Sustainable Travel Itinerary
Guatemala, Belize & Mexico
Guatemala, also known as the Eternal Spring Country, provides many unforgettable experiences for those looking for natural and cultural experiences. Expert guides will take you for 14 days to explore the richness of Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico.
During this fantastic sustainable travel itinerary, you will discover the colorful and varied cultures that inhabit the region. Its traditions and customs are alive and strong throughout Guatemala, and you will experience many different ones along the way. This perfect trip for friends or family allows you to enjoy the astonishing nature and landscapes of Belize and Mexico that will surround you and take your breath away.
Mayan City of Yaxha
Bacalar Lagoon
Cenote dos Ojos
Lamanai Mayan Mask
Highlights
Mayan Cities of Tikal, Yaxha, Xunantunich, and Lamanai. Lake Atitlan, Antigua Guatemala, Bacalar Lagoon, and wonderful Cenotes.
Itinerary
Upon your arrival, a guide will welcome you to take you on your first tour to the Mayan site of Iximche. This is the last site of the descendants of the Mayas in the Postclassic period. It is a peaceful place where nature merges with culture.
Here you will enjoy the surrounding forest, the perpetual grass carpet, and vegetation frame that harmonize with the several ceremonial plazas, which include buildings that reach ten meters high. Get a closer look at the Mayan Culture on this site with its four squares of the four main families with their ball games.
Afterward, we will drive to Lake Atitlan, you will have the option to stop at the Atitlan Nature Reserve and experience the largest Zipline Canopy tour in Central America. This is a thrilling adventure for those who seek adrenaline. But if soaring through the heights is not for you, a variety of hikes and other activities are available at Lake Atitlan Nature Reserve. You can view waterfalls, hike, look for monkeys, coatis, and many other species, as well as learn about the natural surroundings. Later, a vehicle and a boat transfer through Panajachel will bring you to your hotel in a small town on Lake Atitlan.
Today you will go on a boat tour to explore beautiful Lake Atitlan and the indigenous towns on its shores. Every town has a distinct Mayan dress with pattern and color representing their particular history and traditions.
You will visit Santiago Atitlan, a little town full of history with one of the oldest churches in Guatemala. The beauty and variety of crafts and spectacular paintings made by local artisans are worth visiting. In San Juan La Laguna, you will make another stop to visit an Organic Coffee Farm and learn about coffee production in Guatemala as well as sample some of the best coffee in the country.
Finally, we will visit Santa Catarina, one of the most impressive and colorful destinations on the shores of Lake Atitlan, known for its picturesque streets, crafts, and panoramic landscapes. It is known as the “colors village”. Weaving Workshops & Supporting a Fair Wage. You will visit a Weaving Cooperative In Santa Catarina Palopo for a demonstration of the painstaking work that goes into every textile that they produce.
The traditional Mayan clothing indicates not only their ethnic and geographical identity, but they have a role in spiritual and religious practices. This community has very tentatively opened its doors to travelers, and now they are working directly with sensitive local agencies, such as Mayan Gateway. During the weaving demonstration today, you will see an incredible skill and a fundamental connection with the complex Mayan history that they are weaving into their work.
Today you will enjoy a class in Yoga Forest Community led by a recognized instructor with their approach to the yogic path shaped by his/her own experience and studies. This is a community of conscious individuals working together through collaborative conscious leadership to support the local community through empowering the local indigenous leaders.
Through intercultural relationships of respect, they weave together local and global visions that inspire positive social and ecological impacts in the world. The Forest Family Foundation is a registered Guatemalan Nonprofit Association (ONG) that provides funds for humanitarian and ecological projects in their indigenous community. The Yoga Forest shares conscious living as a spiritual practice by offering a unique retreat space for self-connection, connection to the Earth, and personal growth. After your two-day yoga experience, on day 4, you will be transferred to Antigua Guatemala.
Antigua Guatemala is one of the most beautiful colonial cities in the Americas. Here you will enjoy a city tour through its well-preserved Spanish architecture and stunning ruins of colonial convents and churches. To complement the perfect picture as a backdrop are three volcanoes: Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. They are the perfect frame to this beautiful city designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
During this city tour, you will walk through its cobblestone streets and visit the most famous cathedral of Antigua Guatemala and the most beautiful churches and ruins of this city. You will also be participating in a Chocolate mini-workshop, where you will enjoy a short and easy explanation of the chocolate-making process as well as make your chocolates with milk or dark chocolate and many different flavorings.
Today you will have a breakfast recipe served for over 20 years on this farm, the famous macadamia pancakes. They are not only delicious but also good for you due to the high content of omega-3 and lots of other nutrients, vitamins, and essential oils.
You will learn everything about macadamia nuts beginning with how they are processed. You will even taste some products or get a facial massage with the oil. This farm tour will teach you all the benefits of macadamias and how they contribute to social development, food security, health, and the preservation of the environment by using and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. A great experience during our sustainable travel itinerary.
Afterward, you will go for a unique experience to hike the active Volcano Pacaya, the most active volcano in Guatemala. Don’t miss the chance to walk safely over volcanic rock formed from lava flows. This particular volcano stands 2,500 meters above sea level and from here you will be able to take in the magnificent views of a Lagoon and three other impressive volcanoes close by. Despite being an active volcano, you don’t need any specific hiking ability to come and enjoy this fantastic experience in Guatemala.
Later, we will drive to Guatemala City to take a domestic flight to Flores Island where your private transport will wait to take you to your jungle lodge.
Your day begins early today, while it is still dark. Your private professional local guide will walk you through the jungle to the highest temple in Tikal to witness the spectacular sunrise over the Mayan ruins, a truly magical experience. Here the sound is almost as impressive as the view, as a cacophony of howler monkeys, birds, insects and several other species in the jungle fill your senses while you walk through the massive ruins of Tikal.
This afternoon, you can enjoy a sunset boat ride over a jungle lake. During this ride, you will visit one of the largest animal rescue centers in the world, which receives between 300 and 600 animals each year. For more than twenty years, the organization has rescued animals captured by people and then rehabilitated and returned them to the wild.
You will visit the Mayan City of Yaxha with more than five hundred structures, including forty stelae, thirteen altars, nine pyramids, and two playing fields. Its connection with the nearby lagoon that bears its name makes Yaxha a spectacular and unique site.
Your adventure in Guatemala ends with this visit. Afterward, you will cross the border to Belize. Once in Belize, you will go to visit the archaeological site of Xunantunich. The name has a Mayan origin and means Stone Woman. Its structure known as The Castle is the most representative of this Central American country. Its beautiful ornamental structure is often used for photo sessions. After this tour, your private transportation will take you to your jungle lodge.
Today you will leave San Ignacio to go ahead to the Orange Walk District in Belize. Here a boat ride will take you to the archaeological site of ‘Lamanai’. Along the way, you will have the chance to see crocodiles, birds, howler monkeys, and other wild animals.
Located within the jungle along the banks of a river and jungle, It is a vast and diverse Mayan archaeological site. During this guided tour, you will also learn about plants and trees that played important roles in the medicine and food of the Mayan people. After this amazing tour, you will be driven to your hotel in Orange Walk.
Your private transport will pick you up from your lodge and take you to the crossing border back to Mexico. From here, you will go to Bacalar Lagoon for a boat tour. Showing different tones of blue, green, and turquoise, the lagoon is worthy of the name by which it is known, ‘The Seven Colors Lagoon’. After this sightseeing tour through the lagoon, you will be driven to your hotel in Tulum.
You will visit one of the most amazing Cenotes in Mexico today. Cenote Dos Ojos is a natural wonder with two huge twin sinkholes, which from above look like two eyes looking into the sky. The one known as Blue Eye is clear and ideal for a nice swim at the entrance to the spring. While the other one, the Black Eye, is connected to the first through an underwater tunnel. As its name implies, it offers almost no visibility. You need diving equipment to go through.
Afterward, we will go to Cenotes Sac Actun. Truly subterranean water heaven in the Riviera Maya, this excursion will be an exclusive experience like no other, magical and adventurous, you will be able to snorkel or dive in the cavern packed with formations. We are very assured it is one of the best cenotes in Mexico! The Cenote is indeed a subterranean cave system measured at 347.7 kilometers long, and as a network between this and the ‘Dos Ojos’ system was detected making it the largest known underwater cave system in the world. After this fascinating expedition, you will be driven back to your hotel.
Tulum has paradisiac beaches. You will have time to rest and relax at the beach and self-discovery. You can enjoy the idyllic beaches with their fine white sand and blue-green waters. Here you can always find a hammock to rest and relax.
As everything good in life does, this sustainable travel itinerary comes to its end today with a private transfer that will drive you from your hotel in Tulum to the international airport in Cancun for your flight back home.
map, expenses & price
Sustainable Travel Itinerary
Expenses included:
-All private transportation.
-Thirteen nights of hotel accommodations.
-Domestic flights.
-Professional local guides.
-Tours and activities as listed.
-All park entrance fees.
-Breakfast and two traditional lunches.
Per person starting at $2,500
Extensions
Spend a chilled morning stand-up paddle-boarding on Lake Atitlan, a real adventure in a delightful setting. This sport will allow you to see the lake at a quiet enough pace to take it in. Lake Atitlan is unlike any lake that you will ever see. Not only do volcanoes line its perimeter but it also has crystal fine emerald water evocative of the Caribbean. Duration: 2+ hours. Price $25
Join a cooking class taught by a local Mayan instructor, and learn how to make original Guatemalan food. The intimate kitchen courtyard overlooking Lake Atitlan is a great place to meet locals and share a fun experience. From the town market to the dining table, you will be taken on a journey through time-honored Mayan cooking. What better gift to take home with you than a few fascinating recipes – formed 100% in Guatemala. Duration: 3+ hours. Price $30
