Explore Guatemala

Guatemala, known as “the land of eternal spring” because of its year-round temperate climate, is a nation rich in history. Most archaeologists agree that the ancient Guatemala was the cultural center of the New World and that the famed Maya civilization originated there. The beautiful lakes, towering volcanoes, rugged mountains, deep gorges and exotic flora and fauna all make Guatemala an exceptional place for a fantastic, yet inexpensive, vacation. It is the people and the culture however, that make Guatemala magical.

Guatemala is a natural paradise, with its majestically towering mountains and volcanoes, its cloud covered forests tropical jungles and highland lakes. Whether your interest is archeology, bird watching, deep-sea fishing, mountain and volcano climbing or a quite visit with nature, Guatemala has it all.

We know Guatemala... There is no substitute for visiting regularly and traveling the country extensively. We understand local customs and business practices. We eat in the restaurants, stay at the hotels and ride the transportation; personally experiencing every aspect of our tours. We know the hidden treasures as well as the little things only locals know. Our experience, our relationships and our knowledge of the country allows us to provide a worry-free, life enriching travel adventure.

The Guatemala Highland Cultural Tour - 7 Day s and 6 Nights
$1280 plus airfare

Little has changed since the Maya first settled the shores of Lake Atitlán in the highlands of Guatemala. You will feel suspended in time as you awake to the peaceful beauty of watch a Maya fisherman in his dug-out cayuco patiently plying his trade as he has done for centuries.

The multitude of colors, dramatic landscape and deeply entrenched Maya culture of the western highlands creates a vivid, overwhelming sensation for visitors. Each individual populace wears colorful, identifying dress, an age old art of intricate weaving and embroidery-one piece often requiring months to complete. The markets will excite your sense with a kaleidoscope of color. Here you will find textiles famed throughout the world for their excellent quality as well as woodcarving, pottery and other crafts.

Designed with a restricted schedule in mind, this tour is ideal for those who want to see a lot in one week. The price is a bargain but the excursions, the hotels and food is four and five star all the way. You will experience the magic of the Guatemala Highlands and the architecture of the Spanish Colonial period. The color, culture and bargains of the markets is reason alone to make this trip.

Day 1
Flights from your hometown will take you to Guatemala City where you will easily pass through Customs, claim your baggage be met at the terminal exit by the Explore Guatemala representative. You will transfer to the Hotel Camino Real for the evening.

Day 2
After breakfast, visit Ixchel Museum (Guatemala’s Textile Museum) and then on to the world renowned Spanish Colonial Antigua. Arriving at the Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, prepare to lose your breath and your heart to the most romantic, most transporting, most unexpected, most Antiguan of the hotel of the “old Capitol”. It is a colonial monument intact, a fifteenth-century monastery re-invigorated as a premier luxury hotel.

Day 3
Begin your day with a walking tour of Antigua. Its buildings and streets have changed little over the last 300 years. Wandering through the town, we will encounter the remnants of convents, monasteries and elaborately sculptured churches built between the mid-1500’s and the mid-1700’s. Craft stores, street vendors and quite courtyards with ornate gardens and the sights and sounds of colonial Spain permeate the atmosphere. The afternoon is free for shopping, sightseeing and lunch. In the late afternoon you will depart for Lake Atitlán, traveling through the Guatemala highlands. You will see spectacular scenery including great mountain peaks, plateaus and valleys planted with corn and wheat, intermittently spotted with whitewashed houses with red tile roofs. Colorfully dressed descendents of the Mays are seen along the road going to market. Women carrying children on their backs or balancing baskets on their heads, men with a load of wood you and I would not think of trying to lift, on their backs with the support of placed around the forehead). You will see children wearing the identical clothes as their parents ( this is a tradition of each village). Each village we pass through is identified by its own characteristic design and colors of their clothing. Arrival at hotel Atitlan is magic. From the moment you walk into the lobby and see the indigenous artwork and colonial antiques you will feel the ambiance of the hotel and what is yet to come. Your room will have a spectacular view of the lake and the volcanoes. Once you check in you will never The New York Times said “There is only one truly sumptuous place to stay, the Hotel Atitlán, a fantasia of ornately maintained gardens, caged parrots, hand-carved furniture and gorgeous tile work. Dine tonight by candlelight, overlooking the lake.

Day 4
A leisurely day to enjoy the gardens of Hotel Atitlán, stroll the streets and visit the market in Panajachel. You may want to walk to the Butterfly farm and the nature preserve.

Day 5
This morning you will cross the lake, by boat, to San Lucas then take a short ride to Finca Los Tarrales – a natural private reserve with many thousands of acres of virgin forest. Los Tarrales is a working farm that produces coffee and tropical ornamental plants, which are harvested, packaged and shipped off to Guatemalan and European markets. You will travel back to Hotel Atitlán by bus and have the opportunity to stop along the way to capture some of the beautiful scenery.

Day 6
It is off to Chichicastanengo, the world famous Indian market where you will be astounded by the color and culture you see. A visit to the Church Santo Tomas is first on the agenda. See the steps of the Catholic Church built over what was once the alter of the ancient Maya. Next, the market and all its textiles, handicrafts, produce, flowers, and livestock brought in by the Indians for miles around. This will be an experience you will never forget. After lunch you will depart for Guatemala City where you will spend the night back at the Camino Real.

Day 7
After breakfast you will leave for the airport for the return trip home.

Maya Archeological Experience - 8 days and 7 nights
$1525 plus airfare

On this adventurous tour, you will literally feel like you have traveled to another world, but you will do so in style. This tour features the very best hotel in each region, including 5 star hotels where available. From the sites and education, to the cuisine and lodging, this educational/luxury tour is a masterpiece. Shelby Saberon is our expert on archaeology/anthropology tours. He graduated with a degree in anthropology and worked on three projects in Guatemala and Mexico, including director of mapping at the famous Mayan ruins of Piedras Negras, located in the Guatemalan jungle. He is currently involved in arranging funding for a half dozen cutting edge archaeologogy research projects on ancient Mesoamerica. With Shelby's background, you will see the ancient Maya come to life before your eyes, mixed with the delightful experience of mingling with the modern Maya of today, living in the highlands of southern Guatemala.. In addition, with Saberon's contacts in cutting-edge archaeology, you will be privy to the most exciting and recent discoveries. You will get the inside angle on research that may not be published for another 5-10 years!

Check out the Tour Itinerary

In addition, we also offer these amazing tours:

The Great Guatemala Birding Adventure
Details coming soon!
The Hotel Atitlán Get-Away
Details coming soon!
World Class Sport Bill fishing
Details coming soon!