Day 2: La Antigua (Free Day)

One of the main streets of this colonial city, “Arch Street”, with the majestic “Agua Volcano” in the background.

Free day to tour the magical colonial village of La Antigua,visit its monuments, museums, shop at the various hand craft markets & stroll through the cobble stone streets. Or you may opt for one of our special mountain biking, hiking, volcano, fishing, golf, horse back or culture tours. Please visit our Travel Guide going to Antigua page for more details on what to do when you trip Central America.

• For our recommended culture and adventure one day tours and activities from Antigua, such as City Tours, Mountain Biking, Hiking, Fishing, Horse Back Riding, etc… please click here.

Day 3: La Antigua – Chichicastenango – Lake Atitlan

Viewpoint at lake Atitlan with the three volcanos San Pedro, Atitlan and Toliman – you can see the small villages San Pedro and San Juan at the lake in the highlands of Guatemala – Travel destination to Maya country in Central America

Today our private driver will pick you up at 8:00 a.m. and take you on a panoramic (~ 2 h) drive to visit the mystical city of Chichicastenango (Thursday & Sunday only, otherwise straight to Lake Atitlán). Located at 2500 meters above sea level, this city is famous for its market on Thursdays & Sundays, where spats of traditionally dressed villagers in a kaleidoscope of colors, come to sell their very colorful textiles, fruits, vegetables and flowers. Also worth a visit is the peaceful yet colorful cemetery. After lunch, depart for magical Lake Atitlán with direct transfer to your hotel. Spend the afternoon visiting the lake side village of Panajachel, enjoy a breathtaking sunset followed by a romantic dinner, or simply relax in your deluxe lake side hotel.

GROUND TRANSPORT: 8:00 a.m. pick up from hotel in Antigua for private transfer in air conditioned minivan or SUV to Chichicastenango (~ 2 h drive) then to Lake Atitlán (~ 1 h drive)

LODGING: 2 nights – Standard Double Room – Hotel Atitlán

Day 4: Lake Atitlan (Indigenous Villages Boat Tour)

The coast of Lake Atitlan. The Volcanos, Toliman and San Pedro in the back at the Town of Panajachel in Guatemala in Central America.

Take a private boat tour to the many lakeside villages around Lake Atitlán. Your “lanchero” (boat driver) will pick you at 9:00 a.m. from your hotel and take you by boat to three of the local villages along the shore of the lake. Your guide will share many insights on local customs and traditions with you. Enjoy the spectacular scenery the lake has to offer and learn more about the villagers, whose traditional costumes still vary from one village to the other, as well as their history. We recommend having lunch in Santiago Atitlán at Posada de Santiago, at Restaurante El Pescador, or at a local restaurant in Panajachel. Please ask your guide for recommendations. For more ideas of what this amazing lake can offer, please click here.

VILLAGES BOAT TOUR: Your “lanchero” (boat driver) will pick you up from your hotel at 9:00 a.m. and take you by boat to three of the local villages along the shore of the lake.
*Includes private boat, private guide, driver & fuel

Day 5: Lake Atitlan – Antigua

Artisans sells their handicrafts products to tourists and locals outside El Carmen ruins in Antigua Guatemala.

Enjoy breakfast overlooking breathtaking Lake Atitlan. Be picked up at hotel at 10:30 a.m. for your private transfer back to Antigua. On the way, we could stop at Iximche, the late Post-Classic Maya ruins ruled by the Kaqchikel in the 15th century until its burning by the Spanish in 1526. A quick stop for lunch or coffee at the lovely café Katok is always a nice option. Arrive in Antigua in the early afternoon and enjoy an afternoon of shopping and sight seeing, and a romantic evening nestled amongst volcanoes and colonial splendor.

GROUND TRANSPORT: 10:30 a.m. pick up from hotel in Atitlan for private transfer in deluxe air conditioned mini van or SUV back to Antigua (3 hour drive)

LODGING: 1 night – Superior Double Room – Hotel Meson de Maria
*Includes American breakfast

Day 6: Antigua – Copan (Honduras)

Ball Court of Mayan Ruins – Copan Archaeological Site, Honduras.

To continue with your Central America Tour, be ready to be picked up at your hotel at 8:00 a.m. for transport to Honduras’ border and the magical colonial town of Copan. Arrive at your beautiful hotel Marina Copan, overlooking the Central Plaza in the charming town of Copán. The hotel has been at the heart of the Copan Experience since 1945. Spend the afternoon and evening relaxing in your deluxe hotel or walk the charming town of Copan, visit its many shops and lovely restaurants and side walk cafes. Rest up and get ready for a awe inspiring day of archeology, one of the most intriguing excursions when you trip Central America. For more on what to do and see in this beautiful region, please click here and visit our Travel Guide to Copan – Day Tours tab.

GROUND TRANSPORT: 8:00 a.m.pick up from hotel in Antigua for private transfer in deluxe air conditioned mini van or SUV to Copan Honduras (approx. 6 hr drive)

LODGING: 2 nights – 1 Standard Double Room – Hotel Marina Copan

Day 7: Copan (Free Day)

Pyramid and Stella in Great Plaza of Mayan Ruins – Copan Archaeological Site, Honduras

Free day to embark in an excursion to the magical ruins of Copan in Honduras. A taxi will take you from the hotel to the ruins for approximately $5 US. There you can hire a very trained and qualified local bilingual guide to tour this great Mayan site, which even in ruins, appeared as a masterpiece of antiquity to explorer John Lloyd Stephens in 1839. Today, its rich stone sculptures and intricate hieroglyphs make Copán one of the most extraordinary of Mayan sites in existence. Please also visit our Travel Guide to Copán Page for details on a prearranged visit to the ruins as well as further options on this exciting Central America Tour.

Day 8: Copan – Rio Dulce

Shore at Izabal Lake Guatemala.

Pick up at 11:00 a.m. from your hotel in Copan and depart in a private air conditioned mini bus for breathtaking Rio Dulce on the Caribbean coast (~ 4 h drive) You can stop in rout to visit the famous Quirigua Ruins, where you will see the largest stela in the Mayan World – a true marvel and a must visit. Make a quick stop for lunch or a snack and arrive in Rio Dulce in the early afternoon. Be transferred directly to your lake side hotel. Spend the late afternoon relaxing, sun bathing, kayaking, swimming, water biking and much more… For more on what to do in the breathtaking Caribbean coast of Rio Dulce, please click here and visit our Travel Guide to Rio Dulce – Day Tours tab.

GROUND TRANSPORT: 11:00 a.m. pick up from hotel for private transfer in deluxe air conditioned mini van or SUV to Quirigua (optional) and later Rio Dulce (~ 4 h drive)

LODGING: 2 nights – Cabin Plus – Hotel Hacienda Tijax

Day 9: Rio Dulce (Caribbean Tour)

Castillo de San Felipe, is a Spanish colonial fort at the entrance to Lake Izabal in eastern Guatemala.

After a hearty breakfast, our “lanchero” (boat driver) will pick you up at 9:00 a.m. to continue our your journey to trip Central America and will take you on a cruise through the Rio Dulce canals and lagoons for a closer view or this region’s impressive water flora and fauna. Closer to the Caribbean coast, you will go through the amazing Rio Dulce canyon, a truly awe inspiring experience. Later, arrive at the Caribbean coast of Guatemala and its celebrated town of Livingston, a lively Afro-Caribbean town populated by mostly Garífuna people who came from the Bay Islands in Honduras. This town feels more like Jamaica than any town in Guatemala, where brightly colored houses are common and reggae melodies mixed with Latin sounds are heard throughout. Tour this charming town, have lunch at the Tucán Dugú restaurant or any of the many other side walk cafés & restaurants. Return in the late afternoon to enjoy an evening dinner, have some fun and relax under the Caribbean stars.

(Tour time ~ 6 h.)

CARIBBEAN TOUR: Pick up from hotel at 9:00 a.m. for private tour to Rio Dulce canals and lagoons and Livingston
*Includes private boat with driver and fuel.

Day 10: Rio Dulce – Peten

Ancient Mayan pyramid in Tikal Guatemala.

Be ready to be picked up at 9:00 a.m. at hotel in private air conditioned mini van for ground transfer to the mystical region of Peten (picturesque 3 hr drive.) Be transported directly to your lake side deluxe eco lodge for relaxing afternoon lake side, swimming, sun bathing, kayaking, etc. You may also opt for an afternoon walk through the charming town of Flores, a tour of the romantic ruins of Yaxha, a hike in the jungle, or one of the many other possible Activities the Peten region has to offer. Please visit our Recommended Tours Page for more details. Spend the evening relaxing to the sounds of the teeming Peten Jungle and Lake Peten Itza. Rest up and get ready for a awe inspiring day of archeology.

GROUND TRANSPORT: 9:00 a.m. pick up from hotel in Rio Dulce for private ground transfer to Flores in Lake Peten Itza (~ 3 h drive.)

LODGING: 2 nights – 1 Rainforest Casita – La Lancha Resort
*Includes continental breakfast

Day 11: Peten (Tikal Tour)

Tikal Temple V is the name given by archaeologists to one of the major pyramids at Tikal.

At 9:00 a.m., after breakfast, your private guide and transport will pick you up at your hotel and take you to explore Tikal, one of the largest and most magnificent Mayan archeological cities in existence, which in its heyday (c. 700 AD,) was the capital of a vast Mayan empire. Your expert guide will share many insights on this Mayan city and provide a feel for the mysteries of this ancient culture. Have lunch in the midst of Mayan ruins and breathtaking flora and fauna; return in the late afternoon and spend the evening relaxing lake side, or opt for a visit & possibly dinner in the lovely town of Flores, the capital of the Petén region.

TIKAL TOUR: Your private guide and driver will pick you up at 9:00 a.m. from your hotel lobby in Petén, for private Tikal Tour
*Includes guide, lunch (without beverages), entrance fees and transportation

Day 12: Peten – San Pedro (Belize)

Be picked up at 10:00 a.m., for private ground transport to Belize City airport for your Tropic Air flight #80 departing at 2:40 p.m.,to beautiful Ambergris Caye on Belize’s Caribbean Coast where you will continue to trip Central America. From the airstrip a short boat transfer will take you to your 5 star resort, where you can spend the afternoon baking in the sun, swimming, snorkeling, visiting the small town of San Pedro, relaxing with a cocktail at one of the beach front bars, etc…

•Please note: Flying from Flores to Belize City is also an option.

GROUND TRANSPORT: 10:00 a.m. departure from hotel for transfer to Belize City airport (~ 3.5 hr drive.)

AIR TRANSPORT: Tropic Air Flight 80 leaves from Belize City International to San Pedro at 2:40 p.m. with arrival at 2:55 p.m. (Return Ticket)

GROUND TRANSPORT: Be picked up at San Pedro airport by hotel transportation for transfer to hotel – Please look for driver with “Portofino” sign upon arrival in San Pedro

LODGING: 3 nights –- Beach Cabana Portofino Beach Resort
*Includes continental breakfast.

Day 13: San Pedro (Free Day)

Sandy white beach and dock Portofino Resort

Spend a fabulous day enjoying the many tours & activities offered directly at the hotel. Pristine and unspoiled beaches, islands and reefs await. Swim, dive, snorkel, fish, kayak, windsurf… the brilliant turquoise waters of the Belize. Or of course you may also choose to simply relax by the beachfront pool, swing in a hammock under the tall swaying palms and let the attentive staff cater to your needs!

Day 14: San Pedro (Free Day)

Beautiful tropical shore with pier for boats on the island of Caye Caulker on the Barrier Reef in the Caribbean Sea

Another free day to enjoy the many tours & activities offered by the hotel or by the many dive shops and or operations in the area. You could also opt to take a water taxi to visit charming Caye Caulker which is always a fun way to trip Central America or even play 18 holes at the very exclusive resort of Caye Chapel.

Day 15: San Pedro – Belize City the end of this wonderful Central America tour

Enjoy your last morning of caribbean sun and fun, before catching your flight back to Belize City at (time TBC) for your connecting flight home.

GROUND TRANSPORT: Be taken to the San Pedro airport by the hotel transporters. Please confirm time at the reception.

AIR TRANSPORT: Tropic Air flight at (time TBC) from San Pedro to Belize City International