CHOOSE YOUR TRIP

• Mayan World Encompassed
  A 22 day Central American Tour including a guided tour of Chichen Itza Ruins, Palenque Ruins and Tikal ruins; a visit to Agua Azul and Misol Ha waterfalls; exploring San Cristobal de las Casas and surrounding villages and visits to the Caribbean islands of Caye Caulker and Isla de Mujeres.

ABOUT CENTRAL AMERICA

MEXICO
Is the third largest country in Latin America and with a population of 104million is the most populous Spanish- speaking country in the world. As the site of advanced Amerindian civilizations such as the aztecs and Maya, Mexico came under Spanish rule for three centuries before achieving independence early in the 19th century. A devaluation of the peso in late 1994 threw Mexico into economic turmoil, triggering the worst recession in over half a century. The nation continues to make an impressive recovery. Ongoing economic and social concerns include low real wages, underemployment for a large segment of the population, inequitable income distribution, and few advancement opportunities for the largely Amerindian population in the impoverished southern states. Elections held in July 2000 marked the first time since the 1910 Mexican Revolution that the opposition defeated the party in government, the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). Vicente FOX of the National Action Party (PAN) was sworn in on 1 December 2000 as the first chief executive elected in free and fair elections. The government considers the lack of clean water and deforestation national security issues.
The Yucatán Peninsula and the highland region – are the heart of the Mayan civilization. The city of Chichén Itzá, founded in 432 and taken over by the Toltecs in the 10th century, houses some of the finest examples of Mayan architecture ever excavated. Including El Castillo with a balustrade of 91stairs up each of the four sides, a ball court with a grandstand and towering walls. Mérida, capital of Yucatán State, was founded in 1542 on the site of the Mayan city of Tihoo. In the Palenque ruins a large sarcophagus was found, containing the mummified remains of the Lord Pakal, one of the city’s last, great rulers. The Highlands are a more traditional part of Mexico. The Isthmus of Tehuantepec and the mountains of Chiapas beyond, is a land inhabited by Indians less influenced than elsewhere by the Spanish conquest. Only about 210 km (130 miles) separate the Atlantic and the Pacific at the hot heavily-jungled Isthmus . San Crístobal De Las Casas , the old State Capital, stands in a high mountain valley at 2110m (6921 ft). Most villagers in this area are members of the Tzotzil and Tzeltal Indigenous groups. The Tenejapans wear black knee length tunics, the Chamulans white wool tunics and the Zinacantecos multi-coloured outfits with ribbons on their hats, signifying how many children they have.

GUATEMALA
Is where Central America's longest running civil war officially came to an end a few years ago and the country is now filled with much optimism about its future. Guatemala was freed of Spanish colonial rule in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments as well as the 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the conflict, which had led to the death of more than 100,000 people and had created some 1 million refugees. Now you will find the Guatemalans some of the warmest and most colourful people in the world. It is filled with natural beauty, mountains, volcanoes, volcanic lakes and tropical rivers. Lake Atitlán is one of the most beautiful spots in Guatemala. Twelve native villages, blue/grey mountains and three volcanoes line the shores of this lake resulting in a wonderful combination of unusual natural beauty and traditional culture. The Caribbean coast, which it shares with Belize, has miles of untouched jungle, and thousands of indigenous species of flowers, birds and animals.
March or April sees the main fiesta of Semana Santa, or Holy Week, in Antigua. Days of preparation are spent designing carpets of flowers for the bare-footed litter bearers dressed in purple who carry the solid oak litter through the streets. No words are spoken, the bearers change shifts with hand signals only. Even out of Holy Week, Antigua is an atmospheric place. Antigua Guatemala (Old Guatemala) was the original capital before it was destroyed by an earthquake in 1773. Ringed by volcanoes, the setting of the city is dramatic, most people are more than impressed by the charm and beauty of the deserted convents, elaborate churches and peaceful courtyards.
The descendants of the Maya of Chichén Itzá immigrated to Lake Petén Itzá region which we now know as Flores, moving here from Mexico several centuries after the collapse of the great Maya cities in the Yucatán. They founded the city of Tayasal on an island in Lake Petén Itzá, and lived there for about four hundred years, isolated and luckily for them forgotten by the Spanish conquistadors. Finally in 1697 that this small city was conquered by a military expedition led by Martin de Ursúa, who stumbled upon it by accident. The city of Tayasal was transformed into the city of Flores, officially founded by the Spanish in 1700. It remained an isolated area, relying on the subsistence farming of corn and beans, and the gathering of chicle from nearby trees, used in the manufacture of gum. Tikal, only 60km from Flores, is the greatest of all Mayan cities. A classic site dating from approximately 300AD to 900AD. It rises magnificently out of the huge expanse of jungle that is the Petén, the vast north-eastern region of Guatemala.

BELIZE
A former British Honduras until 1981 Belize still has English as the official language but almost everyone speaks the rich local Creole and Spanish as well. Tourism has become the mainstay of the economy as it has all the charm and feel of a remote Caribbean island, from the swaying palm trees, clear blue seas, pulsating reggae rhythms and of course, rum punch. What Belize has that many Caribbean Islands don't have is the added bonus of the blend of cultures that make it unique and include Maya, Mestizo, Garifuna, European, and Asian. Belize has some of the most remarkable marine life, profuse jungle vegetation, ancient Mayan ruins, and above all, friendly and easy-going people. For a thousand years, Belize formed the keystone of the Mayan Empire who amid the lush jungle developed the most advanced civilisation in the New World. As the dominance of the Mayan city states began to wane, the land was influenced first by the bearded Conquistadors and later by the British buccaneers who sought safe haven behind the small coral islands which dot the Caribbean coastline. With time, the pirates left their plundering and turned inland to become loggers in the mahogany forests. The network of 'log trails' that they left has formed the basis for the development of 'green tourism' today. These trails give access not only to tropical forest wilderness but also to the limestone cities of the Mayas, engulfed in undergrowth centuries ago.
Belize is home to the world's only Jaguar reserve as well as boasting the world's longest unbroken barrier reef, sandswept by Caribbean waves forming an underwater paradise for divers and snorkellers alike.