MayaSites Travel Services- Maya of the HIghland Rainforest

Day 1: The nearest airport to Palenque is in Villahermosa, which is 2.5 hours away. If your flight arrives by 1 pm you can eliminate one day from this schedule, visit La Venta Olmec Museum when you arrive and go directly to Palenque. Otherwise, you will need to spend your first night in Villahermosa. The Hilton hotel shuttle will be waiting when you arrive to take you to the Hilton Hotel Villahermosa where you'll overnight.

Day 2: In the morning you'll be met at your hotel and go directly to La Venta Olmec Museum in Villahermosa. There are 28 Olmec carvings at this beautiful outdoor museum with interesting zoo and lake. Each piece was set carefully for optimum viewing of the huge and amazingly well crafted Olmec heads, intricate altars, and intriguing stele and statues.

Then you'll be transported to Palenque. The town of Palenque is 5 miles from the archeological site. Like its Mayan ruins, it exudes character, charm and an energy all its own. Against the backdrop of the rainforest, with all the modern conveniences (banks, pharmacies, laundry, photo development, internet cafes), Palenque gives off the feel of a fun, wild-west frontier town. You'll have some free time in the afternoon and evening relaxing in the lush jungle rainforest or exploring the sights, sounds and cuisines of Palenque. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes Hotel in Palenque.

Day 3: Today you have an entire day to visit the spectacular ruins of Palenque. A UNESCO historical monument, Palenque is considered a world treasure. Ancient structures rise out of the lush rainforest on multiple terraces set against the mountains. There are many major buildings to explore and new buildings are now being uncovered and studied. Many wonderful examples of Maya art and history are carved into the building´s facades, some of them the most famous depictions from the ancient Maya world.

Palenque is exciting because of the vast amounts of information that has been painstakingly brought to light by archeologists over the years. Here you will find the unique building styles that caused early explorers to think that the builders of Palenque were influenced by Eastern or Asian architectural concepts. You'll also visit the Palenque archaeological museum with its extensive collection of jade masks, well preserved carvings and stele and incense burners. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes Hotel in Palenque.

Day 4: Today you journey to Yaxchilan and Bonampak. First you go to Bonampak, home of famous Mayan murals. Their ancient colors remain clear and vital, making them an excellent representation of Mayan art. Bonampak also has some very well preserved stele that detail important historical moments.

Then you travel by boat down the mighty Usamacinta River to the mysterious ancient Maya site of Yaxchilan. This incredible boatride through the rainforest with its huge trees and abundant wildlife makes you feel like you´re in an Indiana Jones movie!

The tremendous archeological site of Yaxchilan, situated on the riverbanks, rises in levels to temples with breathtaking views of the rainforest stretching far into Guatemala. You'll hear stories of ancient Mayan Queens who exerted great power and about the modern Lacandon Indians (of whom there are only 450 people remaining) who still use Yaxchilan as a place of worship. See howler monkeys and many exotic birds as you roam this well organized ancient Maya city.

At the end of the day you return to Palenque. Overnight at Maya Tulipanes Hotel in Palenque.

Day 5: Today you journey to San Cristobal de las Casas. Along the way you'll stop at the beautiful Miso Ha waterfalls and also visit the archaeological site of Tonina. Toniná may have been built as early as 350 A.D. but one of its distinctions is having the last recorded date of the Maya long count. The building technique here is unique in its use of small rocks verses the larger type stones of other nearby sites. It also has a very well, preserved somewhat macabre fresco. Overnight at Posada El Paraiso, close to the main square in San Cristobal de la Casas.

Day 6: All day tour of the markets, museums and colonial churches of San Cristobal de las Casas. First you'll visit the huge outdoor community market for a unique taste of modern Maya culture. Not a market slanted toward tourism, this market is the heartbeat and center for the entire Mayan economy of the Chiapas highlands. Many Maya groups are represented with a full array of traditional goods that each group specializes in -- textiles, jade, amber, carvings, incense, candles and a wide variety of foods. You'll visit the Jade Museum and Amber Museum which showcase the exemplary skills of local stone carvers. Also visit the weaver's cooperative with its informative displays and have time to shop for or just admire the extremely intricate and ornate huipiles at the textile and handicrafts market adjacent to the Santo Domingo Temple. In the afternoon visit the village of San Juan Chamula with its famous Maya church where one can observe the modern religious practices of the Maya. It’s a moving experience ... one to be cherished. Then you'll visit the Tzotzil village of Zinacantán with its renowned embroidered textiles. Overnight at Posada El Paraiso in San Cristobal de las Casas.

Day 7: Free day in San Cristobal de las Casas to explore the village on your own. Or, optional day excursion to the beautiful Canyon Sumidero. Overnight Posada El Paraiso in San Cristobal de las Casas.

Day 8: Private transfer to the Tuxtla Gutierrez airport for departure.