The following are some of our clients comments

Exiting the plane in Flores we were immediately struck by the sun and heat. It felt like an entirely different place. Everything was different - the climate, the landscape, the feeling of newness rather than antiquity (it reminded me of the American West in the cowboyish rawness). Alex and Billy met us and you were right, we really liked Alex. Billy was our driver and guide and he was great too. (Billy was a good driver, always on time, constantly cheerful and someone who was great with the kids - he has younger siblings.)The river trip to Ceibal was great. We saw a green iguana and crocodile and lots of long-legged birds and thought we were quite the wildlife viewers. That night we spent at Ni'tun which of course is simply wonderful. That is such a beautiful place and the owners were wonderful, interesting and obviously very dedicated to trying to preserve the rain forest. The boys loved swimming in the lake and I liked the big showers. Dinner was wonderful, some of the best food we had had. The kids liked the open air dining and watching the frogs (toads?) limit the number of insects. Best of all, though, they liked the parrots, one of whom is very friendly and captivated my oldest son (and was captivated by his braces). The next morning someone came out of the kitchen with a jar in which was imprisoned a scorpion which had been found by the stove. Everyone got a good look at it and then they turned it loose! Ron and the kids wanted to stay at Ni'tun an extra night, and spoke often about wanting to return there.
The next day we had our boat tour of the lake (I am so curious as to why its level fluctuates) and then went on with Billy to Tikal. Well, of course, Tikal is simply wonderful. We unloaded our luggage and then took our walk into the ruins, and immediately saw parrots and toucans and various birds and spider monkeys and howlers and coatimundi and agouti. It was like one of those illustrations of Eden before the fall, with beasts and men at peace together. And the Mayan ruins, of course, were also simply incredible.
Fam. NICKELS (USA)

I am sure you are very anxious to hear about our trip. To sum it up in a few words.... it was fantastic, unforgettable, incredible..... there aren't enough words to describe it. The country itself is so different - so cultural, so diverse and so beautiful. My only regret is that we had only 10 days instead of 10 weeks!!! Everywhere we went we loved - everything we did we thought couldn't be topped and then the next day something else amazing would happen.
The itinerary you provided us was outstanding, considering the time we had, and the things we wanted to see. ....
....Sunset from the "mundo perdido" was just incredible - we had to pay the guard to let us stay because the park now closes at six - money definitely talks!! Listening to the birds and the howler monkeys while watching the sun set was something I will always remember. It was great seeing Tikal at the end after going to the highlands because I had a greater appreciation for the ruins!!
MOLINERO (USA)

Alex and Marco at Tikal Travel were great. The guide at Tikal spoke good English, was well informed and friendly. I thought Tikal was fantastic. The Jungle Lodge was nice.....
VAN DYKE (USA)

We had a fantastically wonderful relaxing peaceful interesting and magical time in Guatemala!!! Everyone we met was just lovely and kind and helpful. We cannot thank you enough for all your wise pre-planning and advice that all came together perfectly while we were there. I cannot believe I hesitated for a moment, and I fully intend to write a strong letter to the State Department about getting Guatemala off the travel advisory warning list.
TROKEL (USA)

In a message dated 1/11/99 7:25:47 PM, cam4govt@hotmail.com wrote:

Our best experience was with Alex Thier and also The Ni'tun Lodge. That place is awesome. Fresh fruit bedside, gourmet dining, candlelight and the world's best music and sound system, the whole nine yards. Of course, the host and hostess, Lore and Bernie, seem to have cornered the market on warmth and charm as well. On the second visit, we'd definitely like more time with Alex as well. He is not only extremely professional, but has a knack for educating and putting one enormously at ease...really a lovely person.
....Tikal was incredible, we arrived mid morning and spent the rest of the day exploring.....
On the second day in Tikal, someone had arranged for a tour guide to take us round for the whole morning. He was excellent, good English, wide knowledge of the site and willing to share theories about the Mayans...
Sitting on top of the temple in the Lost World was something I'll never forget..
Anyway we were then driven to Flores - by Marco who runs Avinsa. He was splendid - full of tales about Guatemala. The hotel there is lovely. Very modern and clean, a massive room with a huge balcony looking out across the lake.The next morning, (Christmas Day) Marco met us at breakfast and personally took us round the lake by boat and then around bits of Flores. He normally includes a visit to the museum but it was closed (as we'd expect on such a day).Then we drove to Yaxha. I actually preferred seeing Yaxha after Tikal because it is so unexcavated that you could stand and boggle, or imagine or whatever at what might be under the trees. The most beautiful view ever....There were a family of howler monkeys just up the drive and I saw parrots and humming birds and two keel billed toucans just outside our cabin. The whole afternoon was spent up in the ruins with Gabriella. She had endless patience to answer all our questions and sat with us for ages on top of the biggest temple to just boggle as the sun went down across the lake. Remember, it's still Christmas day!
Anyway, after dinner. More boats. And the crocodile watching.... enchanting. Absolutely unforgettable. Up there on the 'highlights of the holiday list' The idea is to zoom across the lake to the really dark bits, slow the engines and wait until the spotlight picks up the reflections of the crocodile eyes. Then they paddled towards the beast very slowly and quietly. With the youngest son keeping the spotlight on its eyes. Until you were right alongside and could see scales and teeth. Then it would flick it's tail and vanish and we'd be off looking for the next one. But as well as crocodiles, we also saw a turtle, bats feeding, heard howler monkeys and generally experienced life next to a rainforest at night.
The next day we visited Topoxte. Another, more recent Mayan ruin on an island. Again very very interesting - by then we could spot the influence of the Toltec and other Mayan cultures who had come back to the site as late as the 14th century so things were different.
SHEILA ROBERTS (UK)

Again thanks very much for EVERYTHING, I think Tikal was the NO 1 attraction, closely followed by Palenque and Yaxchilan ( boattrip especially... Alex is still not able to pronounce the name of the river!!) in spite of the appearances, Janos and Orsi too had a super time, even without the CNN!!
KATI, ALEX, MARK and NIKI (SWITZERLAND)