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Multi Sport FAM - OCT 12-16 - Only for FIT, Active People :)

MULTI-SPORT FAM TO THE WESTERN GUATEMALAN HIGHLANDS
October 2011

COST

• $200 per person if sharing a room
• $350 per person in single occupancy

SUMMARY ITINERARY

• 12^th Oct: Arrive into Guatemala City - transfer to colonial Antigua. Biking / hiking if time.
• 13^th Oct: Bike & hike to Cucurucho hill & transfer to Volcano Surrounded Lake Atitlan.  
• 14^th Oct: Kayak the famous crater lake of Lake Atitlan and visit Solola indigenous Maya Market
• 15^th Oct: Hike / Bike the Atlas Highlands and overnight in the deep highlands.
• 16^th Oct: Transfer overland to San Cristobal de las Casas in Mexico - land border crossing.
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• Arrive on the 11^th and hike the active volcano of Pacaya with extra night in Antigua for $60 p.p

DAY BY DAY ITINERARY

For guests that want to arrive a day early we can arrange for a trip to hike the active Volcano of Pacaya and spend an additional night in Antigua for an additional cost of $85 per person in double occupancy.

12th Oct: Arrive Guatemala & transfer to Antigua.

Guests should aim to arrive into Guatemala City as early as possible. They will be met by our Viaventure driver for the 1hour transfer to Antigua. Depending on your flight arrival time we can arrange optional activities like mountain biking or hiking in the Atnigua area of guests can just enjoy relaxing in the many cafes and bars, go shopping in the markets and boutiques or relax at the hotel.

• Overnight mid range hotel Antigua – no meals included
  

13th Oct: Mountain Bike to Lake Atitlan

This morning the trip proper begins and we start the day with a welcome breakfast and trip briefing from your guide / tour leader and also technical aspects such as bike fitting. We then begin the adventure with a land transfer into the picturesque altiplano region taking us to the start of today’s  mountain bike adventure. We start at almost 2300m elevation and our destination lies at 1500m elevation. There are a few short but challenging climbs before we enjoy a single track downhill to the shores of Lake Atitlan.

• Overnight mid range hotel at the Lake. Includes Breakfast & Lunch

Daily Details

• Times: Departure from Hotel 9:00am, Driving time: 2 hours :Approx arrival at hotel 5pm
• MTB  details: Distance : 42 kms,  elevation gain 562/ elevation drop 1240    surface : tarmac, dirt track and single track (technical). The single track is optional and can be substituted by a tarmac downhill

14th Oct: Atitlan, Kayak and Hike, Santiago town

We start off the day by kayaking on what many called the most beautiful lake in the world, often we encounter local fisherman on the water and community farmers on the hike. Guests can enjoy views over the entire lake area, its villages and volcanoes. With a bit of luck we may be able to see the mountain range of Pico San Marcos, which awaits us on tomorrow’s adventure. We then transfer by flete (local form of transportation in the back of a truck) to the Santiago Atitlan for a stroll around the market and main square area and a visit to the famous Maya shrine of the Maya God - San Simon or Maximon. We return by motor boat to hotel in time for sunset drinks.

• Overnight mid range hotel at the Lake. Includes Breakfast & Lunch. Dinner on own

Daily Details

• Times: Departure from Hotel 8.30am, Boat time first leg: 1hour. Approx back at hotel 5pm
• Kayaking: 1.5 to 2 hrs,
• Hiking: Distance:5.5kms, elevation gain 402, elevation drop 240 surface : dirt and stones on tracks and single trails
• Technical level : medium

15th Oct: Climb Pico san Marcos & Transfer to the highlands to the Xela area.

This morning we take a scenic drive to the trail head for our ascent to the Pico San Marcos, which is nearly 3000 meters above sea level. Views are superb and often we will be the only visitors there.
We continue along a rolling ridge, exploring a sacred Maya site with a small cave which is still used for ceremonies often by the kachiquel and quiche mayas.  In the afternoon we transfer on to the Quetzaltenango region and if times permits we treat ourselves to a bath in the thermal springs of Fuentes Georginas.

• Overnight Mid range hotel in Xela. Includes Breakfast and Lunch. Dinner on own in Xela

Daily Details

• Times, Departure from Hotel 7.30am Transfer time 4 hours total: Arrive at hotel 6pm
• Hiking details:  Distance :7.8kms,  elevation gain 678, elevation drop 648 surface : dirt and stones on tracks and single trails
• Technical level : medium to advanced(for sections only)

16th Oct:  Chicabal Volcano & Transfer to San Cristobal de las Casas

This morning we take an early hike up Chicabal Volcano to view the crater lake and a traditional Shaman ceremony. This crater lake is nestled in pacific could forest and there is typically cloud cover the area around mid morning, so our aim is to be there early. For the last section of the climb we will transfer in the back of a local truck as the road offers true challenges in parts. We will take a box breakfast at the lakeshore or at a lookout point

For guests continuing into Mexico for the ATTA summit we then have a long but interesting land transfer across the border into Mexico and on to San Cristobal de las Casas and to your hotel.

For guests returning to Antigua or Guatemala City the transfer will be back through the Guatemalan highlands for about 4 hours.

• Includes breakfast, lunch en route at own, dinner as well at place of choice ion SCLC

Daily Details

• Times, Departure from Hotel 6.00am Transfer time 9 hours total. Arrive at hotel 6- 7 pm
• Hiking details:  Distance : 4.1 kms,  elevation gain 522, elevation drop 522 surface : dirt and stones on tracks and single trails, wodden stair ways
• Technical level : medium to advanced(for sections only)

Notes
All details like distances, transfer times etc are approximate and may vary due conditions of participants, mayor force etc

Honduras Staff Training Trip - Sep 2011

Honduras Viaventure Staff Training Trip

Day 01

Sunday morning saw Clelia, Hugo, Steph and Alfredo off to a groggy-eyed start at 4am; by 3pm we were at the ferry terminal in La Ceiba, having only stopped for a quick breakfast, even quicker lunch, and to stamp our passports at the border.

At 4pm we left La Ceiba by boat, arriving into Utila by 5… mercifully, the waters were calm. Curly haired Lisa from Laguna Beach Resort met us on the dock – of course, our luggage was the very last to be unloaded!

A short land transfer and an even shorter boat ride and were at Laguna Beach Resort – at last! – where a kind bartender awaited with a selection of ice-cold beers… mmm J

After dinner we headed into town to explore some of the local nightlife although being a Sunday, everything was pretty quiet.

Day 02

After breakfast we met with Sheena, our snorkel master for the morning. After kitting us out with masks, snorkels and fins, we departed by boat, accompanied by two diving pax and their dive master.

We spent the next couple of hours snorkeling the reef with Sheena pointing out many colourful fish and different types of coral. After a snack of cooled water, biscuits and fresh watermelon we moved on to a second spot before heading back to the resort for lunch.

After an early lunch we said goodbye to Lisa and Felicia and dropped our luggage at the ferry terminal to go and check-out Mango Inn.

Our luck held and the waters remained calm, meaning we were back in La Ceiba by 3pm and off to visit the Quinta Real hotel, before moving on to the Lodge at Pico Bonito where the receptionist was waiting with cold towels and refreshments.

Finally we reached Omega Lodge, where a cheerful Sunie greeted us and gave us a tour of the property. Clelia and Steph called dibs on the room with the private bathroom (sorry boys!) before heading down to a superb dinner.

Day 03

After breakfast we signed our lives away to Omega by means of a waiver (as Sunie put it – we will do everything possible to minimize the risk, but if anything does happen, we are very sorry) J, and were then hooked up with life jackets, helmets and wet shoes to march down to the river.

Down at the river we were given a crash course on swimming in rivers and currents, etc. before heading upriver to do some rock jumping, after which we headed back down-river for the instructions on the rafting part of the activity. After practicing paddling and rescuing people who fall in we set off. It hadn’t rained the day before so we had an exciting but not too hard core trip with our raft guide Tom.

Once back at the lodge we had lunch and then set off towards Copan, stopping along the way to visit Casa del Arbol in San Pedro Sula.

Day 04

This morning Fito met us at the entrance to the Copan archaeology site for an interesting tour of the ruins and some background history on the Mayas.

After a 3hr tour we picked up some refreshments and headed on to the Finca Santa Isabel where Fito showed us the nature trails and gave us some details on how the tour works.

After lunch in a local café we braved the heat to complete the hotel visits, ending in Hacienda San Lucas with a wonderful glass of lemonade.

Back in town we went to ViaVia for dinner and the Wednesday Salsa Night.

Day 05

An early start to our last day – we met Howard from Casa de Café and Terra Maya before setting off for Finca El Cisne where we met a very amiable Carlos for a delicious home-grown meal – scrambled eggs, beans, cream, hard cheese, plátanos and limes with coffee and milk, all from the farm!

Carlos then took us for a walk through the orchard showing us Maracuyá, Pommelo (similar to grapefruit), various types of bananas and plátanos, Mazapán (the bread fruit), Carambola (star fruit), etc.

From here a 10min drive took us to the paddock for another crash course – this time on horseback riding before saddling up on our steeds Diana, Josephine, Maximo and Beatriz.

We set off, with three other participants on the tour, through coffee plantations and the area designated for drying cardamom, through fields, over bridges and across streams whilst tasting coffee, cardamom, star fruit and guayaba.

Just before midday we waved goodbye to Carlos and the rest of the group, and headed back to the car with Don Arnulfo, our other guide.

We headed back to Copan Ruinas, stopping for a quick visit at the Macaw Mountain Bird Park, to have lunch, before beginning the homeward journey mid afternoon, finally arriving as very weary travelers around 9pm.

Client Feedback - Belize

We have just returned from a holiday in Belize.  Our local agent used Viaventure for all the ground arrangements.  We would like to say a huge "thank you" to Viaventure, but especially "Edgar" our guide who was totally exceptional! Just a few things he did .....

1. When our tubing activity was postponed to the next day he offered to store our damp boots and socks in his car.  Next day we turned up and he had dried out the shoes and washed the socks! 
2. Our son was taken ill and the doctor advised that he should take some medicine.  Not having any transport we contacted Edgar for his help. At 8.30pm he drove into town and brought the medicine up to the hotel. 
3. When our tubing activity was cancelled Edgar offered to reschedule our flight the next day to San Pedro to the afternoon.  This meant he could then re-book the tubing for the morning.
4. On our trip to Caracol we watched as other families ate their sandwiches around the wooden tables, Edgar provided a cloth tablecloth, metal knives and forks, serviettes and the most amazing locally cooked meal. It was superb!
5. Edgar also took us to 2 lovely local restaurants on the other days we were with him.

Our holiday in Belize was fantastic, but please can you let Edgar know that we really appreciated everything he did for us, and enjoyed his company.  We would have no hesitation in recommending Viaventure to all our friends. Many, many thanks again! 

New Water Transportation Suppliers and Boats at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala

Viaventure's Supplier Manager has been investigating new quality boat transfer providers at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala and would like to introduce you to Carlos and David Mucun who will be joining the Viaventure family shortly. They have a nice variety of boats from 10 to 150 people and are keen to work with us on our training and our safety and quality principles. We welcome them to the team!
 

 

 

 

Viaventure Staff Training & Investigation Trip to Toledo, Placencia, Hopkins & Cayo in Belize

Belize Training Trip - Andria, Lucy, Hugo and Jose

Day 1 (June 21st)

It was a humid start in Punta Gorda. We started to sweat as soon as the boat docked and the breeze was abruptly terminated. Bruno Kuppinger and Jose Torres were waiting for us in the shade of the immigration building.

It was pretty much lunch time, so Bruno drove us to the Olympic restaurant in downtown PG. It was stereotypically Belizean in that the best choices were not on the menu, but had to be coaxed out of the waitress (us: ‘what do you have for drinks?’, waitress: ‘we have orange juice and fruit punch’, us: do you have any lime juice?’, waitress: ‘hmm, let me check, I think I have two glasses left’).

Lunch was pretty good and we spent the time going over the itinerary with Bruno looking very bemused and going ‘You want to do all that in ONE day?’. Ever optimistic, we said ‘Yes’. Bruno wisely suggested that we start with what was most important and see how the day went.

So, the hotel visits began with Hickatee Cottages (owned by British couple Ian and Kate). The property is really cute, with a strong focus on responsible tourism and an attention to details in the British colonial style rooms (Kate makes all the bedspreads and cushions etc) – and, it goes without saying, personal service!

Next was new hotel called Sirmoor Hill Farm (owned by a couple from Florida, Richard and ). This was a lovely 100 year old British colonial style guesthouse but only has two rooms and not really any privacy. They do offer horseback riding on trails around the property. From here we headed onto Tranquility Lodge (hmm… nice but something not quite hitting the spot here!). And then on to Cotton Tree Lodge. We all loved this one. From the enormous Ceiba tree at the entrance of the raised walkways to the spacious rooms and the attention to detail. By the time the hotel tour ended we were even sweatier and parched, so we gratefully accepted the offer of some ice cold fruit punch before making our way to the Lodge at Big Falls. We were met by Rob and Martha, a very interesting couple who have been in Belize for a long time now. We really liked this one too and were persuaded to stick around for some lime juice and a brownie.

Then we headed to Sun Creek Lodge which is owned by Bruno Kuppinger and his Belizean wife. Even though it was dusky and they were mostly occupied, because, although they were very rustic, they were really sweet and a great option for student/economic groups.

When we got back into the van, we sank into our seats, glad that the (productive) work day was over. We headed to Machaca Hill and were greeted with ginger ice tea and eucalyptus cold cloths and escorted to our luxury rooms. After long, delicious showers we found the energy to head to the restaurant for some dinner and a chat about the next day’s itinerary. And then to bed. Wonderful beds! So we ran out of time - no night swimming tour of Blue Creek even though it sounded fantastic.

Day 2 (June 22nd)

Morning. Coffee. Breakfast. Tour of the property. We took the easy option and walked down the 365 steps to the river, taking the lift back up to the restaurant.



 

Loved this place. Would be hard pressed not to. We left around 9am and it started to rain fat drops as we left Punta Gorda. We had a quick visit of Nim Li Punit (just 5 mins outside of PG) which was small but pretty and had 2 open tombs. The light rain was refreshing even though it was still humid.

We drove to Mango Creek, stopping at the Savannah Airport on the way (Maya Island – they don’t have any international flights from here anymore). A bright white boat speedboat with blue trim and shade arrived to pick us up (we stayed in the AC van until it arrived!), and Dookie started the tour for us. We meandered around the likely spots until finally Dookie spotted a dolphin in the distance. We got really excited – none of us had expected to see dolphins! – and out came the cameras and video cameras. We saw the manatee twice – and only briefly as the water was a bit murky (best times of year for this tour are Oct – May as there is less rain and the water is clear. For birds, the best time is Nov – Jan as there is lots of migrating during this time, and May is best for whale sharks), but we saw at least two dolphins loads as they seemed curious about the boat.

We arrived in Placencia after midday and chatted with the owners of Joy Tours for a bit while we waited for Jose to arrive (he drove the van around). We also found out that Lobster Fest starts at the weekend (June 24^th) so we were gutted that we would be missing it! And so the hotel visits started for the day.

First off, the new hotel/condo owned by Joy Tours right in the centre of Placencia Village on the beach, Nirvana. We were not so excited about this concrete creation. Then we visited the Placencia Hotel which is a ginormous complex complete with marina, tennis courts, a casino under construction and plans for an international airport. We popped into Laru Beya which we thought was quite cosy for a condo. We also checked out Roberts Grove, Green Parrot, Singing Sands– this one we really liked as a new option for mid range clients! - before Andria gently reminded me that it was 4pm, so we hurried over to Habanero’s restaurant (owned by Robert’s Grove) for a late lunch. Replete and exhausted, we agreed on one more quick stop before heading to Turtle Inn. 

And so, FINALLY, we arrived at Turtle Inn for our night of well-earned luxury. After hot outdoor showers, we summoned enough energy to get in the van (we had been going to cycle but were dissuaded by the concierge) into town for gelato at Tutti Frutti and a quick drink at the Tipsy Tuna where there was some local Garifuna dancing going on. And bed.

Day 3 (June 23rd)

A slow but good breakfast and tour of Turtle Inn (which is almost a destination in itself!) set us up for the morning. It started out cloudy, which along with the sea breeze, was just lovely.

From here we drove to the Cockscomb Wildlife Sanctuary (the road from Placencia to the Hummingbird Highway is fully paved now!!) and did a short, pleasant hike to the river. We didn’t spot any jaguars, but managed to pick up some copal which we squeezed over ourselves as a natural insect repellent. There are much more strenuous hikes and waterfalls for those with the time and inclination. The Victoria Peak hike starts from here too. We made it to the Gulisi project where a very punctual Phylis Cayetano was a little stressed by our late arrival.

 

This is a Garifuna school and museum which was founded in order to preserve the Garifuna living culture and history. We had a traditional Garifuna dance presentation (check out Hugo joining in in the below video!) and a tour of the museum before a quick detour to Pen Cayetano’s art gallery/studio. Pen Cayetano is considered to be the father of punta rock music and is a well known artist. His wife, Ingrid, is also an artist. Another five minutes (Dangriga is pretty small) and we were being introduced to Dayta at a place where they make Garifuna drums (our clients tend to also take in the cassava bread making). Then we went to look at a hotel that some clients had mentioned to us called Jungle Huts in Dangriga. Nothing to report here. 

And onwards to Hopkins… the scenery changed condominiums lined up on dredged land to dirt roads and trees (with glimpses of the ocean every now and then). In the village itself, there are lots of colourful, local gift shops, a couple of restaurants with nationally renown chefs and little guest houses and B&B’s. It was a welcome respite from the saturation of Placencia. We stopped in at Hamanasi first and really liked it. We also visited Belizean Dreams (condos, but not bad), Beaches and Dreams (they looked very sweet and rustic but were closed for June), and then made it to Jaguar Reef (which includes Almond Beach and Villa Verano). Despite our late morning start, we made it to Jaguar Reef in daylight and managed to get into the Caribbean Sea for a swim (except for Jose who was cleaning the van)!! Bliss…

Our new favourite places in Belize are Toledo (which we dubbed the Belizean Mixed Platter as it had a little of everything) and Hopkins instead of Placencia.

Day 4 – June 24^th (last day!)

We started early again as we had a lot to pack in before our flight back from Flores. We had all decided it would be nice to go and see the Marie Sharpe’s hot sauce factory as it was so close by, so we did that, getting overtaken by the lady herself on the way there. They allowed us in for the spicy tour, even though Andria did not meet the clothing requirements (no sleeveless tops and no shorts! Opening hours 7-12, 1-5 weekdays). Lots of shopping later, we stopped impromptu in St Margaret’s Village to meet Fidelia Raymundo who has (and coordinates) homestays there. The houses look more than acceptable: private rooms with bathrooms for guests and then they share meals etc with the host families. Five Blues Lake is just 5 miles from here.

With time ticking away, we headed towards Calico Jacks. On the way, we saw a sign for Gumbolimbo Resort and just had to stop in and take a look. This was a sweet, British owned eco-style resort, only 4 rooms, but could work for some of our clients. So a productive stop all in all. We passed Green Hills Butterfly Farm and the turn off to Barton Creek Cave, and not long later arrived at the Calico Jacks property. They also have a couple of rooms. See the below picture. No words necessary. However, the zipline is fantastic and the safest option we have seen yet in the region!

After this we visited the Mariposa Jungle Lodge, another one mentioned by some clients before and we like this one as well. Similar level to Gumbolimbo but very different style. 

No time left for anything else except to head to the border, say goodbye to Jose and from there head to the Flores Airport with our driver Ernesto Vasquez. Because of bad weather in Guate, the planes were delayed, but we made it back to the City around 7pm where Josue’s smiling face was waiting for the planes (Andria and Hugo were on one and I was on the other). The last part of the journey was spent listening the Ricardo Arjona until my laptop battery fizzled out. Like us.