Join us on a curated journey through western Guatemala to experience the special time of Wayeb firsthand.

Wayeb is a sacred, ancient tradition of 5 days of prayer that is an essential part of the Mayan way of life. This is an entirely new tour and unlike anything that most foreigners ever get to experience.

We will meet in Guatemala City and then travel to Chichicastenango to visit the famous artisan market and gather supplies that will become our offerings during Wayeb. Here we will also join in ceremony with the Twins, Tatas Juan and Miguel Leon Cortez.

Traveling further into the Western Highlands, we will spend multiple days with the Utz K'aslemal collective who make El Cielo and La Noche ceremonial cacao.

Finally we will travel to an organic cacao farm in the lowlands near the Pacific Coast for the day of celebration at the end of Wayeb.

MORE ABOUT WAYEB:

Wayeb is all about agriculture. The main reason it was celebrated was for indigenous people to say thank you before planting new seeds for the growing season. To grow food and good crops was everything for them.

Wayeb represents a deep connection to Mother Earth for receiving abundance. It's a beautiful way to say thank you – for cacao seeds, for water, for all the harvest to come.

Praying for five days is an act of service and a way of paying respect to these ancient ceremonies, to Mother Earth, and to the cosmos.

There will be guidance on how to participate respectfully, so that we can foster symbiotic relationships between indigenous and modern cultures.

This tour is organized by Nick Meador and Enjoly Mar. More info on the organizers below.

TOUR DATES:

• Arrive in Guatemala City by Weds, Feb 12
• Activities planned from Thurs, Feb 13 to Tues, Feb 18
• Return to Guatemala City or continue traveling on Weds, Feb 19

TRIP INCLUDES:

• Many ceremonies (with and without cacao) led by Mayan spiritual guides
  
• Seven (7) nights lodging (private & shared options. NOTE: lodging isn't included the night of the 19th)
  
• All ground transportation (starting and ending in Guatemala City; optional ride to Lake Atitlan on Feb 19)
  
• Options available for those who need to start or end in Antigua or Panajachel, Lake Atitlán. (There might be additional cost depending on your needs.
• Meals from breakfast on Feb 13 to lunch on Feb 19
  
• Vegetarian/vegan/gluten-free options
• Some organized meals will only be vegetarian due to limited food supplies in rural Guatemala
• Due to the unpredictable nature of travel in a developing country, organized meals happen 2-3 times per day during the tour. Participants will have the option to bring snacks or find more food. There will be no refunds for missed meals.

ITINERARY (More detail coming soon): *

• Weds, Feb 12 - Arrive in Guatemala City and meet at La Inmaculada hotel
  • NOTE: Airfare is not included in the trip package. Please schedule your flight to arrive at La Aurora Airport (GUA) by 9pm on Wednesday at the latest. The hotel is only 10 minutes from the airport.
  • You might want to consider arriving a day early, since international travel is so unpredictable these days. One time someone missed the first day of the tour due to a flight cancellation. To stay at La Inmaculada Hotel the night of Tues, Feb 11, Nick can arrange it for an additional $100 USD.
    
  • Transfer from/to the airport to the hotel can be arranged in advance for no additional cost. However people often have to wait 20-30 minutes for the driver to arrive. Otherwise Uber is the best/safest/cheapest way to get around (to the hotel it's about $4-5 USD), since driver identity is verified, payment is digital, and cost is fixed. It's not recommended to take regular taxis.
• Thurs, Feb 13 - Drive to Chichicastenango to meet with the Twins, Juan and Miguel Leon Cortez
  
• Fri, Feb 14 - Morning with the Twins. Afternoon: Drive west to check in at next hotel near Nan Ixquik's family
  
• Sat, Feb 15 - Lunch and Ceremony with Nan Ixquik's family and special guest
  
• Sun, Feb 16 - Lunch and Ceremony with Nan Ixquik's family and special guest
  
• Mon, Feb 17 - Lunch and Ceremony with Nan Ixquik's family and special guest. Afternoon: Drive to organic cacao farm
  
• Tues, Feb 18 - Final celebration to complete Wayeb
  
• Weds, Feb 19 - Morning relaxation and cacao farm tour at Villa Amanda. Afternoon departure.
  • Afternoon: Transportation back to Guatemala City or Lake Atitlan
  • Note: Lodging the night of Feb 19 isn’t included in the tour. If you want to stay at La Inmaculada in Guatemala City that night, we can help you make the reservation and you can pay them in person.

*Last updated 11/14/2024. Note: Specific activities and lodgings are subject to change as plans for the tour become refined, and also due to factors out of our control. We are doing our best to represent the essence of the tour and what it will involve. We will update the group of any alterations to the plan. If in the unlikely chance that a whole day has to be cut from the itinerary, a partial refund would be issued to participants. 

AREA OF TRAVEL:

LODGING (scroll to the bottom of the page for photos):

• Guatemala City - La Inmaculada, a small, modern hotel in upscale Zona 10 of the capital city.
• Chichicastenango - Hotel Museo Mayan Inn
  
• Near Nana Ixquik's family - Corazon del Bosque
  
• Organic Cacao Farm - Villa Amanda with swimming pools, kayaks, etc
• All lodging options have been carefully selected based on Nick and Enjoly's extensive experience with traveling in Guatemala.

GROUND TRANSPORTATION:

• A private bus will take our group from one destination to the next
• In some cases we'll take "tuk tuks" or a "colectivo" pickup truck for short distances

REGISTRATION – LIMITED TO 10 PARTICIPANTS. ONLY 6 SPOTS LEFT!

Shared Lodging - $1,799 USD per person 

Private Individual - $2,099 USD per person

• Payment can be all at once, or you can save your spot with a $600 deposit.

• Payments by credit/debit card, Venmo, or Paypal are subject to a 2.91% service fee. If you need us to take credit card info over the phone, the service fee is 3.5% due to higher payment processing charges. Options to avoid the fee include paying by Zelle or wire transfer. 

• NOTE: ShopPay automatic installments are not an option for registration.
Whichever option you choose, if starting with a deposit in advance, the full trip balance will be due by January 12, 2025.

• Because we have to pay deposits to reserve lodging and other activities, registration is non-refundable. Please look into trip insurance if you have any concerns.

ABOUT NICK MEADOR

Since 2016 Nick has been traveling throughout Central America connecting with cacao farms, collectives, and experts. He founded Soul Lift Cacao to create a positive impact in the world by helping Mayan collectives share their cacao in the U.S. and beyond.

On top of that, Nick has been on a path of facilitation, leadership, and self-development for more than a decade. He has trained in various traditions, schools, and lineages for healing and self-development, and looks for the parallels that tie them together. 

Nick created the Soul Lift Cacao Method to provide an ethical and responsible way to share ceremonial cacao in modern settings, and to create safe containers for transformational journeys. He has been training people to share cacao on their own since 2017. 

This will be the eighth cacao and culture tour that Nick has organized.

ABOUT ENJOLY MAR

Enjoly Mar is a world traveler and practicing Medicine woman, a space holder / ritual artist and Facilitator of Cacao in Guatemala, Guided by Mayan elders to do so. Founder of "Camino Jaguar' - Jaguar Journey , which began for healing and expansion 13 years ago.  After being introduced to the Red Road by an Apache family who helped her understand the importance of knowing deeper her own heritage and connecting to Jaguar spirit.  She is half Mexican and Mayan , Mestiza with a percentage in Basque and Hungarian roots.   Raised a " Chicana" in The USA by refuge immigrant parents, today Guatemala is her home base and has been for many years.   Enjoly has been walking and learning among  Mayan elders for about 10 years originally to connect , reclaim and heal herself. Because of her singing and bilingual skills was welcomed. Gaining trust and eventually  invited as an interpreter for hundreds of ceremonies and organizing  circles/events and soon Guided into creating the "Jaguar Journey ' , A Pilgrimage in Guatemala.   As a bridge between the outsiders and Mayan people, allowing the opportunity  to dive deeper into the culture and introduction to Mayan Cosmo-vision, in order to help share intelligent wisdom and yet create reverence.  

HEALTH & SAFETY

Extensive consideration will be taken for health and safety at every step of the tour.

Guatemala is a developing nation. However Nick has always felt safe traveling there – sometimes safer than in American cities. And currently it's stable in the context of Latin American politics.

One factor to consider will be food and water. It’s important to only drink purified water and eat food in clean establishments. All arranged meals on the trip will take this onto consideration.

Please consult a medical professional if you are curious about potential inoculations and other health considerations for the trip. 

ETHICS

Nick Meador is of mixed European heritage and not of Guatemalan or Mayan descent. So he puts a lot of effort into making sure his work is ethical and responsible. Nick works in close partnership with Mayan teachers and cacao workers in an ongoing effort to bridge cacao into the modern world. It's all based on direct, consensual relationship, and an attitude of curiosity about this special plant that has changed Nick's life so profoundly, particularly on his path of healing from chronic illness. As an American who started traveling to Guatemala in 1996, and who has a deep background in facilitation, Nick is in a fitting position to lead this tour for Americans and people from other Western countries. The intention is to bring positive impact for both visitors and our Guatemalan hosts, while minimizing or eliminating potential harm. Feel free to write to hello@soulliftcacao.com with any questions.

LODGING PHOTOS (subject to change)

La Inmaculada (Guatemala City):

Villa Amanda Hotel (organic cacao farm):