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40% Off Luxury 7 Day Itinerary – $969 Net Per Person!
- June to November 2009

In collabration with our Guatemala partners and the luxury boutique hotels of Palacio Dona Leonor (Antigua) and Laguna Lodge (Lake Atitlan) we are proud to offer a 7 Day Luxury Tour of the Guatemalan Highlands for just $969 per person – thats 40% off the normal net rate of $1615 per person
• Availble for tours June to November 2009
• Only for the itinerary listed below
• Start day has to be Sunday
• Price based on double occupancy – please enquire for single or small group travelers
• Book / Inquire

ITINERARY OUTLINE

SUN – ARRIVAL & PRIVATE TRANSFER TO ANTIGUA
• Guests will be met at Guatemala City Airport by their bi-lingual Drive
• Private transfer to Antigua (1hr)
• Overnight Palacio Dona Leonor

MON – ANTIGUA WALKING TOUR & FREE FTERNOON (B)
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Your private guide will meet you at your hotel for a half day walking tour of Antigua
• Free afternoon
• Overnight Palacio Dona Leonor

TUE – FREE DAY IN ANTIGUA (B)
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Free Day in Antigua – book tours locally to visit Coffee Farms, Maya museums, textile tours, climb the active volcano of Pacaya or any number of interesting activities.
• Overnight Palacio Dona Leonor

WED – TRANSFER TO LAKE ATITLAN (B)
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Private Transfer to Lake Atitlan (Approx 2hr 30 trf)
• Private Boat transfer from Panajachel to the Lodge (15min)
• Overnight Laguna Lodge – Eco Boutique Lodge
• (N.B Gourmet Vegetarian Food Only in this Hotel)

THU – CHICHICASTENANGO MARKET (B)
• Breakfast at the Hotel
• Private Transfer to Chichi by boat & vehicle (Approx 1.5hr)
• Time to explore Chichi Market (Unguided)
• Private Transfer back to your hotel by boat & vehicle (Approx 1.5hr)
• Overnight Laguna Lodge – Eco Boutique Lodge

FRI – LAKE TOUR (B,L)
• Breakfast at the hotel
• Private Full Day, Private Lake & Village Tour by boat to San Juan La Laguna and Santiago -Includes Lunch
• Overnight Laguna Lodge – Eco Boutique Lodge
• (N.B Gourmet Vegetarian Food Only in this Hote l)

Maya textiles

SAT – TRANSFER OUT (B)

• Breakfast in the hotel
• Transfers to Airport in time for international flight departure. (3hr)

Book / ASK US ABOUT EXTENSIONS TO INCLUDE THE JUNGLE & MAYA SITE AT TIKAL

HOTEL & DESTINATION INFORMATION

ANTIGUA
Antigua Guatemala. La Antigua (the old one), former colonial capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala, combines 17th and 18th century buildings and ruins with all the modern conveniences discerning travelers desire. The city was established as Santiago (St James) in 1543 after a mudslide destroyed the former capital. Santiago’s history was punctuated by massive earthquakes, followed by rebuilding and reparation, until the earthquake of Santa Marta in 1773 prompted a move to the present capital in Guatemala City. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, Antigua exudes a unique atmosphere of history, intrigue and surprise. Resting in a fertile valley at 1530 m and surrounded by hills and volcanoes, Antigua’s climate is likened to ‘eternal spring’.

Luxury Boutique Hotel – Palacio de Dona Leonor
An authentic colonial mansion is the location for this beautiful 12 room boutique hotel right in the heart of Antigua. Just half a block from the central park this is Antigua’s most central hotel. Each room is named after a historical figure from Antigua’s past and is decorated in a different way still in keeping with the colonial theme of the hotel. There is a restaurant, breakfast room, outdoor lounge and breakfast areas in the central courtyard. The hotel prides itself on offering the best service in Antigua and lots of personal touches to make the guest’s experience truly outstanding. This is a wonderful hotel for couples and small groups.
Facilities: 12 Rooms, Restaurant, Tea room, Outdoor lounges.
Location: Heart of Central Antigua, 1/2 block from the main square

LAKE ATITLAN
Lake Atitlanhas been called by many “the most beautiful lake in the world”. It is indeed an amazing setting with the crystal blue waters of the lake surrounded by the three lofty peaks of Toliman, San Pedro and Atitlan Volcanoes. You can take a private boat to villages surrounding the lake and experience the local indigenous customs, traditions, dress and crafts. In the village of Santiago guides can show you where the local Mayan community worships an image called Maximon feeding him alcohol and cigarettes in an attempt to make their wishes come true. This village is also f
famous for its primitive art and beautiful woven “huipiles” – women’s tunics.

Laguna Lodge – Luxury Eco-Boutique Hotel
* VEGETARIAN FOOD ONLY
Laguna Lodge is a luxury, boutique hotel on the shores of Lake Atitlan close to the village of St Cruz. The hotel is in fact located on a large private area of land called the Tzantizotz Nature Reserve and the hotel is operated with a strong focus on sustainable travel best practice. The rooms and bathrooms are spacious and with balconies that offer wonderful views across the lake to the San Pedro and Atitlan Volcanoes. Food is gourmet vegetarian. A great hotel for honeymooners, couples and small groups.
Facilities: 7 Rooms, Vegetarian Restaurant, Bar, Hiking on private nature reserve
Location: Accessible only by boat. 10mins from Panajachel.

CHICHICASTENANGO
Chichicastenango is famous for its large craft market on Sunday and Thursday. This is when craftsmen and villagers from all over the highlands converge on this small town to sell their wares. Sunday is an interesting day to visit because as well as the hugely colorful market, many village shamans will come from miles around to “Chichi”, as the locals call it, to perform Mayan rituals on behalf of people in their community. There are many hillside Mayan altar sites where the rituals are performed and, yet more strangely, many are performed on altar slabs inside the catholic church. Chichi is one of the easiest places for travelers to experience the strange way that Mayan & Catholic faiths have merged in Guatemala. During a trip to Chichi, you can also visit the small mask factory and see a traditional dance display performed by the local children.

LAKE TOUR DESCRIPTION
Guests are picked up from their hotel & transfer to San Juan La Laguna Village where they visit a local textile cooperative to see the back strap loom in use and to see how they still dye with natural dyes. Guests also visit the home and workshop of local naïf painters before boarding the boat onto Santiago Village for lunch. After lunch guests will walk with their guide to find the house where the Maya God Maximon is living. Each year a different “brotherhood” has the privilege of taking care of their God so his location changes. Once with Maximon you may see local shaman performing rituals for local people and if you wish you can ask your guide to help you hire the services of a shaman for you to have a personal ceremony performed. After visiting Maximon guests can visit the local church and learn about the history of this very traditional town and also see the market and learn about the distinctive textiles and primitive art that is famous from this area. When guests are ready they will be transferred back to their hotel.

Book / Inquire

 



Some ten miles west of Ceske Budejovice in southern Bohemia, Czech Republic, lies a small village of Holasovice. The village is a well-preserved collection of village dwellings built in the middle of 19th century and offers a perfect day trip from Prague.

With characteristic stucco decorations on the gables built in style of folk baroque, inscribed with dates from 1840 to 1880, some with a touch of rococo and classicist features, the dwellings are grouped around a village pond, preserving a ground plan dating from the Middle Ages. This vernacular style of peasant architecture is known as the South Bohemian Folk Baroque. For its unique character and compliance with preservation regulations Holasovice village was added to the list of UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage sites in 1998.

In all there are 22 buildings that surround the fish pond and the village square, with a small chapel on one end. The main entry doorway of each house leads into a large interior courtyard. The houses are large, typically with a number of rooms in the front part of the house and farm animal and implement barns adjacent.
Although similar architecture is found throughout South Bohemia, where many farm houses have been turned into vacation homes, at times disrupting the original vernacular style by addition of contemporary design features, Holasovice as village and the property owners abide by strict rules and maintenance guidelines to retain the cultural continuity of the vernacular elements of the village folk baroque period.

Holasovice is also a wonderful stop to inlcude in your Czech Republic bicycle trip, namely Vienna to Prague and Salzburg to Prague, or it can be combined with a trip to Cesky Krumlov, another Czech Republic UNESCO World Heritage site, on the tour of best Bohemian and Moravian greenways.

Many first time vistors to India crave to visit the legedary Taj Mahal and do so often as only a daytrip from New Delhi, ariving there at midday when sun is high and the grandeur of this remarkable site is diminished. It’s a shame as Taj must been seen at least twice, once in the late afternoon when shadows are long and next at sunrise.

A world heritage site, UNESCO described Taj Mahal as “the jewel of Muslim art in India”. Often considered the pinnacle of Mughal art, the Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. There are few words that can describe the spleandor of this monument, hence viewing it at the ideal times of the day are an absolute must to soak in its full magnificance .

After early morning visit of Taj Mahal it’s best not to return to Delhi but continue to Fatehpur Sikri. Only one hour driving time away from Agra, Fatehpur Sikri was the 16th century capital of the Mughal rulers and the great Mughul Emperor Akbar had intended it to be the grandest capital city of the the world. Built entirely of red sandstone he came close to succeeding and Fatehpur Sikri served as his capital for 15 years until it was abandoned after his death in 1585 due to water scarcity in the area.

Undisputedly the magic of Rajasthan accounts for some of the most memorable impressions of India and Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri are but gateways to what lies ahead. From Fatehpur Sikri one can proceed to Bharatpur, only one hour further down the road, and beyond will lure such sites as Ramathra Fort, Ranthambore National Park, Bundi, Pushkar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bhainsrorgarh, Udaipur and much more.

Following end of Vietnam – American war and its postwar alignment with North Vietnam’s communist system of government, Laos fell into obscurity. With the fall of Berlin Wall and dismantling of Soviet Union, Laos as Vietnam slowly opened its borders to international tourism. Vientiane, the capital, became the first target as a result of easy access from well-developed Thailand to the south. But it was not long before tourists started to venture up to north central Laos to visit Luang Prabang, the former capital of Lane Xang, the first independent Lao kingdom founded in the 14th century, a role it shared for centuries with Vientiane right up to the communist takeover of the country in 1975. Surrounded by mountains, a stunning potion on the banks of the Mekong River, some three dozen Buddhist temples, sizeable monk community, touch of former French colonial architectural influence and lively hill tribe market it was not long that Luang Prabang’s inherent charm and significant monuments were noticed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and in 1995 added to its World Heritage list.

Due to its remote location overland access to Luang Prabang from Vientiane is even today no easier then fifteen years ago. Although paved but narrow and winding, at times in the past its traffic caught in crossfire between the government troops and the Hmong insurgents, taking some 10 to 12 hours of stressful driving to reach from Vientiane, road access to Luang Prabang was always dismissed as viable alternative to spur tourism. For the town to attract steady stream of tourists to provide for access by air was the best approach. Whereas in the first years of operation the airport was considered dangerous to land on, it has gone through improvements and as a result today Luang Prabang seees nearly million tourists per year, most from neighboring Thailand.

Needless to say increased tourism brings more income and more development although not all necessarily for the better. While the historical core of Luang Prabang must abide by strict guidelines set forth by UNESCO to retain its charm and preserve its cultural continuity, the development focuses on amenities and surroundings. Per recent news Korean investors are proposing a major 3000-hectare commercial development, christened Diamond City, in the total of some 2-billion dollars, a staggering amount for this outlying region of Asia. Said to include tourism, financial and recreational services, the project undoubtedly will alter the peaceful ambiance of the town and its surroundings forever.

Whereas even fifteen years ago when Luang Prabang first received its designation as UNESCO monument handful of local cargo barges sailed downstream Mekong all the way to Vientiane and no river craft plied the river specifically catering to tourists, other than handful of small boats run by local fishermen, the current river offerings include dinner cruises, scheduled river trips to traditional villages for dinner, music and dance cultural shows and elephant rides. While Luang Prabang has not yet progressed to becoming the travel supermarket town of Dali or Lijiang in Yunnan to the north, with China now allowing its citizens to travel ever more freely abroad including Laos, and with the bridge across the Mekong between Chiang Khong in northern Thailand and Houayxay in Laos, being the final link in a north-south road system through the Mekong region between Yunnan, Laos and Thailand, the main road completed in Fall of 2008 and the bridge scheduled to be completed by 2011, Luang Prabang will undoubtedly see more influx of overland visitors with hordes of Chinese package tour busses likely in the forefront.

While the Royal Palace in Luang Prabang, completed only in 1909 in Lao and French Beaux Arts style during the French colonial era for King Sisavang Vong and his family is one of the main Luang Prabang’s drawing cards, the impressive Wat Xieng Thong temple, located on the northern tip of the town’s peninsula at the confluence of the Nam Khan and Mekong Rivers, constitutes the highlight of the row of temples and monasteries that lead up to it. Although under the guidelines of UNESCO the historic core of Luang Pranga is assured to retain its temple ambiance, with more development in town’s surroundings and more tourists to come, time to see Luang Prabang is now before it will become another Venice or Prague.