Kites, Culture & Tradition in Oct. 30 - Nov. 6, 2019 Itinerary Overview

Day 1 Day 5 • Free Morning • Arrival into Airport • Transfer to Guatemala City Airport • Transfer to Antigua Guatemala • Flight to Flores, Petén • Overnight at Antigua Guatemala • Overnight at Uaxactún’s Camping Site

Day 2 Day 6 • De La Gente Fairly Traded Coffee Tour • Antigua Guatemala Walking Tour • Uaxactún Archaeological Site • Overnight at Antigua Guatemala & Community Tour • Overnight at Uaxactún’s Camping Site

Day 3 Day 7 • Kite Festival • National Park Tour • Transfer to Lake Atitlán • Flight to Guatemala City Airport • Overnight at Lake Atitlán • Overnight at Guatemala City

Day 4 Day 8 • San Juan & Santiago Villages Visit • Transfer to Guatemala City Airport • Overnight at Lake Atitlán • Trip Ends Day 1

Arrival into Transfer to Overnight at Guatemala City Airport Antigua Guatemala Palo-Santo

Antigua Guatemala

La Antigua Guatemala is one of the most idyllic destinations in the world, with painstakingly restored Spanish , manicured parks, stylish hotels, superb international cuisine and a horizon shaped by three spectacular volcanoes.

Nestled in a mountain valley and surrounded by evergreen forests, Antigua retains the aura of the 17th century capital that it was, while blending modern amenities that make it an internationally appealing getaway. Walking along cobblestone streets, you'll find high-end art galleries, fascinating museums, luxurious shops with international treasures, and traditional markets packed to the rafters with locally made textiles and woodcrafts. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, with its architecture, culture and unique setting, Antigua, quite simply, is the most charming city in all the Americas.

Palo-Santo

A charming boutique hotel in a colonial-style home, Palo-Santo features five stylish, newly decorated rooms, each with a private bath. The hotel has many historic and classic features, including a traditional lush garden courtyard, ideal for reading and relaxing in the sun, and a chapel. Enjoy morning yoga or sunset cocktails at the rooftop terrace, offering amazing views of towering Agua Volcano.

Under the same ownership as the neighboring Meson Panza Verde hotel and restaurant, Palo-Santo offers guests the use of Panza Verde's many facilities, including pool and poolside bar, gourmet restaurant, and yoga studio. Palo-Santo guests can also use the home's communal kitchen for their own, stay-in dining preferences. It's all just a short walk to Antigua's Central Park and the town's great restaurants, coffee shops, stores, and nightlife, but far enough away to get a good night's sleep and enjoy the tranquil, peaceful setting.

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De La Gente Fairly Antigua Guatemala Overnight at Traded Coffee Tour Walking Tour Palo-Santo

De La Gente Fairly Traded Coffee Tour

Your private guide and driver will meet you for the short ride to the town of San Miguel Escobar, just outside of Antigua. In San Miguel, you'll meet a local guide from De La Gente (DLG), a nonprofit organization working to support small independent coffee producers and promote environmentally responsible agriculture in Guatemala.

On this tour you will visit some of the families supported by this organisation. You can work side-by-side with local coffee farmers as you help pick, pulp, ferment, wash, dry, thresh, sort, or grade the coffee (depending on the season); roast the coffee over an open fire; and grind it by hand on a grindstone before sampling the brew. The Viaventure Foundation supports DLG's work in Guatemala's farming communities with annual contributions.

Antigua Guatemala Walking Tour

You will be met at your hotel by your private guide to begin your half day walking tour of Antigua. This tour explores this colonial city's cultural, architectural, and social history with a behind-the-scenes look at some of Antigua's ornately decorated churches, Spanish colonial-era ruins, and the tomb of the first Guatemalan saint.

Entrance fees for the Cathedral of San Jose and the San Francisco el Grande and La Merced churches are included; however, with just a word to the guide, this flexible tour can also be tailored to individual interests (you may need to pay additional entrance fees). At the end of the tour, the guide will accompany you back to your hotel or take you to a place of your choosing.

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Kite Festival in Transfer to Overnight at Santiago Lake Atitlán Hotel Atitlán

Kite Festival in Santiago Sacatepéquez

This morning you will transfer to Santiago Sacatepequez where you will visit the cemetery with your private guide to experience the Kite Festival and enjoy the celebration of the Day of All Saints (Dia de Todos los Santos).

On November 1st each year, Guatemala's families honour their departed loved ones during the Day of All Saints. Besides the traditional visit to the cemetery, this day is marked with kite festivals and dining on fiambre, the traditional dish of the Day of All Saints.

Sumpango and Santiago Sacatepequez hold the largest and most well-known festivals, with thousands of kites flown by families, locals, and religious groups to honour the dead. The elaborate kites span several metres and are constructed almost entirely of bamboo and tissue paper.

Fiambre, which is only made and eaten once a year, is served cold and contains a mix of cheese, meat, eggs, and vegetables cured in vinegar.

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Lake Atitlán

With its sparkling waters watched over by three majestic, dormant volcanoes, Lake Atitlán is Guatemala's highland jewel, which motivated author Aldous Huxley to say, "It really is too much of a good thing". Surrounded by Mayan villages, the lake's timeless beauty is only equaled by the exquisitely embroidered clothing worn by the local T'zutujil and Kaqchiquel Maya people.

Each lakeside village has its own character: the ceramic arts of San Antonio Palopó, San Juan's natural dyes and handwoven textiles; San Pedro's backpacker vibe; San Marcos' yoga and wellness centres; Santiago Atitlan's busy markets and shops; and 's hectic-eclectic mix of shops, hotels, and restaurants. All have one thing in common: the shimmering lake and dramatic countryside, where you can kayak and canoe, swim, fish, watch birds or just swing in a hammock.

Hotel Atitlán

Offering stunning panoramas of Lake Atitlán and surrounding volcanoes, Hotel Atitlán features 61 room and suite accommodations with private balconies overlooking the lake or the hotel’s lush gardens. Each room has been individually decorated with hand-woven fabrics and bedding, artisan-crafted furniture, and original artwork from nearby villages.

Hand-woven area rugs cover traditional tile flooring throughout the hotel, which is located on the grounds of a historic coffee plantation. Immerse in breathtaking views of the volcano-ringed lake from the infinity pool, and stroll through the well-manicured gardens, where roses, orchids, bougainvillea, and azaleas thrive.

The restaurant and bar present casual yet sophisticated settings for enjoying cocktails and a fusion of regional and international dining specialties. Choose a table in one of two indoor dining rooms or at the poolside terrace, all with uninterrupted lake and volcano views. Situated directly on the shoreline, Hotel Atitlán provides a relaxing and unique travel experience.

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San Juan & Santiago Overnight at Villages Visit Hotel Atitlán

San Juan & Santiago Villages Visit

Although more than a dozen fascinating towns and villages overlook majestic Lake Atitlán, Santiago and San Juan La Laguna top the must-see list. In San Juan, watch indigenous weavers mix natural dyes from locally grown plants and flowers, and then see the women use a back-strap loom to create intricate textiles, thread by colourful thread. From there, peruse a workshop of art naïf painters before boarding the boat for the cruise to Santiago.

After a delicious lunch, head out with your guide to find the house of Maximón, the Maya folk saint who moves annually with the selection of his new caretaker. A shaman may be performing a ritual for a local follower or two gathered at Maximón's candle-lit altar.

Afterward you can visit the , learn about the town's vivid history and explore the thriving market. Be sure to check out more of the distinctive textiles and primitive art, both famous from the lake basin. The tour includes your morning hotel pickup and evening return.

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Free Morning at Transfer to Guatemala Flight to Overnight at Lake Atitlán City Airport Flores Petén Uaxactún Camping Site Uaxactún Camping Site

Nestled between the sprawling, jungle-shrouded temples of the Uaxactún archaeological park and a small, present-day Mayan village lies a unique lodging experience for those who appreciate the road less travelled.

Eight ample tents, raised off the ground on solid, covered platforms, surround you with the sights and sounds of the jungle while keeping you comfortable. Each tent feels like its own bungalow, with two cozy twin beds, a night table, a rug, reading lamps, and even a small porch and garden. Stone-paved paths lead to shared bathrooms with unheated showers just a few steps away.

Day 6

Uaxactún Archaeological site Overnight at & Community Tour Uaxactún Camping Site Uaxactún Archaeological Site

In the morning, you'll embark on a guided tour of the Uaxactún ruins, stopping at partially restored temples that align perfectly with the sun on key dates of the calendar.

In the village, you'll learn about the natural gum, allspice, and xate (exported globally for floral arrangements) that locals collect. For lunch, you'll savour a traditional dish prepared with locally sourced ingredients. You can rest or explore at your leisure in the afternoon. At dusk, you'll climb a lookout tower for sunset drinks, followed by a locally made dinner before another overnight in the jungle camp.

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Tikal National Flight to Guatemala Transfer to Guatemala Overnight at Park Tour City Airport City Hotel Guatemala City

Tikal National Park Tour

A 45-minute ride through the deep jungle will take you to Tikal National Park, where some 3,000 ancient structures rise from the rainforest floor. You will enter Tikal through the forest, an area most visitors never get to see.

Not only will you enjoy a fascinating tour of this UNESCO World Heritage Site, but you'll also experience the sights and sounds of tropical birds and animals, including howler and spider monkeys. Following in the footsteps of Maya royalty and commoners, you will visit the majestic Great Plaza and its Temple of the Jaguar (44 metres / 144 feet), Temple of the Masks (38m / 125ft), Acropolis, and much more.

You will end your tour with lunch at a local restaurant. After exploring Tikal, you will be transered to Flores Airport and fly back to Guatemala City.

Westin Camino Real

Camino Real Guatemala is one of the top business hotels in Guatemala City and is located in the lively and safe Zone 10 area of Guatemala City, close to the airport.

The hotel has luxurious common areas decorated in marble including a large restaurant, lounge areas and bar. The hotel also has a large outdoor pool, gym and small adjoining casino (slot machines only). This is a comfortable and spacious hotel in a good central location. Guests can easily explore the nightlife district on the doorstep for a variety of restaurants and bars.

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Transfer to Guatemala Trip Ends City Airport (Departure can be at any time)

End of Itinerary

Included Not Included • Alcoholic beverages or additional • All breakfast beverages with meals • Other meals where indicated • International flights • Accommodation as mentioned, • Airport taxes double occupancy • Tips and gratuities for drivers • Tours and activities as mentioned and guides • Transport as mentioned, in minibus • Personal expenses • Domestic flights as mentioned • Meals not indicated • Local Taxes

IMPORTANT: Please note that at time of quoting, requested modifications to the itinerary may affect inclusions

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