Guatemala Honeymoon Adventure - 15 Days

Day 1: Arrive in Antigua, Explore

Welcome to Guatemala! Your dream honeymoon begins with an arrival at Guatemala City airport. Here, a private driver will meet you at the terminal and transfer you to Antigua, about an hour away.

Once you arrive at your hotel and get settled, you'll have the evening free to relax or begin exploring the city at your own pace. The former capital of Guatemala was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979 due to its 16th-century Renaissance grid pattern. Hit the cobbled streets and check out Antigua's colorful, Baroque-style architecture against the backdrop of volcanoes for your first pinch-me-now-moments of the trip. 

Day 2: Antigua Walking Tour, Guatemalan Cooking Class

After a relaxing breakfast at your hotel, the two of you will meet your local guide who will show you an impressive catalog of colonial relics on foot. Many of Antigua's religious and civic structures are beautifully renovated, while others retain tumbledown charm with fragments strewn about park-like grounds. Along the way, you'll visit the City Hall Palace, the Palace of the Captain’s General, the Antigua Guatemala Cathedral, and the Paseo de los Museos. 

Following the tour, you'll have free time to enjoy lunch and relax. In the late afternoon, a driver will take you to the site of your Guatemalan cooking class where you will learn about the local cuisine, which blends traditional Spanish flavors with Indigenous Mayan cooking. Your class will be taught by Guatemalan natives from Sacatepequez, and they will teach you how to make a main dish, tortillas, and dessert. Enjoy the fruits of your efforts as a group to finish this memorable evening!

Day 3: Free Day in Antigua

Today, you and your loved one will have a free day to explore Antigua at your own pace. Aside from well-preserved historic architecture, the colonial core also offers charming restaurants, bars, outdoor markets, and plazas for people-watching.

If you'd like to book additional activities, you can arrange for a visit to a coffee plantation, which includes a tour of the farm and coffee tasting. Or perhaps you'd like to go ziplining in a nearby cloud forest. For something a bit tamer, you can rent bicycles in town and explore the area on two wheels. Whatever you decide, save some energy for tomorrow's volcano hike!

Day 4: Volcano Hike & Spa Day

This morning your guide will meet you at your hotel and take you to the Pacaya Volcano. Set in its own national park, Pacaya is an impressive volcano with a continuous plume of smoke drifting from its summit, not to mention a massive dried lava field that forms the valley at the base of its caldera.

The hike up Pacaya takes about two hours, and it is moderately difficult, depending on your fitness level. If you or your loved one prefers a more relaxed option, you can also take a horse to the top. You will be able to enjoy a freshly prepared picnic lunch after summiting, and for dessert, you can roast marshmallows over the natural heat from the volcano. Your descent brings you across the dried lava fields before winding through Pacaya’s lush and lesser-known forests and farmland.

After your volcano excursion, you'll be transferred to a nearby thermal spa whose natural springs are heated by the very volcano you just climbed. At the spa, start with a thermal circuit where you immerse the body for short periods of time in natural thermal pools of varying temperatures, moving from hot to cold.

Next, the two of you will move onto a combined steam and hydrotherapy bath where you can fill your own personal tub with thermal water at your desired temperature. Your couple's spa day will come to an end with a relaxing 25-minute massage. Then return to the natural swimming pools and enjoy a snack and smoothie. A driver will return you to Antigua later in the evening.

Day 5: Chocolate Workshop, Visit Cerro Santo Domingo

Calling all chocolate lovers! The two of you can start the day with a bean-to-bar chocolate workshop at the ChocoMuseo where you'll learn about the complete chocolate-making process. Together with your instructor, prepare traditional Mayan cacao drinks, and make a batch of chocolates to take home with you. Of course, you'll get to taste different chocolate drinks and edibles along the way. Following the class, you'll have free time to relax at the attached café.

Later in the afternoon, take a shuttle up to Cerro Santo Domingo and visit the local sculpture garden overlooking the city. This is a great spot for romantic pre-dinner cocktails, especially at sunset.

Day 6: Transfer to Lake Atitlán, Boat Tour

This morning, a driver will pick you up at your hotel in Antigua and transfer you to Lake Atitlán, which is about two and a half hours away. Part of the morning will be spent on the Pan American Highway, known as the part of a network of roads stretching from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina. As you get closer to Atitlán, you'll be treated to magnificent views from above the lake. 

Once you arrive at Panajachel, the main town on Lake Atitlán, hop on a boat for a village tour with a local guide. Many smaller Mayan villages are located along the shore, and your private boat tour will allow you to get a closer look at the local art, traditions, and stories. Highlights include meeting a local women's weaving co-op and visiting a shrine of the infamous Maya saint known as Maximón.

After wrapping up the tour, you'll head to the romantic lakeside hotel of Casa del Mundo—your home for the next three nights. The rest of the evening is free for you to relax, enjoy a swim in the lake, and take in the views.

Day 7: Free Day in Lake Atitlán

Sleep in this morning and enjoy a free day to explore the beautiful Lake Atitlán area as you wish. Your full-service hotel offers kayak rentals, a beach for swimming, and other equipment for water sports and land activities. Keep in mind that tomorrow is an active day, so this is a good opportunity to take it slow and easy.

Day 8: Kayaking & Hiking Tour

After waking up to more gorgeous views of the lake and its surrounding volcanoes, you'll have breakfast at your hotel. Then your guide will meet you for today's kayak tour. You'll begin paddling westward along the north shore of Atitlán for about two hours, passing tiny villages that rise up from the azure waters of the lake. Depending on the weather and speed of the kayak group, there are opportunities to take a dip in the lake and go cliff-jumping.

Arrive at your destination between the villages of Tzununá and San Marcos La Laguna where you'll trade your kayaks for hiking shoes. The trail passes through small villages with spectacular views of the volcanoes, as you follow the shoreline for about one and a half hours, eventually returning to Casa del Mundo. After a hearty and well-earned lunch at the hotel, enjoy some free time to rest and relax.

Day 9: Transfer to Antigua, Explore the Iximché Ruins

It's time to depart Lake Atitlan! After breakfast, a boat will take you across the lake for any last-minute photo opportunities. On the other side, a driver will be waiting to take you to Iximché, an archaeological site in the western highlands of Guatemala. Here, you'll begin a guided tour and learn about this impressive ancient city with its Maya pyramid temples, palaces, and Mesoamerican ballcourts. The ruins were declared a Guatemalan National Monument in the 1960s. 

After spending a few hours at Iximché, your driver will transfer you to Antigua, with a stop for lunch on the road. Back in Antigua, get settled and enjoy the evening as you wish.

Day 10: Fly to Flores, Transfer to Tikal National Park

Today you'll have a bit more free time in Antigua to explore, relax, and buy some souvenirs before you depart later in the day. Head to the Mercado where rows of artisans sell brightly-colored goods, garments, and textiles for your home—and make sure to sample street food in the form of fresh tropical fruit and dobladas (tostadas and empanadas).

In the afternoon, your driver will meet you at the hotel and take you to Guatemala City to catch your flight to Flores. Upon arrival at the airport, a driver will be waiting to take you to your hotel in Tikal National Park. Once you check-in, you'll have the evening free to spend as you'd like.

Day 11: Explore Tikal National Park & Uaxactún 

Today's adventure begins at Tikal National Park where you'll explore a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its impressive pyramid temples and sprawling ruins. An expert guide will tell you about this former capital of one of the most powerful kingdoms of the ancient Maya period that boasts the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the Americas, Temple IV, which stands 270 feet (70 m). During your visit, you'll have the opportunity to see all the major sites of interest while keeping an eye out for wildlife in the surrounding jungle. 

In the afternoon, continue a bit further to visit another Maya site called Uaxactún. Uaxactún has been inhabited by the Mayans for centuries, and today it features partially-restored temples and a small community in the jungle made up of chicleros (harvesters of natural gum). You'll be able to interact with community members and see the first astronomical complex in the Maya world. From here, a driver will pick you up and return you to your hotel for the evening.

Day 12: Explore the Yaxhá Ruins, Transfer to Rio Dulce

This morning your guide will pick you up and take you to the fourth Maya site: Yaxhá National Park. The Yaxhá ruins are another archaeological site located between the lakes of Sacnab and Yaxhá. What you'll find here are more than 500 structures, including 40 steles, 13 altars, 9 pyramids, 2 ball courts, and a network of sacbeob (ancient roads). Plus, Yaxhá offers the only twin pyramid complex outside of Tikal, which commemorates a 20-year period in Maya history. 

In the afternoon, transfer south to Rio Dulce and check in at your hotel. Start your evening with a relaxing drink along the river before dinner.

Day 13: Rio Dulce Boat Tour

After a relaxing waterfront breakfast at your hotel, you'll hop on a boat for a private guided tour of the Rio Dulce all the way to the mouth of the Caribbean coast. 

Stops along the way include the famous Castle of San Felipe, a Spanish colonial fort from the 17th century, where you'll tour the grounds. Next is an island known for birds, followed by visits to hot springs and deep ravine canyons. At the end of the journey, you'll arrive at a town called Livingston where you can experience a different side of Guatemalan culture on the Caribbean Sea. Enjoy lunch here before taking the boat back to your hotel in the late afternoon.

Day 14: Visit the Finca Paraiso Hot Springs, Fly to Guatemala City

Today a driver will pick you up at the hotel and take you to visit a nearby hot spring and waterfall called Finca Paraiso. This hidden gem of Guatemala is sure to be one of the highlights of your visit to the Caribbean side of Guatemala. You'll take a short, scenic hike to reach a secluded waterfall flowing with hot water which you can stand underneath. You can also take a swim together in the cool river nearby. 

After this excursion, you'll return to the hotel to freshen up, have lunch, and transfer to Puerto Barrios airport. Here you'll hop on a quick flight to Guatemala City where a driver will be waiting to take you directly to your hotel for the evening. Enjoy one last honeymoon dinner at a romantic restaurant in Guatemala's capital.

Day 15: Depart Guatemala

It's time to say goodbye to Guatemala! At the appointed hour, you'll take a hotel shuttle to Guatemala City airport for your departure flight. Safe travels—and may the honeymoon continue!

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