Itinerary

Sunday – February 22: Guatemala City
Afternoon – Arrival in Guatemala City
Evening – Welcome Dinner at Hotel Residencial La Reforma
Presentation on Guatemalan History by Stuart Conway, TWP’s International Director .

Overnight: Hotel Residencial Reforma

Monday – February 23: Tiquisate
Morning - Briefing by US Embassy and US Agency for International Development (USAID) staff on the political, economic and environmental situation in Guatemala. Have Lunch with members of the Guatemala East Rotary Club, our partners on the stove project.
Afternoon – Drive to Tiquisate.

Overnight: Hotel Jireh

Tuesday – February 24: Tiquisate
Leonel Jarquin, TWP’s Guatemala Project Director, will join us to build a fuel efficient Justa stove with a local family in Pinula.

Overnight: Hotel Jireh

Wednesday – February 25: Tiquisate
Morning – Visit TWP’s micro-enterprise tree nursery and help plant trees.
Lunch – at Dona Catalina Jarquin’s house, leader of the women’s committee of Pinula
Afternoon – Visit local TWP reforestation sites.

Overnight: Hotel Jireh

Thursday – February 26: Santiago Atitlan
Morning – Drive to San Lucas Toliman
Option 1 – Visit Los Tarrales Private Nature Reserve and Coffee Finca and have lunch
Option 2 – Lunch in San Lucas Toliman
Afternoon – Visit Stove Projects and Tree Nursery of the Parish of San Lucas Toliman.

Overnight: Posada de Santiago situated above the shores of volcano rimmed Lake Atitlan, one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Friday – February 27: Santiago Atitlan
Morning – Visit Santiago Atitlan, an indigenous community with many colorful handicrafts for sale and a historic colonial church and square. Visit San Simon, an interesting mix of Maya and Catholic religions.
Afternoon – relax at the resort.

Overnight: Hotel Posada de Santiago

Saturday – February 28: Antigua
Morning – Drive to Antigua, former Spanish capital of Guatemala situated at the base of three volcanoes (Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango). Antigua has been designated a World Heritage Cultural Site by the United Nations.
Explore the cobblestone streets, ruins of colonial churches, shops and indigenous markets of Antigua – ½ day tour with local historical expert.

Overnight: Hotel Quinta de las Flores

Sunday – March 01: Antigua
Rest day. Explore Antigua on your own (or climb a volcano).

Overnight: Hotel Quinta de las Flores

Monday – March 02: Tikal
Fly to the town of Flores, located in Guatemala’s northern Peten region. Visit the spectacular Maya ruins of Tikal, a national park with luxurios tropical forest, abundant wildlife and great birding opportunities. Explore the temples and palaces of the most extensively excavated Maya site of the Mesoamerican region with an expert local guide.

Overnight: Jaguar Inn

Tuesday – March 03: Tikal - Guatemala City
More time to explore the flora and fauna of the rainforest and the Maya ruins at Tikal National Park.
Afternoon – Fly back to Guatemala City
Farewell Dinner in Guatemala City.

Overnight: Hotel Residencial Reforma

Wednesday – March 04
Departure from Guatemala City airport.

For more information contact:

Trees, Water & People

Stuart Conway : stuart@treeswaterpeople.org

877-606-4TWP or 970-484-3678

OR

Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance

Mark Willuhn

mark@travelwithmea.org
800-682-0584

Practical Information

WEATHER: The weather, depending on our location, will vary from warm and sunny to cloudy, misty, foggy or rainy. We can expect daytime temperature highs in the low 90s in some location and in the highlands low 80s.

TOUR SIZE: This tour will be limited to a maximum of 16 participants and a minimum of 10 participants.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: A US passport valid beyond your anticipated date of return to the US is required. Currently no visas or immunization certificates are required. Those with foreign passports should contact the Embassy of Guatemala for details.

FINANCIAL ARRANGEMENTS: The fee for the tour is $2,499 per person (12 - 15 participants) based on double occupancy from Guatemala City. Single rates are an additional $500. This includes all food, three meals per day, from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 11; all lodging for 10 nights during the tour; ground transportation; roundtrip airfare from Guatemala City to Flores, and guide services provided by the tour leaders and local conservation professionals. Does not include: international airfare , passport fees, departure taxes, etc. Meals do not include alcoholic beverages. Gratuities, laundry, phone calls and other personal expenses not included. Rates are based upon group tariffs; if the group does not have sufficient registration a small party supplement may have to be charged. Itinerary is tentative and subject to change.

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS: For comprehensive information please contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the Internet at www.cdc.gov or by phone at 404-332-4559. The CDC information is a comprehensive listing of any disease reported in a particular region or state. Guatemala is included with Central America. We have not had any problems with diseases. Please consult a health care professional with any questions.

STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL ADVISORIES: Currently there are no travel advisories for traveling in Guatemala. You will be updated on any significant developments that pertain to our trip. http://travel.state.gov

TOUR REGISTRATION: To register for the tour, complete the registration form and return it with a deposit of $500 per person to:

Trees, Water & People

Attn: Stuart Conway

633 Remington Street

Fort Collins, CO 80524

Feel free to contact Stuart with any questions - phone: 970-484-3678; e-mail: stuart@treeswaterpeople.org . To learn more about Trees, Water & People and their important work please visit www.treeswaterpeople.org .

Full payment of the tour fee is due 90 days before departure date. Single supplements are an additional $500.

CANCELLATION POLICY : Refunds are made according to the following schedule: If cancellation is made eighty days or more before departure date, the deposit less $150 is refundable. If cancellation is made between seventy-nine and sixty days before departure date, the deposit is not refundable, but any payments covering the balance of the fee will be refunded. If cancellation is made fifty-nine days or less before departure date, no refund is available except for amounts recoverable through our agents. We recommend that you purchase trip cancellation insurance which you will receive upon registration.