Road-trip in Guatemala: Tikal, Lake Isabel, Acatenango volcano, w/moderate hikes

Guatemala is often referred as a hidden gem for nature explorers - through being not a super popular destination yet, the country offers diverse attractions, from glowing lava flows of volcanos (some of them smoke!), to stunning crater lakes, to emerald jungles, to ruins of Maya temples.

This road-trip is aimed for first-timers - after the recent experience in Costa Rica in the same mode, in Guatemala we want to do things that would give up the sense and taste of the country and culture - we will drive by car to a few signature attractions while keeping safety matters as a priority.

We will start in the capital, Guatemala City, explore nearby attractions including one of the nearby smoking volcanos. Then we will drive to the most recognizable site in the country, Tikal National Park (in the middle of this stretch we will make one overnight stop at in a rural area of Lake Isabel Nature Preserve.) At Tikal we do not plan to go on El Mirador trek (this should be a subject of a separate trip) but we will stay two nights at the area exploring the Myan site in the jungles, and leave for home right from this area, at Flores International airport.

Participant who are interested and available to continue exploring the region can join the adjacent trip to Belize (which is just about one hour flight away from the capital of Guatemala.)

December weather in the area is warm with day average temperatures 75 degree F (58 degree at night.) It's a dry season though with possible precipitation, and winds at the ocean. Link to check on the weather https://bit.ly/3RVUM9U

Trip's summary:

• 6days/5nights trip for a small group of 6 explorers.
• The starting point is Guatemala City International airport (GUA) and ending point is Flores International airport (FRS.)
• Hotel accommodations in Guatemala City, Rio Dulce, Flores.
• Level of activities: Easy to Intermediate.

Clothes and gear recommended:

• good hiking shoes,
• warm jacket for evenings, be ready to layer up,
• hiking poles if you used to them,
• day backpack,
• consider hydration bladder for hikes,
• sunglasses,
• sunscreen,
• hat,
• for personal protection: mask, carry-on sanitizer, gloves (by your choice.)

Cost $560. What will be included:

• 6days/5nights stay in 2-people occupancy non-smoking room (two beds in room),
• Transportation by SUV or mini-van (like Toyota Rush, Nissan x-trail or similar) covering approx. 500 mi of road-tripping total,
• Organized hikes in all days.

What is NOT included:

• Getting to Guatemala City and returning from Flores, Guatemala,
• Meals, snacks, water,
• common tips, access/parking/admission fees, charged individually/per person (per car fees are included), any private tours are up to participants too.

Sunrise: 5:45am. Sunset: 5:15pm. Every day we want to start off from the hotel at 7 am or 7:30am, or as the latest. If you are a night owl, please try to adjust yourself for an earlier getup during the trip - the purpose of it is to use more of daylight at wintertime for activities.

There will be a Zoom meeting on this trip and a WhatsApp group chat will be formed for the group to communicate and prepare for the trip. Please be available to connect by WhatsApp (provide the organizer with your WhatsApp contact info to be included in the chat.) Regular messaging will not work out for this trip.

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