Guatemala & Belize Express

Travel Just 4U's representative in Guatemala will meet you at the airport upon arrival in Guatemala City. They will be holding a sign with your name after you leave the secure area with your bags. 

They will escort you to your private transfer to Antigua (approximately 1 hour drive), assist you on check-in at your hotel and present you with a detailed itinerary for your experiences in Guatemala. This is your chance to run through specific pick up times and logistics for your tours in the country. If you have any questions regarding your itinerary, ask them now.

Just 200m from Antigua’s Central Park, Villa Meson in Exclusive Condominium offers city views, free private parking and a charming central courtyard filled with plants. Each stylish room includes free Wi-Fi.

Rooms at the Mesón de María feature elegant colonial-style décor and cable TV. All rooms have a safe, a telephone and a private bathroom with a hairdryer and free toiletries.

A free continental breakfast is served daily at Villa Meson in Exclusive Condominium. Room service is available from a local restaurant located opposite the hotel, which international restaurants can be found in the surrounding streets. Staff at the 24-hour reception can provide information about the city. Antigua Cathedral and a craft market can be found within a 5-minute walk. 

After breakfast you will be able to enjoy a private guided walking tour of Antigua. You will visit some breath taking colonial monuments and find out why this city was the bustling center of the region for the Spaniards. 

The town is protected by the surrounding eternal guards, the Volcanoes of Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. Antigua was founded in 1543, as the third capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala and partially destroyed by in 1773 by the Santa Marta Earthquakes. 

Starting at central plaza the guide will give you a general idea about the colonization, Guatemala’s history & contemporary issues. View the outside main buildings (Palacio de Capitanes, City Hall, and El Portal), visit backstage of the Cathedral & Cathedral ruins & the San Francisco church. At the end of the tour, the guide will accompany you back to your hotel to spend the rest of the day at leisure. 

The colorful colonial town of Antigua, Guatemala boasts cobblestone streets, cute cafes and volcanoes looming in the distance. This city is unarguably charming and easy to fall in love with.

It was once the capital of the country, until a volcanic eruption ruined the city and they had to move it to what is now “Guatemala city”.Antigua is a colonial style city that’s bursting in cultural, amazing views, delicious food and plenty of drinking opportunities. If you’ve always wanted to see a volcano erupt, but not be in danger, then this is the place to achieve that! here are some top things to see whilst in this amazing city:

- See Volcan Fuego Erupt
- Toast Marshmallows on Volcano Pacaya
- Handicraft shopping
- Satisfy your sweet tooth at the Chocolate Museum
- Photograph the Famous Arch
- See the city from Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint
- Tour a Coffee Farm
- Visit Caoba Farms

For the duration of your private tour within Guatemala you will have a private vehicle and a driver to accompany you for the duration of your Guatemala adventure. You will then have local guides for each local activity. While your local guides do speak English, the level may be slightly more basic than city based guides you will encounter on other guided tours. 

This is an amazing opportunity to interact with a local Guatemalan who will be incredibly proud to show you their country on this unique road trip

After breakfast, you will meet your private driver who will be with you for the rest of your trip.  They will transfer you to Lake Atitlan via the archaeological site Iximche.

Iximche is a Pre-Columbian Mayan site in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, which was founded by the Kaqchikel Maya in 1470. Between the late 1400s and early 1500s, for about 60 years this was the capital of a group of Mayans called Kaqchikel, for years they were good friends of another Maya tribe called K’iche’. But when they started to have problems, they had to flee to a more secure region. They chose a ridge surrounded by deep ravines, this provided them safety, and that’s how Iximche was founded. The Kaqchikel and the K’iche’ kept having battles for years but the location helped protect the Kaqchikel. 

On arrival, your local guide will show you the layout and main temples and will give you plenty of time to visit this historical site. After the tour, continue your transfer with your driver to Lake Atitlan which will take approximately 2 hours

This charming hacienda-style hotel is a former working coffee farm situated on the shores of Lake Atitlan, with a picture perfect view of volcanoes San Pedro, Toliman and Atitlan. It has an outdoor pool, hot tub, and a botanical garden.

Highlighting numerous unique Guatemalan traditions with its colorful and vibrant interior, each room is individually decorated with hand-woven fabrics and carpets, handcrafted furniture, paintings and tile floors. All rooms have private balconies and breathtaking views of the lake.

The swimming pool and Jacuzzi overlook the entire lake and the hotel's magnificent wedding, tropical and rose gardens. The Botanical Gardens of Hotel Atitlan are a true garden lover's paradise. Bird-watching is a popular pastime within its botanical gardens. Enjoy a cocktail or a refreshing tea from the selection of tea infusions by the fire in the hotel's bar, and dine in an elegant setting where you will savor regional and international cuisine.

This morning wake up to an impressive view over the Lake. After breakfast, you will board a boat to take you to  the local town of Santa Cruz where you will pick up your Kayaks for the day. 

You will paddle for approximately 45 minutes along delightful peninsulas admiring the shore's beautiful gardens. The views are spectacular with three stunning volcanoes, Atitlan, San Pedro, and Toliman all around you. 

After kayaking you will start the hike to Tzununa. The hike takes you several hundred feet above the ever-changing waters of Atitlan for breath taking views of the famous volcanoes. Then you will descend into the Pumpatin Canyon for a nature walk along the banks of the river. You will experience two different ecosystems as we walk from the upper lakeshore into the narrow canyon. Afterwards, you will be transferred back to your hotel via boat

Enjoy a morning at leisure and then at noon your guide will transfer you to Guatemala City Airport for your onward flight. This will take approximately 4 hours. 

This elegant hotel is located within a tropical estate, on the edge of the Petenchel and Monifata Lagoons. White-tailed deer and peccaries are bred in the grounds, and the hotel features an outdoor pool.

Villa Maya’s air-conditioned rooms have stylish décor and feature a furnished balcony with garden, forest and lagoon views. All come with private bathroom and Wi-Fi is available for a charge.

Villa Maya’s restaurant serves a varied menu of international and regional dishes, and offers a BBQ on Sundays. There is also a bar-cafeteria and room service is available.

The hotel is well located for exploring this exotic area, with its jungles filled with numerous species of bird, monkey and tropical plant. Nature trails, bike and binocular rental and horse riding are just some of the services on offer.

This morning you will have a private tour to the Ixpanpajul Natural Reserve.

On arrival, you’ll walk on six impressive hanging bridges with more than 100 meters long and winding paths full of exuberant vegetation. Crossing the bridges, will give you the opportunity to have direct contact with nature. You’ll be able to also contemplate the magnificent forest and the beauty of Lake Peten Itza. In this part of the forest, the vegetation quickly changes with the elevation.

The Petén forest has beautiful old trees, including endangered species like mahogany and ceiba. Petén is best known for its dense population of birds, and there are over 280 avian species native to the area. On a hike through Petén you might also see monkeys, neon-colored frogs, and furry peccaries. Lunch included at local restaurant. 

After lunch, your driver will transfer to Yaxha Archeological site for a tour of this impressive site. Yaxha is an archaeological site and ancient ceremonial center of Mayan civilization situated in the northeast of Peten. This site is a mixture of archaeology, beautiful landscapes and ecological tourism. With more than 500 structures in the site, including 40 steles, 13 altars and 9 pyramids this site is a must when visiting the area. Your guide will show you the site and main temples. You’ll also be able to watch an amazing sunset on top of a pyramid before heading abck to your hotel.

Today you will have a tour of the famous Tikal. Your local tour guide will meet you at the lobby to transfer you to the Tikal National Park. Your guide will show you the layout of the temples, architecture, history, some theories of why the Mayans disappeared and if you are lucky a few monkeys, parrots, macaws and toucans will be on site. 

Tikal is the city and ceremonial centre of the ancient Maya civilization and the largest urban centre in the southern Maya lowlands, it stood 19 miles (30 km) north of Lake Petén Itzá in what is now the northern part of the region of Petén, Guatemala, in a tropical rainforest. The Tikal ruins are the central attraction of Tikal National Park, which was established in the 1950s and designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979. 

Tikal was first occupied as a small village in the Middle Formative Period (900–300 BCE); subsequently, in the Late Formative Period (300 BCE–100 CE), it became an important ceremonial centre with the construction of major pyramids and temples. Its heyday, however, came in the Late Classic Period (600–900 CE), with the planning and construction of its great plazas, pyramids, and palaces, the appearance of Maya hieroglyphic writing and complex systems of time-counting, and the flowering of Maya art as seen in monumental sculpture and vase painting.   Enjoy lunch at a restaurant in the middle of the jungle.

Set on Plasencia Beach, Robert's Grove Beach Resort offers amazing views of the Caribbean Sea and Belize’s barrier reef. This luxury resort has an outdoor pool and sea spa.

Robert's Grove Beach Resort's brightly decorated rooms and villas come with balconies and sea views. All accommodation has cable TV, air conditioning, a fridge and coffee maker. Villas have a seating area and a large terrace. Some also feature a kitchenette.

The resort’s sea spa offers a range of treatments including wraps and massage. A complimentary round-trip airport shuttle is offered for guests.

Set in a Palapa-style hut overlooking the barrier reef, the Habanero Mexican Café & Bar serves local and international cuisine. The Seaside Restaurant specialises in Caribbean dishes.

After waking up in beautiful surroundings and having breakfast, you will be picked up from your hotel for this shared Monkey River tour.

The quiet Village of Monkey River in Southern Belize is habitat to a plethora of flora and fauna and as a result, it has been rated as one of the top tours in Southern Belize. Tropical birds, butterflies, crocodiles, iguanas, and of course howler monkeys are just a few of the wildlife that you will be able to spot.

Along the sub-tropical rain forest, you'll be able to watch beautiful flora and fauna such as, toucans, herons, Tanagers and more. While Howler monkeys’ race through the trees, crocodiles take a sun bath along the bank of the river. Hiking through the jungle, your local your guide will point out several herbal plants used for medicinal purposes. 

Along this tour, if you're lucky, you might be able to see a tapir deer or even a jaguar. You will also stop at the village if you wish to taste the local cuisine before returning to your hotel. 

Enjoy a day snorkeling the beautiful crystal waters around Placencia in Belize Barrier Reef. Your boat captain will decide on the day as to your exact location depending on weather conditions. 

The Belize Barrier Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of indescribable beauty, gorgeous atolls and islands, and some of the best snorkeling in the world.

One of the best places to snorkel in Belize is the Silk Cayes, a collection of three islands on the outer part of the southern reef. Sometimes referred to as the Queen Cayes, the Silk Cayes are home to an astonishing variety of marine wildlife, including sea turtles, birds, rays, and sharks.

The Silk Cayes are part of the Gladden Spit and Silk Cayes Marine Reserve, a protected wildlife area measuring more than 104 square kilometers)located approximately 36 km off the coast of Placencia in southeastern Belize. Thanks to strong conservation efforts by the government of Belize and good water quality, the reef near the Silk Cayes is some of the healthiest in the region, home to substantial schools of fish that attract migrating whale sharks that visit the area every spring.

Laughing Bird Caye which is located approximately 18km from Placencia is a small island that is in the middle of the Laughing Bird Caye National Park. Named for the laughing gull birds that once used the island for breeding. The island is the above-water portion of an unusually narrow and long reef called a faro or an angular atoll. The steep dropoff and central lagoon are home to several amazing dive sites.

A perfect day trip from Placencia, Laughing Bird Caye is just a short boat ride from the mainland. The coconut trees, cool trade winds, and beautiful sandy beaches make for excellent locations to enter the water and marvel at the kaleidoscope of marine life found in the area.

One of the most popular destinations in Belize, Placencia is a charming, low-key fishing village located at the southern tip of the Placencia Peninsula in southeastern Belize. Bordered on one side by a lovely mangrove-lined lagoon and on the other by the Caribbean Sea, Placencia is renowned for having some of the most beautiful beaches in the country.

The Placencia Peninsula measures approximately 19 miles from north to south but is just half a mile wide. With the look and feel of an island, it’s no surprise that Placencia is often described as the “caye (island) you can drive to.” But despite its popularity as a tourist destination, the main activities in Placencia are strolling the beach or motoring around on an electric golf cart.

In colonial times Placencia was primarily a fishing village but it is now a major tourism and resort area offering many attractions and entertainment ranging from kayaking, snorkeling, diving, saltwater fly fishing, whale shark watching during the full moons between April and July of each year, light tackle saltwater fishing, and an annual Lobster Fest.