Arrive at Guatemala City, airport pick up and transfer to the hotel for overnight.
Very early morning, transfer to the airport to catch the domestic flight to Flores, departing at 6:00 AM and arriving at 7:00 AM, airport pick up, the tour continues with a one-hour drive until you reach Tikal, in its heyday 700 AD, Tikal was the capital of a vast Mayan empire. Today, the site is one of Guatemala’s premier tourist attractions. Its unspoiled jungle setting makes it a special destination for discerning travelers, particularly archaeology enthusiast, naturalists and bird watchers; we will tour the ceremonial plazas and see the pyramids that rise above the forest canopy. Mid-afternoon we will head back to Flores, then, transfer to the airport to catch your flight to Guatemala City, TAG113 departing at 6:30 PM arriving at 7:30 PM), upon arrival, transfer to your hotel, evening free, overnight at Guatemala City.
Guatemala City to Antigua
n the morning we will have a brief city tour of Guatemala including the historic district and the center of government, in the afternoon, we will drive to Antigua Guatemala, the city founded in the early 16th century. Built 1,500 meters above sea-level, in an earthquake-prone region, it was largely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773, but its main monuments are still preserved. Evening free, overnight at Antigua.
In the morning, we will explore this beautiful colonial town, nestled in a valley surrounded by the peaks of three towering volcanoes. Over time, Antigua Guatemala became the most important city in Central America, adorned with monasteries, churches and other monuments built in the Spanish Colonial architectural style; we will have a chance to see both the restored buildings as well as those left as ruins, among the intricate buildings and interesting museums to be visited on the tour are the ornate La Merced church, the ruins of the Capuchinas convent and the San Francisco Cathedral, In the afternoon; rest of the day free to explore on your own or just relax. Overnight at Antigua.
Today we are driving to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, known as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, here we will have a boat tour on Lake Atitlan and visit the communities along the shore like Santiago de Atitlan and San Juan Laguna, were we will find a Quiche Indian population that descend from the Mayas and walk around this colonial villages Evening at leisure and overnight at Panajachel.
Chichicastenango, to Sonsonate, El Salvador
At 7:00 AM, drive to Chichicastenango, where we will enjoy the Indian market day, reputedly the largest outdoor market in Central America, it attracts buyers and sellers from near and far every Thursday and Sunday. A great variety of handicraft and souvenirs are for sale here, from colorful Mayan fabrics and ceremonial masks to genuine leather goods, jewelry and accessories; Also, we will have a chance to observe the Maya/catholic rituals that take place at the Santo Tomas church. In the afternoon, you will be transferred to Sonsonate, El Salvador, arriving before sunset, here we will spend a couple of night to get some rest and gather our strength at an all-inclusive seaside resort.
Day at leisure at Sonsonate.
San Salvador, to Copan, Honduras
At 7:00 AM we drive to San Salvador, in route, visit to Joya de Ceren, declared world heritage by UNESCO in 1993 for being the only maya archaeological site where one can appreciate the day to day life style of the pre-Columbian inhabitants, due to the fact that all remains were well preserved, buried under the ashes of the volcanic eruption; then, we will explore the capital city of El Salvador, San Salvador, driving through the streets and avenues of residential and historical districts, we will first visit the David Guzman Museum of anthropology, we will pass Zona Rosa on our way to the Divino Salvador del Mundo monument at Plaza Las Americas, then, we will drive up to a viewpoint located in Planes de Renderos, allowing for a sweeping view of the city and surroundings. In the afternoon, we our heading to the Maya ruins of Copan in Honduras, we drive back into Guatemala briefly to enter Honduras via El Florido border station, arriving at Copan before sunset.
In the morning, we will have a guided tour of the main archaeological site located just one mile away from town, here we will see the hieroglyphic staircase, the ball court, the main ceremonial plaza and its famous high relief carved stelas among many other structures; We will also visit the Museum of Maya Sculpture and museum of archaeology. Evening free and overnight at Copan
No visit to Copan can be complete without a close encounter with the quarters of the royal families at “Las Sepulturas” site, we will end our Copan visit with a tour of the Macaw Mountain Bird park, afternoon drive to San Pedro Sula arriving around 6:00 PM. Evening free and overnight.
San Pedro Sula to Tegucigalpa
At 8:00 A.M. We are on our way to central Honduras, admiring the green and mountainous scenery while we head to the capital city Tegucigalpa, in route, we will visit the impressive Pulhapanzak waterfall, we will have lunch at beautiful Lake Yojoa and also visit colonial former capital city Comayagua, where we will see the oldest functioning clock in the Americas. We will arrive in Tegucigalpa late afternoon, evening free and overnight.
Tegucigalpa is not only the capital city of Honduras but further a colonial town of abundant history, we will enjoy a morning tour of both modern and colonial districts, the Basilica of Suyapa and a sweeping view of the metropolitan area at the foot of the giant figure of Christ located at Picacho hill. We will finish our tour visiting two charming old mining colonial towns, Santa Lucia and Valle de Angeles that are home to the local artisan’s school and many souvenir shops, midafternoon, drive south to the city of Choluteca, near the Nicaraguan border, for overnight.
Choluteca to Leon, Nicaragua
In the morning, we will enter Nicaraguan territory and shall arrive at the colonial city of Leon around noon, later, enjoy a city tour of Leon, explore the rich cultural and political history of one of Nicaragua’s oldest and most influential cities, much of its charm lies in the narrow colonial streets, museums, restaurants and cafes. In this guided walking tour, you will visit revolutionary murals, baroque and neoclassical churches including the Basilica de la Asuncion, surprisingly interesting Museum of Legends, arts and poetry and the Museum of Art Ortiz Gurdian, in addition, you will get to climb the rooftop of Central America’s largest cathedral and enjoy the amazing views over the city and surrounding Maribios Volcanic Chain. evening at leisure, overnight at Leon.
Early morning, depart for Granada, in route driving tour of the capital Managua and Masaya Volcano National Park, arriving at Granada at noon, in the afternoon enjoy a carriage / walking tour of Granada, Granada is considered to be one of the oldest colonial cities in the Western hemisphere. On this guided walking tour, you will explore the San Francisco Church and neighboring San Francisco Convent built in 1529. Now functioning as a museum, the Convent is home to an impressive collection of pre-Columbian art. Continue on to the beautiful Merced Church where you will have the opportunity to climb to the top of the bell tower and take in spectacular views over the city, Lake Nicaragua, and Mombacho volcano; evening free. Overnight at Granada.
Granada to Liberia, Costa Rica
Today we will enjoy a hiking tour of Mombacho volcano and Natural reserve, departing at 8:00 AM, we will reach the summit in about an hour, Mombacho is truly one of the most imposing attractions of the country. The Volcano Natural Reserve is covered by exuberant nature, typical of the tropical rain forest and a singular dwarf forest where you will admire the flora and fauna as well as the majestic crater at an altitude of 1,345 meters above sea level, then, we will enter to Costa Rican territory, ending our day at Liberia, the second largest city in the country, where we will spend the night.
After breakfast, we will drive to Monteverde natural reserve, here, we will take the sky tram / sky walk, spectacular combination of suspension bridges with easy and well maintained walking trails built in the Monteverde Cloud Forest and above the tropical forest canopy, enjoy the natural surroundings and relax. overnight at Monteverde.
We will drive to the town of La Fortuna in northern Costa Rica, near Arenal Vocano National Park, we will take an informative, beautiful walk, you’ll learn about the behemoth Arenal Volcano, the secondary and primary tropical forest surrounding it and the interesting wildlife of the area. Once we finish the walk, we’ll head to a view point to see more of this famous volcano (note that the volcano has not been very active in the last few months but you can hear the volcano and often see flumes of gases), we will also visit La Fortuna waterfall before returning to town, late afternoon we will relax at the hot springs, overnight at La Fortuna.
Today, we are on our way to San Jose, Costa Rica, we will have a chance to admire the beautiful scenery, arriving around noon, in the afternoon, we will take a city tour of San Jose, the tour immerses you in the rich Costa Rican culture and history by experiencing the beautiful museums and historical sites of San José. It begins with an orientation and drive through the beautiful Sabana Park. Next, visit the historic National Theater. Completed in 1897, the theater is a masterpiece in art and architecture. Afterwards we will visit one of the many unique museums of Costa Rica. We will continue heading to the University of Costa Rica, the Supreme Court and various sites of interest. A brief stop will be made in a beautiful art craft shopping store allowing you to browse through it before returning to your hotel, overnight at San Jose.
In the morning, we will take the Pan-American Highway South, to start ascending the large “Iztaru”. The winding road travels through fertile lands cultivated with all kinds of vegetables as we observe a lovely panoramic view. At the top of the Irazu volcano you can observe the main craters and on a clear day both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans can be seen. As we descend to the city of Cartago we will stop at the Virgin of the Angels Basilica which according to religious custom is a peregrination site for many believers. return to San Jose midafternoon for overnight.
At the appropriate time, transfer to the airport.
