Day zero (Jan 24): Arrive in Guatemala City and transfer to Antigua.  Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo Antigua tel: 7832 0291 or 7832 0387.  Afternoon on own, dinner with the group, followed by a short discussion with Jim.

Day one (Jan 25):  Walk around town on own, taking photos.  Dinner with the group, and in the early evening a get together to get introduced and Jim will give a short slide show on his laptop.  We'll spend the night in Antigua.

 

Day Two (Jan 26):  We'll spend the entire day in and around the beautiful colonial city of Antigua, the former capital of Central America. In the morning a local guide will show us around the main plaza, and some of the finest colonial churches and monasteries in the beautiful colonial town. In the afternoon we'll ride in our van to visit a local town and photograph the people in their homes or working in the fields with volcanoes rising above. We'll have dinner in a restaurant in a colonial courtyard while listening to a marimba band. We'll spend the night in Antigua.

Day Three (Jan 27): In the morning we can photograph the city with its cobblestone streets and colonial architecture, while smoking volcanoes rise above. In the afternoon we’ll make the drive from Antigua to Lake Atitlan (2 ½ hours). Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo Panajachel tel: 7762 2326 or 7762 2329.  On the way to the lake we'll stop to photograph the many vistas of the magnificent lake and the surrounding volcanoes. We'll spend the night in Panajachel.

Day Four (Jan 28):  In the morning we’ll travel by boat to the traditional villages of San Antonio Palopo and Santa Catarina Palopo. In Santa Catarina we’ll visit local homes and photograph families in their colorful traditional dress, or traje, as they weave clothing and carry on their daily lives. We'll spend the night in Panajachel.

 

Day Five (Jan 29):  We'll spend the whole day around Lake Atitlan with a local indigenous guide. We'll travel by boat visiting the colorful local village of Santiago Atitlan. In Santiago we'll pay a visit to the local Mayan saint of vices, Maximon. Local people come from far and wide to give him offerings of rum and cigarettes to grant their wishes. We’ll also visit the church, the market and photograph lake vistas.  At the end of the day, we'll end up back in Panajachel to photograph the sunset over the lake. We'll spend the night in Panajachel.

Day Six (Jan 30): We'll wake up early to photograph the first light on the lake and the surrounding volcanoes. At mid-day we'll drive to Chichicastenango (1 hour). We'll arrive in Chichi in the afternoon in time to photograph in the last light. In the evening we'll walk around and watch as the people are already setting up for the next day's market. We'll spend the night in Chichicastenango.  Hotel Santo Tomas en Chichicastenango tel: 7756 1061

 

Day Seven (Jan 31): We'll wake up early to experience the famous market at Chichi. We'll photograph the colorful flower vendors on the steps of the church, the bustling vegetable market, and the many indigenous people who come to barter for goods from the numerous surrounding villages. There a local English-speaking guide will take us to observe Mayan rituals at an ancient Mayan worshipping site on a nearby hill. In the afternoon we'll drive to Quetzaltenango, also known by the Mayan name of Xela (2 ¼ hours), stopping to photograph the fields of maize with the ever-present volcanoes in the background. We'll spend the night in Xela.  Hotel Bonifaz tel: 7765 1111

Day Eight (Feb 1): We'll drive early in the morning to the fascinating animal market in the village of San Francisco el Alto. This is also the largest textile market in Guatemala, and therefore one of the best places to buy some of the beautiful clothing and fabrics. We’ll visit and photograph the famous animal market high on a hill above the valley shrouded in clouds.  Later in the day we'll visit the traditional village San Andres Xecul, which is home to one of the most colorful churches in Guatemala. We'll spend the night in Xela.

Day Nine (Feb 2): In the morning we'll visit the town of Totonicapan, where it is market day. This is a very traditional, less-visited market, and the people here are very friendly. We’ll drive a less-traveled route back to Guatemala City (4 hours) where we’ll view typical rural Guatemalan life.  We’ll stop and photograph the people and their homes along the way.  We'll spend the night in Guatemala City.  Hotel Crown Plaza tel: 2422 5000 or 2422 5050

Day Ten (Feb 3): Depart for your flight home (Feb 11), or.........

3-DAY OPTIONAL EXTENSION: TIKAL & LAKE PETEN

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Day Ten (Feb 3): In the morning we'll catch our flight to the incredible Mayan ruins site of Tikal (one hour). On the way from the airport at Flores to Tikal (one hour), we'll visit beautiful Lago de Peten Itza, and the island town of Flores where we’ll take photos and have lunch.  If we have time we’ll take a boat and photograph the island from the water. We’ll then drive to our hotel (one hour) and go inside the ruins for a sunset shot.  We'll spend the night at our hotel adjacent to the ruins in Tikal.  Hotel Jungle Lodge tel: 2476 8775

Day Eleven (Feb 4): We'll have the whole day to spend in the archeological site at Tikal. Those who want to, can enter the park to catch the first light hitting the pyramids as the jungle below comes to life. Later in the morning, we’ll have a guided tour of the most important temples and pyramids.  Not only will we photograph the pyramids and other ruins, but the numerous animal species that make Tikal their home - birds such as toucans and parrots, wild oscellated turkeys, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, and the friendly coatis. Those who want to, can watch the sunset from atop Temple 4 as we listen to howler monkeys and many tropical bird species in the canopy below.  We'll spend the night in Tikal.

Day Twelve (Feb 5): We'll have one last chance to photograph the archeological site at sunrise, and the morning. In the afternoon we’ll head back to Flores where we’ll check in for our flight and have dinner in town.  In the evening we'll catch our flight back to Guatemala City, and drive to Antigua (45 min). We'll spend the night in Antigua.

Day Thirteen (Feb 6): Depart for your flight home.