2-week family holiday in Guatemala and Belize

* Please note: this price is based on a round trip with 2 older children using 2 x double rooms. If you are travelling with younger children, prices will need to be calculated based on family rooms.

Day 3 | Antigua

Fancy a bit of adventure? You’re in for a treat, as today’s itinerary includes a spectacular climb! You’ll be picked up from your hotel and taken to the foot of the Pacaya volcano. The route here takes you along narrow mountain tracks and offers stunning views of Guatemala’s valleys and volcanoes. It’s a climb of about 1.5 hours, for which good walking boots are essential. The first part of the trek involves walking through dense forests along sandy paths. After about half an hour’s walk, you’ll reach an open plain where the grass and sand suddenly give way to solidified black lava. Here you’ll also get your first glimpse of the flowing lava and the impressive volcano. You’ll continue walking over the lava boulders – and be careful, as it will literally be hot underfoot! On a clear day, you’ll also have a magnificent view of Guatemala City, the capital. On the volcano, you’ll enjoy a picnic lunch, after which you’ll be taken back to your hotel in Antigua. Anke also climbed this volcano and shares her experience on our blog.
Overnight stay: Meson de Maria | bed and breakfast

Day 4 | Antigua – Flores

Today you’ll be travelling to Flores, taking a domestic flight from Guatemala City to Flores in the north of the country. You’ll be staying at La Lancha, beautifully situated on Lake Petén and in the rainforest. The casitas offer views of the lake or look out over the beautiful greenery. Don’t be alarmed if you’re woken in the morning by the roar of a howler monkey in the trees surrounding your cottage.
Accommodation: La Lancha | bed and breakfast

Day 5 | Flores

Today you will visit Tikal National Park with a private guide. Tikal, or Tik’al, was one of the largest Mayan cities during the Classical Period. It was not until 1848 that it was rediscovered by a team of Guatemalan explorers. The first large-scale archaeological excavations began in the 1950s. In 1979, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here, you will explore the ancient Mayan city with your guide and learn a great deal about the history of Guatemala’s Mayan people. Although Tikal is regarded as one of Guatemala’s most famous Mayan temples, you still get the feeling that you are one of the very few people walking around here. The large buildings and the stunning views from the temples are truly impressive. You’ll have lunch at a small restaurant in the park. Afterwards, you’ll be taken back to your hotel.
Overnight stay: La Lancha | bed and breakfast

Day 6 | Flores – Cayo District

Today you’ll travel on to neighbouring Belize. On the way, you’ll visit Yaxha National Park, the third-largest Mayan site in Guatemala, situated in the jungle. In this park, you can enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings, spotting monkeys and tropical birds along the way. You will, of course, also visit the ancient Mayan temples of Yaxha. Afterwards, you’ll travel by boat to the island in Lake Yaxha, where the pre-Columbian temples of Topoxte are situated. Your guide can tell you fascinating stories about the Mayan era and the temples they built in their heyday.
You will then be taken to the border crossing between Guatemala and Belize. Here, you will complete the usual customs formalities and then continue on your way towards the Cayo District. This region boasts some stunning landscapes, ranging from wild rainforest to rolling hills of farmland dotted with plantations, surrounded by numerous rivers and caves. The lodge where you’ll be staying is situated in a beautiful nature reserve on the Macal River. For wildlife enthusiasts and birdwatchers, this place comes highly recommended. You can set out every day, even in the evening, to explore the surroundings with the lodge’s enthusiastic and highly knowledgeable guides.
Accommodation: Black Rock Lodge | bed and breakfast

Days 7 and 8 | Cayo District

These days are free to plan as you wish. From your lodge, you can enjoy a range of activities, such as horse riding, mountain biking, tubing (floating down the river on a rubber ring), canoeing on the Macal River, caving and various walks, during which there’s a good chance you’ll spot three different species of toucan. This is the only place in Central America where this is possible. Night-time tours are also available. We also highly recommend visiting the Mayan site of Caracol with a guide. You’ll be taken from the lodge to the Mountain Pine Ridge Nature Reserve, a vast protected national park comprising rainforest, caves, waterfalls, Mayan ruins and rivers. You will arrive at the magnificent and largest Mayan city in Belize: Caracol. This city covers no less than 48 km² of rainforest, contains some 20 plazas, an astronomical observatory and more than 35,000 identified structures. Numerous hieroglyphs have been found which have made it clear that Caracol was a very powerful city that even dominated Tikal in Guatemala. The largest pyramid, the Canaa, is approximately 42 metres high and is the tallest man-made structure in Belize. You can enjoy an in-depth guided trip. On the way back to the lodge, you can choose to stop at the Rio Frio Caves or Rio On Pools for a refreshing dip in the water.
Overnight stay: Black Rock Lodge | bed and breakfast

Days 10 to 12 | Placencia

These days are yours to spend as you wish. Enjoy the Caribbean coast and discover the underwater world of Belize. The clear, calm waters, combined with an abundance of fascinating coral and fish, make Placencia an excellent spot for snorkelling. There is also plenty more to experience here. Although Placencia has a real island atmosphere, it is actually situated on the mainland. The advantage of this is that you can easily undertake various activities from your hotel, allowing you to get to know other parts of Belize as well. In this fishing village, you’ll find traces of both Mayan and Garifuna cultures. The Garifuna are an ethnic group descended from a mix of Indigenous peoples and Africans. In the town, you’ll find various souvenir shops, charming beach bars and restaurants serving delicious Caribbean cuisine. The beach at Placencia is the longest and most expansive in Belize; whilst your accommodation is situated right on the beach, on the other side you’ll find yourself close to the Placencia Lagoon, home to the rare manatee, amongst other species. Placencia is also surrounded by mangrove swamps, and you can easily reach the inland areas, where you can visit one of the many remarkable limestone caves or various Mayan temples such as Nim Li Punit or Lubaantun.
Accommodation: Chabil Mar Villas | bed and breakfast

Day 13 | Placencia – Belize – Amsterdam

Unfortunately, your unique journey comes to an end today. You will be taken to Placencia Airport, from where you will take a domestic flight to Belize. Upon arrival in Belize, you will transfer to your intercontinental flight to Amsterdam.

Day 14 | Amsterdam

You will arrive in Amsterdam today.