**Initial deposit of $300 per person to hold reservation **2nd payment of $900 per person due Sept 15, 2011 **Final paymentof $795 per person due November 15, 2011.
All prices include: RT airfare from Salt Lake City, interior flight to Tikal, hotels, bus transportation, breakfast each day, tips for bus driver, (some maids, bellboys), entrances to ruins and other included excursions.
Thursday, Jan 26--Our flight leaves from the Salt Lake City airport and will be arriving Guatemala City in the afternoon. We will be met by our air- conditioned charter bus, which will transport us to our hotel to unpack and relax for the rest of the afternoon. You may want to venture out to check out the beautiful and modern Zona Viva (lively zone) area of this lovely city. If we arrive in time, we will check into the possibility of
doing a session at the Guatemala City Temple. Dinner on your own at one of the many nearby restaurants.
Friday, Jan 27-- Breakfast at the hotel. We will check out of the hotel and board our bus to head for the ancient site of Kaminaljuyu,
a proposed site for the city of Nephi. Next, we will visit the Relief Map of Guatemala. This scaled map represents the
geography of the country and shows many detailed features including
lakes & rivers, cities, , etc. After spending some time at this site, we will travel to the breathtaking lake resort town of Panajachel, on the shores of Lake Atitlan. Check into our hotel and relax or wander through the many shops of this lakeside village. Dinner is on your own.
Saturday, Jan 28--Breakfast at the hotel. Our adventure continues, as we embark on a boat tour of Lake Atitlan where we will visit a few of the 12 villages (named for the original 12 Apostles) nestled around the lake. We will have time to wander through the streets, markets and shops of these quaint little towns. We will then return to our hotel in Panajachel, where you will have dinner on your own.
Sunday, Jan 29--Breakfast at the hotel. Today we hope to have a chance to visit a local LDS Branch before checking out of the hotel to head out of town. After church we will board our bus and travel to the colorful Colonial city of Antigua. Dinner on your own.
Monday, Jan 30-- After breakfast, we will visit the museum at Casa Santo Domingo. This grand hotel once housed a magnificent monastery and now houses many pre Columbian artifacts as well as colonial art pieces. The afternoon is free for you do choose from a variety of activities. You may want to visit local museums, churches, convents, etc, explore the streets of this fabulous UNESCO World Heritage site, or you may want to arrange for the adventure of climbing the nearby Volcan Pacaya, where you will have a guide lead you on an adventure of a lifetime. Dinner on your own.
Tuesday, Jan 31—After breakfast, we will check out of our hotel and board the bus to head to Guatemala City. National
Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Dedicated to the history of
the Maya, this Museum has a large and excellent collection of Mayan
pottery, jewelry, masks, and costumes, as well as models of the ancient
cities. It houses the largest existing collection of archaeological
objects of the Guatemala Mayan culture. Next we will head to the airport for our flight to Flores in preparation for our visit to the site of Tikal, settle into our hotel and relax for the evening or venture out to explore this quaint and colorful little ‘island’ in Lake Peten. Dinner on your own.
Wednesday, Feb 1-- Breakfast at the hotel. We will board our bus early to head to the awesome ruins of Tikal, one of the largest archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization and also a UNESCO World Heritage site. We will spend the entire day enjoying this magnificent ancient city. We will then return to Flores, where you can relax or wander around the cobblestone streets of this charming town. Dinner on your own.
Thursday, Feb 2-
Breakfast at
the hotel. We will check out of our hotel in Flores and drive by bus toward
Copan, Honduras. Enroute, we will make a stop to visit the ruins of
Quirigua.Next, it’s on to
Honduras to the cobblestonedtown
of Copan Ruinas.We will
check into our hotel that where dinner will be on your own.
Friday, Feb 3—Breakfast at the hotel. We will head out early to explore the ruins of Copan, yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site. After our tour of the ruins, you will have the option to visit the on site museum, tunnels, or head over to Las Sepulturas, the nearby residential area linked to Copan Ruins. Dinner on your own.
Saturday, Feb 4—Breakfast at the hotel. We will visit the local city museum where there are some interesting items.. then check out of our hotel and board our bus for our trip back to Guatemala City. Check into our hotel and dinner on your own.
Sunday, Feb 5-- Breakfast at the hotel. Our flight is late enough that we will have a chance to take a short walk to attend church this morning if you'd like, after which we will need to pack up and check out of the hotel to begin our journey back home. Hopefully this will be a trip of a lifetime!