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Accommodation: hotel (Lanquin)
Meals included: breakfast

From Cobán, you’ll head through coffee and cardamom plantations toward the village of Lanquín (where additional caves can be visited depending on timing).

From there, continue by well-maintained dirt road in a 4x4 vehicle to reach the natural site of Semuc Champey (at 350 m / 1,150 ft above sea level). Here, the Cahabón River forms a spectacular series of natural pools with turquoise and jade-colored waters surrounded by tropical forest. A unique geological feature makes this place extraordinary: part of the river actually flows underground beneath the limestone bridge before resurfacing several hundred meters downstream, where it rejoins the surface waters cascading through the pools. The name Semuc Champey means “where the river hides beneath the stones.” The area has been classified as a National Monument for more than twenty years. From the viewpoint above, you can enjoy a breathtaking panorama of the river, the pools, and the surrounding forest.

Overnight in the village of Lanquín.    

Accommodation: Hotel (Guatemala City)
Meals included: breakfast

Transfer across the Verapaces region (“true peace” in Spanish), an area where the Spanish entrusted the evangelization of the Maya to Fray Bartolome de Las Casas, a well-known defender of the Indigenous people.
Stop at the Mario Dary Rivera Nature Reserve, founded in 1976, to explore, via an easily accessible trail, the unique ecosystem of the cloud forest (humid highland forest) ranging from 1,500 m to 2,300 m (4,920–7,550 ft) above sea level. This primary forest is home to a wide variety of trees, mosses, and ferns typical of extremely humid highland ecosystems. Along the way, you will discover several waterfalls with crystal-clear, cool waters, as well as impressive tree ferns, orchids, and other epiphytes. The reserve is also home to many hummingbirds and the oropendola (Montezuma’s oropendola). A well-marked trail allows for two possible routes: a 1-hour / 2 km (1.2 mi) walk called “Los Helechos” or a 2-hour / 4 km (2.5 mi) walk called “Los Musgos.”
After your walk, a short drive will bring you to a small private reserve where quetzals can be observed fairly easily, especially from late November to February. This 32-cm (13 in) dazzling bird belongs to the trogon family. Its plumage is vibrant green, red, and sky blue. The male’s tail features long feathers, ranging from 50 cm to 1 m (20–39 in), which flow majestically below the forest canopy as it moves. The quetzal is Guatemala’s national bird, sacred to the Maya for millennia, and even appears on the country’s coat of arms. The bird is considered a living representation of the god “Feathered Serpent” (Quetzalcoatl in Mexico). Rare in captivity, this is one of the best places to see quetzals in Guatemala.
By late afternoon, arrive in the capital city.
Overnight stay in Guatemala City, Zone 10, a comfortable and safe neighborhood.

Accommodation: hotel or lodge, depending on your preference
Meals included: breakfast

Transfer to the summit plateau of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. At the top of the road leading to the plateau, a viewpoint at 3,300 m (10,830 ft) offers spectacular views, on clear days, of the volcanoes of the Central American volcanic chain: Tacaná, Tajumulco (the highest volcano in Central America at 4,222 m / 13,845 ft), Santa María, and Atitlán. This mountain range is karstic in formation and rises between 1,800 m and 3,900 m due to tectonic plate movements in Guatemala. These changes in altitude create an incredibly diverse range of vegetation. It is the highest non-volcanic mountain range in all of Central America. According to some historians, the Maya language may have originated in this region around 4,600 years ago. The Sierra de los Cuchumatanes offers landscapes unlik

Guatemalan writer Miguel Ángel Asturias (Nobel Prize in Literature) described the Sierra in one of his books:

 “It is the first land the navigator discovers from the South Sea. He gazes in awe. It is the earthly cloud where corn is born. The first grain of corn on earth. The pink puma takes refuge in its hills before time descends from the sky. Freedom of the first pine, dark green of the night, lunar, followed by another pine, then another, and another. Pines and cypresses go together up the hills, extending branches to help each other across ravines; they form groups, spread across plateaus, cluster in hollows, separate in gorges, and climb in single file toward the peaks to admire, from the highest of the Green Andes, under a vivid indigo sky, the smoke-crowned volcanoes, the silvery rivers, and shining nickel lakes.”

 Miguel Angel AsturiasMaladron.

Descend to the village of Todos Santos (2,500 m / 8,200 ft) via a scenic route. The Mam Maya of this region wear richly hand-embroidered traditional clothing: men in embroidered shirts and striped pants in red and white; women in purple and red blouses with dark blue skirts. Market day in Todos Santos is Saturday. Agriculture (coffee, potatoes, corn) and sheep raising are the main economic activities.

This day offers a side of Guatemala that never fails to surprise travelers.

In the mid-afternoon, continue to Chichicastenango (the day before market day — markets on Thursdays and Sundays), or return to Quetzaltenango, or head toward the Nebaj region (Ixil Triangle).

Overnight in Chichicastenango, Quetzaltenango or Nebaj (your choice).

These sites are accessible by river from the La Pasión River and its tributaries.

It was mainly along the La Pasión that archaeologists first discovered evidence of waves of invasions by peoples from what is now Mexico, which helped destabilize the Maya societies of the region politically and economically in the 9th century CE. Some sites, such as Ceibal, feature architecture and stelae with very distinctive styles. The fortifications and depictions of armed figures show that this region was once in a state of constant warfare.

At Aguateca, the Maya fortified their city using an extraordinary system of geological fault lines, sometimes reaching 50 m (165 ft) deep, which visitors can follow to reach the ruins of this city-state.

The archaeological sites of Ceibal, Aguateca, and Cancuén, off the usual tourist routes, are a delight for nature lovers, offering river access through the jungle and lush forests that surround them.

These caves are located inland and accessed from the town of San Ignacio.

These very photogenic caves, explored by canoe, are known both for their beauty and for the archaeological remains found inside (pottery, human remains, and more). Filled with stalactites and stalagmites, the cave hosted Maya ceremonies for centuries. (Access to some parts of the cave depends on water levels.) Throughout the Maya region—spanning Guatemala, Mexico, northern Honduras, and parts of Belize—caves are often considered sacred gateways to Xibalbá, the Maya underworld.

These caves are located inland and accessed from San Ignacio.

This is an active, sporty excursion where water shoes are recommended. After a 45-minute walk through the tropical forest of the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, you’ll reach an impressive cave system that preserves pre-Columbian remains (offerings, human skeletons, and Maya pottery). It is believed that the caves hosted ceremonies dedicated to Chac, the Maya rain god. The visit follows part of an underground river. This adventure is reserved for active travelers: walking, climbing, swimming… a varied and exceptional experience!

This archaeological site and the reserve are located inland and accessed from San Ignacio.

Often overlooked by travelers, the powerful city-state of Caracol played a major role in the wars between Tikal and Calakmul during the 6th and 7th centuries. A continual enemy of Tikal, Caracol (Uxwitza in Maya) was one of the wealthiest states in this part of the Maya world. It is estimated that the city contains at least 35,000 structures spread over roughly 142 km² (55 square miles). To reach this grand Maya site, you’ll travel along an unpaved road through the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, a vast forest of endemic pines located in the heart of the region’s tropical jungle.

This archaeological site is located inland and accessed from San Ignacio.

Access is via a beautiful river journey from the town of Orange Walk. The city’s name comes from Lama’anayin, meaning “submerged crocodile” in Maya. Lamanai remained occupied until colonial times. Situated at the mouth of the New River, it was an important center that traded with the major pre-Columbian cities of Petén and the Yucatán, as well as throughout Central America. During the Spanish conquest, missionaries established Catholic places of worship here.