I’d never heard of Guatemala [and doubtless Honduras] until I was in my seventy-ninth year,” Winston Churchill told his physician Lord Moran, in June of his eightieth year. The old fellow, who had lots on his mind, missed out on a couple of unjustly overlooked countries, rich with tremendous scenery, Mayan glories, colonial grandeur, and cheery, heart-involving folks. As our Central American maestro Brady Binstadt says, “These are my favorite places in all of the Americas for a full-on cultural experience.”

We begin in Antigua, as lovely a town as any of us will likely ever see, then head, via the colorful local Mayan market at Chichicastenango, to volcano-encircled Lake Atitlán, where we boat about in good fettle. Now we’re off by plane to the resonant ruins at Copán and the even more impressive remains of the Mayan capital of Tikal and nearby Yaxha (where we’ll stay in Francis Ford Coppola’s La Lancha, which combines, says the New York Times, “nature, nurture and cinematic flair”). During the heyday of the Mayan empire, in the eighth century of the Current Era, the five towering temples of Tikal, poking through a jungle canopy, signaled the—alas, evanescent— ascendancy of the Mayans. Civilizations come and go, a truism for which we get a taste when we return home via Guatemala City, built on Mayan ruins by the Spanish, who in turn were supplanted by the mixed glories of the Current Era. For those who enjoy being pampered, inquire about our access to private homes, charter flights, helicopters, and other niceties.

We’ve constructed a handy Classic Journey to another overlooked gem, Belize, centered around the outstanding Turtle Inn, in the south. The waters off the Inn are super, and the snorkeling is about as good as it gets. This area is one of the planet’s best for seeing whale sharks, which can stretch out to 45 feet on a good day. Another Francis Ford Coppola property, Turtle Inn is a delightfully relaxing coda to any Central American journey.

Day 1: USA to Guatemala City, overnight in Antigua • Day 2: tour Antigua • Day 3: visit Chichicastenango en route to Lake Atitlán • Day 4: visit Santiago Atitlán on boat trip • Day 5: explore more of the lake, return to Antigua • Day 6: fly to Copán, Honduras, visit ruins • Day 7: fly to Tikal, visit ruins at Yaxha, overnight at La Lancha • Day 8: tour Tikal • Day 9: fly to Guatemala City for overnight • Day 10: return to USA.

Belize Classic Journey: 9: transfer to Placencia, Belize, for overnight at Turtle Inn • Days 10–12: snorkel, hike, explore the area • Day 13: fly via Belize City to USA.

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