Depart from San Miguel or Meet up with the group in
Mexico City Airport or Meet at La Aurora International
Airport in Guatemala. Transportation to Antigua
Guatemala from Guatemala City. Check into our hotel.

After enjoying breakfast at our hotel we’ll have a guided cultural tour of Antigua visiting the magnificent churches, ruins and museums that combined with the old cobbled streets keep the stories and legends of colonial times. We will be visiting important areas of Antigua like La Merced Church, Central Park, and the Arch of the 5th Avenue. Spend the afternoon enjoying the beauty of the sawdust carpets and witnessing Holy Thursday's processions.

Early transfer to San Cristobal El Alto, birding around and breakfast with the great views of the volcanoes, then return to Antigua and continue with a guided cultural tour of a different area of the city and shopping. Spend the afternoon enjoying the beauty of the sawdust carpets and witnessing Holy Friday's processions.

After enjoying breakfast at or hotel depart for Finca El Pilar located 10 minutes away from Antigua. This private area protects habitat ranging from 5000 to 8000 ft elevation, including dry forest in the lower altitudes, and oak-pine and cloud forest at higher elevations. Enjoy hiking and birding at this site, and then return for lunch at a local restaurant in Antigua. Free afternoon for shopping or relaxing.

6:00 am. Departure from Antigua Guatemala towards Tecpan area, Breakfast and Birding in Tecpan Reserve (Pink-headed Warbler, Blue-throated Motmot, and Rufous-browed Wren, Slate-throated Redstart, Crescent-chested, Olive Warbler, Hutton's Vireo.) 10:00 AM. Transfer to Chichicastenango to enjoy the open market. Afternoon transfer to Quetzaltenango.

Morning birdwatching in the humid sub-tropical forest at Fuentes Georginas. Target birds: Wine-throated and Garnet-throated Hummingbird, Cinnamon-bellied flower piercing, Mexican violetear and Guatemalan Pigmy Owl. Midday visit to Zunil, Almolonga and Quetzaltenango. Afternoon transfer to our hotel in Panajachel.

Early depart for Los Tarrales Natural Preserve in Patulul, breakfast at the reserve, and then hike in the quest of the Azure-rumped tanager, Rufous Sabrewing, Emerald-chinned Hummingbird, Tody Motmot, Quails and doves among other species of the highlands. Have lunch at the reserve before returning to our hotel in Panajachel. For those not interested in birding, an alternative culture-and-shopping tour is available to visit San Antonio and Santa Catarina Palopó, interesting indigenous villages located at the shore of Atitlán Lake.

(Optional: Morning boat transfer to Santiago Atitlan and birding at Rey Tepepul Park.)
Today you will take a scenic boat ride across Lake Atitlan (30 min.) to the village of San Juan La Laguna where you can visit the women’s textile cooperative to see hand weaving and the natural dye process. Visit the studios of the celebrated naïf painters and then continue to the village of Santiago where you will learn about the textiles, spiritualism and beliefs of the T’zutujil Maya.

Morning birding at San Buenaventura, Atitlan.
Afternoon transfer to Guatemala City, check into our hotel, and then depart to visit the Ixchel Museum of Indigenous Textiles and Clothing.

After breakfast at our hotel we’ll depart for the International Airport of Guatemala. We’ll check in and then fly back home.