I have been on several OAT trips and am generally pleased with the package. I usually travel independantly, but don't want to do it this trip as I just don't have the time to do the proper planning.

Any info on the pre- and post-trips would be appreciated, too.

My friend and I are considering their "Route of the Maya" this Feb/March. I am interested in feedback on this trip: itinerary, pace, weather, food, lodging. Some of the stops on the itinerary I would like to skip, but that is not always possible. I wonder if enough time is spent at the "good stuff."

The itinerary:
1. Fly to San Salvador
2-3: Joyas del Ceren and drive to Copan
4. Drive to Guatemala City and tour
5. School, home and factory visits
6. Antigua city tour
7. Antiqua Museums, convent and leisure
8. Coffee plantation, drive to Lake Atitlan, town tour
9. Lake Lake boat tour, trade visits, Hanging bridges tour,
10: Settlement tour, fly to Hondorus
11. Sunrise at Tikal, explore runs and museum
12. Yaxha Arch. site, drive to Belize
13. Lamanai ruins, Leisure

Optinal 4-day Pre-trip to Panama: tour Panama City, Miraflores Locks, La Caldara de Amador causeway, motorized canoe to jungle village, tour Casco Antiguo neighborhoo,

Optional 3 day Post Trip to Belize includes ferry to Ambergris Cay, tour of San Pedro, morning snorkel, leisure.

If you really want to tear around that fast, I guess a package tour is the way to go but that wouldn't be fun for me - way too much time on the road and not enough time to soak in the atmosphere of places. For example, I spent 2 weeks in Copán and am planning a return visit. If you left out El Salvador it would be easy to do Copán, Antigua, Atitlán, Tikal, and bits of Belize on your own (still a busy trip, though).

Also, don't get day 10 - fly to Honduras and wake up at Tikal?

Here's a link to my travelogues and photos in case you're interested:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections/

Thanks for your feedback. I agree with you, but this time traveling independently is not an option for me.

What month were you there and did you find the weather agreeable at that time?

All my CA trips - 6 so far - have been in the summer, the "green" season. Rains usually hit at night or occasionally (depending on the place) late afternoon. Hiking and some roads can get a big rough but it hasn't negatively impacted any of our trips. The temperature and humidity really vary from place to place. For example, Tikal and Belize are usually hot and muggy, Antigua and Atitlán not so much. Keep us posted!

My husband and I took this OAT trip (our first with OAT) in June 2005. We enjoyed it very much. It appears as though there are a few changes on this newer itinerary, but is basically the same.
We were disappointed that the school visit was cancelled. We weren't clear on the reason, but weren't notified until the day the visit was scheduled to take place. We asked if it could be rescheduled for the next day which was a free day, but this couldn't be arranged.
We also did not visit Yaxha ruins because Survivor was being filmed there at that time. So we visited another site which involved a long, long, drive on a very rough road. The Yaxha location would have been much easier to reach.
We thought the pacing was fine. Three nights most places. The weather was as mentioned by someone else, hot and humid in Tikal, Belize and Copan, but pleasant in Antigua and Lake Atitlan.
The food was good and the lodging was fine. I see from the OAT website that you would have different accomdations for Tikal, Antigua, and Panajachel (Lake Atitlan) than we had, so don't know about those.
We felt the amount of time spent at each of the ruins was adequate for us. This varies by the individual, I'm sure.
We would have preferred to skip the factory visits because they are basically "selling" visits and we aren't buyers!
I think we especially enjoyed the day on Lake Atitlan visiting the various villages.
The Hanging Bridges tour wasn't offered, so dont know about that.
We did not do either of the extensions. I believe, in fact, that they were cancelled. I remember this because one couple had signed up for them and were later told they were cancelled.
We appreciated having a small group. Faster getting on and off the small bus.
Let me know if I can answer any questions.