Rain Forests & Reefs: Belize, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica & Panama
February 7, 2014 - February 21, 2014Priced from: $11,980
Extensions
Optional Pre-Voyage Extension: Tikal & Copan
Sunday, February 2 – Friday, February 7
Explore the temples, palaces, and tombs of Tikal, the largest ancient ruined city of the Maya and the largest excavated site in North America, and search for wildlife in the surrounding park. In Copán, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that dates back to 426 A.D., discover temples, sculptures, plazas, and dozens of portrait stelae. Your extension also includes a visit to the Macaw Mountain Bird Park and the splendid Copán Butterfly and Orchid Farm.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
USA / Belize City, Belize
Depart on your independent flight to Belize. Transfer to the Radisson Fort George Hotel for an afternoon at leisure. Gather at the hotel this evening for a welcome dinner and briefing.
Monday, February 3
Belize City / Flores, Guatemala
This morning board our flight to Flores. Upon arrival, transfer directly to Tikal for a picnic lunch. An introductory tour of Tikal gives you an overview of this expansive site. This afternoon continue to the island town of Flores and check in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Belize City / Flores, Guatemala
This morning board our flight to Flores. Upon arrival, transfer directly to Tikal for a picnic lunch. An introductory tour of Tikal gives you an overview of this expansive site. This afternoon continue to the island town of Flores and check in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Tuesday, February 4
Flores / Tikal
Today you have a full-day tour of Tikal, the largest ancient ruined city of the Maya, the largest excavated site in North America, and one of the world’s most spectacular and most mystic ancient cities. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was a booming urban and ceremonial mecca with as many as 200,000 inhabitants during its heyday between 200 – 850 A.D. Explore the temples, palaces, and tombs on the site and climb the “Two-Headed Serpent,” the highest of Tikal’s six step pyramids, which offers striking canopy-level views. The park surrounding Tikal encompasses 200 square miles of lush forest and a wide variety of wildlife. Watch for spider and howler monkeys, keel-billed toucans, and several kinds of parrots. Return to our hotel in Flores for overnight.
Flores / Tikal
Today you have a full-day tour of Tikal, the largest ancient ruined city of the Maya, the largest excavated site in North America, and one of the world’s most spectacular and most mystic ancient cities. This UNESCO World Heritage Site was a booming urban and ceremonial mecca with as many as 200,000 inhabitants during its heyday between 200 – 850 A.D. Explore the temples, palaces, and tombs on the site and climb the “Two-Headed Serpent,” the highest of Tikal’s six step pyramids, which offers striking canopy-level views. The park surrounding Tikal encompasses 200 square miles of lush forest and a wide variety of wildlife. Watch for spider and howler monkeys, keel-billed toucans, and several kinds of parrots. Return to our hotel in Flores for overnight.
Wednesday, February 5
Flores / Copán, Honduras
This morning enjoy a cruise on Lake Peten Itza, the largest of a chain of 14 lakes. In Peten Zoological Park you may view some of the region’s native species. This afternoon board our flight for Copan, then check in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Flores / Copán, Honduras
This morning enjoy a cruise on Lake Peten Itza, the largest of a chain of 14 lakes. In Peten Zoological Park you may view some of the region’s native species. This afternoon board our flight for Copan, then check in to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Thursday, February 6
Copán
Copán, often referred to as the “Athens of the New World,” was made famous by travel writer John L. Stephens and architect Frederick Catherwood who discovered the ruins in 1839 and published illustrated books on the site. This World Heritage Site dates back to 426 A.D. and includes temples, sculptures, plazas, and dozens of portrait stelae. Its centerpiece, often referred to as the “Acropolis,” encompasses several step pyramids and palaces; its most spectacular highlights are the ball court, the roughly 2,000 glyphs that compose the Hieroglyphic Stairway, and Altar Q, which depicts 16 kings of the city-state.
Copán
Copán, often referred to as the “Athens of the New World,” was made famous by travel writer John L. Stephens and architect Frederick Catherwood who discovered the ruins in 1839 and published illustrated books on the site. This World Heritage Site dates back to 426 A.D. and includes temples, sculptures, plazas, and dozens of portrait stelae. Its centerpiece, often referred to as the “Acropolis,” encompasses several step pyramids and palaces; its most spectacular highlights are the ball court, the roughly 2,000 glyphs that compose the Hieroglyphic Stairway, and Altar Q, which depicts 16 kings of the city-state.
Friday, February 7
Copan / Belize City, Belize
After breakfast visit the Macaw Mountain Bird Park and the splendid Copán Butterfly and Orchid Farm. Then board our flight to Belize City and transfer to the hotel to join fellow travelers for dinner and overnight.
Copan / Belize City, Belize
After breakfast visit the Macaw Mountain Bird Park and the splendid Copán Butterfly and Orchid Farm. Then board our flight to Belize City and transfer to the hotel to join fellow travelers for dinner and overnight.
- Price: $4,940 single occupancy, $4,170 double occupancy
