Arrive at San Pedro Sula, Honduras, airport pick up and transfer to the hotel. Evening free and overnight.
At 8:00 AM, we are on our way to Omoa, located on the Caribbean coast, just one hour away from the city, here, we will tour the old fortress of San Fernando, built by the Spanish during the seventeenth century, to defend themselves form British pirate attacks; then, we will have lunch at a sea side restaurant, time to enjoy the beach will be allowed. In the afternoon, we are headed to the Maya ruins of Copan, arriving before sunset. Evening at leisure.
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.
