Our second Backroads trip was a fantastic! Diving into the Mayan ruins of Tikal and the following activities turned things around. The trip leaders were a lively bunch, curating fun adventures, and the schedule flexibility struck a perfect balance. Highlights included an optional yoga class and snorkeling along the world's second-largest barrier reef. Can't wait for more Backroads adventures!

This was our third Backroads trip, and while it did not quite live up to our hopes, we would not hesitate to travel with the company again. It's good they are always looking for new places, but someone has to be the guinea pig and in this case it was us. Backroads ceased operating for a while in Guatemala and frankly may have resumed too soon. The country is desperately poor, with almost no infrastructure and starving stray dogs everywhere. Day One was, in my opinion, a complete waste of time. The town of Flores is dusty and noisy and biking through it was dangerous and unpleasant. The Mayan ruins of Tikal were very interesting and the bike ride there much less stressful, but there are probably Mayan ruins to be visited in Belize that would avoid a lot of bus travel, an extra flight and an afternoon languishing at a hot, wretched border crossing. Fortunately, after the first day, everything got better. As usual, the trip leaders were fun and high energy. They organized interesting activities and found knowledgeable guides for everything from the nature hikes to the chocolate-making demonstration. There were opportunities for downtime for those who wanted it and extra hiking, biking and even a volleyball game for those who wanted to keep going. Scheduling an optional yoga class before the flight home was a stroke of genius. The highlight for me was snorkeling along the world's second largest barrier reef. We would have gladly enjoyed the Ka'ana resort an extra day in lieu of the first day in Flores. That one change would make this trip on par with our previous Backroads adventures.