Intrepid Travel

Highlights

• Spend three days exploring the island paradise of Caye Caulker – munch on barbecued lobster, snorkel around a coral reef, nap under palm trees, go kayaking or just kick back with a couple of worry-free beach days.
• See some of the most significant remnants of the ancient Maya civilisation – plus an array of local wildlife, including coatis and howler monkeys – during a guided tour of Tikal National Park.
• Get to know contemporary Maya life during a homestay in San Juan La Laguna – a lakeside village where you can share meals and conversation with a local family and see how they harvest their local medicinal plants.
• Wander between stalls of rainbow handicrafts, fruits and flowers in the popular and colourful Chichicastenango Market.
• Cruise up the Rio Dulce to your waterfront jungle lodge, where you’ll head out on a birdwatching walk and relax while the sounds of nature fill the air.

Highlights

• Laze on the sandy shores of Caye Caulker off the coast of Belize. Swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean and snorkel through shallow reefs and atolls surrounding the cayes.
• Join a group of local women at a co-operative in San Ignacio, where they’ll show you how to cook up some traditional recipes and talk about the organisation they founded.
• Discover the remains of a once thriving Mayan city at the Lamanai Archaeological Site, reached by a boat trip that reveals some of Belize’s most colourful birdlife.
• Take a day trip to the impressive Tikal National Park, just a hop, skip and a jump across the border into Guatemala. These Maya ruins have become one of the most important archaeological sites in Maya history.
• Uncover the secrets of crystallised skeletons and crumbling palaces near San Ignacio that have been preserved in their natural glory.

Highlights

• Gaze in wonder at the jungle-shrouded limestone temples of Tikal, one of the most impressive Mayan sites in the whole of Central America, as howler monkeys call from the canopy.
• Relax and recharge on the white sands of Caye Caulker, a tiny Belizean island made for beach BBQs, snorkel trips and lazy afternoons spent swinging in a hammock.
• Explore Livingston: a one-of-a-kind riverside town where the local culture is heavily influenced by the Afro-Caribbean Garifuna population.
• Walk along cobblestone streets and shop for local handicrafts in the tiny inland island town of Flores.
• Dig deeper into Mayan history – visiting lesser-known ruins and a mystical Mayan cave complex – around San Ignacio, a vibrant market town near the Belize-Guatemala border.

Highlights

• The stars of this trip are the dramatic and varied landscapes of lush Central America. Active volcanoes, ancient ruins, idyllic beaches and emerald jungles – this trip has got you covered.
• Escape the Mexican heat in the highlands of San Cristobal de las Casas. This old-world town is surrounded by indigenous villages that have retained their traditional customs and roots.
• Get to know contemporary Maya life during a homestay in San Juan La Laguna, a village sitting on the shores of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, where you can share meals and conversation with a local family.
• Clear sea perfect for swimming, shacks serving cold cerveza and sandy shores covered in starfish are waiting in Panama's Bocas del Toro, where you spend three nights on Isla Colon.
• Hike, cycle or zip-line through the steamy cloud forests of Monteverde in Costa Rica – there’s so many ways to experience the lush canopies and unique Central American wildlife.

Highlights

• Drive up through the cloud forest at Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve and head on a hike to one of the crater lakes with an expert local guide.
• Take a guided tour of the Copan ruins and archaeological site – a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most important sites of the Maya civilisation.
• Hop on a scenic boat ride on Lake Atitlan to Santiago Atitlan, with 95% of the population of Maya descent, and meet the shamanic keepers of Maximon.
• Gaze in wonder at the jungle-shrouded limestone temples of Tikal National Park – one of Central America's most impressive Maya sites, as howler monkeys call from the canopy.
• Relax and recharge on the white sands of Caye Caulker, a tiny Belizean island made for beach BBQs, snorkel trips and lazy afternoons spent swinging in a hammock.

Highlights

• Visit San Andres Itzapa and see the shamanic ceremonies devoted to San Simon, a popular chain-smoking saint that has stolen the hearts of the Maya people.
• Take an elaborately decorated chicken bus to a local market and witness the larger-than-life vegetables this region’s known for – decide for yourself whether it’s the result of the fertilizer or the blessings from God.
• Visit Chichicastenango market – known as Chichi for short – and pick up your very own huipils (a traditional Maya garment worn by women and girls) or some handmade jade jewellery.
• Take a scenic boat ride on Lake Atitlan to Santiago Atitlan, with 95% of the population of Maya descent, and meet the shamanic keepers of Maximon.
• Start and end your trip in Antigua, making sure to see the city’s restored Spanish buildings and epic views of the volcano that towers over it.

Highlights

• Take a guided tour of the Copan ruins and archaeological site – a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most important sites of the Mayan civilisation.  
• Visit an Indigenous artists’ village in Nicaragua to meet with a local artist who makes traditional masks – an important part of the history of the country's revolution. 
• Drive up through the cloud forest at Mombacho Volcano Natural Reserve and head on a hike to one of the crater lakes with an expert local guide.
• Visit Chichicastenango market – known as Chichi for short – and pick up your very own huipils (a traditional Mayan garment worn by women and girls) or some handmade jade jewellery. 
• Take a scenic boat ride on Lake Atitlan to Santiago Atitlan, with 95% of the population of Mayan descent, and meet the shamanic keepers of Maximon and share a bottle of local spirits with them as they tell you stories of local life.

Highlights

• Soak in the dramatic and varied landscapes of lush Central America. If you’re thinking active volcanoes, historic cities and emerald jungles – this trip has you covered. Nature lovers rejoice!
• Wind your way through the otherworldly ruins of Copan in Honduras, famous for the numerous elaborate stelae. These Maya ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a perfect spot for some great pics.
• Take part in an indigo-dying demonstration in Suchitoto (the best place to produce indigo in the world) at a local enterprise that supports working mothers in the community.
• Join a local guide (with specialist spotting equipment) on a walk through the steamy cloud forests of Monteverde, exploring the lush canopies and seeing unique Central American wildlife in this natural haven.
• Try out your Nicaragua sign language skills when you order breakfast at an atmospheric cafe housed in a historic building managed and staffed by members of the local deaf community.