Itinerary

Day 1: El Tunco

Begin this journey through El Salvador and Guatemala with a transfer from the international airport in San Salvador to your accommodation in the laid back village of El Tunco (approximately 1 hour). Your arrival transfer must be pre-booked. Please ensure you provide your arrival flight details at least 15 days before the start of the trip.

There will be a welcome meeting at 6pm this evening. Please look for a note in the hotel lobby or ask reception where it will take place. We’ll be collecting your insurance details and next of kin information at this meeting, so please have these on hand.

If you can’t arrange a flight that will arrive in time, you may wish to arrive a day early so you’re able to attend. We’ll be happy to book additional accommodation for you (subject to availability).

While El Tunco remains relatively unknown to international travellers, it’s a preferred holiday destination for Salvadorians (particularly on weekends), and has gathered quite a reputation in the surfer circles for its waves and beaches. Unless you want to spend some time surfing, fishing or just relaxing at the beach, we recommend not to spend extra time at this location.

Accommodation
Hotel Boca Olas or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Complimentary Airport Arrival Transfer

Meals Included
There are no meals included on this day.

Day 2: Ruta de los Flores / Suchitoto

You will depart at approximately 8am and drive for 2 hours along a section of the famous Ruta de las Flores (Flower’s route). Ruta de las Flores is one of the country’s foremost attractions. Named for the wildflowers that grow along it, the route is scattered with quaint, artsy, brightly-coloured colonial towns, idyllic coffee farms and other natural wonders. You will arrive to Juayua in time for lunch (not included)  – choose from the many Sunday food stalls that offer some of the country’s finest produce.

After lunch and a further 2hr drive you’ll visit Joya de Ceren Museum, a UNESCO world heritage site that features pre-Columbian Maya farming village preserved remarkably well under layers of volcanic ash.

A final 2hr drive brings you to Suchitoto. Not much happens in this delightful lakeside town of pastel-painted houses and cobbled streets – which is precisely its charm. This really is a place suited to just pulling up a stool at a pupusa stand and watching life meander by.

Accommodation
Hotel El Tejado or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Suchitoto – Ruta de las flores (flower’s route)
Suchitoto – Museum Joya de Ceren visit

Meals Included
Breakfast
Day 3: Suchitoto

With its shaded plazas and lack of traffic, Suchitoto serves as a reminder of El Salvador’s past. The town overlooks the Embalse Cerron Grande (also known as Lago Suchitlan), which is a haven for migrating birds – particularly falcons and hawks. In the morning you will take a half day boat tour of the lake, sailing out to some of its islands in search for the avian life that thrives here.

In the afternoon, learn more about local history on a guided walking tour of the city. During the civil war, Suchitoto became virtually a ghost town, the battles at nearby Guazapa compelling most of its inhabitants to flee for safety. Grim times that they were, this abandonment actually helped to preserve the city’s colonial architecture that you’ll be admiring today.

Later in the evening you will learn about the traditional art of indigo dyeing. Indigo supported the city’s economic and population growth up until the 19th century when synthetic dyes collapsed in the local market. However the art of indigo dyeing is still well alive in Suchitoto. You will meet Irma Guadron, a recognised local indigo artist for a demonstration of this art.

While the demonstration takes place, you will also be subjected to a culinary experience like no other! Try an endless variety of local specialties including vegetable stuffed corn dough pastries, loroco flowers, cheese pastries, pork chicharron, fried kassava and the list goes on and on and on…

Accommodation
Hotel El Tejado or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Suchitoto – Lake Suchitlan Boat trip
Suchitoto -Town tour
Suchitoto – Salvadorean culinary experience

Meals Included
Breakfast
Dinner

Day 4: Copan

Leaving El Salvador, travel across the border into Honduras (approximately 6hrs). Immigration procedures typically run quite smoothly here, but your trip leader will be on hand to guide you through the process. Your destination is the town of Copan Ruinas, which lies not far from the Guatemalan border.

Copan is a major gateway for tourists visiting the Pre-Columbian ruins of Copan, which was once one of the great centres of Maya civilisation. Today it’s a charming town set amid lush, hilly surrounds. On arrival, perhaps take a stroll through the town’s cobbled streets, colourful houses and quaint central plaza.

Finish a long travel day at the soothing and relaxing waters of Copan natural hot springs – located just an hour drive away from town.

Accommodation
Hotel Marina Copan or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Copan – Natural Hot Springs & Dinner

Meals Included
Breakfast
Dinner

Special Information
Border crossing entry/exit fees:
At today’s border crossing you will need to pay Q10 at the Guatemalan border and US$3 at the Honduras one. Try to carry small denomination bills to pay these fees.

Hot springs:
Dinner will be served at the hot springs tonight so make sure you bring bathing suites, towel, flash-light and a set of dry clothes to this activity. Dinner consists of meat or vegetarian brochettes joined by rice, salads and of course tortillas and beans. Soft drinks are served with dinner.

Day 5: Copan

Today at 8am you’ll be taken on a guided half day tour of the ancient ruins of Copan, the southernmost of Central America’s great Maya sites. This particular region, which acquired World Heritage-listing in 1980, is full of impressive pre-Colombian art. Its major differentiator from other Maya sites is its 21 stelae (columns), which are intricately carved with reliefs and hieroglyphics depicting the passage of time and lives of the royal families. Spread around the site are also a number of small pyramid-shaped temples and excavated vaults. Walking through the grassy plazas, past the site’s magnificent monuments, statues and staircases, you’ll feel the gaze of huge carved faces peering down on you from ancient walls. It’s hard not to wonder at the mysterious disappearance of such a creative civilization.

Enjoy a free afternoon to relax at your hotel. Or perhaps visit the Macaw Mountain Bird Park, located 2.5km outside Copan. This private reserve is aimed at preserving Central American macaws. Following our responsible travel convictions we largely recommend against visiting projects hosting caged wildlife. However, most birds in this park are confiscated from smugglers or donated by locals unable to care for them and are kept in very humane conditions.

Accommodation
Hotel Marina Copan or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Copan – Museum visit

Optional Activities
Copan – Macaw Mountain Bird Park entrance fee – HNL220

Meals Included
Breakfast

Day 6: Livingston

From Honduras, cross the border into Guatemala and drive north to Puerto Barrios (approximately 5 hours). Your destination is Livingston, a fascinating Garifuna town perched on the Caribbean coast. No roads reach here, so you’ll take a 30min boat ride across Amatique Bay. This port town is an interesting mix of Guatemalan and Caribbean influences, a relaxed place that feels more reminiscent of Jamaica than it does the rest of Guatemala. Expect to arrive to Livingston at around 4pm.

Explore Livingston’s ramshackle town of colourful wooden houses built on stilts, browse its shops for handicrafts, slurp up a bowl of tapado (a seafood soup that’s the local delicacy) or sip on a Coco Loco (coconut water and rum) to the mellow beats of reggae drifting by.

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Caribe or similar (1 night)

Meals Included
Breakfast
Day 7: Livingston

This morning you’ll take a cruise through the spectacular, thickly-forested gorges of Rio Dulce, many of which are more than 100 metres high and overflowing with birdlife. The Spaniards built forts along this stretch of river; you’ll likely spot locals sitting in their shadow and casting fishing nets into the water. If you’re lucky, you might also even spot a manatee or crocodile during the journey. Lunch will be included while on this boat tour and you will be back in town by 3pm.

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Caribe or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Livingston – Rio Dulce boat tour

Meals Included
Breakfast
Lunch

Day 8: Flores

Travel by boat from Livingston back to Puerto Barrios and continue on to Flores, your base for exploring the ruins of Tikal (approximately 5 hours).

Though officially founded by the Spanish in 1700, Flores had in fact existed in various forms long before. As an island, it has long remained isolated, with locals relying on the subsistence farming of corn and beans, and the gathering of chicle from nearby trees for the production of gum. Many of the locals here still get about in the traditional way of dugout canoe.

After settling in, you will visit Yaxha, an archaeological site scenically situated on the shores of Yaxha Lagoon in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Surrounded by dense jungle, Yaxha is home to more than 500 buildings, including the impressive Twin Pyramids. Perhaps climb temple 216 for views across the lagoons, forest and other temples.

Afterwards, let your tour leader treat you to a memorable sunset. Sit back at a picture perfect spot by the lake and farewell that same sun the Mayas worshiped hundreds of years ago. Pop open a wine or two and cheer to another wonderful day in Central America.

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Maya or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Flores – Yaxha tour & sunset drinks

Meals Included
Breakfast

Day 9: Tikal/Flores

Today you’ll start early (about 7am) to take a leader led tour of Tikal. Home to some of the world’s most magnificent Maya ruins, Tikal’s five major temples rise above the jungle canopy while an array of smaller structures remain hidden in the undergrowth. More than 3,000 structures make up the site, which, before being abandoned a millennia ago, once housed over 100,000 people. You’ll explore the highlights of the area, including Temple I, which is perhaps the iconic image of Guatemala. This area is a repository of Maya wisdom, containing traditional insights into medicine, astrology, agronomy and architecture.

The jungles thrum with life, with toucans and macaws swooping between trees and monkeys crashing through the canopy. For those interested, climbing to the top of the ruins offers unsurpassed vistas over the forest.

You will return to Flores early in the afternoon (approximately 2pm) and enjoy free time to stroll the cobblestone streets, shop for locally-made souvenirs or enjoy a dip in Lake Peten Itza.

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Maya or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Flores – Tour of Tikal archaeological site

Meals Included
Breakfast

Day 10: Lake Atitlan

Today is a long travel day. Leave your hotel by 6am for a morning flight to Guatemala City (approximately 1 hour). Upon arrival, drive west along the Interamerican highway to Lake Atitlán (approximately 4 hours).

Encircled by emerald mountains and misty volcanoes, Lake Atitlán has often been ranked one of the world’s most beautiful lakes.

In arriving here you’ll be transferred by boat to our night’s accommodation, a hotel that boasts spectacular views across Atitlan’s reflective waters and surrounding peaks.

Accommodation
Hotel Atitlan or similar (1 night)

Meals Included
Breakfast

Day 11: Lake Atitlan

Spend the day exploring Lake Atitlán and its picturesque surrounds. Life in many of the villages around the lake has changed very little over the past few centuries. In some you’ll see locals still getting around in traditional garb that incorporate designs passed down through generations and the atmosphere is peaceful and unpretentious.

Cruising around the lake by boat, stop in at local villages – San Juan La Laguna included – and visit local artist workshops.

Meet local artists Antonio and Angelina Coche and learn from them about your Maya “Nahual”, a local equivalent of the zodiac that assigns animal spirits based on birth date. You might even want to try painting your own symbol.

Accommodation
Hotel Atitlan or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Lake Atitlan – Naif painting workshop
Lake Atitlan – San Juan Village tour

Meals Included
Breakfast
Day 12: Lake Atitlan

Today you’ll visit Santiago Atitlán, a peaceful town located on the southern shores of the lake between the volcanoes Tolimán and San Pedro. This is the largest town on the lake, but, more importantly, home of the Maya god, Maximon. As a town with a strong indigenous identity, Santiago Atitlán hosts a Holy Week each year in sees Maximon’s effigy moved from one house to another. While in Santiago Atitlán you’ll visit a local church to learn about the local customs and history of this traditional town, also stopping in at a local market to watch the day’s business being carried out. You will arrive back to your hotel at approximately 3pm.

Accommodation
Hotel Atitlan or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Lake Atitlan – Santiago Village tour

Meals Included
Breakfast
Day 13: Chichicastenango / Antigua

Start the day travelling by private minibus to the famous market in Chichicastenango (approximately 1.5 hours). Locally known as ‘Chichi’, this sedate mountain town transforms each Thursday and Sunday into the country’s most colourful market with rural-living Guatemalans arriving en masse to sell their wares and produce. If you’re in the market for brightly-coloured textiles and handicrafts, this is the place to be.

After some time in Chichi, continue to your final destination, Antigua (approximately 2.5 hours). At one time the most important city in all Central America, Antigua was decimated by an earthquake in 1773, though many of its colonial buildings have since been carefully restored. Today, its cobbled streets, lovely architecture, cosy bars and ubiquitous marimba music makes Antigua a favourite for many travellers to Guatemala.

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Colonial or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Lake Atitlan region – Chichicastenango market visit

Meals Included
Breakfast
Day 14: Antigua

As you’ll today come to appreciate, Guatemala’s volcanic soils and altitudinous valleys offer just the right conditions for coffee cultivation. In visiting a local farming cooperative, you’ll get to know this all-important export better during a plantation tour led by a local farmer. Dig into the history of the plant with a hands-on coffee culture experience, then learn all about the crop-to-cup process back at the farmer’s house where you’ll see how the bright red berries are processed, dried, roasted and ground by hand into the perfect blend. This is your chance to try coffee straight from the source! You’ll start this tour at approximately 9am and be back in town my midday.

How you spend the rest of your time in Antigua is up to you. Due to its historical relics, pleasant ambience and friendly locals, the town is a popular one among travellers. There are a number of interesting markets to peruse, plus no shortage of restaurants and cafes to check out – be sure to sample the country’s other important bean: chocolate! If you’re feeling adventurous, perhaps finish off this journey to the tune of some salsa at one of the local dance spots.

Accommodation
Hotel Villa Colonial or similar (1 night)

Included Activities
Antigua – Coffee tour

Meals Included
Breakfast

Day 15: Antigua

This trip through El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala comes to an end today after breakfast. There are no activities planned and you are free to leave at any time.

Meals Included
Breakfast