Guatemala: Suggested Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive in Flores and transfer to your hotel after a long flight.

Day 2: A trip to the spectacular Tikal Mayan Site. Visit Tikal National Park, the Petén's most famous attraction. Within the 16 square kilometers that contain the ruins of this ancient Maya city, more than 3,000 structures have been discovered, including temples, palaces, ballcourts and a sauna. Visitors to Tikal stroll along trails through protected jungle from one building complex to another. Toucans, monkeys, coatis, Oscillated Turkeys, trogons, motmots and many other tropical animals are commonly sighted along the trails. In the afternoon, transfer to Flores Airport for flight back to Guatemala City. Transfer to the hotel and overnight.

Day 3: Travel overland to Lake Atitlan via Chichicastenango famous for its huge open air market and the 400 year old church of Santo Tomas. This is one of the most colourful events in Guatemala as this little town is the hub of the Maya-Quiche highlands and where you will see the magnificently woven costumes of the local indigenous Indian population.

Day 4: Lake Atitlan is 1500m above sea level and is surrounded by volcanoes. The light and the beauty of the surrounding mountains mean that the colour of the lake varies from lapis lazuli to emerald and azure. The villages around the lake are all named after the 12 apostles. Santiago is a boat ride away across the lake and is one of the prettiest and most traditional villages along the lakeshore.

Day 5: Morning walking tour of the city, Antigua Guatemala, founded in 1543. For the first century or more of its existence the city did not live up to the pretentious official title, but it ultimately grew into the most important city in Central America, filled with monumental buildings of ornate Spanish colonial architecture. By 1773, in addition to the cathedral and government palace the city could boast of over 30 churches, 18 convents and monasteries, 15 hermitages and 10 chapels. According to many authors, Antigua Guatemala in its heyday, with a population of perhaps 60,000, was surpassed in the New World only by Mexico City and Lima.

Day 6: Transfer back to Guatemala International for your flight home.