Guatemala-Belize

Meals included: Breakfast at the hotel and lunch with a Maya family
Accommodation: Hotel (Panajachel – 2nd night)     

Lake Atitlán is considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, as writer Aldous Huxley once said. Set at 1 500 m (4 900 ft) in the tropical zone, it lies within an ancient caldera surrounded by three towering volcanoes of over 3 000 m (9 840 ft).
A scenic boat crossing from north to south takes you between these majestic volcanic peaks to a quiet bay where, early in the morning, fishermen glide across the water in their traditional wooden boats.
In Santiago Atitlán, you’ll admire the intricate, colorful clothing of the Tz’utujil Maya. Women wear richly embroidered huipiles and long red headwraps known as tocoyales, while men sport white embroidered pants decorated with colorful birds. You’ll also visit Maximón, a contemporary Maya deity venerated in a small chapel maintained by his brotherhood. The rituals—filled with flowers, incense, candles, and offerings of alcohol—are a striking mix of ancient and modern devotion.
Continuing by boat, you’ll sail beneath the imposing slopes of San Pedro Volcano toward San Juan La Laguna, one of the loveliest villages on the lake. Here, women’s cooperatives preserve ancestral textile and dyeing traditions using local plants. You’ll share a traditional lunch with a Maya family, organized by a local ecotourism association.

Boat ride back to Panajachel on the northern shore.
Second overnight stay in Panajachel.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation : Hotel (Quetzaltenango).

Morning departure for the highland village of Chichicastenango, steeped in Maya traditions. It was here that the Popol Vuh—one of the few surviving pre-Columbian texts and the sacred book of the Quiché Maya—was rediscovered.
Today, the town is best known for its incredibly colorful markets and fascinating scenes of religious syncretism that unfold daily in and around its 16th-century colonial church. The church was built on the foundations of an ancient Maya temple; its stairway has 18 steps, one for each month of the Maya solar calendar.
As you wander through the narrow streets, you’ll experience one of the most famous handicraft markets in the region—a vibrant explosion of color and life. Vendors sell textiles, masks, incense, fruit, silverwork, and carved wooden figures. Among the most prized items are embroidered huipiles (women’s blouses) and traditional dancer masks.
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 mid-afternoon, transfer across the highlands and its volcanic landscapes via the Pan-American Highway to the city of Quetzaltenango.
Overnight in the historic center of the city.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Lodge (Tikal)

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.

In the middle of the afternoon, you’ll head across the Highlands toward the airport of Guatemala City. A short late-afternoon flight (50 minutes) takes you to Flores, where your driver will meet you for a private transfer into Tikal National Park, so you can begin enjoying the magic of the site right away. To reach your lodge, you’ll cross the southern section of the park — a beautiful opportunity to take in the tropical rainforest and maybe even spot some wildlife.
 

Overnight in a lodge inside Tikal National Park, just steps from the archaeological site—perfect for soaking up the magical atmosphere. At dawn and dusk, you may see coatis, ocellated turkeys, and agoutis wandering near the lodges.

Note: It is possible to enter the archaeological site for sunset or sunrise. Please inquire for 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 towering pyramids—Temple IV rises over 230 ft (70 m)—Tikal is the most awe-inspiring Maya site in the country, and perhaps in all the Maya world. During its pre-Columbian peak, this great metropolis extended its political, economic, and cultural influence as far as the Mexican highlands. Your guide will introduce you to both the site’s fascinating history and its rich ecosystems. The protected habitats shelter several monkey species, anteaters, deer, coatis, and more than 300 bird species. The vegetation is equally remarkable, with over 200 tree species thriving in the reserve.

In mid-afternoon, transfer to the village of El Remate, on the shores of the large Lake Peten Itza.

Overnight in El Remate. Gorgeous sunsets!

Meals included: Breakfast
Accomodation: Hotel (San Ignacio– 1st night)   
Visits: Self-guided

Continue by unpaved road to the Yaxhá archaeological site for a self-guided visit. Lesser known yet beautifully restored, Yaxhá is one of Guatemala’s most impressive Maya sites after Tikal. From the top of the main pyramid, enjoy a panoramic view over the forest and Lake Yaxhá. Off the beaten path, take a short motorboat ride across the lake to the small island site of Topoxté, inhabited by the Maya until the 16th century. Both Yaxhá and Topoxté—like Tikal—are located deep within the tropical forest, surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty. Nature lovers and photographers alike will find plenty to capture here.     

After the visit, continue to Belize. Cross the border and switch vehicles and drivers. Transfer to San Ignacio, a town that serves as a departure point for numerous excursions into Belize’s interior. Originally named El Cayo by the Spanish, San Ignacio lies on the banks of the Macal and Mopan rivers and is home mainly to Mestizo and Belizean Creole communities. The region’s main activities are agriculture and ecotourism.
Overnight in San Ignacio (two nights planned).

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: hotel (San Ignacio - 2nd night)     

San Ignacio is an ideal base for exploring Belize’s interior.

Some suggestions for excursions from San Ignacio (contact us to arrange and budget one of these activities):
– Caracol archaeological site and Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
Often overlooked by travelers, the powerful city of Caracol played a major role in the wars between Tikal and Calakmul during the 6th and 7th centuries. A continual rival of Tikal, Caracol (Uxwitza in Maya) was one of the wealthiest states in this part of the Maya World. The city is thought to contain at least 35,000 structures over approximately 142 km². To reach this major Maya site, you will drive along an unpaved road through the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve, a vast area of endemic pine forest nestled within the region’s jungle.

– Barton Creek Caves
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.

– Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) Caves = After a 45-minute walk through the tropical forest of the Tapir Reserve, you will “sportingly” explore this beautiful cave system, which also preserves traces of pre-Columbian presence (offerings, human skeletons, and Maya pottery). It is believed the site hosted ceremonies honoring the rain god Chac. The excursion follows part of an underground river. This adventure is reserved for sporty participants—walking, climbing, swimming… a fantastic experience! (Water shoes recommended.)

– Lamanai archaeological site From Lama’anayin, meaning “submerged crocodile” in Maya. = Access is by a scenic river from Orange Walk Town. The city was occupied until colonial times. Located at the mouth of the New River, it was an important center trading with major pre-Columbian cities of the Peten and Yucatán, as well as across Central America. During the Spanish conquest, missionaries established Catholic places of worship here.

Overnight in San Ignacio.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: hotel (San Pedro Ambergris - First night)   
Internal flight included from Belize City to San Pedro Ambergris.

Transfer to the Belize City airstrip for a short flight to Ambergris Island (Ambergris Caye) (20-minute flight).

The island, the largest in Belize, stretches roughly 40 km north–south and 1.6 km across. It runs parallel to the mainland in the Caribbean Sea, at an average distance of about 10 km offshore. San Pedro is the island’s only town.

Besides its crystal-clear waters, the island’s main attraction is the barrier reef, the second-largest coral reef system in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Here you’ll find some of the most intact and well-preserved reef ecosystems in the Americas, home to emblematic and endangered species, including three species of marine turtles and the Caribbean manatee.

Overnight on the island (three nights planned).

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: hotel (San Pedro Ambergris)          

Free days to enjoy the white-sand beach, sunshine, and excursions on the Caribbean Sea. Suggestions include observing the famous Blue Hole, a large submarine sinkhole with deep midnight-blue water, 300 m (984 ft) in diameter and 130 m (427 ft) deep, made famous by Commander Cousteau, who listed it among the world’s top ten dive spots. You may also explore the small paradise islands of the Turneffe Atoll or the Hol Chan Marine Reserve along the magnificent barrier reef. Snorkeling is also available to observe the marine life (an easy activity requiring little physical effort: surface exploration with mask, snorkel, and fins), with equipment provided locally (not included). Diving is also possible.         

Second and third nights on the small island.

Meals included: Breakfast
Internal flight included from San Pedro Ambergris to Belize City (international).

Short internal flight from San Pedro Ambergris to Belize City International Airport for your return flight.