Central America - Mayan Sun

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Central America is so full of flavour, culture and diversity - from its food to its people, blissful beaches and active volcanoes, Mayan ruins hidden within jungles, colourful pimped-out Chicken buses, it really has a little bit of everything!

After visiting the Mayan ruins site of Copan (Honduras), we cross the border into Guatemala and spend 3 nights in the colonial city of Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We visit a local macadamia nut farm and take a tour of the macadamia nut plantation at Finca Valhalla led by the workers.

We decide to climb Pacaya Volcano, one of the highlights of our tour so far. Driving 1.5 hours to the base of the volcano, we begin our ascent. The volcano is still active, so hiking to the crater is off limits. Near the summit, we toast marshmallows over a smoking fumarole using earth's natural ovens! Then for the best part, an unexpected series of lava eruptions from the crater. As we hike in the late afternoon / early evening, we witness glowing red fire against the dark night sky. A truly memorable experience!

Next, we travel to beautiful Lake Atitlán, taking a boat across the lake to the laid-back village of San Juan La Laguna. We submerge ourselves in Mayan culture on a Planeterra supported homestay with a local family in a Mayan Tz'utujil village. We get to know our lovely family, learn to make tortilla wraps, admire the paintings of local artists, watch weavers who use traditional techniques to dye wool, and visit a local medicinal plants garden. In San Marcos, we go cliff jumping (10m high) and I set the G-record for all the all time number of jumps - 10 in total!

After we've a very early start at an ecolodge in Rio Dulce for a sunrise monkey kayak. We kayak to the base of the Boquerón Canyon with its sheer cliff face, covered in a green mass of moss, vines, and trees. We enjoy a striking sunrise, sit back and listen to the jungle as it wakes up - howler monkeys, birds and the slap of the paddle on the water provide the soundtrack to this glorious morning.

We also visit a natural hot waterfall - Finca el Paraiso contains a unique volcanic vein that heats spring water and dumps it into a colder river below. It's refreshing and relaxing to bathe in the natural thermal waters and swim in the river (the water crashing from the waterfall above is incredibly hot!). I have a lot of fun jumping from the top of the waterfall into the river below and exploring the network of submerged caves with a local enthusiast.

Our final stop in Guatemala is Flores, a picturesque town surrounded by Lake Petén Itzá. We head out on an evening sunset (booze) cruise, stopping by a Tarzan swing and diving board along the way. It's great craic as the music is pumping and drinks are flowing! 😉

The next morning, we begin a tiring but fascinating day walking through history at the impressive site of Tikal. The Mayan site is set in the heart of the jungle, in Tikal National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site. We see some of the temples, plazas, carved stone monuments and public squares (more than 3,000 buildings in all), dating from as far back as 600 BC. Climb to the top of Temple IV, we catch our breath, take photos, and then sit and contemplate the magnificence of the site and the tropical rainforest beyond. We can hear the incredible roar of howler monkeys in the nearby trees.

Finally, a shout-out to Luke who's been one of the best guides we've had on all our travels! #G-Adventures

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