenango for an authentic glimpse of daily life in the Mayan highlands. Every Thursday and Sunday, local vendors from all over the region make their way to Chichicastenango to hawk their wares – anything from fruit and vegetables to flowers, pottery and even livestock – and local families visit their favorite vendors to gather ingredients and goods for the week.
-
Day 5: Lake Atitlán - Discover the splendors of a volcanic crater lagoon
Spend a relaxing day making the most of legendary Lake Atitlán's pristine cobalt-colored lake bordered by three volcanoes. Enjoy the views from luxurious Casa Palopó, or take a kayak or paddleboard out for a spin.
-
Day 6: Lake Atitlán - Local lakeside life: artisan workshops, art galleries, fair trade cacao and honey farms
Get a tantalizing taste of Mayan culture today on an exploration of Lake Atitlán and its colorful villages of San Juan La Laguna and Santiago Atitlán. Visit a women’s cooperative to learn about traditional hand-woven Mayan textiles and a cacao cooperative to taste delicious local chocolate in its many forms.
-
Day 7: Lake Atitlán to Tikal - Gateway to ancient wonders
Get an early start this morning with a two-hour transfer from Lake Atitlán to Guatemala City, then a flight to Tikal, an ancient metropolis situated deep in the heart of the Mayan jungle. When you arrive, check into La Lancha Lodge, an intimate retreat along the shores of beautiful Lake Petén Itzá.
-
Day 8: Tikal - Echoes of an ancient empire at Tikal
Tikal, the City of Echoes, was the greatest metropolis in the Mayan kingdom before its collapse in 1000 AD. Start your day atop Temple IV where you'll wait to watch as the sun ascends over the morning mists, bathing the forest in the warm shades of first light. Then find yourself transported back a thousand years, as you discover this once vibrant hub of Mayan life, now gently reclaimed by the primary rainforest and the troops of howler monkeys that whoop and call overhead.
-
Day 9: Tikal - Relax & rejuvenate on Lake Petén Itzá
Today, spend a day on La Lancha’s beautiful property, perched on the shores of Lago Petén Itzá, the second largest lake in Guatemala, known for dramatic color changes, shifting from cobalt blue to a green turquoise hue in an instant. The Maya believed these cool waters contained almost magical healing powers, bringing a sense of rejuvenation to those who swim in the lake.
-
Day 10: Tikal to San Ignacio - Crossing into Belize
Transfer across the border from Guatemala to Belize, where you'll check into the upscale Ka'ana Resort in San Ignacio.
-
Day 11: San Ignacio - A trove of treasures in the Actun Tunichil Muknal ceremonial caves
Embark on a journey to Xibalba (pronounced shi-bal-ba), the Mayan underworld. Trek through rainforest to the Cave of the Stone Sepulcher, held sacred to the Maya who used the cave to conduct ceremonies and ritual sacrifices to the gods of the underworld. Travel into the past in this living museum, where skeletal remains and Mayan artifacts still rest as they were originally placed thousands of years ago.
-
Day 12: San Ignacio to Ambergris Caye - Trade rainforest for Caribbean Sea
Take a scenic drive east through Belize's lush rolling hills to Belize City, and catch a plane bound for Ambergris Caye.
-
Day 13: Ambergris Caye - Snorkeling pristine seas at Mexico Rocks
Sail up the coast of North Ambergris Caye to Mexico Rocks, one of Belize's most famous snorkeling sites. Don a snorkel and discover the undersea splendors of this unique patch reef, where a shallow cluster of corals provide refuge to a variety of marine life including scallops, anemones, shrimp, sea fans, and eels that shelter in the coral’s nooks and crannies, while abundant fish life includes grouper, snapper, grunts, butterfly fish, and many other brightly colored tropical beauties.
-
Day 14: Ambergris Caye - Discover paradise
Spend your final day in Belize on the sandy shores of Ambergris Caye. Dinner tonight will be unforgettable - dine by candlelight at a table for two on the end of the pier, indulging in fresh local seafood and tasty tropical flavors to wrap up a truly memorable trip.
-
Day 15: Ambergris Caye to Belize City - Departure
Feeling fully refreshed and revived, bid farewell to paradise, and take a quick flight to Belize City to catch your international flight home. Farewell!
-
Day 16: Placencia - Departure
Bid farewell to turquoise waters and powdery sands, with a short flight to Belize City, where you will depart on your international flight home.
