11 Day Nephi to Zarahemla Tour
February 14 - February 24, 2009
$2,795 per person double occupancy
Does not include international airfair
(United States to Guatemala and Tuxtla Gutierrez, Mexico to the United States)
Includes three internal air flights, ten nights hotel accommodations, two or more meals daily, first class bus transportation, entrance fees and guide service to places listed on the itinerary, taxes and tips on group items, literature pertaining to your tour, your choice of either a copy of Sacred Sites, Searching for Book of Mormon Lands or the newly revised 2nd edition of Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon, and a color map of proposed Book of Mormon locations. The tour will be escorted by professional tour director Blake Joseph Allen.
A tour deposit of $500 per person is due to reserve your space. Space on this tour is limited. The balance of the tour cost is due by December 14, 2008. 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.
On this tour we will follow the Book of Mormon history from the land of Nephi down through the Narrow Strip of Wilderness and into the land of Zarahemla. We follow the trail of Alma (senior) from the time he left King Noah’s court after the prophet Abinadi was put to death by fire about 148 BC, to the probable locations of the Waters of Mormon, Valley of Helam, Valley of Alma and down to the land of Zarahamla. Most tours don’t go to the area proposed as the narrow strip of wilderness or the Chiapas depression where a great amount of evidence exists supporting it as the land of Zarahemla. Over 80% of the history in the Book of Mormon took place in the areas visited on this tour. The Book of Mormon tells of 11 journeys (Alma’s is one) either “up” to Nephi or “down” to Zarahemla. We will see three LDS Temples, eight archaeological sites and museums, and more than 20 locations associated with the Book of Mormon and other places of interest.
Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday, February 14, Stay the night in Guatemala City
Our flights to Book of Mormon lands take us to Guatemala City, the city of Eternal Spring. Upon arrival we will transfer and check into the Hotel Marriott for a one-night stay.
Day 2: Sunday, February 15, Stay the night in Guatemala City
Following Church services, we will see the LDS temple and then go to 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 his son Limhi (see Mosiah 18 & 19). We will also see the giant relief map to orient ourselves with the geography of the land and how it corresponds to the Book of Mormon. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 3 Monday, February 16, Stay the night in Guatemala City
Our air 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, near Mexico City, and Tikal at the close of the Book of Mormon history. This contributed to the downfall of the Nephite nation. In the early evening we fly from Tikal back to Guatemala City. (Breakfast, Lunch).
Day 4: Tuesday, February 17, Stay the night in Antigua, Guatemala
This morning we will 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). Afterwards we will take a 45-minute ride to Antigua, the old Spanish capital of Guatemala. We will begin with a visit to the jade factory in Antigua. Jade was the preferred precious stone among the Maya. We will see how it is transformed into beautiful jewelry. You will be free to enjoy this colonial city. Several buildings dating to the 16th and 17th centuries and a charming town square are not to be missed during our one-night stay in Antigua. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 5: Wednesday, February 18, Stay the night in Lake Atitlan
Today we travel to Lake Atitlan, the best candidate for the Waters of Mormon. We pass by the Cakchiquel Maya village of Patzicia, almost entirely destroyed by a 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 on the shore of beautiful Lake Atitlan for a one-night stay. There will be time for shopping and relaxing in this idyllic setting. A presentation on the historical literature of the Book of Mormon will be presented by your tour director in the evening. (Breakfast, Dinner).
Day 6: Thursday, February 19, Stay the night in Quetzaltenango
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. After lunch and some time for some shopping, we will check out of our hotel and 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, where we will check into our hotel that overlooks the city square. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 7: Friday, February 20, Stay the night in Huehuetenango
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 higher into the highlands to the mountain village of Huehuetenango. Here we will visit the post-Classic site of Zaculeu which was the capital of the Mam Maya group. We will spend one night in the nearby city of Huehuetenango. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 8: Saturday, February 21, Stay the night in Tuxtla Gutierrez, capitol of the state of Chiapas, Mexico
This morning we will visit a local textile shop and see how beautiful Maya blankets and other items are still made with a manual loom. We will then travel through “the narrow strip of wilderness” which separated the land of Nephi from the land of Zarahemla. We will cross the border into Mexico and then drive through areas proposed as the valley of Gideon and the cities of Minon and Manti and arrive in Tuxtla Gutierrez 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). We will stay in Tuxtla Gutierrez for two nights. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 9: Sunday, February 22, Stay the night in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas
The great Chiapas depression (valley) contains the cities of Sidom, Zarahemla and others. Following church and seeing the LDS temple here, we will visit 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 11, 36 B.C. (See Helaman chapter 4). Following lunch you will have the opportunity to walk through the zoo and see the majestic quetzal bird, the national bird of Guatemala and the bird associated with the Mesoamerican white god, Quetzalcoatl. (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 10: Monday, February 23, Stay the night in Mexico City
Today begins with a visit to the archaeological zone of Chiapa de Corzo, the most likely candidate for the City Sidom (See Alma 15:1-8). Afterwards we will 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 afternoon we will fly to Mexico City where we will stay the last night of our tour. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 11: Tuesday, February 24, Flights homes
After checking out of our hotel, we will visit the Zocalo, the downtown center of both Mexico City and the ancient Aztec city of Tenochtitlan where the National Cathedral, the National Palace and the ruins of the Great Temple of the Aztecs is located. We will stop by the Mexico City temple en route 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.
Prices and itineraries are subject to change.
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