Allen’s Book of Mormon
Tours
11-Day Nephi to Zarahemla Tour
Gary Filler Tour
June 14 – 24, 2024
$2,995.00 per person
double occupancy
Includes all internal
airfare
Does not include
international airfare
(United States to
Guatemala City and Mexico City to the United States)
On this fabulous tour, you will follow the Book
of Mormon history from the land of Nephi to the east wilderness, the waters of
Mormon, Lehi’s landing site, and the land of Zarahemla, concluding in Mexico
City with a visit to Teotihuacan. On this all-inclusive deluxe tour, you will
visit four LDS Temples, eight archaeological sites and museums, and fifteen
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, three internal air flights (a $480 value), 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 Joseph Allen.
A tour deposit of $500 per person is due in
order to reserve your space on the tour. A second payment of $1,000 per person
is due 6 months prior to departure, with full payment 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.
ITINERARY
Day 1: Friday, June 14, Guatemala City
Our flights take us to Guatemala City, the
city of Eternal Spring. You can arrive anytime on this day. Upon arrival we
will transfer and check into our deluxe hotel. (No meals included)
Day 2: Saturday, June 15, Guatemala City
A morning flight will take us 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. We will take a return flight to Guatemala City in the
evening. (Breakfast, Lunch).
Day 3: Sunday, June 16, Guatemala City
After attending church with the local saints,
we will visit the Guatemala LDS temple and then later, we will explore
the archaeological zone of Kaminaljuyu, a place considered by many to
have been the area where Nephi settled in the 6th century BC (see 2
Nephi 5:5-10). We will discuss 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). We will then visit an outdoor relief map as we
orient ourselves to the geography of the Book of Mormon. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 4: Monday, June 17, Lake Atitlan
This morning we will check out of our hotel and
bus to Antigua, the old Spanish capital of Guatemala. Several buildings
date to the 16th and 17th centuries. We will visit the jade factory prior
to continuing on to Lake Atitlan. En route,
we will visit the Cakchiquel archaeological site of Iximche (corn as tall as
trees) which was the location of early battles between the Maya and the
Spanish conquerors in the 16th century. We will also pass by the 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 to Lake Atitlan. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 5: Tuesday, June 18, 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 6: Wed, June 19, Tapachula, Mexico
After checking out of our hotel, we depart at
7:00 am and we will pick up Alma’s trail as we 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. 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 check into our hotel in the nearby city of Tapachula.
(Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 7: Thursday, June 20, Tuxtla Gutierrez
Today we will 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 bus along the
Pacific coast passing by the area of the “day and a half’s journey” as
well as the areas of the cities of Melek and Ammonihah as we
travel to the Chiapas valley, considered by many to have been the Land of
Zarahemla where the Nephites had their headquarters for 550 years (See Omni
1:13-15 and Mormon 2:28-29). (Breakfast,
Dinner)
Day 8: Friday, June 21, Mexico City
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
Sumidero Canyon on the Grijalva River, with walls towering 3000 feet
above our heads. The Grijalva has been proposed as the River Sidon in
the Book of Mormon. In the evening, we will fly to Mexico City, one of the
largest cities in the world, where we will spend the last three nights of our
tour. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 9: Saturday, June 22, Mexico City
Today we will visit 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 built by King
Jacob of the Gadianton Robbers (See 3 Nephi 7). We will return to Mexico City.
(Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 10: Sunday, June 23, Mexico City
This morning we will attend church with a local
ward. We will also see the Mexico City LDS temple. Finally, 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. We will return to the hotel for
the night. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 11: Monday, June 24, Flights Home
Transferring to the Mexico 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.
(No meals included)
Included
in the Tour:
● Ten nights in deluxe hotel accommodations
● Three internal air flights, a $480 value
● Two or more full meals daily with one beverage
● 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.
Not included
in the Tour:
● International airfare
● Third meal when not included in the itinerary
● Additional beverages at group meals
●
All personal expenses, travel, and health insurance
●
Airport and country departure taxes
●
Anything not mentioned in the above “Included” section
Additional Information:
● $715 single supplement for hotels
● 3% fee will be added to bookings paid with a credit card
