Alive, magical, mystical and ancestral. Its history goes back to four thousand years, when the Mayan civilization emerged, whose legacy remains today with the traditions and culture of its people, Guatemala is a country of extraordinary cultural and natural richness and with a privileged geographical location. The distances from place to place are short, allowing you to visit several regions in the same trip. It is a unique country, of adventure, unforgettable, between its past and present, in addition to the diversity of activities that it offers to the visitor
Day 01 Arrive Antigua By Flight
Arrival at the Antigua airport meet, assist and transfer to hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 02 Antigua
After breakfast , proceed to DLG Fairly Traded Coffee Tour Hosted/Half Day/Minibus Free afternoon in Antigua. DLG Fairly Traded Coffee Tour Hosted/Half Day/Minibus. You will be met by your bilingual host driver for a short transfer to the small town of San Miguel Escobar, just outside of Antigua. In town we will be met by a local guide from De La Gente DLG. DLG is a charity working to support small independent coffee producers and promotes environmentally responsible agriculture in Guatemala. This tour takes you to visit some of the families supported by this organisation where you can work side-by-side with small coffee farmers in their daily coffee processing, pick, pulp, ferment, wash, dry, trilla, sort, and grade the coffee depending on the season, roast coffee over an open fire and grind by hand on a grindstone before sampling their handiwork. Coffee Season is Nov to Mar. This tour includes a donation to DLG which the Viaventure Foundation also supports on an annual basis. Overnight at hotel.
Day 03 Antigua – Lake Atitlan By Road 89 kms / 2H 30M appx.
After breakfast, proceed to Comalapa Market, Iximche Site & Transfer to Lake Atitlan Private/Full Day/Minibus. Comalapa and Iximche. Comalapa Market, Iximche Site & Transfer to Lake Atitlan Private/Full Day/Minibus. Guests will be met at their hotel by their private guide & driver for their 1hr transfer to the town of Comalapa. On arrival to the town guests can see the famous painted mural that the school children of the town painted depicting mayor events in Guatemala’s history up to the signing of the peace accords in 1996. From here you will visit some local painters who continue the tradition of naïve paintings that the town is so famous for. Finally guests can visit the wonderful authentic market of Comalapa to see the local people go about their daily life buying produce and goods for the rest of the week still dressed in the traditional textiles of the area. Guests can also visit the small museum dedicated to the composer who wrote Guatemala’s national anthem who came from Comalapa. Guests will enjoy a local lunch before heading off to explore the Mayan ruins of Iximiche. After exploring the site clients will transfer to Lake Atitlan and their hotel. Lake Atitlan – Surrounded by rugged hills, a trio of towering volcanoes, and a handful of small villages, it’s easy to wax poetic about Lake Atitlán. Located in the Guatemalan highlands, the lake was formed more than 80,000 years ago during a violent volcanic eruption. Tz’utujil and Kaqchiquel Mayas have plied its shores for centuries and continue to do so today, wearing vibrant traditional clothing and practicing age-old Maya customs, particularly in towns like Santiago Atitlán and Santa Catarina Palopó. Panajachel is the lake’s main hub. From here, boats depart regularly for destinations like San Juan La Laguna, which is known for its hand-woven, naturally dyed textiles, and San Pedro, where intrepid visitors can summit a 3,020-meter 9,908-foot volcano. The area also offers great opportunities to kayak, bike, and zip-line. Overnight at hotel.
Day 04 Lake Atitlan – Santiago By Boat
After breakfast, San Juan & Santiago Full Day Lake Tour Private/Full Day/Boat. Atitlan Villages Guatemala. San Juan & Santiago Full Day Lake Tour Private/Full Day/Boat. Guests are picked up from their hotel & transfer to San Juan La Laguna Village where they visit a local textile cooperative to see the back strap loom in use and to see how they still dye with natural dyes. Guests also visit the home and workshop of local naïf painters before boarding the boat onto Santiago Village for lunch. After lunch guests will walk with their guide to find the house where the Maya God Maximon is living. Each year a different “brotherhood” has the privilege of taking care of their God so his location changes. Once with Maximon you may see local shaman performing rituals for local people. After visiting Maximon guests can visit the local church and learn about the history of this very traditional town and also see the market and learn about the distinctive textiles and primitive art that is famous from this area. When guests are ready they will be transferred back to their hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 05 Santiago-Guatemala (164 kms/4H appx.)/Guatemala-Flores By Flight
After breakfast, proceed to visit Chichicastenango Market. Later transfer to Guatemala city airport scheduled domestic flight to Flores. Arrive and transfer to hotel. Chichi Market & Trf to Antigua. Chichicastenango Market & Transfer to Guatemala City Airport Private/Half Day/Minibus. Guests are met at their hotel by their private driver & guide for the 1hr transfer out to the highland town of Chichicastenango. Along the way guests will pass through the central highland region and see the local Maya people in their traditional dress going about their daily lives – working in the fields, collecting firewood, travelling between markets, selling their wares. Upon arrival at Chichicastenango your guide will take you to explore this famous market both the local areas of the fruit & vegetables & everyday items as well as the craft area where you can find endless variety of beautiful textile, wooden & ceramic crafts. Guests can also visit the famous St Tomas Church where local Maya people come to perform Maya rituals within the Catholic church – demonstrating the interesting way the two faiths have combined in recent times. If guests want to they can also hike up the hill to the Pascual Abaj ritual site to see if any local shaman are performing rituals and/or to the cemetery on the outskirts of town. Lunch is provided. When guests are ready they will be driven to Guatemala City. Flores – Although it covers nearly one-third of the country, El Petén is Guatemala’s most sparsely populated department. Here, parrots and monkeys far outnumber people, and the crumbling ruins of the ancient Mayas stand in for modern cities. A large tract of El Petén belongs to the Maya Biosphere Reserve, a wildlife haven that stretches from Belize through Guatemala to Mexico. The Tikal archaeological site is the department’s biggest draw, though it’s certainly not the only spot for ruins. Archaeology buffs will also enjoy Yaxhá, Ceibal, Aguateca, and Uaxactún you can camp at the latter. El Petén’s main towns include Flores and El Remate; both provide easy access to Tikal and the Mundo Maya International Airport. Visitors to El Petén should note that although the department is remote, it does have a handful of top-notch hotels and eco-lodges. Overnight at hotel.
Day 06 Flores
After breakfast, at free morning, later Yaxha Sunset tour. Yaxha Sunset Tour Private/Half Day/Minibus – Guests are transferred to Yaxha National Park where they can enjoy a private guided tour of this lesser visited, Mayan ceremonial site. Set atop a hill overlooking two scenic lakes this is a particularly picturesque site. Temple 216 in the East Acropolis towers above the site and provides magnificent panoramic views of the surrounding landscape. At sunset guests will enjoy sunset snacks and wine at the shore of Lake Yaxha and cruise the lagoon in a small vessel before returning to their hotel. Overnight at hotel.
Day 07 Flores – Tikal (65 kms / 1H appx.)/Tikal – Guatemala By Flight
After breakfast, Tikal tour later scheduled domestic flight to Guatemala city airport. Arrive Guatemala, transfer to hotel. Tikal tour with restaurant lunch Private/Full Day/Minibus – Going Out of Bahia TaitzaGuests are picked up from their hotel at 7am. Pick up time can be changed – earliest is 5:30am. They transfer with their driver and guide to Tikal National Park where they can enjoy a private guided tour of this fabulous site with huge temples rising up through the jungle canopy and a variety of tropical animals and birds on show. Guests can enjoy the sights and sounds of the howler and spider monkeys as well as many colorful tropical birds and other mammals. Lunch is provided at Restaurante El Meson or for an extra supplement we can arrange a luxury picnic lunch inside the Tikal Site itself. Guests can then explore the museum before returning to their hotel. If guests wish to return to the site they can do so unguided and the driver will return them to their hotel when they are ready.
Day 08 Depart Guatemala By Flight
Departure transfer to onwards destination.
| City | Nights | 5* Hotels |
| Antigua | 02 | Soleil La Antigua |
| Lake Atitlan | 02 | Porta Hotel del Lago |
| Guatemala | 03 | Barcelo Guatemala City |
- Meet assist at the airport and hotels.
- 06 nights accommodation as per the program.
- Meals – Breakfast & Dinner.
- Entrance fees.
- Indigenous Village Boat Tour Lake Atitlan
- Volcano Pacaya Hike
- Local English / French / German / Italian / Spanish / Chiense / Russian speaking guide.
- Visit Casa del Mundo by boat
- Tikal visit National Park
- Tour of Mayan city of Tikal
- All transfers, sightseeing, excursions.
- Boat for Panajacheel – Lake Atitlan, Lake Atitlan – Atitlan, Atitlan – Lake Atitlan and Lake Atitlan – Panajachel
- Air Ticket for Guatemala – Flores and Flores – Guatemala.
- All taxes.
Branding
– Logo branding on Vehicles.
– Color and logo branding Merchandise.
– Departure gifts with company’s branding.
- Personal Expenses.
- Camera / Video Camera Fees.
- Medical Aid.
- Tips.
- Travel Insurance.
- Visa (If any).
– Accommodation in good hotels.
– Check-in / out time is 12 noon at most of the hotels.
– Extension to other places is also possible with a minimal extra cost.
– Additional nights are available at each place with minimal supplement.
– A visa is required and must be obtained prior to your departure from your Country.
– If quoted hotel is not available, we will provide one of a similar category and standard.
– Small deviations in the tour program are sometimes necessary, depending on weather, road conditions, flight schedules and room availability.
– In case the government changes presently applicable taxes, increase in airlines prices, fuel surcharge our rates will need to be adjusted accordingly.
– In Asia, there is no relevance between the distance and time of travelling, as it depends upon the condition of the roads and congestion of the traffic.
– While every effort will be made to maintain the itinerary, in view of local strikes etc that are beyond our control all schedule and itineraries are subject to last moment changes.
– Clients must be fully insured, as the company cannot accept liability for loss or damage to client’s property, medical emergencies or any other loss suffered by them whilst on tour.
– In Case of issuing Domestic or International air tickets, SGV is not responsible for any refund if the flight is delayed or cancelled, as it is the responsibility of airline.