An extraordinary medical course with a perfect blend of great lectures and on site experience in one of the most beautiful and unusual places I have ever been, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
H Smoak MD,
Emergency Medicine, Indian Rocks Beach, Fl
Plan to arrive in Guatemala City by Saturday evening for your one-night stay at the luxurious five star Quinta Reál Hotel. Don't forget to let us know your flight number so that the hotel can pick you up.
If you arrive Saturday morning, you may want to visit one of these two informative and beautiful attractions: the weaving museum, Muséo Ixcel, or the archeology museum, Popol Vuh. See the hotel concierge.
Sunday morning after breakfast, a motor coach will take us to the beautiful old colonial city of Antigua, where we'll tour the Jade Museum and the ruins of Cappuchinas, a 500-year-old church edifice that three earthquakes have done their best to destroy. We'll have a lovely lunch at the Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo in Antigua; then we'll get back on the bus and travel up into the mountains until we reach magnificent Lake Atitlán. We'll be staying at the area's only four star equivalent hotel, the Hotel Atitlán, where two meals a day are included in the cost of your stay.
During the week, you'll be able to pick and choose amongst many informative presentations, unique sightseeing adventures and fascinating cultural talks. On Saturday morning, February 17th, the motor coach will take us all back to the Quinta Reál in Guatemala City. The next morning, the hotel shuttle will take you to the airport whenever you need to get there.
Beneath a cordon of volcanoes in a lush subtropical valley lies the cobblestone streets, enchanting squares and deserted convents of Antigua, the New World's greatest single repository of Spanish colonial architecture. Antigua's manifest beauty and its abundant cultural and historical resources have the ability to transport visitors back 500 years, making it a very popular destination for travelers to Guatemala. On your guided walking tour, you'll visit several art exhibits, the modern-day Jade Museum and the Artisan Market, which boasts one of the largest collections of indigenous handmade wares in the world. After your tour, treat yourself to lunch and the delightful sounds of an 8ppiece marimba band in the 250-year old colonial courtyard of the Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo.
We are fortunate that we will be able to spend some time in this largest of Mayan villages under the guidance and experience of Dolores Ratzan, who is the only tri-lingual guide to the Tz'tujil traditional ways. Among our stops will be the stirring Catholic Church building, c. 1548, as well as visits to different cofradias (religious brotherhoods), who are working to keep the traditions alive at a time when they seem to be in danger of disappearing.
Bordered by three dormant but breathtaking volcanoes that seem to drop down in to the waters of Lake Atitlán, lies the beautiful and bustling town of Panajachel. Known as one of the world's international crossroads (and a requisite stop on the 'Gringo Highway'), every day is market day in Pana, for there are many quaint shops and colorfully-dressed, determined vendors eager to sell their tapestries, clothing, art and elaborate handmade jewelry. There is an active nightlife in this little town and good restaurants are easy to find.
Drive three hours away from Guatemala City and you'll find yourself in the country's Western Highlands, a spectacular landscape where grumbling volcanoes hover above broad alpine lakes and narrow river ravines; where lush tropical valleys rise to misty cloud forests; where pine-draped hillsides descend onto wide pastoral plains. This region is home to the majority of Guatemala's indigenous people, descendants of the ancient Maya, most of whom reside in small villages nestled in these valleys perched on these hillsides. These indigenos are determined to do everything they can to hold firmly to their heritage.
This magnificent lake was formed some 85,000 years ago after a huge volcanic eruption left what is called a caldera, or collapsed volcano. It is an amazing body of water that occupies fifty square miles and is the deepest lake in our hemisphere. Around it have sprung up thirteen Mayan fishing villages, whose residents exist as they have for centuries - off the land and from the water. In each town, people dress in lavishly-colored hand-woven attire unique to their pueblo.
John Loyd Stephens best summed up Atitlán's beauty a century ago: "Our first view of the lake was the most beautiful we had ever seen, but this surpassed it. All the requisites of the grand and beautiful were there; gigantic mountains, a valley of poetic softness, a lake and volcanoes, and from the height on which we stood, a waterfall marked a silver line down its sides."
It only takes about two hours to fly to Guatemala City from several gateway cities in the United States. Since it's not that far away, most major airlines service it. For special rates, call Latin Discount Air at 213.383.9491. A passport is required to enter the country.
February and August are the perfect time to visit Lake Atitlán. Both months are balmy and mostly dry; Showers (if any) are brief, and humidity is low. The Western Highlands have been dubbed "The Land of Eternal Spring" and it's easy to see why, with their warm afternoons and delightful evenings. There's no need to overpack, but it's a good idea to bring a sweater or a light jacket.