Day of the Dead Giant Kites Tour

Meals included: Breakfast with your Maya host family
Accommodation: hotel (Chichicastenango).

To reach Santiago, you’ll travel by boat along the foot of the majestic San Pedro Volcano (2,990 m / 9,810 ft), arriving in a peaceful bay where, at dawn, fishermen are already gliding across the lake in their traditional wooden canoes.

In Santiago, you’ll discover the village’s remarkable traditional attire—women wear richly woven huipiles and the famous tocoyal, a long, multicolored ribbon several meters (yards) long wrapped in their hair, while men wear distinctive white embroidered trousers decorated with colorful birds. You’ll also have the opportunity to visit Maximón, the contemporary Maya deity. This strikingly dressed figure resides in a small chapel within the home of a member of his brotherhood, where offerings of flowers, incense, and alcohol are made amidst an atmosphere of deep devotion. You can also visit the church, the village square, and the small market stalls that line its streets.

In the afternoon, return by boat to Panajachel, crossing between the majestic volcanoes, then transfer to Chichicastenango. On the eve of market day, you’ll witness the fascinating preparations for the famous indigenous market.

Overnight in Chichicastenango.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation : Hotel (Quetzaltenango).

The village of Chichicastenango is deeply rooted in Maya tradition. One of the few surviving pre-Columbian manuscripts — the Popol Vuh, often considered the Quiché Maya “Bible” — was discovered here.

The village is best known for its vibrant, colorful markets and for the scenes of religious syncretism that can be observed both outside and inside its colonial church. This church, built by the Spanish in the 16th century on the site of an ancient Maya temple, has a staircase with 18 steps, symbolizing the 18 months of the Maya calendar.

As you wander through the narrow streets, you’ll discover one of the most famous handicraft markets in the region — a true explosion of colors! You’ll find wooden carvings, silver jewelry, textiles, fruits, and the traditional incense known as copal. Among the finest local crafts are the embroidered huipils (blouses worn by Maya women) and the beautifully carved masks used in traditional dances.

Just a ten-minute walk from the center lies the town’s colorful cemetery, where you may witness Maya families performing ancestral ceremonies to honor their ancestors. Nearby, the Pascual Abaj hill serves as a sacred site for rituals that blend ancient Maya beliefs with Catholic elements.

In the afternoon, transfer across the western highlands along the Pan-American Highway toward Quetzaltenango (2,300 m / 7,545 ft). The city sits in a highland valley at the foot of Santa María Volcano (3,770 m / 12,370 ft).

Overnight in the historic center of the city, known for its elegant neoclassical architecture.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (Guatemala City)

After breakfast, follow the Pan-American Highway through the highlands to the village of San Francisco El Alto, perched at 8,630 ft (2,630 m). Stroll through one of the largest indigenous markets in the region—featuring a lively livestock market, colorful embroidered textiles, pine furniture, and fruits and spices from every corner of the country. Nearby, you may also witness traditional Maya ceremonies set against a breathtaking mountain panorama. After exploring this vast market, continue through the Maya villages of the region: Zunil, with its beautiful traditional cemetery dominated by the Santa María volcano (12,370 ft / 3,770 m); San Andrés Xecul, whose church is famous for its strikingly colorful façade; and Salcajá, home to the oldest church in Central America, founded in 1524.

Next, follow a scenic road through hand-tended patchwork fields to reach the Fuentes Georginas hot springs. Here, you can relax in large natural pools of steaming mineral water on the slopes of the Zunil volcano, surrounded by a lush mountain jungle of giant ferns and tropical vegetation. Less visited due to its distance from the main tourist routes, the Quetzaltenango highlands are filled with natural beauty and deeply rooted Maya traditions.

By mid-afternoon, drive back across the highlands toward the capital.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (Copán - Honduras)
Guided visit in English included: Copán archaeological site and museum

Travel to Honduras via the Atlantic Highway, crossing through a variety of landscapes—from the forested mountains of the Sierra de las Minas to the Motagua Valley and its cactus-studded plains and fruit plantations of melon and pineapple. After crossing the border (with the same vehicle and driver), visit the Copán archaeological site with a English-speaking specialist guide..  

Renowned for its magnificent carved stelae—true masterpieces of Maya art—and its extraordinary hieroglyphic stairway, Copán is considered the Athens of the Maya world and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site’s impressive museum houses numerous reliefs, sculptures, and temple decorations. Nestled in a tropical valley at around 2,000 ft (600 m), the archaeological park remains surrounded by lush forest, where you may spot scarlet macaws, the national bird of Honduras, soaring above the temples.

After your visit, don’t miss the chance to sample the region’s excellent coffee.

Just steps from the village square, two small museums provide fascinating additional insights into the site’s history.

Overnight in the charming colonial village of Copán Ruinas.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (Livingston)
Self-guided visit

Return to Guatemala as you head toward the Caribbean coast! You’ll travel through regions dotted with candle cactus and calabash trees. Stop at Quiriguá for a self-guided visit of the archaeological site, famous for its impressive stelae—the tallest ever discovered in the Maya world. The site lies within a pocket of tropical forest surrounded by vast banana plantations, home to colorful toucans, parrots, and remarkable tropical trees. During the drive through the plantation, you’ll stop to observe the cultivation process of this giant herb—a crop that quite literally shaped Guatemala’s political, economic, and social landscape throughout the 20th century.

By midday, transfer to Puerto Barrios, the country’s former Atlantic port, where you’ll meet your boatman for the journey along the coast to the Caribbean village of Livingston. This isolated coastal community is home mainly to the Garifuna people — descendants of a 17th-century fusion between African slaves and indigenous Caribs. Their music, dance, language, and spiritual traditions were declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO, 2001).
Overnight stay in the village of Livingston.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Lodge (Tikal National Park)

After breakfast, take a motorized boat trip on the calm waters of the Río Dulce, surrounded by exuberant tropical vegetation. With its gorges and lush rainforest, the riverbanks include several nature reserves—impressive cliffs, bird islands, and mangroves once used by pirates to ambush treasure-laden ships bound for Spain. Monkeys, anteaters, toucans, coatis, iguanas, manatees, pelicans, egrets, and herons inhabit this region of abundant wildlife. Midway, visit the Ak Tenamit Maya community project to discover the rainforest and the handicrafts of the Q’eqchi’ Maya, as you navigate up a tributary of the river. The Río Dulce, gateway to the Caribbean Sea and Guatemala’s largest river, connects the sea to Lake Izabal, the country’s biggest lake (590 km² / 228 mi²). Together they form one of the most important hydrological systems of eastern Guatemala, channeling rainfall from the highlands to the Atlantic. At the end of the excursion, enjoy a self-guided visit of the small San Felipe fortress, built to protect Spanish warehouses on Lake Izabal from pirate raids. Today, this charming little fort stands as a postcard symbol of the region.
In the afternoon, drive across the Petén region to reach the small island town of Flores, on Lake Petén Itzá. Along the way, you’ll see many ceiba trees — sacred to the Maya and now Guatemala’s national tree. This vast region, one of the last to be re-colonized, was once a major center of Maya civilization. Recent lidar research has revealed that millions of Maya inhabited these fragile lands for nearly 18 centuries.
After your visit, transfer to Tikal National Park. To reach your lodge, you’ll cross the southern section of the park—a wonderful opportunity to observe wildlife and lush forest landscapes along the way.

Overnight in a lodge at the heart of Tikal National Park, just steps from the archaeological site entrance. At dawn and dusk, you may spot coatis, ocellated turkeys, and agoutis wandering around the lodge area.

Note: It’s possible to enter the archaeological site for sunrise or sunset—please contact us for more details.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (El Remate)
Included: Guided tour in English— Tikal archaeological site and National Park

Explore Tikal with a English-speaking specialist guide. Tikal National Park is one of the few UNESCO World Heritage sites listed for both its cultural and natural value—celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity and its archaeological significance. This former ceremonial center, inhabited mainly from the 9th century BC to the 9th century AD, lies at the heart of a 576 km² (222 sq mi) tropical forest reserve.            ²   

With its majestic pyramids—the tallest, Temple IV, rises over 70 m (230 ft)—Tikal is not only Guatemala’s most impressive Maya site but one of the greatest of the entire Maya world. During the pre-Columbian era, the political, economic, and cultural influence of this immense metropolis extended as far as the Mexican highlands. Your guide will reveal the fascinating interplay between wildlife, flora, and archaeology. The park’s protected ecosystems are home to several species of monkeys, anteaters, over 300 bird species, deer, and coatis. The reserve also shelters more than 200 tropical tree species. In the afternoon, transfer to the peaceful village of El Remate, on the shores of beautiful Lake Petén Itzá.

Overnight in El Remate.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (Guatemala City)
Included: Guided visit in English – Yaxhá and Topoxté archaeological sites
Flight Flores – Guatemala City included

Morning transfer by dirt road to the archaeological site of Yaxhá, accompanied by a French-speaking specialist guide. Still little known, this magnificent site is the second best-restored in Guatemala after Tikal. From the main pyramid, you’ll enjoy a panoramic view over the forest and Lake Yaxhá. Off the beaten path, continue by boat across the lake to reach Topoxté, a small and charming island site occupied by the Maya until the 16th century.     

In the afternoon, transfer to Flores Airport for your short flight (50 min) back to the capital.

Overnight in a hotel located in Zone 10 of the capital.     

Meals included: Breakfast

Short transfer to Guatemala City Airport for your international departure (check-in three hours before the flight). Depending on your flight schedule, you may visit the city’s main museums (upon request). In that case, we recommend choosing flights departing in the mid- or late afternoon.