You'll cross the border to Honduras, traveling a total of eight hours until you reach Copán, which boasts some of the most important Mayan ruins. The next morning, take a five-hour bus ride to Tela, a beach town where you'll spend the next two nights. Here you can get acquainted with the local Afro-Caribbean Garifuna culture, soak up the rays at the beach, go kayaking or bird-watching, or take a boat trip to Jeannette Kawas National Park ($25 per person).

Leaving Tela, you'll cross the border to Guatemala, traveling about six hours on several buses until you arrive in Puerto Barrios. From here you'll take a one-hour boat ride to Livingston, where Rio Dulce meets the Gulf of Honduras. After two nights, a boat ride brings you back to Puerto Barrios, where you'll catch a bus to Guatemala City and transfer to a private van for a one-hour drive back to Antigua for an overnight stay at Posada Los Bucaros.

Lake Atitlán, Guatemala (Image Source Pink/Getty) [enlarge photo]

For more background information, visit the official tourism websites of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. And for more one-of-a-kind experiences and trips to far-flung destinations, check the 40 Best Deals from our September issue, devoted to the best places you've never heard of.

Getting There Here's an idea of what you'd pay for round-trip airfare to Guatemala City, departing on September 5 and returning on September 19: $184 from Miami (Taca), $436 from New York City (Taca), $463 from Chicago (Taca), $498 from L.A. (Spirit), $632 from Houston (multiple carriers), and $709 from Seattle (Copa). Prices are based on searches at press time through Kayak.

More on Central America:

• What $100 Buys in Tegucigalpa, Honduras

• Nicaragua: Learn Spanish in a Land of Volcanoes

• Best Places You've Never Heard Of: Suchitoto and San Marcos

• Q&A With Afro-Caribbean Artist Andy Palacio