The Best of Mexico & Guatemala

Tikal Teotihuacan Mexico City Zocalo Sumidero Canyon Zinacantan Atitlan Lake

Description

Programme

Day 1:
Mexico City
Arrival, meeting with our guide at the airport and transfer and accommodation in the hotel. Overnight.

Day 2:
Mexico City - Teotihuacan - Mexico City
Departure for the archaeological site of Teotihuacan, 50 km northeast of Mexico City. Teotihuacan is one of the most fascinating and important pre-Columbian cities from the Aztec culture. We will explore its temples, palaces and pyramids, such as the Quetzalpapalotl Palace complex, the Feathered Shell Temple, the Pyramid of the Moon and the immense Sun Pyramid, one of the largest in the world. After lunch in a restaurant, we will return to Mexico City, built on top of the remains of Tenochtitlan, the ancient capital of the Aztecs, to discover it together. After a short stop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of Mexico and Empress of America, the most visited sanctuary in the world, we will visit the Zocalo, the main square and one of the largest in the world. Around the square are the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Palacio Nacional, where Diego Rivera's murals tell the story of Mexico. Then continue to the famous Paseo de la Reforma avenue, built during the short reign by Emperor Maximilian to connect the main square to the castle in Chapultepec park. We will arrive at the National Museum of Anthropology which encompasses the pre-Columbian heritage not only of Mexico, but of all Mesoamerica in multiple rooms and is the perfect introduction for the rest of the trip. Return to the hotel in the evening.

Day 3:
Mexico City - Tuxtla Gutierrez - San Cristobal de las Casas
At the scheduled time, transfer to the airport and flight to Tuxtla Gutièrrez, capital of the state of Chiapas. Arrival and transfer to the Chiapa de Corzo to take the boat that will take us on the Grijalva river and that will make us discover the magnificent Sumidero Canyon, one kilometer deep and 14 km long, while monkeys, crocodiles and many other typical animals of the area are observed . Lunch in a restaurant and continuation to San Cristobal de Las Casas. Upon our arrival we will visit the town of San Cristobal on foot, passing from the cathedral to the market to finish with the 16th century church of Santo Domingo. Departure for the Chiapas mountains where the indigenous Tzotziles of San Juan Chamula and Zinacantan live. We will know how the contrasts between the pre-Columbian deities and the Catholic religion coexist side by side, in an environment of great mysticism. During the daylunch in a restaurant. Accommodation.

Day 4:
San Cristobal de las Casas - La Mesilla Border - Atitlan Lake
Pick up at the La Mesilla border and transfer to Lake Atitlan. Arrival and accommodation in the hotel. Overnight.

Day 5:
Atitlan Lake
Departure by boat to the village of Santiago Atitlán while admiring the three volcanoes that surround one of the 10 most beautiful lakes in the world. In Santiago we will visit the place of veneration of Santo Maximón, a clear example of the mixture of pagan rites with the Catholic religion. Lunch included. Visit to the villages of Santa Catarina Palopò, a very enchanting place, where you will visit the local market and its church, where you can admire the daily life with the coming and going of women who proudly wear colorful traditional clothes. Then continue to San Antonio Palopò, the nearby village, where many of the local families devote themselves to the development of ceramics. Return to the hotel. Overnight at the Hotel Villa Santa Catarina or similar.

Day 6:
Atitlan - Chichicastenango - Antigua Lake
Departure for the village of Chichicastenango, where every Thursday and Sunday the inhabitants of the region gather to buy and sell fruit, vegetables, flowers, seeds, fabrics and handicrafts, making it the most colorful and picturesque market in Guatemala. We will also visit the local church of Santo Tomás, a place where the Mayan-Quiché indigenous people celebrate their traditional rites. After lunch, continue to Antigua. Arrival and overnight.

Day 7:
Antigua
After breakfast we leave to visit this wonderful city. Walking in Antigua is like going back in time... stone streets, the bougainvillea falling from ruined walls, colorful walls with characteristic balconies, brick roofs, parks with fountains and a spectacular landscape at the foot of the three volcanoes: Water, Fire and Acatenango. These are some of the reasons that make Antigua one of the most beautiful colonial towns in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will start the tour with a visit to the village of San Antonio Aguas Calientes, surrounded by volcanoes and famous for its fabric works and crafts. Then we will visit the Cultural Center La Azotea where there is a finca of coffee, after trying one of the best Guatemalan coffees, we will walk through the historic center of Antigua, starting from the Central Park and visiting the main monuments. Lunch included. Accommodation.

Day 8:
City of Guatemala - Tikal - Flores
Early morning transfer to Guatemala City airport to take the connecting flight to Flores. Arrival and transfer to the Tikal National Park whose name means "Place of Voices", declared a UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site. The majestic Mayan city is considered one of the largest and most monumental of all the sites discovered in the Mayan world. Guided tour of the most important squares, monuments and temples, also admiring the tropical forest, habitat of hundreds of exotic birds and a wide variety of wild animals. Packed lunch included. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight.

Day 9:
Flores - Bethel - Palenque Frontier
At dawn transfer to the Bethel border where after the migration procedures we will continue towards Corozal where our Mexican guide will wait for us, we will cross the Usumacinta river, bordered by the Petén jungle and the Lacandona jungle. During the journey you can admire spider monkeys, tropical birds and crocodiles until you reach the archaeological site of Yaxchilán, an imposing Mayan city immersed in the thick vegetation of Chiapas. The site can only be reached by boat and has therefore been kept in excellent condition. Temple 33 stands out on all structures. After the visit and lunch included, departure for Palenque. Arrival and accommodation in the hotel. Overnight.

Day 10:
Palenque - Campeche
In the morning visit of the archaeological site of Palenque. The site, of great importance for the Maya between 600 and 800 AD, is composed of more than 500 buildings in 15 square kilometers of which only a few have been brought to light. The whole thing is even more fascinating from the toucans and howler monkeys living in the jungle. After lunch included, continuation to the city of Campeche where we will make a short visit to the historic center. We will visit the walls to defend it from pirate attacks during the seventeenth century; some of the ramparts are today very interesting museums. Arrival and accommodation.

Day 11:
Campeche - Uxmal - Merida
Departure from Campeche to the archaeological area of ​​Uxmal, a UNESCO cultural heritage. The characteristic of the Puuc; architectural style is that of having low and rectangular buildings with gardens in the center surrounded by columns with inscriptions dedicated mostly to Chaac, the god of rain. After lunch included, continue to Merida, the white city; and capital of Yucatan, where we will take a short panoramic tour to admire the Paseo de Montejo, the Monumento alla Patria, the main square with the Cathedral and the government buildings. Arrival and accommodation.

Day 12:
Merida - Chichen Itza - Riviera Maya
Departure from Merida to reach Chichen-Itza, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Chichen-Itza is one of the best preserved archaeological areas in the Mayan world. We will discover the Pyramid of Kukulkan, symbol of the city, the largest field of the pelota game in all of Mesoamerica, the sacred Cenote where the bodies of the sacrificed to the gods were thrown. In the early afternoon, after lunch in a restaurant, continuation to Cancun or the Riviera Maya and accommodation in the chosen hotel (not included). Possibility to extend with some relaxing days in Riviera Maya.

Le prix comprend

- Accommodation in hotels indicated or similar (4 stars)
- American breakfast in all hotels
- 10 lunches (turist menu)
- Transport in an air-conditioned van
- English speaking guide
- Entrance to the archaeological sites and museums mentioned in the program
- Domestic flight Mexico City - Tuxtla Gutierrez
- Domestic Flight Guatemala City - Flores
- Porterage

Le prix ne comprend pas

- Dinners and meals not indicated in the program
- Drinks and personal extras in hotels and restaurants
- Tips to drivers and guides