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12-Day Nephi to Zarahemla Tour
$2,595 per person double occupancy
Does not include airfare
(United States to Guatemala, Tikal Round Trip,
Villahermosa to Mexico City and Mexico City to the United States)
Departure Dates:
July 10, 2010
October 30, 2010
February 19, 2011
July 9, 2011
Includes eleven 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.
The tour deposit is $500 per person. The total 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.
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, the land of Zarahemla and the land of Sidom.
You will visit two of the most impressive archaeological sites of Mesoamerica: Tikal and Palenque. 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.
You will visit four LDS Temples, nine 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 blake@ldstours.com
Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday, 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, Guatemala City
Following church services with a local ward, 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). We will then visit 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 and finally 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). (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 3 Monday, 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 and Tikal at the close of the Book of Mormon history which resulted in the downfall of the Nephite nation. In the late afternoon we will take a return flight to Guatemala City. (Breakfast, Lunch).
Day 4: Tuesday, Lake Atitlan
For those that desire, we will attend a session at the Guatemala City Temple. We will then bus to Antigua, the old Spanish capital of Guatemala, where we will visit the jade factory to see how the intricate jade artifacts are made. Jade was the most important precious stone to the Maya. We will continue 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 5: Wednesday, 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. After lunch, you will have free time in which you may relax, shop or make a visit to a small museum containing pottery recovered from beneath the surface of Lake Atitlan. This pottery is known as the “Miraflores” style which dates to the 1st century BC and comes from Kaminaljuyu. A fireside on the historical literature of the Book of Mormon will be presented by your tour director in the evening. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)
Day 6: Thursday, Quetzaltenango
Following a leisurely morning, 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, Tapachula, 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 also see the new LDS temple that is being built in Quetzaltenango. 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 8: Saturday, Tuxtla Gutierrez
Today we will bus along the Pacific coast passing by the area of the “day and a half’s journey” as well as the area of 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 (Omni 1:13-15 and Mormon 2:28-29). (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 9: Sunday, Tuxtla Gutierrez
Following church services, we will see the temple at Tuxtla Gutierrez. We will also 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, 36 B.C. (See Helaman chapter 4). (Breakfast, Lunch)
Day 10: Monday, Palenque
We 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 afternoon we will bus to Palenque where we will spend the evening. This area represents the “land among many waters” described in Mosiah 8:8. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 11: Tuesday, Villahermosa
Although only four percent of the population of the country of Mexico live in the State of Chiapas, over 40% of the wild animals live in the Tehuantepec, Chiapas and Lacandone mountains. This is reminiscent of the statement in Ether wherein it states that the “land southward was preserved for a wilderness to get game” (Ether 10:21). We will explore the majestic Classic time period Maya ruins of Palenque. We will analyze the panel of glyphs at the Temple of the Cross which shows the lineage of a 7th century AD king named Chan Balaam, which dates back to a Jaredite king named Kish, who was born on March 8, 993 BC. Afterwards, we will bus to Villahermosa where we will spend the night. (Breakfast, Dinner)
Day 12: Wednesday, Flights Home
Transferring to the Villahermosa 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.
The second edition of Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon can help you in preparing for the tour. Once you have made your initial deposit, we will send one complimentary copy of the new edition.
Provided meals are noted at the end of each day. Prices and itineraries are subject to change.
BOOK OF MORMON TOURS - Since 1970
PO Box 970250, Orem, UT 84097
Contact: blake@ldstours.com
Telephone: 1.801.226.5200
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