Guatemala With Caravan

My close friends who recently returned from Guatemala, shared the following story:

We visited Guatemala from February 24^th to March 4^th, 2012 with tour organized by www.caravan.com.

The main reason for our trip was learning about the Mayan culture.Most of the regions of Guatemala are under the protection of UNESCO and are maintained in their original condition. Guatemala boasts the most historic Mayan artifacts of the region. The best archaeological museum in the country is located in the capital.

Guatemala is a very poor country, but it boasts breathtaking landscapes. Three large volcanoes were visible to us the entire trip.

The climate of the country is wonderful.The weather remains the same year-round, with temperatures dropping very slightly and some rains in the winter. For our trip the temperature remained 25 °C during the day and 19 °C at night (77 F and 66 F, respectively).

Life of the people can be observed on the streets, instead of museums. Guatemalans are friendly, pleasant people.

Most of the country is involved in farming and raising cattle. Additionally, some of the best coffee is grown in Guatemala, and you can see the cultivation process during your visit.

Although tourism is fairly new in Guatemala, all hotels were of very high quality, both design and service-wise. The hotel in Guatemala City was a very beautiful, modern hotel with great rooms and delicious food. Other hotels were very interesting architecturally and featured winter gardens. Parrots, peacocks, and exotic flowers beckoned one to relax in the gardens. All of the hotels featured swimming pools.

Food was not a concern during the trip; it was included in the cost of the trip and was delicious.

The trip was organized impeccably. At the end of every day, we were told what would happen the next day, how to dress, what to bring, etc. There was an unlimited supply of bottled water in the bus and at the hotels.

The tour director, Guillermo, was greatly qualified for this tour. He was able to answer any and all of our questions in regards to the country, its inhabitants, and the Mayan culture.

The trip was not physically taxing and there was plenty of time in the evening to relax and unwind. We have previously traveled with two other tour companies (Globus & Trafalgar) and Caravan turned out to be the best of the three.