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by Sunny Land Tours - delivering unforgettable vacations worldwide since 1964

GUATEMALA DISCOVERY

Guaranteed Weekly Wednesday Departures to December 2010

DAY 01 WED WELCOME TO THE LAND OF ETERNAL SPRING! On arrival at Guatemala's La Aurora Airport, our representative will transfer you to Barcelo Guatemala City Hotel / Westin Camino Real Hotel for overnight accommodations.

DAY 02 THU At 07:00 a.m., you will be picked up at your hotel for transfer to Chichicastenango where today is market day! Visit the most colorful and picturesque Indian open-air market in the country. Hundreds of Indians from the surrounding countryside gather to barter their goods and products. Also, witness the captivating religious ceremonies held on the steps and inside the 400-year old Church of Santo Tomás (No shorts or bathing suits are allowed inside the Church, PLEASE NO PHOTOGRAPHS INSIDE THE CHURCH). Overnight accommodations at Mayan Inn.

DAY 03 FRI This morning, transfer to Sololá Market which is an authentic indigenous market where men and women wear typical clothing from their communities and come from the different surrounding villages, which makes it even more colorful. Today Sololá is still one of the few villages from the highlands where people proudly wear their traditional clothes, which, depending on the fabrics and threads used, as well as the amount of embroidered motives, portray the social and economic status and position of the civil and religious hierarchies. Continue to Lake Atitlán, one of the most beautiful in the world, with its crystalline-azure waters in the crater bowl below. Atitlán is the ideal place to come in contact with Guatemalan folklore. Twelve Indian villages surround the Lake, and their inhabitants are descendants from the great Quiché, Cackchiquel, and Tzutuhil nations. Overnight accommodations at Porta Hotel del Lago / Atitlan Hotel.

 

 

DAY 04 SAT At 09:00 a.m., you will board the motor launch to cross Lake Atitlán to the picturesque Indian village of Santiago Atitlán, one of the twelve lake-shore villages surrounding the Lake. Enjoy this bustling Indian community, where weavers work the colorful textiles. In the afternoon, transfer to Antigua Guatemala, the most important and enchanting city of colonial Guatemala. Founded by the Spaniards in 1543, nowadays Antigua is a beautiful blend of ruins, restored colonial buildings, and new buildings in colonial style. It was declared “Monument of America” in 1965. Overnight accommodations at Porta Hotel Antigua / Casa Santo Domingo Hotel.

DAY 05 SUN In the morning, visit in Antigua Guatemala, the Central Plaza, that is surrounded by the antique Cathedral, the Municipal Government Building, and the Palace of the Captains General; colonial churches and monasteries, primitive foot-looms where colorful textiles are woven, and a jade factory where this stone is worked into beautiful jewelry. In the afternoon, transfer to Guatemala City. Overnight accommodations at Barcelo Guatemala City Hotel / Westin Camino Real Hotel.

DAY 06 MON At 07:00 a.m., departure to Copán, Honduras. After completing official immigration formalities, continue to the archaeological site of Copán. As you step inside the park, witness elaborate stone sculptures everywhere. As you walk into the dramatic expanse of the Great Plaza you are witness of the cultural achievements of the ancient Maya. Copán’s main plaza contains the greatest collection of Maya sculptures in Central America. Take time to explore and marvel at the beautiful Mayan stellae, majestic temples, and complete ball court. Overnight accommodations at Marina Copan Hotel / Posada Real de Copan Hotel.

DAY 07 TUE This morning, transfer to the Mayan site of Quiriguá, where extraordinary monuments include 12 carved stellae, 4 zoomorphs, enormous carved stones of mythological animal forms, and unrestored temples. Dates recorded are at exact intervals of 800 days. In the afternoon, transfer to Puerto Barrios. Overnight accommodations at Green Bay Hotel / Amatique Bay Hotel.

DAY 08 WED This morning, you will be transferred by launch to Río Dulce, undoubtedly one of the country’s most unique tourist attractions. The enormous Río Dulce offers a natural experience; while navigating on its beautiful waters one enjoys the riverine forest and listens to the sounds of the howler monkeys. The nice spots on the riverside include natural forests and bathing places in a unique natural environment. Several islands and islets along the river are the nesting grounds for thousands of aquatic bird which offer beautiful displays as they set flight and when they feed in large groups on the river waters. A section of the river is much wider, thus forming a 60 square kilometer water deposit, called El Golfete, which can be considered a river and a lake at the same time. Overnight accommodations at Catamaran Hotel / Banana Palms Hotel.

DAY 09 THU At 10:00 a.m., you will be picked up at your hotel and taken to Río Dulce Bridge for transfer to Flores, Petén. Overnight accommodations at Camino Real Tikal Hotel / Del Patio Hotel.

DAY 10 FRI Today you will go back more than 2,000 years in time when you visit the Tikal National Park. In the morning, you will be picked up at your hotel for transfer to Mayan City of Tikal which is located in the center of the National Park that bears its name, and has an extension of 222 square miles. Tikal was inhabited from 600 BC., till 869 AD. Its highlight was between 690 till 850 AD., a time period known by archaeologists as the Late Classic. Visit the Twin-Pyramid Complexes “Q” and “R”, Lost World Complex where the Great Pyramid and Temple 5C-49 are the most important. Also, visit Temple III and the Palace of the Windows, the Great Plaza, squared off with the pyramids of the Grand Jaguar and the Masks, the Palace of the Nobles, and Pyramid IV. This one is the highest of the Mayan pyramids, from its top a complete view of Tikal and its surrounding jungle can be enjoyed. In the afternoon transfer to Santa Elena’s Airport to board the flight to Guatemala City. (Due to the worldwide increase in the cost of fuel, an additional charge of US$25.00 per person will have to be paid at the airline counter upon check-in and US$3.00 for Local Airport Tax). On arrival, our representative will transfer you to Barcelo Guatemala City Hotel / Westin Camino Real Hotel for overnight accommodations.

DAY 11 SAT You will be transferred to the airport three hours prior your flight’s departure time. You will be charged a US$3.00 airport security tax upon check-in at the airline counter.

HOTELS USED : HTL BARCELO, MAYAN INN, PORTA HTL DEL LAGO, PORTA HTL ANTIGUA, HTL POSADA REAL DE COPAN, HTL GREEN BAY, HTL CATAMARAN & HTL DEL PATIO or similar
Tour Rate Do Not Include:
- Easter & Christmas Departures Supplements.
- Tips to Guide and driver at your discretion
- International airport exit tax (US$30.00 per person)
- Airport Security Tax international flight (US$3.00 per person).
- Airport Security Tax domestic flight (US$3.00 per person, per flight)
- Fuel Charge domestic flight (US$25.00 per person for one way flight & US$35.00 per person for round trip flight).
Non refundable $200 required to proceed with reservations: click here for credit card authorization.