HIGHLIGHTS OF HONDURAS, GUATEMALA & BELIZE
A cultural tour of Honduras, Guatemala & Belize

The Maya Culture, the Central American markets, the aesthetic architecture prominently reflected in the churches and town administration buildings, the blend of the indigenous with the not so indigenous, the flora, fauna and the spectacular scenery with the rich tropical green – this is just a small aspect of what one experiences in this 15 days three countries journey.

Day 01 Friday or Tuesday: Arrive San Pedro Sula / La Ceiba (Flight), HONDURAS
Once clearing through Customs & Immigration, our local representative will assist the group with check-in for our onward internal flight to La Ceiba (20 mins), where we will be met and transferred to the hotel.
Overnight:  Pico Bonito Lodge, La Ceiba (3 nights)

Day 02 Saturday or Wednesday: La Ceiba
Today’s activity will be one of the following: either take a day trip out to the beautiful sandy beach islands of Cayos Cochinos OR have an exhilarating white water rafting ride OR take a boat tour of the Cuero y Salado Nature Park OR go horse riding on the beach OR have a free day to explore & hike the Pico Bonito National Park. (B, L)

Day 03 Sunday or Thursday: La Ceiba
Choose one of the activities mentioned above. (B, L)

Day 04 Monday or Friday: La Ceiba / San Pedro Sula (Flight) / Copan (Drive)
This morning we will be driven back to La Ceiba for a return flight to San Pedro Sula.  We will be met and driven, without guide, to the pretty highland town of Copan Ruinas (3 hours).  Along the way, a stop will be made at a local coffee farm to learn about the coffee process.
Overnight: Marina Hotel Hotel, Copan (2 nights) (B)

Day 05 Tuesday or Saturday: Copan
This morning we will be transferred to the archaeological site at Copan.  Here we will enjoy a guided tour of this beautiful site, which is famous for its intricately carved stelae & hieroglyphic stairway as well as its comprehensive museum.   In the afternoon, the group return to Copan and to the Bird Park for lunch. After lunch, we enjoy a walk in the lush, shady river valley location of the Copan Bird Park where a local guide will assist us to interact with a number of beautiful tropical birds that have been rescued from locales all over Honduras.  (B, L)

Day 06 Wednesday or Sunday: Copan / Antigua, GUATEMALA (Drive)
This morning we head out for a 5 hours drive to the pretty colonial town of Antigua, Guatemala, without guide.  The rest of the day is free at leisure.
Overnight: Posada de Don Rodrigo, Antigua (2 nights) (B)

Day 07 Thursday or Monday: Antigua
Today we will take a half day guided walking tour of Antigua.  The tour takes in the main square, Palace, Cathedral, La Merced Church & San Francsico Church.   The rest of the afternoon is free. (B)

Day 08 Friday or Tuesday: Antigua / Lake Atitlan
This morning we are transferred through the highlands to Lake Atitlan (2.5hrs), without guide. Along the way, a stop will be made to explore the wonderful authentic market at Solola.
Overnight: Posada de Don Rodrigo, Lake Atitlan (2 nights) (B)

Day 09 Saturday or Wednesday: Lake Atitlan
This morning we take a guided scenic boat ride across Lake Atitlan (30mins) to the village of San Juan La Laguna to visit a textile cooperative, medicinal plant center and local painter workshops. Then we go on to Santiago, where we have lunch in a local hotel and tour the village visiting the Maya God Maximon and learn about the textiles, spiritualism and beliefs of the T’zutujil Maya. (B, L)

Day 10 Sunday or Thursday: Lake Atitlan / Flores (Flight)
Today we head out for an approximate 1hr drive to the famous market at Chichi, with guide, where we will have time to shop in this fabulous craft market and an opportunity to see Maya rituals being performed in the Catholic Church before transferring onto Guatemala City for the evening flight to Flores.  Meet & transfer to the hotel.
Overnight: Villa Maya, Flores (2 nights) (B, L)

Day 11 Monday or Friday: Flores
Today we enjoy a guided tour to explore the amazing UNESCO protected Mayan Temple site of Tikal, where huge Mayan temples rise above the jungle canopy, which monkeys and tropical birds are abundant in the surrounding rainforest. After lunch we are transferred back to their hotel to relax. (B, L)

Day 12 Tuesday or Saturday: Flores / Xunantunich, BELIZE (Drive) / Cayo District ( Drive)
This morning we across the border by land, with guide, and along the way visit the impressive Mayan ruins of Xunantunich before transferring on to the hotel, without guide.
Overnight: Chaa Creek, Cayo District (3 nights) (B)

Day 13 Wednesday or Sunday: Cayo District
Today we will have an option to take one of the following tours with guide.  Choose between Barton Creek where you canoe through the cave to see ancient Mayan ritual sites where artifacts remain  ORActun Tunich Nukmal for a more strenuous and adventurous jungle & cave trip with a surprise at the end!  (B, L)

Day 14 Thursday or Monday: Cayo District
Travel through the scenic Mountain Pine Ridge National Park on our way to the famous Mayan Site at Caracol. At Caracol enjoy a private guided tour of this impressive site, which is the largest Maya site in Belize. On the way back to the hotel stop to visit the Rio Frio Caves and Pools. (B, L)

Day 15 Friday or Tuesday: Depart Cayo District
After breakfast we are transferred to the airport for the flight out. (B)

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Departure Dates
2012 English Speaking Departures Every Friday or Tuesday
Inclusions
Tour Price Includes Tour Price Does Not Include Hotels as mentioned (or similar) Meals as mentioned (B=Breakfast L=Lunch) All sightseeing and transfers on seat-in-coach basis Services of local English speaking guides All domestic flights mentioned Entrance fees to the sites included in the itinerary Any international airfares & Departure taxes Visa / Insurance Tips / Beverages
Tour Price
We accept payment in US $ (US Dollars), CA $ (Canadian Dollars) or equivalent EURO (for clients outside North America). Bestway Tours & Safaris offers conversion rate protection. Once full payment has been received, and no modification has been made to the tour itinerary, we will honour that rate. For complete payment procedures, please download Bestway_Payment_Info.pdf Note: to read this file you must have Adobe Acrobat.
Departure Double Occupancy Single Room Supplement 2012 US $ 5295 4660 US $ 1280 1080
Estimated International Airfare - International airfare is NOT included in this tour
Canada - West Coast CA $ 1400 USA - West Coast US $ 1200 Canada - East Coast CA $ 1200 USA - East Coast US $ 1000
Participants
This tour operates on a minimum of 02 participants.
Notes
Customised Itinerary If you would like to have a tour on dates other than the above ones or with a customised itinerary, please contact us and we will be happy to work out an exclusive program for you. Foreign Language Departures Please contact us for information on French, German, Italian and Spanish speaking departures. You may e-mail us at bestway@bestway.com or call us at 604.264.7378. Residents of U.S.A./Canada may call us toll free at 1.800.663.0844.