Let us take you back over 2,000 years in time to one of the greatest creations of the Ancient Maya culture - the fabulous Tikal. Considered one of the top five Ancient Maya sites, Tikal National Park is renown for its historical wonders and the unique array of fauna in the tropical forests that shroud the ancient temples. The Park's vast size and abundance of wildlife-with 54 species of mammals and 333 species of birds-make this trip a nature-lover's dream.

From your flight over the Guatemalan highlands to a traditional Maya meal, the variety of activities and landscapes will surprise even the most experienced international traveler. You will explore the Ancient Maya site of Uaxactun, hike along the shores of Lago Peten Itza and the Biotopo Cerro Cahui, and lunch in the quiet Guatemalan town of Remate. These sites all offer spectacular wildlife and birding opportunities and the chance to absorb ancient and modern Guatemalan culture. After your daily adventures you will relax and reflect in some of the most comfortable accommodations the area has to offer.

Day 1: Guatemala City to Flores, Peten
Your trip leader will meet you at the Guatemala City International Airport and accompany you on the short 45-minute flight to Flores International Airport located in northern Guatemala.

Upon arrival in Flores, we will transfer by shuttle to the picturesque Hotel Villa Maya, only fifteen minutes from the airport. Our hotel is within a private protected area on a small lagoon. Guests can kayak or stroll around the expansive hotel grounds. Scarlet Macaws often overnight in the trees surrounding the hotel. That evening we will enjoy a guatemalteco dinner and review the trip's itinerary. Night: Hotel Villa Maya.

Day 2: Tikal National Park
After breakfast, we drive approximately 45 minutes and enter the world-famous Tikal National Park.

First we get you settled into the Tikal Jungle Lodge, located a short walk from the park's main entrance. We will take a hike into the park to look for birds, monkeys, and other forest mammals. Tikal's rivers, lakes, swamps and flooding savannas are important for wildlife and migratory birds, and the broad-leaved forests contain more than 300 species of trees. Palms, epiphytes, orchids and bromeliads are abundant.

We will spend the remainder of the day exploring the legacy of the Maya. At its height from 700 AD to 800 AD, Tikal supported a population of over 100,000. There are over 3,000 separate buildings dating from the period 600 BC to 900 AD, including temples, residences, and religious monuments decorated with hieroglyphic inscriptions and tombs. For those not afraid of heights, structures IV and V offer spectacular views as well as a good workout. Night: Jungle Lodge..

Day 3: Uaxactun
On the third day of your journey, we will venture even deeper into the Maya Biosphere Reserve, the largest area of continuous tropical rain forest in Central America - encompassing 2.1 million hectares. Traveling by shuttle directly through the heart of Tikal National Park, we will drive one hour north to the Maya ruins of Uaxactun-a site that was Tikal's political rival in the Preclassic period. In Uaxactun you will not only visit the ruins, but also see the small farming community that exists there now. The residents will be working in the surrounding forests, selling local handicrafts, and sharing their history with visitors.

Activities in Uaxactun will also include a climb to the top of a 90-foot tall "mirador" or observation tower that rises above the high forest canopy. From this viewpoint, we will be able to see a variety of forest creatures, view the vast sea of green that is the Maya Biosphere Reserve, and even spot the tops of Tikal's mighty temples - some 30 kilometers away. In Uaxactun we will also see demonstrations of local farming techniques and eat regional cuisine. In the afternoon, we return to Tikal National Park. Overnight: Jungle Lodge.

Day 4: Lake Peten Itza & Biotopo Cerro Cahui
In the morning we will visit the northern shore of Lake Peten Itza, taking in its magnificent views, and pass through a handful of small Guatemalan villages.

On the eastern tip of the lake, we visit the natural area Biotopo Cerro Cahui and hike into the subtropical rainforest to seek out parrots, toucans, spider and howler monkeys. This walk will take us through the lushness of this majestic forest of ferns, orchids, and giant mahogany and cedar trees. During the 2-3 hour hike, we will be lead by a local naturalist. Following our rainforest hike, we take lunch on the shore of Lake Peten Itza, in the nearby town of Remate. Night: Hotel Villa Maya.

Day 5: Return to Guatemala City and flights home
Following an early morning breakfast, we will transfer from the Villa Maya to Flores International Airport for our flight to Guatemala City International Airport. Arriving mid-morning, you will be prepared to make connecting flights to the US, or other destinations.

Accommodations Listing
Villa Maya, 3 Star, located on private nature reserve, full amenities.
Jungle Lodge, 2 Star, ideally located at the entrance to Tikal archeology site. Pool, restaurant, AC, nice rooms but basic.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The physical level of this trip is easy to moderate. All accommodation will have showers, air conditioning and/or ceiling fans. We will be driving in twelve passenger air-conditioned mini-vans.

WEATHER:
We can expect generally warm daytime temperatures ranging from the mid 80s to low 90s. It is generally dry during the this season (December - May), but can rain at any time. During the rainy season (June - November) we can expect afternoon and night time showers.

TOUR SIZE:
This tour will be strictly limited to a maximum of 14 participants and a minimum of 6 participants. Register early in order to ensure space is available.

TRAVEL DOCUMENTS:
A US passport valid beyond your anticipated date of return to the US and tourist card (available upon arrival) 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 $1,275 per person based on double occupancy. Single rates are an additional $250. This includes: a detailed pre-trip packet including a reading list, country bird list, packing suggestions, and some background reading and conservation project information; all food, three meals per day, from dinner on Day 1 to breakfast on Day 5; all lodging for 4 nights during the tour; ground transportation; in country airfares, and guide services provided by the tour leader and local expert guides. The tour fee does not include alcoholic beverage, special gratuities, phone calls, passport fees, airport departure taxes or items of a personal nature. Rates are based upon group tariffs; if the group does not have sufficient registration a small party supplement may have to be charged.

HEALTH PRECAUTIONS:
For comprehensive health information please contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on the Internet at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/camerica.htm or by phone at 1-877-394-8747 (traveler's health hotline). 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. If you have any questions please consult a health care professional.

STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL ADVISORIES:
For general information about Guatemala please refer to the Consular Information sheet: http://travel.state.gov/guatemala.html . You will be updated on any travel advisories.

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.

If the Mesoamerican Ecotourism Alliance (MEA) cancels the tour or the tour must be postponed during a time period starting seven days before tour departure and /or through the duration of the tour, MEA will refund all money recoverable through our agents, not yet spent and/or all refundable deposits. MEA reserves the right to cancel, postpone or suspend any tour based on the judgment of MEA, its staff and representatives, in order to insure the safety of our guests.

RESPONSIBILITY:
MEA and/or their Agents act only as agents for the passenger in regard to travel, whether by railroad, motorcar, motorcoach, boat, or airplane and assume no liability for injury, damage, loss, accident, delay, or irregularity which may be occasioned either by reason of defect in any vehicle or for any reason whatsoever, or through the acts or default of any company or person engaged in conveying the passenger or in carrying out the arrangements of the tour. They can accept no responsibility for losses or additional expenses due to delay or changes in air or other services, sickness, weather, strike, war, quarantine, or other causes. All such losses or expenses will have to be borne by the passenger as tour rates provide for arrangements only for the time stated. The right is reserved to substitute hotels of similar category for those indicated and to make any changes in the itinerary where deemed necessary or caused by changes in air schedules. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour. The right is reserved to decline, to accept, or to retain any person as a member of the tour. Baggage is at owner's risk.