ITINERARY

April 17 : Arrival Guatemala City & Transfer to Antigua
We arrive in Guatemala City in the late afternoon and transfer to our hotel, Casa Santo Domingo, a former monastery that has been transformed into a luxurious hotel. It features 125 rooms that are all equipped with minibar, cable TV, and a safety box. The large and inviting pool area is integrated into the center of the hotel's spacious gardens. Our home for 3 nights, Casa Santo Domingo is the perfect spot from which to explore Antigua, as well as the museums and markets of the region. Tonight we will enjoy a welcome dinner in Antigua.
Overnight Casa Santo Domingo

April 18 : Antigua
Following breakfast at the hotel, our visit to Antigua will start with a walking tour of this magnificent colonial city. Once the capital of the whole of Central America, Antigua was the third most important Spanish settlement in all of the Americas. During many years of wealthy Spanish rule, palaces, churches, parks, fountains and the cathedral were built. Today, viewed and guarded as a national treasure, this beautifully restored and preserved colonial city looks much as it did 200 years ago. With its architecture, native culture and unique setting, Antigua, quite simply, is the most charming city in all the Americas.

Our tour will include the most significant sites in Antigua. We will also take a docent-led tour or Casa de Tejidos, which will include a private weaving demonstration. This museum displays the traditional and typical clothing of the Mayan people from all regions of Guatemala. It’s a great way to learn about the country’s textile and weaving specialties before heading to the markets. Lunch will be in a typical local restaurant in Antigua.

After lunch we will set off for a tour of the Azotea Coffee Farm, a plantation where coffee growing and roasting is a century-old tradition. We will also stop in a nearby, mountain-side village where local indigenous woodcarver artisans ply their craft.

Late this afternoon we return to Antigua. Dinner tonight is in our hotel.
Overnight Casa Santo Domingo

April 19 : Chichicastenango
This morning, following breakfast we board our motor coaches for the 2-hour drive to the rural village of Chichicastenango. Chichicastenango is famous for its large craft market on Sunday and Thursday. This is when craftsmen and villagers from all over the highlands converge on this small town to sell their wares. The market is a shopper's and photographer's paradise.

Sunday is a great day to visit, because in addition to the hugely colorful market, many village shamans will come from miles around to “Chichi", as the locals call it, to perform Mayan rituals on behalf of people in their community. There are many hillside Mayan altar sites where the rituals are performed and, yet more strangely, many are performed on altar slabs inside the Catholic Church. Chichi is one of the easiest places for travelers to experience the intriguing way that Mayan and Catholic faiths have merged in Guatemala. Lunch will be taken at a traditional local restaurant in Chici.

During our trip here, we will also visit the small mask factory and see a traditional dance display performed by the local children. In the afternoon, we will return to Antigua and our hotel. Dinner tonight is on your own in Antigua.
Overnight Casa Santo Domingo

April 20 : Antigua to Flores (TIKAL)
This morning, following breakfast we will be treated to a fashion show of the best local weavers at the Casa de los Tejidos Museum. Then you are free to wander the streets and shops of Antigua and take advantage of free time for last-minute shopping.

Lunch today is on your own, with numerous choices available along the cobblestone streets and paths of Antigua.

After lunch we will check out of our hotel and board our motor coach for the two-hour drive back to Guatemala City and the International Airport. In the early evening we board our TACA flight to Flores, gateway to Tikal and El Peten, the largest tropical forest in Central America.

El Peten is considered the heart of Mayan culture. Countless ruins still lie shrouded by dense forest overgrowth in the Peten, which contains over 800 species of trees, 57 species of reptiles, and 500 species of birds. Tapirs, peccaries and jaguars still roam the emerald forests, just as they did when the ancient Maya ruled the region.

Upon arrival we will check in to our hotel, The Camino Real Tikal, for the next 2 nights. Weather (and light) permitting, we will enjoy an evening stroll of the grounds. Dinner tonight is in our hotel.
Overnight Camino Real Tikal

April 21 : TIKAL
This morning following breakfast in the hotel, we set off on a short drive to Tikal, the crown jewel among the 13,000 square miles of forests and hidden architectural gems in Peten.

Tikal is a sprawling complex of more than 3,000 structures. The world-famous Mayan temple ruins rise majestically above the dense jungle canopy. Tikal was one of the major cultural and population centers of the Maya civilization. Though monumental architecture at the site dates to the 4th century BC, Tikal reached its height during the period from 200 AD to 850 AD, during which time the site dominated the Maya region politically, economically, and militarily.

Our guide will be with us in Tikal to explain the major sites, and lunch today is in the park. In mid-afternoon we return to our hotel. There are optional activities available in the afternoon, such as a canopy and zipline tour at the park's entrance. Or you can choose to relax and enjoy the surroundings of our hotel, including the inviting swimming pool.

Late this afternoon we will have a chance to return to the park and enjoy sunset from atop the temples. Tonight enjoy our farewell dinner in the hotel.
Overnight Camino Real Tikal

April 22 : TIKAL / GUATEMALA CITY / U.S.A
This morning we are up early and transfer to the Flores airport. We board the morning flight for Guatemala City, arriving at approximately 10 a.m. Our connecting flight to the U.S.A departs Guatemala City at 1 p.m., and we arrive in Houston by 5 p.m