DESTINATIONS — LATIN AMERICA
Semana Santa in Antigua
Livingston
lush, rainforest-saturated north to see one thing – the ancient city of Tikal. Bond fans will recognise it as the villain’s lair from Moonraker, but this was once one of the most powerful Mayan cities. Rediscovered in 1848, the enormous temple towers, pyramids and sacrificial altars have been surprisingly well preserved. The site is huge – budget at least a day for exploring it. The island town of Flores – used as the base for exploring Tikal, is underratedly pretty.
l STAY: TRUST IN TOURS Travelling independently around Guatemala requires often frustrating levels of on-the-hoof improvisation – buses and tours often won’t leave until the numbers are right. Unless they’re prepared to gamble with that, visitors are best steered towards multi-day trips with reliable operators. For younger travellers – particularly those travelling solo who are happy to save money by being paired up with a room-mate – Geckos Adventures offers a 17- day ‘Caribbean there, done that’ trip that spends a week going through Mexico and Belize before hitting the Guatemalan classics. It costs from £750, excluding flights, and there’s a strong emphasis on add-on activities. These include manatee-spotting boat trips in the east, windsurfing on Lake Atitlán and horse-riding from Panajachel.
One night is also spent staying with a local family at San Pedro La Laguna. To avoid the tour bus and stay in higher end hotels, Cox & Kings has an 11-day Colours of Guatemala package that includes Antigua, Atitlán and Tikal. Weaving workshops, community projects and less-heralded Mayan ruins are factored in, and because it’s private touring, there’s room for the odd detour on a whim. Unlike most Guatemalan packages, it also builds in time for Garifuna culture and boat trips in Livingston. Prices start at £2,345 including flights. For the more energetic,
Exodus runs a 16-day Highlands and Volcanoes tour with an emphasis on hiking in the Western Highlands. Accommodation is a mixture of cabins, camping and solid standard hotels, and there are free days for cultural exploration among the treks through lava fields and dips in volcanic hot springs. Prices start at £1,999 including flights. If focusing on culture, Semana
Santa (holy week) in the lead-up to Easter is a fascinating time to go. The marriage of Catholic and Mayan traditions in the rituals and ceremonies is often eyebrow- raising. G Adventures runs a 10 day Semana Santa – Easter In Guatemala special from £999. It’s based around Atitlán and Antigua, with plenty of visits to villages to get a feel for the preparations
Master Suite at the Meson Panza Verde
and processions. If adding nights on,
Antigua tends to be the most popular base, and there are some gorgeous colonial-style hotels there. At the higher end, Casa Santo Domingo is a beautifully transformed convent with two pools and its own museum. Doubles cost from around £113 a night.
casasantodomingo.com.gt The Meson Panza Verde, meanwhile, cranks up the atmospherics with hammocks, billowing courtyard gardens and antique furniture. It also has an excellent restaurant and an art gallery, with rooms costing from £65 a night.
panzaverde.com TW
4 December 2014 —
travelweekly.co.uk • 57
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