A Maya ceremony on the lake
At Casa Palopó, a session of about an hour and a quarter led by a local shaman, a healing ritual rooted in Maya tradition.
Guatemala and the Belize Coast
Colonial Antigua, Lake Atitlán, Tikal and the Belize reef in eight nights.
- Eight nights
- Four stays
- Guatemala, Belize
- Maya, volcanoes, culture, reef
Eight nights from the volcano country of the Guatemalan highlands to the Caribbean, with a helicopter and a private plane in place of the long roads. A ceremony with a Maya shaman on Lake Atitlán, an afternoon painting beside the families of Santa Catarina Palopó, a guided day in Tikal from the Coppolas' lodge in Petén and, from March to June, whale sharks off Placencia.
- Length
- Eight nights
- Pace
- Four stays
- Style
- Maya, volcanoes, culture, reef
- Route
- Antigua to Lake Atitlán to Petén to Placencia
- AntiguaOne night
- Lake AtitlánTwo nights
- PeténTwo nights
- PlacenciaThree nights
01
Days 1 to 2 · one night
Antigua
Met at Guatemala City and driven an hour to Antigua, for a guided walk through the colonial centre, its cathedral and the monasteries of La Merced and San Francisco. In the evening, a bath of bougainvillea flowers at the villa.
Where you stay
Villa Bokeh
Villa Bokeh sits among acres of gardens 3.1 kilometres from the centre of Antigua, with volcanoes on every side. Rooms are dressed in Guatemalan textures and colour, and two bistros, 3.1 and Casa Cristal, cook with the country's ancient ingredients.
02
Days 2 to 4 · two nights
Lake Atitlán
Through volcano country to the lake. Maya villages and their shrines, kayaking, a boat and a hike between Jaibalito and Santa Cruz, a textile artist at work, and an evening talk on Maya astrology. Casa Palopó can arrange a ceremony with a local shaman, rooted in Maya tradition, and an afternoon painting alongside the families of Santa Catarina Palopó; across the lake, San Juan La Laguna has textile workshops and a tasting of honey and chocolate.
Where you stay
Casa Palopó
Casa Palopó stands on Lake Atitlán on the road to San Antonio Palopó, with terraces facing the volcanoes Tolimán, Atitlán and San Pedro. Kinnik cooks over open fires at the water's edge, Palopó 6.8 follows the seasons, and the private villa has its own pool.
03
Days 4 to 6 · two nights
Petén
By helicopter to the northern lowlands, stopping to hike at El Mirador. A private visit to Tikal, and a kayak on Quexil lagoon. La Lancha pairs the lodge with a guided day in the great Maya city, where more than 3,000 structures stand among the trees.
Where you stay
La Lancha
La Lancha is a 10-room lodge set in the rainforest above the shores of Lake Petén Itzá, furnished with Guatemalan textiles, carvings and furniture chosen by Francis and Eleanor Coppola. Tikal, where more than 3,000 structures stand among the trees, is reached by road through the forest.
04
Days 6 to 9 · three nights
Placencia
A short private flight across the border to the Belize coast. Snorkelling or diving on the reef, a private boat out to the cayes and time on the beach, then a flight over the Great Blue Hole on the way home. From March to June, whale sharks gather at Gladden Spit, off Placencia, around the full moon and for up to 10 days after.
Where you stay
Turtle Inn
Turtle Inn sits on the sand at Placencia, a stretch of beach Francis and Eleanor Coppola found in 2001, with 28 thatched dwellings furnished in hand-carved Balinese wood. Dinner is at Mare or the Gauguin Grill, there is the Sunset Spa and a dive shop, and Placencia village is a short walk along the shore.
Arranged on request
Painting Santa Catarina Palopó
An afternoon with a brush beside the families of Santa Catarina Palopó, adding colour to the village.
Tikal from La Lancha
The lodge's Tikal Adventure pairs a stay with a guided day in the great Maya city.
Whale sharks at Gladden Spit
Off Placencia, whale sharks gather around the full moon and for up to 10 days after, from March to June; sightings are never certain on a single trip.
Subject to availability.
Ways to make it yours
- A day of fishing off Placencia.
- A hike on Pacaya volcano from Antigua.
- Two nights at Blancaneaux Lodge in the forests of western Belize, near the Maya ruins, paired with Turtle Inn.
This is a sample. The hotels, the pace and the order are where we start, not where we finish: every journey is designed around the people taking it.
Made around you
Most travel is bought. This is designed.
Before anything is booked, we talk: who is travelling, how you like to spend a morning, and the hotel preferences below the obvious, from the kind of bath you like to the time you wake and how much daylight you need in a room. You see options where options matter and clean recommendations where they don't.
The same person remains your point of contact from the first reply to the trip after next. No handovers. No team.
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