Highlights
- Take walking tours and sample street food in Antigua
- Explore the waterfalls and caves of Guatemala's highlands
- Go kayaking and hiking around Lake Atitlán
- Participate in a spiritual Maya ceremony
Brief Itinerary
| Day | Highlights | Overnight |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Arrive in Guatemala, Transfer to Antigua & Street Food Tour | Antigua |
| Day 2 | Earth Lodge Day Hike, Chocolate Workshop | Antigua |
| Day 3 | Transfer to Lanquín, Hike Ram Tzul | Lanquín |
| Day 4 | Day Trip to Semuc Champey | Lanquín |
| Day 5 | Cave Tubing, Biotopo del Quetzal, Transfer to Antigua | Antigua |
| Day 6 | Transfer to Lake Atitlán, Hiking & Maya Ceremony | Lake Atitlán |
| Day 7 | Visit Chichicastenango Market, Family Cooking Class | Lake Atitlán |
| Day 8 | Kayaking & Hiking at Lake Atitlán, Transfer to Antigua | Antigua |
| Day 9 | Transfer to Guatemala City, Depart |
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Guatemala, Transfer to Antigua & Street Food Tour
Welcome to Guatemala! Few countries in Central America boast such an abundance of ancient Indigenous culture, Spanish-colonial landmarks, and a diversity of unspoiled ecosystems. You'll experience many such highlights during your time here.
Upon arrival at the airport in Guatemala City, a driver will pick you up and transfer you about an hour west to the colonial city of Antigua. Once the capital of Guatemala, Antigua is known for the Spanish colonial Old Town around its main plaza, Central Park. It's also surrounded by three volcanoes, and the contrast between these imposing mountains and the city's colorful architecture is part of the reason Antigua has earned UNESCO World Heritage status.
After checking in to your hotel, meet a local expert guide who will introduce you to Guatemala's rich culture through its gastronomy. On this walking tour along Antigua's cobbled streets, you'll taste culinary creations with influences dating back thousands of years. You'll stop at eight traditional restaurants and vendors, each serving up a variety of savory and sweet local treats. Besides the delicious food, you'll also learn about Antigua's history, visit 16th-century ruins, and enjoy views of the nearby volcanoes.
Day 2: Earth Lodge Day Hike, Chocolate Workshop
The activities continue today as you leave Antigua's cobblestone streets and hit the nature trails. Your guide will meet you at 9 am, and you'll drive out of the city, winding your way up out of the Panchoy Valley toward El Hato, a mountainside village. During the drive, enjoy the views looking over the valley and the surrounding three volcanoes.
Just outside El Hato, you'll stop at Earth Lodge, a quaint mountain hotel and working avocado orchard. Upon arrival, you'll enjoy a freshly prepared lunch and then can spend a while relaxing in one of the hotel's hammocks. Afterward, you'll return to Antigua.
The day's adventures aren't over yet, though. Later in the day, you'll participate in a "bean to bar" chocolate workshop. Besides crops like coffee and bananas, Guatemala also produces cacao (cocoa), the main ingredient in chocolate. Cacao has been cultivated here for thousands of years and was even enjoyed by the ancient Maya. During the workshop, you'll learn all about this history as well as the process of growing the cacao, harvesting it, and roasting the beans. Of course, the tour concludes with a delicious tasting.
Day 3: Transfer to Lanquin, Hike Ram Tzul
In the morning, your driver will pick you up, and you'll leave Antigua and the southern highlands on a ride north to the jungles of the central highlands and the Q'eqchi' Maya town of Lanquín. It's a long drive (over six hours), but you'll stop for breakfast en route.
You'll also stop at Ram Tzul, a 247-acre (100 ha) nature reserve in the heart of Guatemalan coffee country. Here, you'll stretch your legs on a nature hike through bamboo forests leading to a waterfall that cascades 260 feet (80 m) into an emerald lagoon. This area is part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor, whose cloud forests are a haven for exotic flora and migrating wildlife. For example, Ram Tzul is home to wild orchids as well as exotic birds.
Afterward, you'll continue north a couple of hours to Lanquín, where you'll check in to your hotel. All around this region are natural wonders you'll get to explore over the next couple of days. Today, though, you'll have the remainder of the afternoon free.
Day 4: Day Trip to Semuc Champey
Hop in a 4WD vehicle this morning and head east to Semuc Champey. This otherworldly natural landmark is located about 30 minutes south of Lanquín and is famous for its terraced turquoise pools. Just before entering the area, you'll stop to tour the Kam'ba Caves. Your guide will lead you by candlelight into underground caverns filled with rivers, waterfalls, and unique rock formations. Afterward, you can take an innertube ride down the Río Cahabón before entering Semuc Champey.
Once here, you can embark on a 45-minute uphill hike to El Mirador. This stunning viewpoint overlooks the terraced pools 2,300 feet (700 m) below. Then you can spend some time swimming at the falls. The best place to snap photos near the terraces is atop a natural limestone bridge that rises 100 feet (30 m) above the water. At about 4 pm, you'll transfer back to Lanquín and your hotel.
Day 5: Cave Tubing, Biotopo del Quetzal, Transfer to Antigua
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.
In the morning, you'll head out for a day of exploration and aquatic fun. The limestone mountains in the region around Lanquín are full of river caves. On a tour, you'll hop in an innertube and venture into this network of caverns on a real-life river safari and spelunking expedition.
After the caves, continue south to the Biotopo del Quetzal, a 2,580-acre (1,044 ha) nature reserve. Once here, you'll embark on a one-hour nature hike to a 45-foot (13 m) waterfall plunging into a lagoon. Other than the scenery, this cloud forest reserve is most famous for being home to the resplendent quetzal. This bird is Guatemala's national symbol and has been revered since the time of the ancient Maya. During the hike, keep an eye out for this rare specimen, which is most commonly spotted during Jan-Jun.
Day 6: Transfer to Lake Atitlán, Hiking & Maya Ceremony
Your driver will pick you up today for the approximately 2.5-hour drive west to Lake Atitlán. Three towering volcanoes surround this enormous crater lake, and local villages dot its shores. You'll arrive in one of these villages and check in to the accommodation where you'll overnight. Lake Atitlán and its surrounding region have been considered sacred to the Maya people since antiquity, and as such many of its villages are populated by Maya residents.
Once here, take a boat to the rugged north shore and the village of Tzununa, where you'll embark on a hike. This area has no road access, so you'll be walking the same ancient paths used by the Kaqchikel Maya people for centuries. As you hike up into the hills above Atitlán, you'll enjoy the stunning scenery while passing farmers tending their maize and coffee fields. A canyon path leads down to the village of Santa Cruz La Laguna. Here, you'll chat with locals as you visit the local primary school, a family home, a medical clinic, and a vocational training center. Then you'll take the boat back to your hotel.
Day 7: Visit Chichicastenango Market, Family Cooking Class
In the morning, you'll visit Chichicastenango, which locals refer to as "Chichi." This Indigenous town in the Guatemalan highlands is home to one of the largest markets in Central America, which was established long before the Spanish arrived. Its primary purpose is to service locals who come far and wide to buy and sell products. On a visit, you'll browse vendors who sell everything from handicrafts and textiles to fresh produce and street food. You'll even get to visit an artisanal mask factory.
Also here is the Iglesia de Santo Tomás. This 16th-century Roman Catholic church is built on the site of a former Maya temple and is a striking example of Guatemalan syncretism (a mix of ancient Maya religious beliefs and traditional Catholicism). Besides sightseeing and sampling typical foods like Guatemalan bananas and pan de muerto ("bread of the dead"), you'll also browse a local textile factory to see the process of making the traditional outfits of the region. Following this is a cultural dance performance, after which you'll return to your hotel.
Day 8: Kayaking & Hiking at Lake Atitlán, Transfer to Antigua
Wake up to views of the lake and its towering volcanoes before meeting your guide for today's five-hour expedition. You'll start out in a kayak, paddling westward along the north shore of Lake Atitlán for roughly two hours. Pass by villages perched on lakeside cliffs, hop in the water for a swim, or even do some cliff jumping. Your destination is a spot between the villages of Tzununá and San Marcos La Laguna, where you'll leave your kayak behind and lace up your hiking boots.
Follow the lake trail between the villages, taking in views of the San Pedro, Tolimán, and Atitlán volcanoes. Hike along the shoreline and through small villages for about 1.5 hours, and eventually, the route will return you to your lodge. You'll then transfer back to Antigua and have the remainder of the afternoon free.
Day 9: Transfer to Guatemala City & Depart
More Great Guatemala Itineraries
Map
