THE MAYA EMPIRE: YAXHA - TOPOXTE - AGUATECA - PUNTA DE CHIMINOS - CEIBAL

Day 1: Arrival/Guatemala City
Arrive Guatemala city airport, where you will be met and taken to the Hotel Santa Clara. Enjoy a welcome drink at your hotel.
Overnight @ Hotel Santa Clara, Guatemala City.
Meals included: Welcome dinner at one of the many great restaurants in the Zona Viva of Guatemala City.

Day 2: To Tikal, center of the Maya Empire
Enjoy a morning flight to Flores so as to have a full day exploring Tikal, considered to be one of the most important centers of power in the Maya Empire.
In addition to the impressive Great Plaza, your guided tour this morning will also visit the early astronomic center at the Mundo Perdido (lost world) and Temple 4, the highest temple in the Maya world--site of one the best jungle views in the hemisphere (it was even used as a backdrop during Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back!).
Overnight @ The Jungle Lodge (within the national park).
Meals included: All

Day 3: Nature/Birding walk or Jungle canopy tour and to Yaxha, site of SURVIVOR: Guatemala filming
This morning choose from one of two different ways to learn more about the jungle around you--with either a nature/birding walk with an experienced naturalist, or by viewing the hieghts of the jungle with a fascinating canopy tour. Whichever you choose, you cannot go wrong!
After breakfast, you will leave Tikal behind in order to go behind the scenes of SURVIVOR: Guatemala at Yaxha, site of the teams camps and the archaeological site, backdrop for the competition.
You will have the chance for a crocodile (photographic) hunt this evening on Lake Yaxha--originally, the producers of SURVIVOR: Guatemala wanted to have the players swim in this lake, but changed their mind when they heard about the crocodiles here! We recommend AGAINST swimming in the lake, but it is a great place for a motor boat croc hunt!
Overnight @ El Sombrero Eco-Lodge.
Meals included: All

Day 4: Yaxha, SURVIVOR crew site, Topoxte site
Today we focus on the center of SURVIVOR filming--the areas where the teams lived and competed, the area where the film crew lived and the archaeological ruins that surrounded everything!
After, we will visit the ruins at Topoxte, a unique Maya site located on a small island in Lake Yaxha. Many strange burials were found here, evidence of shamanistic rituals which became more pronounced as the Maya Empire began to decline in the 900s.
Overnight @ El Sombrero Eco-Lodge.
Meals included: All

Day 5: Lake Petaxbatun area
After a lakeside breakfast, we will travel by van and boat to Lake Petaxbatun, an area full of Mayan history and natural beauty.
You will stay at the Chiminos lodge, perhaps the nicest eco-lodge in Guatemala. The lodge is located right on the lake, and adjacent to the Chiminos archaeological site, a peninsular site that was used due to its defensible terrain.
Overnight @ Chiminos Lodge
Meals included: All

Day 6: Aguateca
Today we make our way by boat to Aguateca, a Maya site that has yielded a great deal of information about the Maya Empire. This is because the area was burned as a defense against attacks by enemies and was abandoned very rapidly, leaving many archaeological records of daily life there.
The limestone walls and high cliffs around Aguateca make for exciting exploration, and stir the imagination about what life was like at one of the most conflictive sights in the Maya world.
You will have plenty of time to explore here, and the rest of the day will be free to further enjoy the lodge and the surrounding area.
Overnight @ Chiminos Lodge
Meals included: All

Day 7: Final day in the heart of the Maya Empire
Enjoy a leisurely morning before leaving our Chiminos paradise for Flores and an afternoon flight back to Guatemala City.
Once there, settle into your hotel before a great farewell dinner at Kakao, home of the finest Guatemalan cuisine in the city.
Overnight @ Hotel Santa Clara, Guatemala City.
Meals included: all, including farewell dinner at Kakao

Day 8: Departure
Enjoy your last morning in Guatemala before your transfer to the Guatemala City airport for your trip home.
You are sure to be full of stories about your Guatemala experience, in the very footsteps of SURVIVOR, but importantly in the spirit of the Maya Empire.
Thanks for coming to experience SURVIVOR, the Maya Empire!
Meals included: Breakfast

Trip price includes:
The services of a bilingual guide throughout the trip,
All lodging,
All excursions (including guided exploration of Tikal, Yaxha, Topoxte, Chiminos and Aguateca, along with either the morning bird walk with naturalist or the canopy tour at Tikal; the night photo hunt for crocodiles on Lake Yaxha, and the tour of the SURVIVOR team and crew camp locations),
All transfers and transportation (land, air and water),
All meals, as noted in the itinerary, and
All archaeological site entrance fees.