On arrival at “La Aurora” international airport in Guatemala City, you will be met and transferred to your hotel. You will have time to relax at your leisure before meeting the group and enjoying a welcome dinner.

We make an early start to rendevouz with our rafting guides and travel through the local countryside to Lanquin.
We will stop en-route at the Quetzal Reserve on the way, giving you the chance to walk through one of its natural trails through the forest with the possibility of seeing monkeys and birds including the national bird of Guatemalas – the Quetzal.

We lunch in Coban enroute to Lanquin, where upon checking into the hotel we immediately set off to visit the beautiful travertine pools of Semuc Champey. We can enjoy swimming in the tranquil waterfalls and travertine pools of mineral water that have formed a natural bridge over the Cahabon River. With utmost caution we will also be able to walk to the violent entrance of the river that appears to be swallowed by the earth bridge.

This morning we transfer in pick up trucks to the banks of the Lanquin River, a few kilometres out of town, which is our raft put in. After a safety and orientation talk, we board the rafts and begin descent of the Rio Lanquin to its confluence with the Rio Cahabon. We continue on the Cahabon, navigating some of the river’s largest and most exciting rapids.

The day is full of excitement, a perfect combination of rapids, tranquil pools, friendly Maya-Keck’ chi Indians and wildlife. Enjoy the subtropical jungle with its large variety of orchids and bromeliads blooming throughout the year. Marvel at the local bird life like Montezuma Oropendula, Bluebelted and Amazon kingfishers, Amazon parrots or a glimpse of the Keel Billed toucan. In the afternoon we arrive at the small village of Tamax where we will camp on an inviting beach.

After breakfast, we continue on through more challenging and exciting rapids, placid pools perfect for swimming, pristine side creeks, colorful bird life and beautiful scenery of remote and seldom seen regions of the Alta Verapaz. Dinner and camp upstream of the spectacular Cataract of Chulac.

Following breakfast and campsite breakdown, our rafts and equipment are transported around the unrunnable and deadly cataract known as Chulac Falls. After a short walk around the falls, we board our rafts at the base of the last drop. We continue downstream through the Lower Gorge, where the river enters a rugged canyon of unspoiled natural beauty with a perfect mixture of exhilarating rapids, tranquil pools and natural hot springs we’ve dubbed ‘The Little Paraiso’. By mid-afternoon we reach our take-out point at the small village of Cahaboncito. Switching from rafts to an awaiting vehicle, we transfer overland a short distance to the town of El Estor set on the shores of Lago Izabal (Guatemalas’ largest freshwater lake).

Today we have an early breakfast and board vehicle for land transfer to Flores. On the way we can make a short visit to the hot springs of “Finca Paraiso” or to Castillo de San Felipe, at Rio Dulce Bridge. Here you will have the opportunity to practice Bungee jumping if you wish – 100 feet drop before splashing into the deep waters below. We will also stop at the new Canopy and Sky walk bridges (1 hour away from Flores) which are set in the high jungle Canopy and we will may see spider monkeys among other jungle animals and birds.

After breakfast we drive to the frontier town of Sayaxche, on the banks of the Río Pasión. Here we take an outboard boat to the start of a short jungle trek to explore the intriguing ruins of Ceibal. NOTE: Ceibal is now being excavated by Takeshi and his team during the months of Jan-May, until 2011. The ruins are surounded by forest and shaded by huge ceiba trees and have some outstanding and well-preserved carvings. We have plenty of time to study the unusual stelae and experience the surrounding rainforest’s flora and fauna. Return to Sayaxche and continue to the Lake Petexbatun for lodging and dinner.

First thing today, we visit the site of Punta De Chiminos right outside our hotel door. Later, we board a boat to arrive at ruins of Aguateca. We spend the day walking in the protected jungle, visiting the plazas and experiencing the natural cliff boundaries that eventually led to its demise. Although there are no imposing temples here, the ruins are among the best preserved and restored in Guatemala. We have a picnic lunch at the site and continue to explore the chasm which was the natural barrier of defense for the ancient Maya city. At the end of the day, we re-board the boat to travel back (upstream) to our hotel.

After breakfast, we board the boat to travel upstream to the town of Sayaxche. Here we will board a van for our transfer to the magnificent National Park of Tikal. All afternoon we can explore this incredible ancient city, considered by most to be the most impressive in the Mayan world. You will note that most visitors to Tikal are “day trippers”–arriving in the morning and leaving in mid-afternoon. As such, we will have the park largely to ourselves in the afternoon, as we will be staying overnight at the Jungle Lodge, located in the park itself. Staying in the park will give a much greater appreciation for the area and its abundant flora and fauna–especially the howler monkeys and coatimundis!

After breakfast and an early morning tour to view the wildlife of Tikal, we have some free time before our transfer back to the airport.