| Day
1 |
| Arrive
in Guatemala, you can now relax. You will be met upon arrival and
taken to your Hotel in the Old Colonial City of Antigua. For the
rest of the day you can chill out and try the local beer (Gallo). |
| Day
2 Day of preparation |
| After
breakfast we waste no time in familiarizing ourselves win the Bikes
Kawasaki KLR 650. We shall have a talk about the weeks ahead and
take a local ride to ensure that we are all comfortable and ready
for the tour. This is a good introduction to get used to the KLR 650
ride. |
| Day
3 Antigua - Rio Dulce |
| Having
done the preparation after breakfast we will be ready for our first
leg of the journey. All the bags and boxes loaded and off we go.
Everything that you will need for this tour should now be packed.
After passing through the city of Guatemala we find the north bound
highway for Rio Dulce. |
| Day
4 Rio Dulce • Flores |
| Riding
on great roads we continue towards Flores. We are now in the Peten,
this northern part of Guatemala occupies a third of the country but
has less than three percent of the population. We will have a short
break and rest at the Rope Bridge Nature Reserve. This will be your
first opportunity to explore the rain forest high above the forest
floor. |
| Day
5 Flores • Tikal • Flores |
| Wakey,
wakey! An early start today - 6.00am! Today the bikes will rest as
you will be driven to the Great Tikal by minibus after breakfast.
Towering above much of the forest the Tikal is possibly the most
magnificent of the Mayan ruins. Some 285 species of bird have been
sighted in the Tikal alone. This is the heartland of the Mayan
civilization which reached here from the highlands 2500 years ago.
Mayan culture reached the height of its architectural, scientific,
and artistic achievements during the "Classic Period"
(300-900AD), when great cities rose from the forest. |
| Day
6 Flores • Sayache |
Back
on the road for another early start as we have another full day of
activities in front of us. On leaving Flores we have our first taste
of off roading, but after 30 minutes or so we get back to smooth
highway, after a couple of hours we arrive at the river crossing
Saxache.
After checking in to our hotel, we then ride back out to the Ruins
of Ciebal, a very surreal Mayan site. After lunch in Sayache the
river boat awaits our arrival. We cruise down the Rio Pasion ringed
by dense rain forest and maybe a few alligators! Then we arrive on
the dirt sand shores that lead us to the Ruins of Aquateca. This is
a truly magical place, if you imagine Indiana Jones holding the Mad
Hatters Tea Party, he would hold it here! |
| Day
7 Sayache • Lanquin |
| After
breakfast we set off for our real taste of off road, this will
basically comprise of isolated mountainous back roads. This day will
be a blast. On our arrival at Lanquin you will have Iittle doubt
that this is an Overland Bike Tour. The accommodation is simple with
shared log cabins with great food and a bar. Here we can reflect on
the day with a chat and a few beers. |
| Day
8 Lanquin-Semuc Champey-Lanquin |
| Today
the bikes can rest and this is your day to take advantage of this
time to relax, but this day will also give you Iots of activities if
that is what you are looking for. If you like cave swimming in
natural surroundings you are going to have a lot of fun here. Less
than 30 minutes from Lanquin are the pools of Semuc Champey. |
| Day
9 Lanquin-Coban |
| This
is one of the many roads that are still under construction So we may
have a three to four hour ride ahead of us, so we will be arriving
in Coban for early afternoon which will give you time to explore
this misty Alpine capital. |
| Day10
Coban- Chichicastenango |
| Today
is the longest part of the Tour. With this route we cut right
through the heart of Guatemala, cutting through the valleys and
villages. On this road 3rd gear will be your best friend but this is
no Donnington Park! The true ambience of the rural setting and slow
pace of life will be your speed limit. |
| Day
11 Chichicastenango - Lake Atitlan |
| Chichicastenango
{Mecca del Turismo} department of Ouiche. In this compact and
traditional town of cobbled streets day to day life is made manic
twice a week by market days (Thursday and Sunday). This is market
day at it 's best, so for these reasons you can spend a little time
bargain hunting for something a little different. This market event
is huge, spreading out in all directions. At around mid morning we
regroup and off to the Awesome Lake Atitlan. We have lunch on the
shore of the Lake at San Pedro, soon after we take a ferry crossing
to Panajachel. |
| Day
12, FREE DAY Panajachel |
| Today
is your rest day or whatever you feel like doing , remember you are
still on holiday. So if all you want to do is relax by the pool and
chill its your choice. |
| Day13
Panejachel-Monterico |
| We
leave the lake and head for the Pacific coast of Monterico. In less
than one hour our altitude of 1600 metres will be at sea level.
Welcome to Monterico, one of the finest beaches on the Pacific coast
that sometimes has powerful surf. Just have another drink and watch
the sun sink. The bars and restaurants here serve excellent seafood
(buen provecho). |
| Day
14 Monterico - Antigua |
| After
a morning swim and breakfast, we say goodbye to Monterico. After
leaving midmorning there is an easy ride back to Antigua where our
tour will end at 12.00 noon. |
|
Phone us: