Arrive at Belize City, transfer to hotel, evening free, overnight at Belize City.
Belize City to San Ignacio
Tour Belize City, which today remains the commercial capital of the country, In addition to other historic buildings, you will see the Supreme Court buildings flanked by cannons used in the Battle of St. George’s Cay in 1798.Then you’ll be driven 40 minutes up the Western Highway to Belize’s wonderful natural wildlife habitat, the Belize Zoo, which gives you the unique opportunity of viewing Belize’s prolific wildlife in one location. In the afternoon, we will be driven to San Ignacio for overnight.
Today, we will visit the Barton Creek, a remote underground water cave system, which the Maya once used for rituals and ceremonies. While canoeing with a local guide, we will see large and colorful formations, skeletal remains and artifacts left behind by the Maya centuries ago, archaeological excavations are ongoing. After exploring the cave, we visit the nearby Green Hills Butterfly Ranch where you will experience Belize’s biggest and best butterfly exhibit. later we return to San Ignacio for overnight.
After breakfast, we are on our way to Guatemala, in route, we will tour Xunantunich Maya site, we will cross the Mopan River on a hand cranked ferry and proceed up a steep incline to the site. The excavated temple, El Castillo, is one of the highest structures in all of Belize and boasts an awe-inspiring view, a reconstructed frieze, a number of stele, and a ball court, Later, we continue onto Flores in Guatemala arriving late afternoon. Evening free and overnight.
After breakfast,, our tour continues with 1 hour drive to 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. In the afternoon, drive to Rio Dulce, arriving before sunset.
Rio Dulce, onto Guatemala City
In the morning, enjoy a tour by small boat, we will navigate by the community of Rio Dulce into Lake Izabal and visit the Spanish colonial fort Castillo San Felipe. we continue into the Golfete amid the Chocon Machacas reserve, for wildlife observation, enjoy the green, lush jungle foliage, small islands full of birds and impressive tall gorges of grey rock walls, this amazing setting was used to film the original Tarzan movie. In the afternoon, drive back to Guatemala City. Evening at leisure.
After breakfast, drive to Antigua, here, 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.
Chchicastenango, onto San Salvador, 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. Then, drive to San Salvador, El Salvador arriving early evening.
Cerro Verde, Lake Coatepeque & Joya del Ceren
At 8:00 AM,we are on our way to Cerro Verde National Park, here, we will hike Volcan Santa Ana, the highest volcano in El Salvador. It is an active volcano with a 3 KM circumference crater and 400 mts deep. Get ready for 3:30 hours of beautiful trails in the evergreen forest mixed with volcanic rocks and pyroclastic material closer to the summit, observe the active crater and enjoy the view of the other volcanoes and the Pacific Ocean, probably the best view in the entire country. Lunch is included at a local restaurant as we contemplate impressive lake Coatepeque. Later, Joya de Ceren, declared a world heritage site 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; Return to the hotel late afternoon.
San Salvador, onto Copan, Honduras
Today, 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. Later, we our heading to the Maya ruins of Copan in Honduras, we drive 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, onto 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.
Manuel Antonio National Park
At 7:00 AM, drive to Manuel Antonio National Park on the pacific coast arriving around noon; Rest of the day is at leisure to explore on your own, admire the exuberant natural beauty, enjoy the beach or just relax.
Manuel Antonio to Boquete, Panama
Morning at leisure. Around noon, depart for Panama, enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way as we head towards the Paso Canoas border station, after clearing Customs and immigration, we continue to Boquete arriving before sunset. Evening free and overnight.
Boquete, Fly to Panama City
Morning at leisure in Boquete to take an optional tour or explore on your own. Mid-afternoon drive to David`s airport to catch your one hour domestic flight to Panama City (airline, time varies) On arrival, airport pick up and transfer to the hotel.
At 8:00 AM, we will enjoy a city tour, including, Panama Canal Miraflores locks, The Casco Antiguo district as well as those sites, streets and places of interest, travel back in time as you visit France Plaza, Las Bovedas, and the Flat Arch; next, we will head to Amador Causeway, a man made connection of three islands, a bustling tourist attraction, where you will have a breathtaking view of the city and have time to purchase from handicrafts to electronics in Duty Free stores; we will head to your hotel around noon, rest of the day at leisure, overnight at Panama City.
Charges river & Embera village
Travel to Madden Lake and board a motorized piragua (dugout canoe) to travel up the Chagres River to the Embera indigenous village of Embera Drua. The boat journey takes us through the rainforest of the 320,000-acre Chagres National Park and along the Chagres River, we may be able to spot Little Blue and Green Heron, Great Egret, Anhingas and kingfishers among otherspecies. At the Embera village we learn about Embera customs and their relationship with nature, and have the chance to be painted with the traditional jagua, a natural dye the Embera use to adorn their bodies. After a picnic lunch we visit the nearby waterfall where we can take a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the Chagres River before heading back to Panama City for overnight.
At 8:30am, we depart to Portobelo, founded in 1597 and declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1980. It is located on a bay and is considered the most important and rich fortification of the colonial times. The canons, showing the importance of this defensive structure, can still be seen at the fort. The church ‘San Felipe de Portobelo’ is home to the Black Christ, patron saint of the region. The museum holds the general information of the colonial time. Today Portobelo has more than 3.000 inhabitants descendent from Afro-Caribbean slaves, which allows the visitor to experience the colorful lifestyle and, in the summer, the conga music in the central square at the old customs house. After lunch we take a 45 min. ride into the city of Colón, founded in 1853, with its many preserved historic features of Afro-Antillean culture, and take a brief tour of the Washington Walkway and the Central Ave., which in the Guinness Book of Records is considered the longest park in Latin America. At 4:30pm we head to the train station of Colón, from where we travel for about 1 hour alongside the canal through the heart of ‘Soberania National Park’, arriving in Panama City late afternoon. Pick and transfer to the hotel.
At the appropriate time, transfer to the Panama City’s International airport.
