Guatemala is beautiful and wonderful. With ancient Mayan ruins, a great variety of birds, wildlife and friendly locals, Guatemala is a place you won’t forget! On this adventure trip we will retrace the steps of the Mayans. We also have some great adventures of our own!!

This 24 day trip starts with a day tour of Guatemala City before heading to Copan Ruinas, Honduras. After that, a week spent along the Rio Dulce and then we will head to Tikal, passing through Poptun for a bit of spelunking.

Highlights: 1) Walking through the jungles of Tikal amidst towering ruins, monkeys and birds. 2) Exploring and birding along the Rio Dulce. 3) Swimming and walking through beautiful caves.

Printable Bird List
(This is a list of the birds that we have seen on this trip)

Travel Dates:
2009: March 3 – 26

Group Size:
7 Travelers plus guides

Trip Length:
24 Days

Rates:
Rate per Person = $3,130
(based on double occupancy)
Rate for Single = $3,520

Rates are:
Inclusive: One one-way domestic flight, domestic transfers, lodging, breakfast, lunch, group tours, entrance fees & Access America Deluxe with trip cancelation travel insurance.

Exclusive: International airfare, customs & immigration fees and visas, dinner, alcohol, personal expenses such as souvenirs and expenses relating to personal choices during free time, tips for guides.

You should budget approximately $400 - $600 for meals not included in tour. If you prefer fine dining, you should budget more.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Guatemala City (fly day)
Arrival in Guatemala; we will try and coordinate our flights to arrive in Guatemala City together. Flights usually arrive in the evening, so we will head directly to the hotel.

Day 2: Guatemala City (culture day)
Today we will visit the historic plaza and former presidential palace as well as the modern downtown area of Guatemala City.

Day 3: Copan Ruinas, Honduras (travel day)
We will be taking a luxury bus to Copan Ruinas, Honduras. There we will spend the afternoon getting to know this quaint town.

Day 4: Copan Ruinas, Honduras (birding & culture day)
The Copan Ruins of Honduras are considered some of the most beautiful ruins left by the Mayans. The artwork here is impressive. The ruins area is great for spotting birds. The museum is amazing.

Day 5: Copan Ruinas, Honduras (birding & adventure day)
Just outside of town is the Macaw Mountain Bird Park. There are parrots and macaws here to interact with. The park is also a beautiful forested area along the river where wild birds can be seen. In the afternoon we will be back at the Copan Ruins in search of birds. There is a beautiful nature trail here.

Day 6: Copan Ruinas, Honduras (birding & adventure day)
Just south of town is a very exciting canopy tour with 14 platforms coming down from the top of the mountain. For those who prefer a little less excitement, we will be visiting Hacienda San Lucas, which has wonderful nature trails and views of the Copan river valley.

Day 7: Rio Dulce (travel day)
A Shuttle ride north, back into Guatemala, will take us to the Rio Dulce. We will be staying at the Tijax Lodge; great accommodations on the river and a very special place.

Day 8: Rio Dulce (birding & adventure day)
Today we will have a rainforest tour and then spend the afternoon exploring the trails and country roads around Tijax. This area is abundant with birds. Tijax Lodge also has a sailboat and in the evening if the winds are good, we can go for a sunset sail!

Day 9: Rio Dulce (birding & adventure day)
There is a beautiful stone lookout tower a top the hill with great views of the Rio Dulce. Just up river is Lago Isabel with an historic Spanish Fort along the shores. There are also beautiful hot springs and waterfalls to visit.

Day 10: Rio Dulce (leisure & shopping day)
Within walking distance, or a short water taxi ride, from the Tijax Lodge is the town of Rio Dulce. It is a small and bustling town. The lodge also has Kayaks and early morning monkey tours.

Day 11: Rio Tatin (travel & leisure day)
From the Tijax Lodge we will take a water taxi tour down the river to a tributary of the Rio Dulce called the Rio Tatin. We will be staying at a very tranquil spot call Finca Tatin. This wonderful spot is a great place to relax, swim, snooze in a hammock and look for birds. There is a cave here for some great exploring, as well as great walking trails.

Day 12: Rio Tatin (birding & adventure day)
Not far from the Rio Tatin is another tributary called the Rio Lampara. In this area there is a Manatee Reserve. Will be taking a day trip to explore this area and visit the Hotelito Perdido.

Day 13: Rio Tatin (culture & shopping day)
From the Finca Tatin, it is a short boat ride to where the Rio Dulce meets the Caribbean in the Bahia de Amatiqu. Today we will be taking a day trip to a Caribbean town call Livingston.

Day14: Poptun (travel day)
A 1 hour boat ride back up the Rio Dulce and a 2 hour bus ride will bring us to Finca Ixobel. Finca Ixobel is a working ranch, organic farm and bakery. The food here is a very special treat. .

Day 15: Poptun (birding & adventure day)
Finca Ixobel has beautiful grounds for watching birds. There are three very kool caves to explore. One cave is so large there is a river and waterfall in the cave and you have to swim through much of the cave!

Day 16: Poptun (birding & adventure day)
Finca Ixobel also has horses to ride and trails to hike.

Day 17: Tikal (travel & leisure day)
A 2 hour shuttle ride up the road is Tikal National Park. We will be staying the Hotel Tikal Inn.

Day 18: Tikal (birding & culture day)
We will spend the day touring the ruins, watching wildlife and birds. The monkeys at Tikal are fascinating to watch. There are both Howlers and Spider Monkeys here.

Day 19: Tikal (birding & culture day)
There is a lot to see at Tikal, so another day of exploring the Park. There is also a lot of great shopping at the entrance to the park.

Day 20: El Remate (travel & leisure day)
It is a short taxi ride to El Remate, which is a small town on Lake Peten. There is a bird sanctuary here as well as good swimming. We will be staying at Casa de le Don David.

Day 21: El Remate (birding & adventure day)
This morning you can choose to go on either a guided birding tour in Cerro Cahui Park or go on an exciting canopy tour.

Day 22: Flores (culture & shopping day)
A short taxi ride will bring us to Flores, which is a beautiful town located on a peninsula in Lake Peten. We will be staying at Hotel Casona de la Isla.

Day 23: Guatemala City (leisure & shopping day)
We have an early flight back to Guatemala City where we will have time to relax and reflect at our hotel before flying back home. There will also be time to visit the city zoo which has beautiful gardens and good opportunities to see some local birds.

Day 24: Fly Home (tears & smile day)
Flights usually leave in the morning, so getting to the airport and getting home is our only activity for the day.

Please note: The lodging described in this itinerary is always our first choice based on availability. If we must book with our second choice, the lodging type and style is comparable.

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