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- An Extraordinary Academic Adventure*-
A superb 15 day / 14 night
escorted program of Yucatan Peninsula, Chiapas, Guatemala and Belize for
student travel and other academic groups!
Begins and ends in Merida with custom departure dates.
 | Day 1 - Arrive in Merida Tour members
will be transferred to the hotel in Campeche for an evening
orientation by the tour leader then a welcome dinner at the hotel Baluartes. (D) |
| Day 2 - Campeche, Palenque A morning
visit to the fortresses and streets of Campeche to learn the history of the
early pirates and their incursions into Campeche, including the Museum of History, with its important collection of objects found in the sunken galleons and shipwrecks found in Campeche Bay. Afterwards the tour continues to Palenque, checks in at Villas Kin Ha (located only 3 minutes from Palenque site). Later dinner will be served at Don Muchos restaurant, a unique place where all the
archaeologists from Palenque meet for dinner, then back to the hotel for overnight. (B, L, D) |
| Day 3 - Palenque After breakfast, well before the crowds arrive, there will be a walking site lecture of Palenque. Returning to the hotel for
lunch there will be an afternoon visit to the Museum of Palenque. Before dinner Dr. Christopher Powell, a famous scholars of the Maya
of Palenque, will give a lecture about Pacal's Tomb. After the
lecture there will be dinner at the hotel Villas Kin Ha. (B, L, D) |
 
| Day 4 - The Lacandon Rain Forest - Early in the morning the tour departs for the Lacandonian community of Lacanjá with what some believe are direct descendants of the Maya who built Yaxchilan. Caught in a cultural transition, most of the men and women still wear the long, white tunics of their ancestors. Tour members will take a kayak journey
down the Lacanjá river and have a lecture, "Life and Death in the Rain Forest of Chiapas", by Dr. Roberto Lacjuna, biologist of the Biosphere Reserve of Montes Azules, before returning to the hotel Villas Kin Ha in Palenque for dinner. (B, L, D) |
| Day 5 - Bonampak, Yaxchilan - Early the next morning the tour will explore the ancient ruins of Bonampak with its well preserved murals of the Mayan culture. Then the tour continues to Escudo Jaguar for lunch and afterwards continue to Yaxchilan by a 40 minute boat ride over the Usumacinta River. There there will be a walking site lecture of this beautiful site then the
return
boat ride back to Escudo Jaguar restaurant and hotel. Before dinner there will be a formal lecture on the Mayan Calendar. Dinner and overnight will be at Escudo Jaguar. (B, L, D) |
| Day 6 - Guatemala - After breakfast the tour will take a boat ride to Bethel, Guatemala, where we will start our road transportation to Tikal, with visit on the route to a National park to enjoy the unique flora and the fauna. Afterwards the tour continues to the hotel Jungle Lodge in Tikal. Before dinner there will be a
formal lecture on magnificent Tikal. (B, L, D) |
 
| Day 7 - Tikal - An early morning guided
tour to experience the mystiques of Tikal, possibly the most magnificent of
all Mayan sites. Lunch will be served at the hotel with an afternoon free of scheduled activities for independent explorations or rest. Dinner and overnight at the Jungle Lodge. (B, L, D) |
| Day 8 - Belize, Xunantunich, Panti
Medicinal Trail After breakfast the tour will depart for a 3 hour trip to
Belize. There the tour visits Xunantunich, a classic-period ceremonial center and one of the few Mayan sites built atop a hill. In
the afternoon tour members will visit the Panti Medicine Trail, named for the Mayan shaman
Eligio Panti. Overnight in San lgnacio, Belize. (B, L, D) |
| Day 9 - Guanacaste Park, Belize Zoo,
Community Baboon Sanctuary After breakfast the tour continues with a visit to Guanacaste Park with its huge population of massive trees, bromeliads,
orchids, and ferns, the famous Belize Zoo, one of the most unique zoos in
Central America with extraordinary conservation and reintroduction programs
for endangered species and the Community Baboon Sanctuary to encounter the
black howler monkey. We will continue to Belize City for dinner and
overnight at the Ramada hotel. (B, L, D) |
| Day 10 - Crooked Tree Wildlife Reserve
Today tour members travel to the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is a
large reserve covering inland waterways, logwood swamps and lagoons. It is
ideally located as a resting point for thousands of migratory and endemic
bird species, including the rare Jabiru Stork, the largest flying bird in
the New World. Overnight again in Belize City. (B, L, D) |
| Day 11 - Lamanai, Bacalar After
breakfast travel continues to Orange Walk Town to board a boat that will take tour members to the remote jungle ruins of Lamanai. Lunch will be at the Lamanai Lodge. The tour then continues to Mexico for dinner and overnight at the Rancho Encantado. (B, L, D) |
| Day 12 - Kohunlich, Dzibanché, Museum
After breakfast a visit to the ruins of Kohunlich and Dzibanché are planned before returning for
lunch. Then there will be an afternoon museum visit and city tour with a lecture at the
University of Quintana Roo, “The Manatees of Chetumal Bay”. In the afternoon it's back to
the hotel for the tour members with free time before an evening dinner at Tacos de Don Jose in Chetumal and a return to the hotel. (B, L, D) |
| Day 13 - Valladolid, Chichén ltzá - The tour makes an early
departure to Chichén ltzá, via Chac-choben and Valladolid for lunch at the Meson del Marques, a XVII century Spanish Mansion now refurbished into a hotel, for a lecture on Valladolid before a walking tour of the city. Later there will be a lecture at Chichén ltzá on Mayan astronomy. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Chichén. (B, L, D) |
| Day 14 - Chichén ltzá - Today the tour will explore Chichén ltzá, the wonderful archaeological site incorporating the ruins of
two different cultures, the ancient Maya and the later arriving Toltecs. The substantial fusion of highland central Mexican and Puuc architecture make Chichén ltzá unique. There will be time allotted for a swim at Cenote Ikil before lunch at the site and
continuing to Mérida and check in at the Hotel Castellanos. The tour's farewell dinner will be at La Habichuela. (B, L, D) |
| Day 15 - Depart Merida To round out the tour the group will be transfer to Mérida International Airport for the return flight. (B) |
| TOUR PARTICIPANTS |
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(Per Person, Double Occupancy |
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| 2 |
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$6814 |
| 4 |
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$4573 |
| 6 |
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$3952 |
| 8 or more |
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$3432 |
PLEASE NOTE - This tour is not a "day tour" or "seat in bus" tour. This tour is a quality, escorted tour.
ALSO, the prices presented above generally increase during Holiday weekends, Spring break, etc. when travel schedules dictate higher demand.
Occasionally we will schedule "guaranteed departure" tours that anyone (single, doubles or triples) can join. In those cases these tour prices will not apply.
Depending on the number of tour participants discounted Continental Airlines airfares may be
available on some packages!
This Tour Includes:
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Services of a professional archaeological guide.
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Hotels and lodges, hotel taxes service
charges, and tips for baggage handling.
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Breakfasts
(B) and Lunches (L) OR Dinners (D) as detailed in the tour description with Full Board available.
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Carefully maintained air-conditioned motor coach; maximum 10 tour members per
vehicle; experienced driver.
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All entrance fees to parks and archaeological sites are included
in the program.
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Complete program of sightseeing and cultural events as described.
Please Note:
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Other accommodations could be substituted for like kind and quality based upon availability.
The Mayan Traveler/Tropical Travel
5 Grogan's Park, Suite 102
The Woodlands TX 77380
1-800-451-8017 / tel 281-367-3386 / fax 281-298-2335
email: TheMayanTraveler@wt.net
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