Highlights Of Central America

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After breakfast we drive through the Braulio Carillo National Park, towards La Virgen de Sarapiquí, home to the endangered Green Macaw. Famed for its rich natural diversity, its outdoor festivals and its sense of adventure, Sarapiquí is home to a number of national parks and reserves and on arrival you are free to enjoy any number of optional excursions in the area, including hiking, horseback riding and an exhilarating canopy tour that takes you across the jungle canopy some 20-30 metres above the rainforest. Costa Rica has been rated as one of the best white water rafting destinations in the world and this afternoon allows a possibility to tackle the foaming torrents of the Sarapiqui River. Classified as a Grade III river, the Sarapiqui is fringed by lush vegetation that provides an ideal refuge for toucans, monkeys, parrots and all manner of birdlife, making it the perfect setting to combine exhilarating rafting with some stunning natural backdrops. All safety equipment will be provided and the excursions are all run by professional and trained guides.

Overnight Simple Camping Included meals: Breakfast

This morning we head to the Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge, where this afternoon we will enjoy a nature walk in the company of a local naturalist guide. Caño Negro lies in the centre of the flight path for millions of migrating species of birds, making it an ideal stopping off point for glossy ibis, green backed herons, Nicaraguan grackle and roseate spoonbills.

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There is the option this morning to take an early morning boat trip along the Río Frío, in search of monkeys, sloths, iguanas and caimans, before we continue our journey across northern Costa Rica.  After crossing the border we then head for the once sleepy fishing village of San Juan del Sur, which today is a summer favourite for travellers and locals alike. The variety of restaurants that line its waterfront overlook a bay that is lined with fishing boats and yachts, whilst the town itself still retains a little something of its laid back ambience, providing us with a perfect place to break the journey and enjoy some welcome beach time.

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After a relaxing morning sampling the delights of one of the country’s most vibrant coastal resorts, we head along Nicaragua’s Pacific coast  on to one of Nicaragua’s most exquisite colonial gems. Atmospheric Granada is situated at the foot of Mombacho volcano on the north-west shore of Lake Nicaragua. It was the first colonial city in Nicaragua, founded in 1524 by the conquistador Hernandez de Cordoba and its magnificent setting, set off by baroque and renaissance buildings, is a visual delight.This afternoon we will take a short city tour on foot to explore Granada, this will include visits to the Parque Central, the Monument to the war of independence, the plaza and the convent of San Francisco, which holds a huge collection of stone sculptures that date back to the early Americans who lived in Granada before the Spaniards. We also aim to visit the casa des Tres Mundos and the neoclassical Bishop’s Palace.

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Today has then been left free for you to enjoy the city’s many highlights as you wish. Granada is the perfect city to explore on foot, wandering narrow lanes and alleyways and discovering hidden delights amongst the lush greenery and historic buildings. It is possible to visit Las Isletas by boat or sea kayak, a group of tiny islands dominated by the Volcano Mombacho and located just offshore. You can venture farther afield, into the surrounding area, a prosperous agricultural centre growing hemp and tobacco. Your tour leader will be more than happy to help arrange any excursions you may like to try.

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Today we head for Nicaragua’s former colonial capital, León. Our first stop will be the volcanic landscapes of the Masaya Volcano National Park. One of Nicaragua’s most stunning natural highlights, the park was the country’s first national reserve and is home to two volcanoes and five impressive craters. We’ll stop to view the geothermal activity at the Santiago Crater, before paying a visit to the park’s visitors centre, to learn a little more about Central America’s seismic history. Finally we end our day in the shadow of the Cordillera de los Maribios Mountains, in a city that is still considered the intellectual centre of Nicaragua. Founded in 1525, Leon was the country’s capital for 200 years and today, its old buildings, with their wrought iron balconies, and its massive cathedral (arguably the largest in Central America), all add to an elegant atmosphere of a city that seems almost to have been trapped in time.

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Today has been left free to further explore this colonial gem or you may wish to take one of the optionals available in the area. You may wish to take a hike on the nearby Cerro Negro Volcano or visit Las Penitas pacific beach or San Juan Venado Mangrove Reserve.

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This morning we drive through the Pacific lowlands around the gulf of Fonseca and cross into Honduras for a short time before reaching the border with El Salvador. We will travel through the rich agricultural land before stopping to visit Ilobasco where they are famous for their ceramics.  After this we then head for the mountains of the central part of the country, and the lovely colonial town of Suchitoto.

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Suchitoto is a little slice of El Salvador at its timeless best, a charming colonial town of cobblestone streets and pretty houses that lie besides the shores of Lago Suchitlán. Surrounded by the lush landscapes of the northern highlands, the town was once at the heart of the country’s indigo trade and today provides visitors with one of El Salvador’s most captivating gems. A rapidly developing centre for art and culture, Suchitoto is filled with colonial elegance, craft shops and a rich vein of historic and cultural highlights, making it a wonderful place to explore. Options for today include a chance to take a boat trip out onto the waters of the lake, a haven for birdlife of all kinds, with over 200 species being recorded here, including several hawks and falcons. Alternatively you could pay a visit to the nearby Cascada Los Tercios, a 30 metre high waterfall formed by a uniquely sited composition of hexagonal basalt rocks that almost look as if they have been placed there by hand.

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Travelling by way of the handicraft markets of La Palma and the border we cross back into Honduras today, passing through a landscape of lush vegetation and mountainous valleys. Our destination is Copan, a lovely village of adobe buildings very near to the magnificent Mayan ruins of Copan.

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This morning we’ll visit this stunning UNESCO World Heritage Site with a local guide. Anyone familiar with Catherwood’s incredible drawings (which first appeared in John Stephens’ 1841 narrative – ‘Incidents of Travel in Central America and Yucatan’) will recognise scenes and objects from this marvellous site. Stephens actually bought the entire site for $50 from a local farmer! The Great Plaza is one of the most amazing achievements of the Classic Maya period (AD 750) and contains the greatest collection of Maya sculpture anywhere in Meso-America. Next to the Great Plaza is the Acropolis, a group of massive pyramidal structures where royal power was once concentrated, and which hold beneath them a wealth of information about Copan's ancient past. Ascending one structure is the famous Hieroglyphic Stairway. Composed of some 2500 individual glyphs, its sides flanked by serpentine birds and snakes, this is the New World's longest inscribed Pre-Colombian text.The subject of exploration and investigation since the 1830s, the continual discoveries being unearthed by archaeologists are uncovering remarkable finds that represent a Maya resurrection, and have made Copan the most thoroughly researched and understood of all Maya sites. This afternoon is left free to further explore the site or do one of the optionals available in the area.

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Today we drive to the town of Panajachel on the shores of Lake Atitlan. An old volcanic caldera, Lake Atitlan is justifiably considered to be one of the most spectacular lakes in the Americas and is certainly the deepest in Central America. Encircled by the volcanoes of Toliman, Atitlan and San Pedro, the lake’s fertile shores are sprinkled with small communities of farmers and fishermen, who still uphold the traditions of their Maya ancestors. Panajachel itself is an old Spanish settlement that has attracted visitors to this charming setting for years and today it is one of the region’s most popular tourist spots, filled with galleries, handicraft shops and cafes, making it an ideal base from which to explore this captivating setting.

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We start early this morning with a boat trip on LAke Atitaln - explore the further shores of the lake. After this the climax of our journey sees us heading to the Guatemalan capital of Antigua, a city famed for its well-preserved Spanish Mudejar influenced Baroque architecture. We travel via the bustling market town of Chichcastenango in the highlands of the El Quiché Province. Steeped in Mayan culture and famed for its market, Chichcastenango is a town where you can buy everything from chickens and copal, to pigs and pottery. After a chance to enjoy its vibrant colour and charm, we then head for Guatemala’s central highlands and a beautiful valley lying between the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. This is where we find the beautifully atmospheric city of Antigua, founded in the early years of the 16th century and without doubt one of the most charming cities in the country and certainly one of the most picturesque in Central America.

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After breakfast we take a tour of this graceful old colonial city, with its cobbled streets and lovely old buildings. Despite the damage caused by a series of earthquakes and floods over the centuries, the city’s colonial heritage has seen it designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and this morning’s walking tour visits the churches of San Francisco, Santa Clara, La Merced and Las Capuchinas. Much of Antigua has been repeatedly devastated by earthquakes, but still it retains a graceful charm and its buildings and ruins give it the air of a snapshot in time. This afternoon has been left free for you to continue exploring at your own pace.

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