Guatemala & Yucatan highlights

Enjoy a day at a local coffee plantation, followed by a tour of the city of Antigua replete with rich cultural heritage. Right after an early breakfast at your hotel, set off for the La Azotea Coffee Farm on the city’s outskirts. A guided tour of the plantation will put you up to speed with the journey of your favorite steaming beverage from the humble bean to a fragrant cup. Don’t pass up on the chance to browse through the plantation’s coffee museum, as well as the fascinating museum of Mayan music. Walk through the halls displaying that great civilization’s cultural and artistic tenets with its pan flutes, costumes, naïf paintings and various ancient as well as living artefacts. In case you’re enamored of Mayan culture, there’s also a textiles and customs museum at the estate. To get to know the local living culture better, you could take a tour of the villages around Antigua Guatemala, exploring the ruins, admiring the spectacular landscape, and interacting with the villagers. Now for a short tour of Guatemala’s colonial history, visit San Juan El Obispo, which was founded by the first Archbishop of Guatemala, followed by San Pedro Las Huertas. Stop by Guatemala’s former second capital, Ciudad Vieja, which was buried by a mudslide in the 16th century. Come back to the present, with a visit to an experimental Organic Macadamia Farm and the women’s cooperative, Santiago Zamora. The trip to Santiago Zamora comes with various activities and demonstrations of the organisation’s work, such as textile weaving, coffee brewing and dancing to the local music. End your day with a scrumptious local luncheon spread prepared lovingly by the women of Santiago Zamora. (Full Day; Time of Day: Morning; Duration: 6.5 hrs, 0830-1500 hrs; Private Activity & Transfer; Meals included: Lunch; Fitness Level: Easy).

Spend a refreshing day boating on Lake Atitlán and visiting some sites to get to know local cultures and lifestyles a little better. After breakfast at your hotel, set out for a leisurely boat ride of about half an hour across Lake Atitlán. Ride out to the village of San Juan La Laguna to visit a women’s textile cooperative. Watch how colorful fabrics are hand woven and dyed naturally before the traditional handloom is ready for the market. Learn about the local artistic community when you drop by the studio homes of the region’s famous naïf painters. A Mayan encounter awaits you at the town of Santiago, where you learn about the age-old culture and tradition of the T’zutujil Maya. Get to know more about the traditional handicrafts, ancient belief system and spiritualism of the local community, before returning to your hotel. (Half Day; Fitness Level: Easy; Please bring comfortable walking shoes and a wind-breaker).

Explore ancient Mayan customs and traditions in San Marcos La Laguna, accompanied by your local guide. Be part of a sacred fire cleansing and protection ceremony at San Marcos. Soak yourself in the mystic experience and learn more about their deeply spiritual practices, such as many of the age-old Mayan customs and long pilgrimages to holy sites. Discover the mysteries of the magnificent Mayan calendars with their accurate readings of the cosmos down the millennia. Duration of the ceremony: around 1 hour.

Discover the history of a Mexican hacienda and swim in cenotes on this half day tour in Mexico. Your private vehicle will pick you up from your hotel in Merida and drive you to Hacienda Mucuyche, which is located in the town of the same name. Enjoy a tour of the hacienda, which dates to the 17th century. Learn about its past as one of the most important henequen haciendas of its time. Then follow your guide to Cenote Carlota, named after the former Empress of Mexico, who is said to have been the first person to bathe in its waters. You will have time to swim or snorkel in the cenote before moving on to Cenote Azul Maya, which is located in a cave. Enjoy a dip in its waters and discover why the Mayans considered these pools to be sacred. You will also have access to the hacienda pool during your visit. (Duration: half day; Private activity & transfers; Travel time to activity: 1.5 hrs; Meals are not included; Fitness level: easy; Snorkeling equipment is provided; All entry fees are included)

Set off on an exciting exploration of the splendid ruins of an ancient Mayan city at Chichen Itza. Saunter around the UNESCO World Heritage site as your expert guide points out the finer details of pre-Columbian architecture. Take a closer look at the well-preserved structures with Toltec influences. Wander around the magnificent Pyramid of Kukulkan characterized by its square terraces. Walk across the Pelota ball game court that is believed to have hosted the predecessor of the now popular sport of basketball! Learn about the famous Mayan method of charting calendars at the grand observatory and admire the spectacular Temple of the Warriors with its 1,000 columns. Take a closer look at the Chac-Mool sacrificial sculpture before you travel on to a cenote or sinkhole. Enjoy a refreshing swim in the cool waters before it’s time to wind up your tour. (Full Day; Private Activity & Transfer; Fitness Level: Easy.)

Explore a host of attractions in the charming seaside town of Tulum on your own. You can start with the stunning architecture of El Castillo, an enormous stone structure perched on a rocky cliff that looks out on the sea and recalls the past of glory of this ancient Mayan port town. After your explorations, you can head for white sandy beaches lapped by turquoise blue waves followed by a leisurely lunch at one of the beachside restaurants. Savor freshly caught and grilled seafood or traditional tacos seasoned with local flavors. Then, if you wish to indulge the nature lover in you, set off for the nearby Parque Nacional Tulum where lush mangroves and cenotes or natural limestone sinkholes dot the coastal landscape. As the dusk spreads across the Yucatan sky, make your way back to the beach where hip cabanas and posh resorts throb with a party vibe. (Full Day; No guide; No transfers; Entrance fees and meals are not included).