Ecotourism

ARCAS ECOTOURS

ARCAS leads exciting tours through Peten and the rest of Guatemala, visiting ARCAS facilities and many other uniquely Guatemalan sites. Adjustable to the client´s needs, these tours give the traveler a solid foundation within which to view Guatemala while supporting conservation and sustainable development efforts throughout the country.

You can avoid the added costs of travel agents and tour operators while also supporting ARCAS’s conservation activities by working directly with ARCAS staff to custom-design your own ecotour to Guatemala.  These tours emphasize hands-on participation in the Peten Animal Rescue Center and the Hawaii Sea Turtle Conservation project, but can also include the following environmental and cultural activities:

• Volcano-climbing.  The most popular climb is the active Pacaya Volcano, where with only an easy 45 minute climb you will see fountains and rivers of lava.  Acatenango, on the other hand, is a grueling 7 hour climb with an eerie, moonscape summit which is on the level with the active Fuego summit just 3 kms to the south.  ARCAS staff has climbed nearly all of the 37 volcanoes in Guatemala, so let us know if you are interested in other climbs. 
• Whale-, dolphin- and sea turtle watching aboard Squeaky IX sailboat in the Pacific Ocean.
• Visits to Lake Atitlan.  A stunning high altitude lake surrounded by volcanoes and Mayan villages.  A must for any visit to Guatemala!
• Tours to the famed Mayan ruins of Tikal.  Another must!  Combines striking Mayan ruins (you saw them in Star Wars and Apocalypto) with excellent wildlife viewing (spider & howler monkeys, aracaris, coatimundis, chachalacas, Montezuma Orependulum…)
• Birdwatching excursions to a variety of ecosystems, including the mangrove wetlands of the Pacific coast, Pacific volcanic slopes, the Cerro Alux cloud forest reserve, the Caribbean, the Sierra de las Minas  and Peten.  Sightings include:

From mid-October to mid-November, the migratory raptors and other migratory birds can be seen.  This spectacle includes the passing of over 10 million birds of roughly 30 species which follow the volcanic ridge south.  Sightings include Swainsons and Broadwing hawks, Peregrine falcons, vultures, ospreys, gulls and kites.

• 2-3 day excursions to the Keys of Belize, the second largest barrier reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, for world class snorkeling and diving.
• Treks by foot or horseback to remote Mayan ruins, including El Mirador, the largest pyramid in the Mayan world.

ARCAS Ecotours:

7 day tours
10 day tours
Day trips to Kinkajou Kingdom, ARCAS/Petén
Educational field-trips