Book of Mormon Tours

11-Day Land of Nephi Tour

with Copan, Quirigua, and Tikal

July 6 – 16, 2019

 

$2,895 per person double occupancy

Does not include international airfare

(United States to Guatemala City and Guatemala City to the United States)

 

THE BOOK OF MORMON – LAND OF NEPHI

Following the death of Lehi and Sariah, Nephi was warned by the Lord to depart from his brothers, Laman and Lemuel. Along with many who were living in the area of Izapa, Chiapas, Mexico at the time, Nephi traveled to the highlands of Guatemala where he built a city which was called the city of Nephi.  For four hundred years the highlands of Guatemala served as a backdrop for the events recorded in the books of 2 Nephi, Jacob, Enos, Jarom, Omni, Mosiah and Alma. Come with us on this eleven-day, all-inclusive journey, as we visit places that are documented as Nephi, Ishmael, Middoni, Helam, the waters of Mormon, and the east wilderness of Zarahemla.

 

On this tour you will cover the Book of Mormon history which includes the land of Nephi and the East Wilderness. This all-inclusive deluxe tour is a fantastic mix of archaeology, museums, exciting places of interest, and is filled throughout with the history of the Book of Mormon.  You will visit two LDS Temples, six archaeological sites and museums, and nine locations associated with the Book of Mormon. Call today to book your space on this deluxe Book of Mormon experience. 1.801.226.5200 or email us at [email protected].

 

Tour Includes: ten nights hotel accommodations, two or more meals daily except on first and last days, first-class bus transportation, entrance fees and guide service to places listed on the itinerary, taxes and tips on group items, literature and maps pertaining to your tour, and escorted by professional tour director Blake Allen.

 

A tour deposit of $500 per person is due in order to reserve your space on the tour.  Full payment is due 60 days prior to departure.  The deposit is non-refundable; however, it may be transferred to another tour if taken within 12 months of the original scheduled tour departure. See terms and conditions for details. Prices and itineraries are subject to change.

 

Trip Cancelation Insurance:

You are encouraged to purchase trip cancellation insurance to protect your deposit and to protect yourself in case of unforeseen personal circumstances. Typical reasons for trip insurance include injury or illness of insured, hurricane or natural disaster, financial default of travel company, and terrorism or mandatory evacuation at destination.

 

ITINERARY

Day 1: Saturday, July 6, Guatemala City

Our flights take us to Guatemala City, the city of Eternal Spring. Upon arrival we will transfer and check into our deluxe hotel. (No meals included)

 

Day 2: Sunday, July 7, Guatemala City

After attending church with the local saints, we will visit the Guatemala LDS temple and then later, the large relief map of Guatemala in order to orient ourselves with the geographical overview of the country in relation to the Book of Mormon. We will then visit the National Museum of Archaeology of Guatemala where we will analyze Kaminaljuyu’s stela 10, an altar that dates to 147 BC and may suggest a transfer of kingship from King Noah to Limhi (see Mosiah 18 & 19).  (Breakfast, Dinner)

 

Day 3: Monday, July 8, Lake Atitlan

This morning we will check out of our hotel and explore the archaeological zone of Kaminaljuyu, a place considered by many to have been settled by Nephi in the 6^th century BC (see 2 Nephi 5:5-10).  We will then bus to Antigua, the old Spanish capital of Guatemala. Several buildings date to the 16^th and 17^th centuries.  We will visit the jade factory prior to continuing on to Lake Atitlan.  En route, we will pass by the Cakchiquel Maya village of Patzicia, almost entirely destroyed by the 1976 earthquake. We will recount the courage and faith of the missionaries and members of the Patzicia stake. We will continue on our trek to the village of Panajachel, and check into our hotel that is nestled on the shore of Lake Atitlan.  (Breakfast, Dinner)

 

Day 4: Tuesday, July 9, Lake Atitlan

Flanked by three dramatic volcanoes, Lake Atitlan has been a scenic retreat for over 2000 years. It has been proposed by many LDS scholars as a site for the Waters of Mormon where Alma organized the church of Christ in the first century BC (see Mosiah chapters 18 and 19). The day will consist of a cruise on the lake to see the area where an ancient city was covered by water. This city may have been Jerusalem mentioned in Alma 21:1 or it may have been one of the other cities mentioned in 3 Nephi 9:7. The afternoon will be free for shopping or relaxing or other available activities. A presentation on the historical literature of the Book of Mormon will be presented by your tour director in the evening. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

 

Day 5: Wednesday, July 10, Lake Atitlan

This morning, we will leave our hotel early for a day excursion to pick up Alma’s trail as we make our way through the wilderness to the land of Helam where we will visit the fresh food market of Almolonga. The village of Almolonga, renowned for its pure water and lush vegetable gardens, a place that may have been occupied by Alma and his followers in the first century BC for 25 years (Mosiah chapters 23 & 24). Almolonga is just a few miles from Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala and the location of the new, second temple in Guatemala.  On our return to Lake Atitlan we will pass by what may have been the valley of Alma. (Breakfast, Dinner)

 

Day 6: Thursday, July 11, Guatemala City

After checking out of our hotel, we will visit the market day at Chichicastenango. It was here wherein the sacred book of the Maya called the Popol Vuh was discovered.  This document predates the Spanish conquest and tells about the creation of the world, the fall of man, and the destruction of two evil sons that represent death and hell.  We will then make a return trip to Guatemala City for one more night in the area of the city of Nephi. (Breakfast, Dinner)

 

Day 7: Friday, July 12, Copan, Honduras

Our adventure begins today as we journey to the country of Honduras to visit the amazing size of Copan.  Copan was the capital city of a major Classic period kingdom from the 5th to 9th centuries AD. It was occupied for more than two thousand years, from the Early Preclassic period to the Post Classic. There is an inscription that refers to the year 321 BC, but no text explains the significance of this date. Copan was a powerful city ruling a vast kingdom within the southern Maya area. It has been labeled a mini-Tikal and is a great precursor to our own visit to Tikal. (Breakfast, Dinner)

 

Day 8: Saturday, July 13, Rio Dulce, Guatemala

Today we leave Honduras and return to the country of Guatemala.  We will visit the archaeological site of Quirigua.  There is evidence that Quiriguá was occupied as early as the Late Preclassic period (400 BC–AD 200). It was in relationship to Quirigua that the prophet Joseph Smith is reported to have said, “It will not be a bad plan to compare Mr. Stephens' ruined cities with those in the Book of Mormon.”  Quirigua is home to the tallest stone monumental sculpture ever erected in the New World.  Stela D is approximately 20 feet tall.  We will then continue on to the Rio Dulce area for the evening.  (Breakfast, Dinner)

 

Day 9: Sunday, July 14, Peten, Guatemala

We begin our day with a visit to the Spanish colonial fort at the entrance to Lake Izabal in eastern Guatemala called the Castle of San Felipe. Lake Izabal is connected with the Caribbean Sea via the Dulce River and El Golfete lake. The fort was strategically situated at the narrowest point on the river. The Castillo de San Felipe was used by the Spanish for several centuries, during which time it was destroyed and looted several times by pirates.  We will then make our way to the Peten region of Guatemala where we will spend the next two nights.   (Breakfast, Dinner)

 

Day 10: Monday, July 15, Peten, Guatemala

Today we visit the awe-inspiring, Maya archaeological zone of Tikal, occupied from 600 BC to AD 750. This dense rain forest is considered by many to be the East Wilderness where the Nephites, under the direction of the military leader Moroni, built many fortified cities during the 1st century BC (see Alma 50:7-15). New evidence shows a strong relationship between Teotihuacan and Tikal at the close of the Book of Mormon history which resulted in the downfall of the Nephite nation. In the early evening we take a short flight to Guatemala City for our last night of the tour. (Breakfast, Lunch).

 

Day 11: Tuesday, July 16, Flights Home

Transferring to the Guatemala City airport, we will check in for our flights home. Our journey to the Book of Mormon lands has come to an end, but we will take with us memories that will last a lifetime.

 

Included in the Tour:

● Ten nights in deluxe hotel accommodations

● Two or more full meals daily

● First-class bus transportation

● Entrance fees and guide service to places listed on the itinerary

● Taxes and tips on group items

● Literature and maps pertaining to your tour

● Escorted by professional tour director, Blake Joseph Allen.