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Central America 7 countries with Calypso Ukraine: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, San Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama

Central America 7 countries with Calypso Ukraine: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, San Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama

Central America 7 countries with Calypso Ukraine: Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, San Salvador, Costa Rica, Panama

Tour duration: 19 days / 18 nights

Tour dates 2022: November 2022

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Route tora: Belize City - San Pedro - Blue Hall - Hall Chan - San Pedro - Belize City - ATM Cave - San Ignacio - Transfer to Guatemala - Yashha - Flores - Tikal - Flores - Rio Dulce - Livingston - Rio Dulce - Copan — Antigua Guatemala - Pacaya Volcano - Lake Atitlán - San Juan la Laguna and Santiago Atitlán - Guatemala City - Cerro Verde - Cuatepeque Lake - San Salvador - Managua - Masaya - Granada - Mombacho Volcano - Granada - Doka Coffee Plantation - Poas Volcano - La Pas - Arenal - Caño Negro Reserve - Arenal - Monteverde - San Jose - Panama

Tour cost: in the process of calculation

Tour program

Day 1. BELIZE. Belize city. 

Arrival in Belize City. Transfer to the hotel. Rest after the flight.

Day 2. BELIZE. Belize City - San Pedro - Blue Hall - Chan Hall.

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the airport and flight to San Pedro Island. Today we will fly over one of the main attractions of Belize - the famous blue hole

Return to San Pedro. Boat transfer. Today we will see another attraction of Belize - Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which is located at a distance of 13-24 kilometers from the coast and has a length of 280 kilometers.

There are seven marine reserves open on the barrier reef, the main one of which is the pearl and decoration of Belize. it Hall-chan - an incredible beauty reserve on the island of Ambergris, located in the south, next to Kaye Kolker - another coral island. Hol-chan is the first of the open marine underwater reserves in Central America. The natural world of the reserve is unique and diverse. Sharks, rays, lobsters, sea anemones, turtles, dolphins and manatees live here, as well as a huge number of species that do not live on a reef anymore in wildlife.

Return to the hotel. Rest at the hotel.

Day 3. BELIZE. San Pedro - Belize City - ATM Cave - San Ignacio.

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to San Pedro airport and flight to Belize City. Transfer to the bus and departure for an excursion to the famous Cave of the Crystal Maiden (or simply ATM), which was advertised by the National Geographic expedition and tops the list of Belize attractions for those who are not afraid to get pretty wet in the dark and sometimes cramped underground labyrinths. The path to the entrance from the parking lot takes 45 minutes through the jungle with the intersection of three rivers. Then for about an hour you will have to walk knee-deep, or even waist-deep in water, and then climb to the dry upper compartments of the cave, filled with fragile Mayan ceramics and the crystallized remains of 14 people, including the only surviving whole skeleton of a young princess. It's a real adventure, but it's worth it!!!

After the cave transfer to town of San Ignacio on the border with Guatemala. Overnight at the hotel in San Ignacio.

Day 4. BELIZE - GUATEMALA. San Ignacio - moving to Guatemala - Yashxa - Flores

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the border with Guatemala (on the way 30 minutes). Passage of customs formalities and moving to archaeological complex Yashkha (on the way 1.5 hours). Today we will visit a very beautiful Mayan settlement - Yashkha. This city was founded on Lake Yashkha and connected to the mainland by boulevards and canals. Yashkha is located 30 kilometers from Tikal and has a square and an acropolis that are connected by boulevards known as the sak-be or white road. Hieroglyphic inscriptions indicate that the city was inhabited from the beginning of the classical period to the late classical period. The first settlers appeared here in the first centuries BC. The heyday of the city falls on 600-700 years. AD The subject of special attention is the complexes of the twin pyramids, also known in Tikal.

After transfer to Flores (on the way 1.5 hours). Overnight at the hotel in Flores.

Day 5. GUATEMALA. Tikal

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Tikal. Tikal is located 64 km from Flores, the beautiful capital of Petén, located on an island in Lake Petén Itza. Tikal means “the place where the voices of the spirits are heard”, compared to other cities of the classical period, it seems huge. This is the largest settlement in pre-Columbian America. Particularly impressive are the six pyramidal temples, which, against the background of other structures of this type, look like real skyscrapers. No wonder archaeologists called Tikal the New York of the Mayan civilization.

Today Tikal National Park occupies 575 square kilometers and in 1979 was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List as a cultural and natural heritage of mankind. Overnight at the hotel in Flores.

Day 6. GUATEMALA. Flores – Rio Dulce – Livingston 

Breakfast. Transfer to Isabal department (distance 220 km; travel time 3.5 hours) the most picturesque river in Guatemala Sweet River. 

In the department of Izabal, there is a beautiful and largest lake in Guatemala, Isabal, which gives rise to the famous river Rio Dulce; and the Caribbean coast of Guatemala, where pirates and galleons vied for dominance during colonial times. Today, more than 350 bird species and countless other fauna such as howler monkeys, dolphins and manatees can be found in the region. Also living here are immigrants from West Africa - the Garifuna, who inhabited this region 200 years ago. This area on the Caribbean coast seems to have remained unchanged. The natural area of Izabal resembles the richness of the Amazon forests.

Boat transfer and journey along the sweet river (about 2 hours): sheer walls of the river canyon, thermal springs, the beauty of the tropical jungle will leave an unforgettable experience and of course City of Livingston, where the Garifuna people live, descendants of slaves taken out of Africa. Excursion to Livingston (the city cannot be reached by land, only by water) is a settlement of the Garifuna people with a unique culture that combines African, Caribbean and European elements. Spreading palm trees, reggae music and amazing seafood - symbols of Livingston, allowing you to feel the true spirit of Jamaica in the center of Guatemala. During our trip, we will try a typical dish of the Garifuns - tapado soup (seafood soup boiled with coconut milk).

Overnight at the hotel in Livingston.

Day 7. GUATEMALA - HONDURAS. Rio Dulce - Copan.

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to Honduras (distance 241 km; travel time: 4.5 hours). Passage of customs formalities. Visit the famous Copan ruinslocated almost on the border with Guatemala.

The main value of Copan is the unreal in beauty and precision. art on the walls. This site of the Mayan civilization was called the Athens of Mesoamerica. There we will even find a stele made in three dimensions. A real work of art is considered to be the Staircase with hieroglyphs built by the Maya during the classical period. Each of its 63 steps is decorated with intricate writing, and balustrades depicting snakes and birds are erected on the sides.

Overnight at the hotel in Copan Ruinas.

Day 8. HONDURAS - GUATEMALA. Copan - Antigua Guatemala

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the border with Guatemala and Antigua Guatemala (distance 275 km; travel time: 5 hours).  

Antigua Guatemala Walking Tour. The most important museum of Antigua is the city itself, its streets, walking along which you can learn its history. Overnight at the hotel. 

Day 9. GUATEMALA. Antigua Guatemala - Volcano Pacaya - Lake Atitlan

Breakfast in the hotel. Only 67 km from Antigua Guatemala is the most active and beautiful volcanic complex in Central America “Pacaya Park”.

Its main crater reaches a height of 2,552 meters above sea level, which began to form over 2000 years ago. We will start our ascent from 1,900 meters above sea level and ascend to 2,300 meters. After the descent, transfer to Lake Atitlan (distance 200 km; travel time 4 hours). Overnight at the hotel on the lake.

Day 10. GUATEMALA. San Juan la Laguna and Santiago Atitlán - Guatemala City.

Breakfast in the hotel. Today we will see the most interesting cities where people still live Mayan Tzutuhili at Lake Atitlan. And we'll start with San Juan. The boat trip to San Juan takes about 30 minutes. Today, of course, we will try delicious coffee in one of the coffee shops, and then we will take a boat to the other side of the lake to the city Santiago Atitlan.

We will also take a look at the local Catholic church, where two religions merged - Catholicism and Maya beliefs, and walk past the local city hall, where the elders of the city sit dressed in white striped shorts with birds embroidered at the bottom. Very colorful! All men in Santiago they wear striped shorts with birds around the edge, and women wear a wuipil (blouse) with bird embroidery. Also in Santiago, women wear special headdresses - Tocoyal.

After noon transfer to Guatemala city (distance 140 km; travel time 3.5 hours).

Day 11. GUATEMALA - SALVADOR. Guatemala City - Cerro Verde - Lake Cuatepeque - San Salvador.

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the border with El Salvador (distance 140 km; travel time 2.5 hours). Passage of customs formalities and moving to Cerro Verde National Park - one of the most beautiful and most visited in El Salvador. Amazing wonders of nature are located here: three majestic volcanoes, immersed in greenery - Izalco, Santa Ana and Cerro Verde, and the clear mountain lake Coatepec. Izalco is an active volcano and is the youngest mountain formation in Central America. The extinct volcano Santa Ana is the highest point in El Salvador (2381 meters). After the tour of the park, we will have lunch at one of the most beautiful lakes in El Salvador – Lake Kuatepeque.

After lunch, transfer to the capital of El Salvador - San Salvador. Sightseeing tour of the capital. We will see the central square and Freedom Square, where one of the most unique churches in Central America, El Rosario, is located. Transfer to the hotel in San Salvador. Overnight at the hotel. 

Day 12. SALVADOR - NICARAGUA. San Salvador - Managua - Masaya - Granada.

Early transfer to the airport and departure to Managua, Nicaragua

We will visit Tiscapa Historical Park. Here we will see the ruins of the former presidential palace and prison, which were used during the regime of the Somoza family. Then we will go down Avenida Bolivar towards the city center, where important buildings such as the Central Park, the ruins of the Cathedral of Santiago, the National Palace and the Ruben Dario Theater are located. Then we will continue to Xolotlan Park, where we can see a model of 75 buildings that were on the historic Roosevelt Avenue and many of which were destroyed in 1972 during an earthquake.

After that we will visit Masaya National Park, where from a very close distance you can see the crater of the active volcano Santiago.

In the afternoon we will take a boat tour through the canals of the most beautiful islands; an archipelago of over 300 islands in Lake Nicaragua. During the tour, we will enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Mombacho volcano and the flora and fauna of these islands. Transfer to the hotel. Overnight at the hotel. 

Day 13. NICARAGUA. Mombacho Volcano - Granada.

Breakfast in the hotel. Today we will start the tour with a visit Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve. We will start our ascent from the dry rainforest, through coffee plantations, and enter the cloud forest. When we reach the top, we will walk 1 km along a path where we can see an unusual collection of orchids, ferns, butterflies and birds. Then we will visit the Katarina viewpoint, where we can enjoy a beautiful view of Lake Apoyo, which is a volcanic crater.

After that we will return to Granada and visit La Merced Church. From the top of the bell tower you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city. Continue to visit the San Francisco Museum and Convention, which houses a fine collection of historical artifacts and paintings.

Overnight at the hotel in Granada.  

Day 14. NICARAGUA - COSTA RICA. Managua - San Jose.

Transfer to Managua airport and flight to San José (Costa Rica). Overnight at the hotel in San Jose.

Day 15. COSTA RICA. Doka coffee plantation - Poas Volcano - La Paz - Arenal.

Breakfast in the hotel. Departure for Doka coffee plantationwhere the best Costa Rican coffee is grown. We will have the opportunity to get acquainted with the process of growing, harvesting, processing and roasting coffee. And we will not miss the opportunity to purchase it at the lowest prices. Further moving to Volcan Poas National Park. Climbing the volcano, we will notice how the temperature and vegetation will change! On the way we will see coffee plantations, greenhouses of flowers and strawberries creating a beautiful landscape. On the Poas Volcano we will be able not only to admire the impressive crater with its sulphurous fumaroles, but also learn about the different ecosystems of this beautiful national park. Lunch (in the cost of the tour). After we go to Waterfall Garden La Paz, where we will walk along the path leading to picturesque waterfalls in the depths of the forest, and we will also be able to visit the hummingbird gallery, serpentarium, bird garden, butterfly farm and frog exposition. moving to the Arenal Volcano

Day 16. COSTA RICA. Arenal - Caño Negro Nature Reserve.

After breakfast, we will start our tour to Cano Negro. This reserve is home to a huge variety of birds and exotic wildlife such as sloths, monkeys, caimans, basilisks, as well as numerous tropical plants. Upon arrival, we will be offered drinks and we will go on a cruise on a comfortable boat through a unique national reserve, enjoying the diversity of flora and fauna. At the end of the tour, we will have lunch (included in the cost of the tour).

Day 17. COSTA RICA. Arenal - Monteverde

Breakfast in the hotel. In the morning we will enjoy a boat ride through Lake Arenal in Monteverdehome to a unique Quaker/Tico community. On this day, we will have an exciting excursion "Suspension Bridges" and a Canopy Tour or a flight over the crowns of the Cloudy Rainforest. And if we are lucky, we will be able to see the sacred bird of the Mayan Indians, the famous Quetzal, which is on the verge of extinction.

Day 18. COSTA RICA - PANAMA. San Jose — Panama

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the airport and flight to Panama. Tour of Panama. Overnight at Panama hotel. 

Day 19. PANAMA. Panama — Kyiv

Breakfast in the hotel. Transfer to the airport and flight home. 

Tour cost: in the process of calculation

Included in cost: 

  • accommodation in good quality hotels;
  • breakfasts according to the program;
  • all movements along the route by transport;
  • local Russian or English speaking guides in cities;
  • excursions according to the program;
  • Russian-speaking escort throughout the route;
  • all entrance fees according to the program. 

The price does NOT include:

  • international and domestic flights; 
  • lunches / dinners according to the program;
  • personal expenses. 

For travel lovers: School of tourism online
Author's project of non-standard tours: Expeditions with Calypso
For coffee lovers: Gorilla's coffee

Georgy Marunenko

Georgy Marunenko

+38 (050) 325-62-61

  

SKYPE marunenko

  tckalipso@gmail.com