Nephi to Bountiful Tour
Book of Mormon Tours
with Tour Coordinators: Doug and Connie Earl
November 3 – 17, 2012
$2,995 per person double occupancy
(does not include airfare)
15-day deluxe tour to:
Guatemala, Tikal, Lake Atitlan, Quetzaltenango, Izapa, Tuxtla Gutierrez,
Villahermosa, Palenque, Becan, Dzibanche, and Belize
The central event and spiritual highlight of the Book of Mormon is the Savior’s visit to the Nephite people who had gathered themselves together at the temple in the land Bountiful. From information in the Book of Mormon, we know that the city of Bountiful was in the land Bountiful and close to the city of Mulek which was located in the east wilderness by the east sea, or the Caribbean ocean, in northern Belize. A highlight of this tour is a visit to the proposed land and city Bountiful where the Savior visited the Nephites.
In this tour you will cover the Book of Mormon history which includes the Land of First Inheritance, the land of Nephi, the land of Zarahemla, the land northward, the East Wilderness and concluding in the land of Bountiful. We believe there is no better tour on the market. Most tours don’t even go to Chiapas and barely skirt the regions included in the land Bountiful. Over 90% of the history in the Book of Mormon has been proposed as having taken place in the areas visited on this all-inclusive deluxe tour.
You will visit four LDS Temples, fifteen archaeological sites and museums, and nineteen locations associated with the Book of Mormon. Call today to book your space on this deluxe Book of Mormon experience.
This tour is a remarkable opportunity to experience first-hand the sacred geography, history, and culture of the Book of Mormon. Our tours to the lands of the Book of Mormon are based on more than 40 years experience and over 400 escorted tours to Mesoamerica. You will personally visit important sites and study them in a way that will bring the Book of Mormon to life. Let the Book of Mormon change your life...again!
The tour includes fourteen nights hotel accommodations, two or more meals daily (except on flight days), first class bus transportation, entrance fees and guide service to places listed on the itinerary, taxes and tips on group items, a copy of our 2008 second edition of Exploring the Lands of the Book of Mormon (one per couple), other literature and maps pertaining to your tour, and escorted by professional tour director Blake Allen. Hosted by Doug and Connie Earl.
A tour deposit of $500 per person is due in order to reserve your space on the tour. The total payment is due by September 3, 2012. 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.
Itinerary
Day 1: Saturday, November 3, Guatemala City
Our flights take us to Guatemala City, located in a mountain valley with an elevation of about 5,000 feet. Guatemala City is known as the city of Eternal Spring because of its pleasant climate. The city enjoys a year-round average temperature of 71º. Upon arrival we will transfer and check into our deluxe hotel. (Meals include those served in flight)
Day 2: Sunday, November 4, Guatemala City
After attending church with the local saints, we will see the LDS Temple in Guatemala City. Dedicated in 1984, it was the first temple built in Central America and the third temple built in a Spanish-speaking country, following the Santiago Chile Temple (1983) and the México City México Temple (1983). We will also visit the National Museum of Archaeology of Guatemala where we will analyze Kaminaljuyu’s altar 10, an altar that dates to 147 BC and may suggest a transfer of kingship from King Noah to Limhi (see Mosiah 18 & 19). Finally, 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. (B,D)
Day 3: Monday, November 5, 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 early evening we will take a return flight to Guatemala City. (B,L).
Day 4: Tuesday, November 6, Lake Atitlan
For those who desire, we will attend a session at the Guatemala City temple. Afterwards, we will check out of our hotel and 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). We will then bus to Antigua, the old Spanish capital of Guatemala. Several buildings dating to the 16th and 17th centuries bring colonial charm to this city. After a visit to the jade factory, we will continue our travel 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 arrive in the village of Panajachel and check into our hotel that is nestled on the shore of Lake Atitlan. (B,D)
Day 5: Wednesday, November 7, 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. (B,D)
Day 6: Thursday, November 8, Quetzaltenango
After having the morning free, 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 and the location of the newly dedicated second temple in Guatemala. We will stop and see the temple which is located among the breathtaking mountains and volcanoes of Quetzaltenango Valley. The Mayan-inspired Quetzaltenango Guatemala Temple stands high atop a knoll on the western edge of Quetzaltenango—commonly known as Xela. We will check into our hotel that overlooks the city square. (B,D)
Day 7: Friday, November 9, Tapachula, Chiapas, 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 then travel down from the highlands to the Pacific coast where we will cross the border into Mexico where we will check into our hotel in the nearby city of Tapachula. (B,D)
Day 8: Saturday, November 10, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, Mexico
This morning 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 travel by bus along the Soconusco coastal region as we discuss things such as Lehi’s landing site, a day and a half journey for a Nephite, and the city of Ammonihah and its destruction. We will arrive 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). Tuxtla Gutiérrez is the capital of Mexico's southernmost state, Chiapas, which borders Guatemala. Archaeologists have been fascinated for many years with its hundreds of ancient ruins. Among discoveries in the area are carved monuments used as calendars, stone boxes, wheel-made pottery, cement, the true arch and incense burners. The city is nestled in a valley among the mountains that cover much of this part of the isthmus. (B,D)
Day 9: Sunday, November 11, Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas
Following church services, we will see the temple at Tuxtla Gutierrez. The Tuxtla Gutiérrez Temple is one of the small temples, “a dream come true” for many members. Because of the mountainous terrain, travel in and out of the area is difficult, and previously members had to drive to Mexico City – a 20-hour drive. Now the more than 18,000 members in southern Mexico have a Mormon temple close by. Afterwards, 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 November 9, 36 B.C. (See Helaman chapter 4). (B,L)
Day 10: Monday, November 12, Villahermosa, Tabasco
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 afternoon we will bus to Villahermosa which represents the western edge of the “land among many waters” described in Mosiah 8:8. Upon arrival we will check into our hotel for the evening. (B,D)
Day 11: Tuesday, November 13, Palenque
We begin our day with a visit to the Villahermosa LDS Temple. The Villahermosa Tabasco temple is located on the Mexico isthmus near the coast. President Thomas S. Monson dedicated the Villahermosa Tabasco temple on 21 May 2000. In the dedicatory prayer he petitioned the Lord, “May Thy eternal purposes concerning the sons and daughters of Lehi be realized in this sacred house.” We will then visit the outdoor La Venta Museum, a place that houses large engraved stone monuments dating to the Jaredite time period. Afterwards we will travel to the majestic, Classic time period Maya ruins of Palenque. 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 Lacondone 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 take a two hour bus ride to the 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. (B,D)
Day 12: Wednesday, November 14, Chicanna
Today we will check out of our hotel and make our way through the area proposed as the land among many waters. We will pass by the Usumacinta River, commonly mistaken as the river Sidon in the Book of Mormon. We will visit the ancient fortified city of Becan, which is remarkably similar to those constructed by Captain Moroni in the East Wilderness of the Book of Mormon. If time allows, we will also visit the site of Chicanna. Chicanna was a Maya town from the Classic period. The name means "House of the Serpent Mouth" in the Mayan language. (B,D)
Day 13: Thursday, November 15, Kohnunlich
This morning, we will visit the archaeological zone of Dzibanche, a fertile region where evidence suggests the city Bountiful may have been located where the Savior visited the Nephites. Dzibanche, meaning “writing on wood,” owes its name to the fact that Temple number VI had a fairly large lintel made from quebracho wood that bears eight glyphs dated to AD 618. Dzibanche was a major site in the Maya area in the Classic Period (AD 300-900). In the afternoon we will see the archaeological site of Kohunlich, best known for its Temple of the Masks, an Early Classic pyramid whose central stairway is flanked by large stucco masks. The temple was built around AD 500. The giant masks represent the Sun God "Kinich Ahau". The city rose to prominence in the Early Classic when there were important ties to the cultures of northern Belize. We spend the evening in a romantic paradise in the midst of the Mayan jungle in our deluxe jungle lodge cabanas, a favorite of all. (B,L,D)
Day 14: Friday, November 16, Belize City, Belize
This morning we will cross into the country of Belize and travel south to the New River. Traveling up the river by speed boat is an amazing experience as our guide introduces us to some of the many species of tropical birds, the beautiful vegetation, and possibly a crocodile or two. Arriving at Laman Ayin, or Lamanai, we will have lunch followed by a guided tour of this ancient Mayan city that is a good candidate for Jershon in the Book of Mormon. Even the name Laman survived the centuries to show up in the name of this site. After enjoying a traditional Belizean lunch, we will return by boat to Orange Walk and continue on to Belize City, the largest city in the country, for our last night. (B, L, D)
Day 15: Saturday, November 17, Flights Home
Today we will transfer to the airport for our flights home, taking with us memories that will last a lifetime. (Meals include those served in flight).
