Day 1: Guatemala City - Antigua
Our group will meet upon arrival at the airport in Guatemala City in the early afternoon. We stop for a visit to this bustling
capital city’s excellent anthropology museum before meeting José Mario Maza, the director of the Museum of Modern
Art (Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno) who hosts us for a private museum tour and informal wine & chocolate reception. We
make the one hour trip to Antigua in the early evening.
Lodging for four nights in Antigua at the Casa Santo Domingo.
It is a beautifully restored and converted 16th century convent, located ten minutes from Antigua’s central plaza.
Day 2: Antigua Market Visit & City Orientation
Our Guatemala trip leader leads a morning gastronomic market visit to learn about Guatemala’s exotic, seasonal fruits
and fresh local produce. We also enjoy a walking orientation of this stunning colonial town focused on its many monuments,
evocative ruins, parks and plazas.
Amongst our many visits today, we meet the legendary Doña María Gordillo,
owner of Guatemala’s most celebrated candy store, established 130 years ago.
Day 3: Coffee: From Crop to Cup
We drive 15 minutes to La Azotea Coffee Farm for our “coffee: from crop to cup” experience. After meeting the
owner, we have a hands-on immersion, learning about the multiple stages of coffee production, from growing and picking the
beans, through selection and drying.
The owner re-joins us for a barbecue style lunch at the finca. We continue after
lunch with a professional style coffee tasting at Fernando´s Kaffee back in Antigua. Fernando, a passionate man who lives
and breathes coffee, teaches us the fine art of roasting and has us sample different taste profiles to help refine our coffee
palates.
Day 4: Sustainable Alternatives, Fair Trade & Chocolate Making
We visit to the nearby Experimental Station La Valhalla, a macadamia plant nursery which has donated over 200,000 macadamia
plants to indigenous farmers in Guatemala. We learn about the macadamia’s environmental and economic sustainability
- often contrasted with highly volatile coffee crops - while tasting delicious macadamia flour pancakes, chocolates and even
a macadamia nut face cream!
After our farm visit, we host a fair trade salon with two experts, one a staunch advocate
and the other a fair trade critic. This lively debate will inform us about the complexities of fair trade vs. other sustainable
methods of coffee and chocolate production.
At lunch we meet Ismael Nagaz , the creator of Chocotenango, Antigua’s
fine hand-made chocolate shop. Ismael leads us in a private, afternoon hands-on chocolate making class, showing us how to
use local ingredients to create artisan chocolates.
 Day 5: Highland Orchids, Quetzals & Mayan Syncretism
Today is the longest drive of our trip -four hours by paved road to Cobán, located at an altitude of 4,000 feet in Guatemala’s
lush highlands. En route, we stop at the Quetzal Biotopo Mario Dary, a biosphere created to protect the resplendent national
bird, the Quetzal. The tranquil, fecund nature trails are a wonderful place to stretch our legs and immerse ourselves in the
unique flora and fauna of the region. We arrive in Cobán in the afternoon and visit the Vivero Verapaz, a former coffee
finca, the farm now produces nearly 700 indigenous varieties of orchids.
We also visit the unusual church of El Calvario,
passing several Mayan shrines and offerings along the way. The syncretism between Christianity and Mayan beliefs is evident
inside and outside the church, including crosses of both faiths and corn cobs (sacred to the Maya) hung on the church’s roof.
With its sweeping view of the town below, El Calvario is an ideal spot to enjoy sunset.
Lodging for two nights
in Cobán will be at the charming, colonial style La Posada
Day 6: Coffee Economy in Coban Indigenous Cacao Production.
Life in Cobán revolves around coffee. Today we explore all sides of
the coffee fuelled economy, from the assembled day laborers at the bus terminal, plaza and market to the overflowing supermarkets
and sedate restaurants catering to the affluent ‘finqueros’, wealthy coffee plantation owners.
We also meet a wonderful
indigenous woman believed to be more than 100 years old! With the help of her 85 year old daughter translating from the K’ekchi
language, she will demonstrate rustic cacao elaboration as it was done in the time of the Maya.
After lunch
and the chance to try one of 50+ types of coffee at Café Tirol we have a free afternoon in Cobán. Note: for those
with boundless energy and the desire to visit another coffee farm, we will gladly arrange for an English-speaking guide and
tour of the nearby Finca Margarita.
Day 7: Drive to Guatemala City
We drive to Guatemala City (approximately 3 ? hours) stopping at the surprising scale size relief map of the country. We visit
the Cathedral and other city monuments before a relaxing lunch at a Guatemala City restaurant known for its upscale criolla
(home style) cooking, delivered in a fresh, contemporary setting.
After lunch we meet the director of Guatemala’s
National Library. Doña Esther brings us to the 3rd floor climate and humidity controlled safe room in order to show us
the oldest books in existence on the subject of Guatemalan chocolate and coffee.
We celebrate our final night together
in Guatemala with an unforgettable meal at La Gastroteca. Chef Jose Luis is one of Central America’s brightest culinary stars.
Tonight he creates a coffee and chocolate inspired tasting menu exclusively for us. We will spend our last night in Guatemala
City.
Day 8: Return home
Transfers arranged to the Guatemala City airport for our international flights home.
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