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Viva Expeditions' Central America Discovery Tour

Tuesday 10 January 2017, 9:22AM

By Beckie Wright

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Viva Expeditions’ superb 27-day Central America Discovery tour combines the traditions of the ancient Mayans with pristine nature and wildlife, and so much more, starting in Mexico City, the oldest urban centre in the Western hemisphere. The tour begins with a tour of Teotihuacan, one of the most impressive cities of the ancient world, held sacred by the Aztecs, then visits the Basilica de Guadalupe, Latin America’s most revered religious shrine, along with the most beautiful and cultural places in Mexico City.

 

In the next few days, the tour takes in beautiful Oaxaca, Monte Alban, a World Heritage Site and Tuxtla, then San Cristóbal de las Casas and the Tzotzil Indian villages, visiting the locals who descend from the ancient Maya and maintain some unique customs, costumes and beliefs.

 

During days 8-10 the tour drives to Agua Azul, and continues to Palenque, a World Heritage site and home to an ancient Mayan people, and the archaeological site of Bonampak, then travelling by boat on the Usumacinta river, its jungle-covered banks forming the Mexico-Guatemala border to arrive at Yaxchilan, one of the most dramatic Maya sites.

 

Day 11-12 takes the tour to Flores in Guatemala, visiting Tikal National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and then on to Lake Atitlan, where the Maya God Maximón is living. During the next few days travellers take in Antigua
Chichicastenango, a famous market, and Antigua, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, then on to San Jose in Costa Rica, Tortuguero Village and the Arenal volcano.

 

The last few days are spent in the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve which houses 2.5% of the world’s biodiversity and is home to thousands of species of plants and animals including jaguars and ocelots as well as over 400 species of birds, including the colourful resplendent quetzal frog, taking the Sky Tram to the Continental Divide and to one of the highest mountains of Monteverde.

 

The final day is spent in San Jose, sharing stories of this fabulous trip at a farewell dinner at a local restaurant, departing the next day. For more information on this superb 27-day Central America Discovery Tour, please visit the website at http://www.vivaexpeditions.com .