GUATEMALA TOURS:  COPAN, QUIRIGUA & RIO DULCE

Guatemala City, Copan, Quirigua, Puerto Barrios, Rio Dulce

TOUGTCQRD6 - 6 days / 5 nights    
Departure Dates: SUNDAY

Explore the Caribbean region with its Maya and colonial time remains. First to Copan, one of the most celebrated Mayan sites in Honduras, then to Quirigua where the largest blocks of stone quarried by the Maya are to be found. Finish your exploration of the area with a visit of the Rio Dulce region with the colonial Castillo San Felipe. Copan is the archeological city located in the western part of Republic of Honduras, one of the most important where the great Mayan Civilization developed and flourished. Located in the banana region of Izabal, Quiriguá is one of the smallest Mayan cities but one of the most notable due to its splendid series of monuments. The San Felipe Castle remaind us of the old days of the Kingdom of Guatemala, a sample of military architecture of the Colonial period.

The Rio Dulce - Approximately 30 miles long, the Río Dulce is Lake Izabal's outlet to the Caribbean. At its widest point, the river has a "lake-like" stretch known as El Golfete. This scenic river is lined with dense tropical vegetation inhabited by both tropical and sea birds, an occasional manatee and other aquatic life. The area called "the Rio Dulce" begins at the mouth of the river on the Bahia de Amatique at the Garifuna town of Livingston. Going up, the river passes through a spectacular steep walled canyon thickly blanketed with jungle vegetation and wildlife. The river then widens into a small lake, El Golfete, whose shores are lined with beautiful spots, Mayan settlements and a manatee reserve. The river then narrows and passes the towns of Fronteras and El Relleno. A short way further up, the river widens into 590 square kilometer Lake Izabal, the largest lake in Guatemala. Izabal is home to the beautiful Lake Izabal, the famous Rio Dulce and the Caribbean coasts in Guatemala.  Pirates and Galleons fought for the supremacy of the Caribbean in this area during colonial times. Today the area is home to countless species of flora and fauna such as the Dolphin and Manatee, and to the amazing Garifuna people of African descent that inhabited the region 200 years ago.

Guatemala is rich in history with some of the most impressive ancient Mayan architecture and beautiful old Spanish colonial towns in Central America. The capital, Guatemala city, home to more than 3m inhabitants, is an ever growing metropolis with few attractions and is mostly used as an arrival and departure point for visits to the rest of the country which offers so much more. Guatemala's countryside is beautiful, dotted with a large numbers of volcanoes, some still active, and Maya ruins including the magical site of Tikal in the Peten area. After the Maya abandoned the larger cities in El Peten, they migrated to the temperate climate of the highlands with their fertile soils. Ethnic groups such as the Cack’chiquel, Quek’chi, Mam and Tzutuil co-habit in this region. Their traditions, handicrafts and stories are the legacy of the ancient Maya.

Daily Itinerary

Day 1     Sun     Arrival in Guatemala City
Fly to Guatemala City. Arrive at Guatemala's International Airport and after proceeding through immigration and customs formalities, our representative will transfer you to your hotel for accommodations in Guatemala City. Guatemala City (Guatemala de la Asunción the founding name at the end of the colonial era), home to one-fourth of the country's entire population and the capital of Guatemala, is the country's commercial, financial, and cultural center. Built in Neo-Classical style after the "Santa Marta" earthquakes in 1773 devastated Antigua, all major buildings are located around the Plaza Mayor: the town-hall on the north, the Palacio Real on the west, the cathedral and Palacio Arzobispal on the east. Four blocks from the Plaza Mayor other squares were built, one in each direction and private properties, called “Solares”, were distributed according to the ones abandoned in Antigua. The modern city, with wide paved streets radiating from Central Park sprawls to the surrounding hills, where coffee, the chief export, is widely grown.

Day 2     Mon     Copan, Honduras
Begin the trip that will take you through El Progreso and Zacapa. Continue to Copan, Honduras for a visit of the ruins. Discovered in 1570 by Diego García de Palacio, the ruins of Copán, one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilization, were not excavated until the 19th century. The ruined citadel and imposing public squares reveal the three main stages of development before the city was abandoned in the early 10th century. Copan is considered a classic Maya center with ruins covering about forty acres including an acropolis with five plazas. The Maya of the Copan Valley are said to have occupied the valley starting in the Preclassic Period (1300- 900 BC). They lived there until the time of the Spanish Conquest. From the beginning, Copan was geographically, economically and culturally distinct from other Maya lowland sites. Overnight.

Day 3     Tue     Puerto Barrios
After breakfast you will return to Guatemalan territory to visit the archaeological site of Quirigua, one of the smallest Mayan cities, but one of the most notable due to its splendid series of monuments. Inhabited since the 2nd century A.D., Quirigua had become during the reign of Cauac Sky (723–84) the capital of an autonomous and prosperous state. The ruins of Quirigua contain some outstanding 8th-century monuments and an impressive series of carved stelae and sculpted calendars that constitute an essential source for the study of Mayan civilization. In the afternoon proceed to Puerto Barrios, on the Bay of Amatique and the leading port of Guatemala. Puerto Barrios lies near an area of extensive plantations, and bananas, coffee, chicle, fruits, and tropical woods are its main expors. Overnight accommodations.

Day 4     Wed    Rio Dulce
In the morning join the launch excursion to Livingston, , a village with the magic of the Garifuna culture, in a tropical, hilly place where the fresh water of the Rio Dulce mix with the saltwater of the Amatique Bay, hosting an amazing concentration of birds. At times there are hundreds in the air at once including pelicans and magnificent frigatebirds. Excitement is in the air with exotic, Afro-Caribbean festivals and celebrations. In the afternoon, continue to Castillo de San Felipe. In the 16th Century, trade between Guatemala and Spain passed through the Golfo Dulce, as the area was then called. Constant attacks by pirates both in the Gulf of Mexico and into Guatemala through the Rio Dulce made it necessary to defend the entrance to Lake Izabal with a fortification, first a tower, than with later additions a full Castillo. Overnight accommodations will be at the Rio Dulce.

Day 5     Thu    Guatemala City 
Morning at leisure. After lunch, return to Guatemala City.

Day 6     Fri    Return
Transfer to the airport for your International flight or extension to Tikal.

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