Morning flight from London Heathrow on Continental Airlines to Houston (10 hours 30 minutes). Continue from Houston on Continental Airlines to San Salvador (3 hours). On arrival in the evening, we will be met and transferred (45 to 60 minutes) to the Sheraton Presidente Hotel for 3 nights.

Morning sightseeing in San Salvador. Just a short walk from the hotel is the Anthropological Museum, which we shall visit and gives a good introduction to the Mayan involvement in El Salvador. Continue on a panoramic tour, and also visit the Devil’s Doorway, 1200 metres above sea-leval from where you can have excellent views of the country.

Visit Joya de Ceren, a UNESCO World Heritage site and the only place in the Mayan World where you can see the ruins of Mayan homes. This is also called the Pompeii of America because it was covered by ash from the Volcano Loma Caldera approximately 1400 years ago. Then visit the pyramids of San Andres, and one of the most beautiful lakes in El Salvador, Lake Coatepeque, surrounded by numerous volcanoes and forested hills. Also visit the Mayan site of Tazumal, the largest pyramid in El Salvador.

Leave San Salvador in the morning and head for the Honduran border. En route, stop at the pretty colonial town of Suchitoto for an early lunch. At the border, change vehicles and continue by road to Copan, where we stay at the Marina Copan Hotel for 2 nights.

Morning visit to the Mayan site of Copan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, discovered in 1570 by Diego Garcia de Palacio. One of the most important Mayan sites, the ruins were not excavated until the 19th century.

Leave Copan in the morning, travelling across the border with Guatemala to Quirigua (travelling time about 3 hours). The ruins of Quirigua contain some outstanding 8th century monuments and an impressive number of carved stelae and sculpted calendars that have been regarded as an essential source for the study of the Mayan civilisation. After lunch, continue to the Lake Peten Itza area (4 to 5 hours) and the Camino Real Tikal for 3 nights.

El Peten, in northeast Guatemala, represents the largest tropical forest in Central America, containing ruins, great and small, from the ancient Mayan civilisations. The crown jewel among the Peten's 13,000 square miles is Tikal, a sprawling complex of more than 3,000 structures which we visit today. It is also known as the “New York of the Mayan World” for its spectacular temples that rise above the dense jungle canopy. Tikal was inhabited from the 16th century B.C to the 10th century A.D. The ceremonial centre contains superb palaces and temples and public squares, accessible by ramps. Set in the protected rainforest this is an incredible sight to behold. Monkeys and exotic birds complement the scene.

Today is free. An optional tour into Belize to see Xunantunich and Cahal Pech can be arranged locally.

Transfer by road to Bethel, and continue by boat to Corozal, the border with Mexico. After lunch here, transfer by boat to another Mayan site, Yaxchilan. Afterwards, continue by boat and road to Palenque, and the Chan-Kah Resort for 2 nights.

Visit the fabulous Mayan ruins of Palenque, one of the most beguiling of all Mexico’s ancient sites, shrouded in lush jungle and ethereal mists. It was amongst these hypnotic plazas and ruins that the famous jade death mask of the high priest Pakal was found in 1952.

In the morning, transfer to Campeche, where you will have a brief walking tour of this attractive colonial city. Later continue to Uxmal, staying at the Hacienda Uxmal for 1 night. Evening optional Sound and Light Show at Uxmal.

Morning tour of the Uxmal archaeological site. This is one of the finest examples of Mayan art and architecture in the Americas, including the majestic edifices of the Pyramid of the Magician and the stunning Governor’s Palace. Afterwards, continue to Chichen Itza. Stay 2 nights at the Hotel Mayaland.

Today we visit the fabulous ruins of Chichen Itza, one of the most extensively restored of all Mayan sites. Originally founded in the 5th century AD, the palaces and temples of this most revered of sites represents a rich fusion of Maya and Toltec cultures and presents us with one of Mexico’s most spectacular finds.

After breakfast, transfer to Cancun Airport (2 hours). Depart from Cancun by Continental Airlines for Newark New York (4 hours) and from Newark, by Continental Airlines to London (7 hours).

Arrive at London Heathrow.