Guatemala Journeys
Guatemalan Ties- Our Flagship Program
June 30-July 11, 2013
July 13-24, 2014
Guatemala LITE
Ties Journeys of Discovery-Guatemala
November 23-30, 2013
June 28-July 5, 2014
November 22-29, 2014
Private or Semi-Private Travel
GUATEMALAN TIES HIGHLIGHTS
Our Flagship Program
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Guatemalan Ties Itinerary
- Arrive in Guatemala City, where Ties staff will meet you and provide transportation to the hotel. Guatemalan Ties families stay in first class to moderate, clean hotels, where after a day out experiencing many new tastes, smells, sights and sounds, families can relax.
- Gather for an orientation meeting, a chance to connect with the other families, and discuss the journey ahead.
- Tour Guatemala City, learn the story behind Mayan weavings and textiles at Museo Ixchel, view Guatemala from above when you visit The Relief Map, eat scrumptious Guatemalan cuisine, and yes, shop.
- For most families, Guatemala City will be the jumping off point for the “Centerpiece of your Adoption Homeland Journey.”
- Meet foster mothers and other special people related to your adoption.
- Visit places remembered from your previous journey to Guatemala.
- If your adoption connections are elsewhere in Guatemala, The Ties Program will help with those arrangements too.
- Bask in the messages of the journey as The Ties Program oversees transportation and translator arrangements.
- Next stop: Panajachel. Along the way stop at Reserva Atitlan where nature’s beauty surrounds you.
- Travel to Chichicastenango, also known as ChiChi, to explore the Catholic and Mayan spiritual traditions at Iglesia de Santo Tomás. Interact with local vendors as you shop at Guatemala’s largest market in ChiChi.
- Take pictures of the beautiful Lake Atitlán, situated between Tolimán and San Pedro volcanoes.
- Learn about traditional Maya culture while visiting the towns of Santiago Atitlan and San Juan, where you’ll stop by an artist’s home for a painting class.
- Continue to Antigua, the first capital of Guatemala! While strolling cobble-stoned streets, notice the churches, plazas, parks and volcanoes of the area.
- Make a difference by planting trees in conjunction with a local reforestation project.
- Play with the children attending Los Patojos, a unique after school project in Jocotenango.
- Make tortillas, try weaving and enjoy local dances with the students of Ninos con Bendicion.
- Tour small independent coffee plantations supported by As Green As It Gets (a nonprofit fair trade organization) where you’ll meet local families and work side-by-side the coffee farmers.
GUATEMALA CONNECTIONS
We have decided to discontinue Connections programs. Our goal in offering Connections was to provide a less expensive option for families. To accomplish that, families traveled with an in-country English speaking guide, but not with Ties staff. In our flagship Ties programs, groups travel with both a “logistical genius” and an adoption professional, so that families are really well supported on this important, identity-building journey. It is a “formula” that has served families well for nearly two decades!
TIES JOURNEYS OF DISCOVERY-GUATEMALA
Some countries will also be offered under our new option called Ties Journeys of Discovery. These journeys are being created for people who would like to take a fun, cultural, unique trip, but without an emphasis on adoption. Watch for information coming soon!
PRIVATE OR SEMI-PRIVATE TRAVEL
While we believe strongly in the support a group provides, we know there are times when individual family travel is a better fit. We are happy to work with individual families or small groups of families. Please email us your request.
