June 5-15, 2021 - Custom Service Trip for University Presbyterian Church, Baton Rouge

Group Orientation: Date to be arranged

Trip Leaders: Mel (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) and Leslie Dinkel (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Included: All lodging, transportation, many materials for service projects, in-country experts, many meals and entrance to many attractions. Airfare is not included.

Trip Cost (Double/Triple Occupancy): $1,953

Share your talents to help empower women, children and families in the Mayan village of San Martín Chiquito, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. This cultural immersion service adventure will introduce participants to the tremendous beauty, bounty and poverty that exist side-by-side in this country which, going south from Mexico, is the gateway to Central America. Meet and work side by side with the Mayan people as they share their rich culture and strive to overcome the great hardships inherent to many developing nations. Your participation will provide support for critical programs that improve health, promote and deliver education, and create job opportunities. Together, these opportunities empower Mayan communities to thrive, and make it possible for them to build meaningful live at home with their families.

June 5, 2021 – We’ll meet you in the early afternoon at the Guatemala City airport with our comfortable bus, then head to the Colonial City of Antigua. There, we will check into our accommodation, a family-run hotel, before heading out to dinner at a local eatery serving traditional fare. Antigua will offer an introduction to the Guatemalan culture and customs. Hosted: Dinner, breakfast

June 6 - After a good night’s sleep and breakfast at the hotel, early risers can enjoy a gentle hike to Cero de la Cruz, offering a window into local life and spectacular views of the city. We will have some time in the morning to stroll in the town, learn about Jade and visiting a small chocolate museum. We will pack up and leave mid-morning headed for the Guatemalan highlands and the beautiful city of Quetzaltenango (Xela). On the way, we will stop at the famous Mayan ruin at Iximché, where we will learn about the first inhabitants of Guatemala from whom the people of the village we’ll serve in are descended. We’ll continue on, stopping for a lunch at Chichoy, an eatery serving traditional fare. We will arrive at our destination and check in to our comfortable accommodations, a family-owned and run hotel just off the historic Parque Central. This will be home during our volunteer service experience. At left and below: Typical “traje” of Quetzaltenango; Cathedral at Parque Central. Hosted:  Breakfast, hike, entry to Iximché ruin

During the balance of our stay in Quetzaltenango, all breakfasts and lunches are included. An optional, no-host group dinner will be arranged nightly in one of the local eateries.

June 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 – After a hosted breakfast we will travel each day to the village of San Martín Chiquito, a Mám-Maya village rich with traditions of the past and challenges of the future. There we will undertake individual projects where we welcome you to contribute your specific talents and interests. We will match your talents with need, and will work with the children on a variety of projects spanning art for preschoolers and grade-school children, assembling and delivering water filters, building and delivering chicken coops, English language reinforcement and more.  In the village, a scrumptious traditional lunch will be served daily! The exchange of ideas and talents will be immensely rewarding and you will find that the people of the community are thrilled to have you there. On our last day in the region, we will celebrate our successes with the people of the village with a trip to Las Georginas, a local hot-water spring. We will be accompanied by staff and young people from the village as an extra-special time to make friends across culture. In Quetzaltenango, we have a farewell pizza party including a special ceremony. (At right, recent volunteer enjoying time with village children.) Hosted: Breakfasts, lunches, entry to Las Georginas, a surprise activity, farewell pizza party

During our time at the Lake, dinners are included as well as a choice of (1) small-village cultural tour, (2) nature hike with ziplining and shopping experience, or (3) a guided volcano climb. Kayaking is also included. 

June 13 – After breakfast, those will head for Lake Atitlan, one of the world’s most stunning destinations! Depending on the time, we will stop for lunch at a traditional eatery along the way, or eat at our magnificent accommodation on the lake. When we arrive, we board private launches for our destination. Once there, explore the exquisite grounds featuring a surprise-filled, tropical landscape. That evening be prepared for a delicious, home-made course dinner and, if you like, to relax and rejuvenate in a wood-burning hot tub under the night stars. After your days of service, you certainly deserve it! Hosted: Breakfast, Home-made course dinner, therapeutic hot tub

June 14 - Lake Atitlan is the perfect place to get some exercise or relax—it’s up to you! Explore a local wildlife preserve and zipline, or climb a volcano with a guide. Or instead, continue growing your cultural understanding by exploring indigenous villages that dot the lake. No matter what you choose, your Atitlan visit will be sure to impress. Hosted: Dinner, kayaking, and choice of zipline, explore villages in a private launch, or climb a volcano

June 15 – In the morning we will pack up, board our launches, and head back to Guatemala City to catch flights. Having selected this add-on, along with the experience of your service program and knowledge of the Mám and Quiché Maya, you additionally take home the experience of the T’zutuhil and Kakchiquel cultures, and images of Lake Atitlán you will never forget!

* This add-on cost is based on a six-person minimum. Should the count reach 8 or 10, the price will be reduced and money refunded in local currency at the beginning of our trip.

FLIGHT BOOKING INSTRUCTIONS

We suggest the following flights. If you elect a different flight, please plan to meet the group upon arrival June 6 at La Aurora Airport at 1 PM. Do not book a return flight that leaves from Guatemala City prior to 1 PM on either June 14^th if you are not going on to Atitlan, or June 16^th if you are coming from the Lake.

Outbound: June 5, 2021 - Delta 5071/904 leaving Baton Rouge at 7:10 AM, arriving Guatemala City 1:11 PM.

Return: June 13, or June 15, 2021 – Delta 906/5452 leaving Guatemala City at 1 PM, arriving Baton Rouge 8:46 PM