This is a wonderful (value-packed) Tour. Over 83% of the history recorded in the Book of Mormon took place in the land of Nephi or in the land of Zarahemla.An additional portion of the Book of Mormon deals with migrations in the land which was northward including the impetus for the final destruction of the Nephites.You will vicariously follow the Nephite trail as you explore places proposed as the city of Nephi, the waters of Mormon, the land of Helam, the place of Lehi's landing and the land of Sidom.
You will visit two of the most impressive archaeological sites of Mesoamerica: Tikal and Teotihuacan.You will see the famous Tree of Life Stone at Izapa and the fortified area of the day and a half journey referred to in the Book of Mormon.There is currently no other tour on the market that allows you such an in-depth look at Book of Mormon history and geography.
The cost of the Nephi to Zarahemla Tour is $2795 per person, double occupancy, which includes the following:
Ten nights hotel accommodations in deluxe or best available hotels
First class air-conditioned bus transportation to all places listed on
the itinerary
Daily buffet breakfast, and lunch or dinner, with the exception of flight days
Entrance fees and guide service to all places listed on the itinerary
Taxes and tips excluding personal items
The Tikal Package which includes ground transportation, entrance
fee, guide service, breakfast and lunch
Copy of Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon and/or a CD of the book and a copy of a Proposed Map of the Book of
Mormon
Directed by Blake Joseph Allen, Co-author of Exploring the Lands
of the Book of Mormon
Not Included:Round trip airfare from United States to Guatemala and Mexico City to the United States, round trip airfare from Guatemala City to Tikal and back, airfare from Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas to Mexico City.If you need assistance in your airfare, please let us know and our agent will work with you.
Everyone needs a passport.Please contact us by email at [email protected] if you need information on obtaining a passport, for help on booking your airline tickets or if you have any other questions.
A $500 deposit per person is required to reserve your space. The balance is due sixty days prior to departure. Airfare is due upon booking. Please see Terms and Conidtions for complete information.
Guatemala City LDS Temple. Dedicated December 14, 1984 by President Gordon B. Hinckley.
Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday, October 29, 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 provided)
Day 2: Sunday, October 30, Guatemala City
After attending church with the local saints, we will 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).In the afternoon we sill visit the large outdoor 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 explore the archaeological zone of Kaminaljuyu, a place considered by many to have been settled by Nephi in the 6th century BC (see 2 Nephi 5:5-10).We conclude our day with a dinner at an Argentine steak house.(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 3: Monday, October 31, Guatemala City
An air flight will take you to 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 you will take a return flight to Guatemala City.(Breakfast, Lunch).
Maya ruins of Tikal located in the Peten jungle of Guatemala. The site was occupied from 600 BC to AD 900. It is located in the area proposed in Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon as the East Wilderness. Photo by Courtney Boice.
Day 4: Tuesday, November 1, Lake Atitlan Today we travel to LakeAtitlan.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 LakeAtitlan.A presentation of the historical literature of the Book of Mormon will be presented by your tour director in the evening.(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 5: Wednesday, November 2, Quetzaltenango
Flanked by three dramatic volcanoes, LakeAtitlan 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. There will be time in the afternoon for some shopping prior to our departure as we pick up Alma¡¯s trail and make our way through the wilderness to the Valley of Alma. Our journey will take us to Quetzaltenango, the second largest city in Guatemala and the location of the second temple in Guatemala that has recently begun construction, where we will check into our hotel.(Breakfast, Dinner)
Maya girl at Almolonga, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala displaying the manner in which they use the "pesos" (weights and measures) in measuring corn. Photo by Courtney Boice.
Day 6: Thursday, November 3, Tapachula, Chiapas, Mexico
After checking out of our hotel, we will visit 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 (Mosiah chapters 23 & 24). We will then travel down from the highlands to the Pacific coast where we will cross the border into Mexico and visit the archaeological site of Izapa. While visiting Izapa, we will see Stela 5, the ¡°Tree of Life Stone¡±. This engraved stone dating back to 300 BC may depict Lehi¡¯s dream as recorded in first Nephi. Following our visit of Izapa we will check into our hotel in the nearby city of Tapachula. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 7: Friday, November 4, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas
Today we will travel by bus along the Soconusco coastal region as we discuss things such as Lehi¡¯s landing site, a day and a half journey for a Nephite, and the city of Ammonihah and its destruction. We will arrive in the Chiapas valley, considered by many to have been the Land of Zarahemla where the Nephites had their headquarters for 550 years (Omni 1:13-15 and Mormon 2:28-29).(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 8: Saturday, November 5, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas
We will begin our day with a visit to the archaeological zone of Chiapa de Corzo, a candidate for the City Sidom (See Alma 15:1-8). We will then take a boat ride through the majestic SumideroCanyon on the GrijalvaRiver, with walls towering 3000 feet above our heads. The Grijalva has been proposed as the River Sidon in the Book of Mormon.In the afternoon we will visit the zoo and see the majestic Quetzal bird, the national bird of Guatemala and the bird used to represent the white god Quetzalcoatl.(Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 9: Sunday, November 6, Mexico City
Following church services and a visit to the temple at Tuxtla Gutierrez, we will go to the Regional Museum of Tuxtla Gutierrez that shows many pre-Classic (Book of Mormon time period) sites and artifacts, including an engraved stone that manifests the early long count date of December 36 B.C. (See Helaman chapter 4).A late afternoon flight will take us to Mexico City, the largest city in the world.(Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 10: Monday, November 7, Mexico City
After a buffet breakfast we will see the LDSTemple in Mexico City followed by a visit to the ancient ruins of Teotihuacan. Occupied from about 200 BC to AD 900, Teotihuacan was one of the largest populated cities in the world during its peak. The inspiring pyramids of the Sun and Moon attract millions of visitors to this most popular archaeological zone in Mexico. This may have been the great city occupied by King Jacob of the Gadianton Robbers (See 3 Nephi 7).(Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 11: Tuesday, November 8, Mexico City We begin our day with a visit to the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan located in downtown Mexico City where we will see the NationalPalace and the National Cathedral In the afternoon we will visit the National Museum of Anthropology, one of the most spectacular archaeological museums in the world. Touring the museum will provide us with an excellent review of our tour and expose us to many beautiful exhibits ranging from ancient pottery to gold and jade jewelry. (Breakfast, Lunch).
Day 12: Wednesday, November 9, Flights Home
Transferring to the 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. Thank you for traveling with us.(No meals provided)
Prices and itineraries are subject to change.Provided meals are noted at the end of each day.
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