Individual Tour in Honduras, Guatemala & El Salvador - INTI Tours

Independent drive from Belize City to Flores.

Today you will visit the ruins of Tikal, the most important Mayan site in Central America, located in the middle of the tropical rainforest. Time for lunch at the "Restaurante del Parque". Visit to the Sylvanus G. Morley Museum with its jade and ceramic finds.

After breakfast, you will set off today in a southerly direction. Once at the Río Dulce, you will board a boat and head downstream. During the trip you will visit the "Fuerte San Felipe", which is located at the mouth of Lake Izabal to the Río Dulce. The task of this historically significant fortress from colonial days was to protect the entrance to the lake and thus to the interior from pirate raids. On the rest of the trip you can relax and enjoy the lush vegetation and variety of exotic birds. Particularly impressive are the water lily fields and mangrove forests, but also the houses of the local Mayan population, who make their living here mainly through subsistence farming. Before you reach the mouth of the river to the sea, you will be offered another impressive natural spectacle: you will drive through the canyon of the Río Dulce. Arriving at the Amatique Bay and thus the Caribbean, you reach the village of Livingston. The village is the cultural centre of the Garífunas, one of the few cultures in Guatemala not descended from the Mayas. UNESCO included the Garifuna culture in the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2008 due to its uniqueness. Then return to Rio Dulce.

This morning you will first return to Río Dulce by boat. Then you take the "Carretera al Atlántico" and drive west to Quiriguá, a small archaeological site located in the middle of a huge banana plantation. Its value stems from the tall, gigantic stelae made of brown sandstone and the so-called zoomorphs - huge sandstone blocks covered all around with relief work. The history of this Mayan site is closely linked to that of Copán. Quiriguá was under the control of the Copán rulers until the 8th century. The largest stele is 10.60 metres high and weighs around 60,000 kg! Also interesting is Stele C, on which the creation of the universe can be traced in the Maya imagination, which for the Maya was in the year 3,114 BC! Afterwards, the journey continues towards Honduras. Use the drive to marvel at the beautiful and varied natural and cultural landscape of this region. At the Guatemalan-Honduran border station "Corinto" you will complete the entry formalities before reaching San Pedro Sula.

In the morning, you will take a city tour of San Pedro Sula. Afterwards, you will start a varied drive to Lago de Yojoa, near which the Cerro Azul Meambar National Park is located. On the way there, you will visit the impressive Pulhapanzak waterfall before reaching the park's visitor centre. The highest peak reaches 2,047 m.a.s.l. The ornithological features include not only the quetzal, but also the green toucan, various parrot and loro species, turkeys and motmots. Coatis, pumas and ocelots represent only a small excerpt from the abundance of mammals, not to mention the countless invertebrates and orchids. Together with your guide, you will discover a part of the national park.

The whole day is at your disposal for discovering the varied national park. On well-maintained trails and depending on your desire and physical condition, you can hike up into the cloud forest zone. There are breathtaking views of the surrounding, partly untouched mountain rainforests and of the nearby Lake Yojoa. Cerro Azul Meambar supplies the reservoir of Honduras' largest power plant with 20 percent of its water, and Lake Yojoa receives as much as 60 percent of its water from there.

Continue to the capital of Honduras. On the way, you will visit Comayagua and see the colonial cathedral of the former seat of government. The varied journey ends at your hotel in the capital, where you will stay twice.

Some particularly beautiful and ecologically important areas in the surroundings of Tegucigalpa are protected, such as the La Tigra National Park, today's destination. Hike through the fascinating ambience of the cloud forest. In the afternoon, visit the Valle de Angeles valley, home to the Honduran Centre for Handicrafts, where there are good opportunities to buy travel souvenirs.

Today you will drive through the "Wild West" of Honduras, which, however, is geographically located in the east. The drive leads through fantastically beautiful and practically uninhabited landscapes. Let yourself be enchanted by the rural surroundings and the original beauty of the landscape. The area is extremely sparsely populated, it can take hours before you encounter an oncoming vehicle. You constantly lose altitude, from the highlands down to the Caribbean coast. You will be amazed by the contrast of the vast and untouched plains to the palm-fringed beaches of the Caribbean. Overnight stay in a hotel in historic Trujillo.

Today you will discover the rich historical past of Trujillo - the place where Columbus first set foot on the mainland of the Americas in 1502 - and its most important sights: the Spanish fort of Santa Barbara and the tomb of the pirate William Walker. In the afternoon there is time to take a refreshing dip in the sea and enjoy the beautiful beaches.

Continue along the Caribbean coast to Tela. On the way you will visit some of the main attractions of La Ceiba. There is also an opportunity for a good lunch in a Caribbean ambience. The charming landscape is characterised by 300 km of sandy beaches, the adjoining lowlands and a mountain range. The mountain range with its valleys and rivers stretches along the entire coast to the Moskitia region. The landscape around La Ceiba is particularly impressive: sandy beaches, lagoons and mangroves, tropical rainforest and banana and pineapple plantations on the plain. About 15 kilometres behind, heavily forested mountains rise to heights of just over 2,400 metres. Before you check into your hotel, you will visit the botanical garden of Lancetilla with its over 1,000 different plant species as well as over 300 bird species, among them parrots, toucans, hummingbirds and kingfishers.

Today you will discover the Punta Izopo National Park by kayak, the ideal means of transport in the mangrove forests of the Caribbean coast. You paddle through small channels and rivers while your guide accompanies you in a separate kayak. Gliding silently in narrow channels past huge tree roots, you will have the opportunity to spot many water birds and, with a little luck, reptiles. Lunch in the Garífuna village of Triunfo and return to Tela in the afternoon.

This day is at your leisure. Enjoy this beautiful bathing day on the Caribbean.

Today we travel from Tela to Copán.

After breakfast, you will be picked up at the hotel and drive the short distance to the entrance of the well-known and impressive Mayan ruins in Copán. Together with your guide you will discover the archaeologically highly interesting sites and buildings and the sculpture museum. Afterwards, you will drive back to Copán.

Today you have the opportunity to get to know the hot springs of the region. After a short hike, you will drive to a bird park and nature reserve, where you will have lunch and watch the numerous free-flying birds such as parrots and toucans. In the afternoon you will reach the small archaeological site "Los Sapos" after passing numerous banana and coffee plantations. In the late afternoon you return to Copán.

Today we return to Guatemala directly to Antigua.

Today's tour takes us through one of the most historically significant as well as architecturally unique cities not only in Guatemala, but in all of Central America. Even though it is hard to believe, Antigua is one of the oldest cities in all of the Americas and the former colonial capital of all of Central America. Founded in 1543 and almost completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1773, it was finally declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979! After visiting the lively main square, where you will also find the cathedral as well as the city administration, you will visit the ruins of a religious monastery. Afterwards, you will visit a jade-cutting factory before returning to the hotel.

This day is at leisure.

After breakfast, a three-hour drive through the panoramic Guatemalan highlands to Chichicastenango.

Today, a visit to the famous highland market of Chichicastenango is on the agenda. Chichi, as it is also called by its inhabitants, is particularly well known in two respects: not only was and still is an important supra-regional market town, but it is also a place where pre-Christian, shamanistic rituals are practised, giving the town a mystique all of its own. In Chichicastenango you will have the opportunity to stroll through the most beautiful and colourful market of the highland Indígenas. An unbelievable variety of typical, handmade products are on offer. After your stroll, go to the 400-year-old church "Santo Tomás". Here you have the opportunity to witness Catholic and ancient Mayan rites, which merge into a mystical syncretism. In the afternoon, drive to Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in the country. After a short city tour, check into the hotel for one night.

This morning you will first visit the nearby villages of Almolonga and Zunil. The first of the two is particularly well known for its fine weavings of "huipiles", which is the name for the hand-woven women's blouses. It is also one of the most important vegetable markets in Guatemala. After a stroll through the town, you will continue to Zunil, a pretty market town whose economic and local image is dominated by agriculture. The village is situated in a beautiful valley framed by steep slopes overlooked by the Santa María volcano. Another destination for today is the village and market in San Francisco El Alto. Once here, you will enjoy an impressive panoramic view that stretches all the way to Quetzaltenango, 17 kilometres away, and the volcanoes Santa Maria (3,771 metres above sea level) and Chicabal (2,900 metres above sea level) behind it. To this day, San Francisco El Alto is Guatemala's stronghold for textiles. Vast quantities of fabrics and clothing spill out of the shops and pile up inside up to the ceilings. On the day of the weekly market, horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs and other domestic and farm animals are sold alongside goods for daily use. On the way north, you will visit the church of San Andrés Xecul before spending the night in Huehuetenango. Huehuetenango is located at the foot of the Cuchumatanes Mountains, the highest mountain range in Central America!

Today you will first drive to the Cuchumatanes to the village of Todos Santos. Enjoy the landscape and the authentic flair of this hardly visited area, which is one of the highest populated and cultivated areas. You will reach an altitude of over 3,700 metres above sea level. Here, women and men alike attract attention with their traditional costumes. On today's market day, the place is full of hustle and bustle, which takes place around the small colonial church. After the insight into the market hustle and bustle of Todos los Santos Cuchumatanes, the journey continues through the charming highlands to Panajachel on Lake Atitlán. Lake Atitlán is 20 km long and 8.5 km wide, its depth is 320 metres, and it has no outflow that we know of. Around the lake - either directly on the lake shore or high up on the mountain slopes - are seventeen small villages with more or less purely Indian populations belonging to the Tzutuhil or Cakchiquel peoples. Aldous Huxley called this lake "the most beautiful lake in Latin America".

Today you will get to know the unique atmosphere of Lake Atitlán and its surroundings on a boat trip. The destination of the boat trip is the village of Santiago Atitlán, situated at the foot of the mighty volcanoes and centre of the Tzutuhil Maya. The village looks back on a centuries-old Mayan past. Despite the arrival of tourism, this past is still reflected today in tradition, way of life and, of course, life on the streets and in the markets. After this interesting insight, you return to Panajachel by boat.

Today we travel from Panajachel to Guatemala City.

At the beginning of our city tour, you will first drive through the so-called "Centro Cívico" - the district in which a large number of government buildings are located. From here, we continue through the city centre until we finally reach the "Mapa en Relieve". This gigantic, three-dimensional relief map of the country was created by Guatemalan engineers at the turn of the century with surprising accuracy, despite the limited technology of the time. Then transfer to the "Plaza de la Constitución", the city's main square. The square is surrounded by the "Palacio Nacional" (National Palace) and the "Catedral Metropolitana" cathedral. After your visit, drive along the "Sixth Avenue" - the former main shopping street of the city - past the church "Yurrita" and along the boulevards "Avenida de La Reforma" and "Avenida de Las Américas" to the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology. Return to the hotel and overnight stay. 

Optional: Ascent of the Pacaya Volcano
If booked in advance, there is the option of climbing the Pacaya Volcano (important: this excursion is subject to current weather conditions and volcanic activity). In the morning you will set off for Pacaya. After leaving the city behind, you will pass coffee and pacaya plantations: the pacaya palm is a type of palm whose flowers are eaten as a salad or vegetable, but which also gave its name to the volcano. Via San Vicente Pacaya you reach the departure point. Within two hours you climb through oak and pine forests to the active cone and on to the summit, weather and volcanic activity permitting. You walk over fresh lava scree and if visibility is good you can see all the way to the Pacific coast. Back at the starting point, return to Guatemala City.

Today you will first visit the village of Ahuachapán. Then you will stop in the village of Juayúa, which translates as "river of purple orchids". Here you will visit the gastronomy festival taking place in the main square - take the opportunity to taste the specialities and typical meals of El Salvador! After this culinary refreshment and numerous vivid impressions of the people and culture of the region, you will drive to Concepción de Ataco, where you will visit the church of the "Immaculate Conception" (Iglesia de la Inmaculada Concepción de María), which has room for 500 worshippers. Afterwards, continue to Apaneca, the second highest city (1,450 m.a.s.l.) in the country. In the Nahuatl language, the name means "river of the winds". The town is known for its cobblestone streets, pleasant cool climate and friendly atmosphere. Likewise, the place is appreciated for its award-winning coffee production.

Today starts with a visit to the pre-Columbian Mayan site of Tazumal, where you can admire the most important ruins of Salvador. The highest pyramid in the country can also be found here. The region was under the influence of Copán at the time, but at the same time has stylistic elements that are characteristic of the sites in central Mexico. This is followed by a visit to the second largest city in the country, Santa Ana, which also gives its name to the surrounding district. Here you will visit the attractive main square with the neo-Gothic church and the town hall. Afterwards, you will visit the Cerro Verde National Park. There you will go on a short hike, accompanied by breathtaking views of the Izalco and Santa Ana volcanoes and Lake Coatepeque. End the day with a walk in the colonial town of Suchitoto to get an impression of the local architecture, art and culture.

Today you will visit the town of Ilobasco. Marvel at the pottery, which is exhibited here in the most diverse shapes and models in the shops. Afterwards, you can get an impression of San Salvador during a city tour. First you will go to the historic centre of the city, where you will visit the cathedral, which houses the tomb of Bishop Romero. From the Plaza "Gerardo Barrios" you will have a view of the National Palace and the National Theatre. Afterwards, you will visit the church "El Rosario", which is located at the Plaza Libertad. The architectural style of this church, which is unusual even for European eyes, creates a peculiar atmosphere inside: the stained glass windows make the interior of the church appear in the iridescent colours of the rainbow. A colonial church used to stand on the site, which was destroyed by an earthquake. The tomb of priest Matias José Delgado, the pioneer of the Central American independence movement, has been integrated into the church. Finally, visit the relief map in the Military Museum.

Transfer to the airport and return flight to Germany full of memories.