Chris Gwinner

Wonderful! Thanks to Chris and our guide Joel for putting together a great itinerary and shepherding us through a phenomenal trip. I traveled to Guatemala with 4 teenagers...who thought this might have been our best adventure yet. Chris and the team suggested a great itinerary, matched the level of adventure + downtime our group was into, were collaborative with adjustments, helped manage within our budget, and communicated well throughout. If we return to Guatemala, we'll work with Chris again....and I'll recommend him to friends.

We just returned from an awesome trip to Guatemala that Chris and his team arranged for us. Chris took the time to meet us for coffee the morning after we arrived so we could ask any questions and discuss our plans for the week- super friendly and made us feel immediately comfortable! We spent two days exploring with Jerry, who was wonderful as well! We did a walking tour of Antiqua and learned so much with him! The next day, a hike up the Payca volcano, which was definitely a highlight for us. We moved on to Panajachel for a few days and explored the surrounding towns with Pablo- loved it! Ivan, our driver was always on time for our adventures and incredibly kind and accommodating. I think private transportation and guides was key for us being able to relax and absorb our surroundings. This is a trip we will never forget and I would highly recommend Old Town Outfitters to anyone planning to visit beautiful Guatemala!

In reviewing my travels in Guatemala, I want to give the following backdrop.... Solo male traveler, age 71, 1st timer in Guatemala with only a little command of the language. Despite these limitations I left Guatemala having an appreciation of the culture and the peoples in various locations. From Mayan ruins both popular and off the beaten path, the hustle and bustle of cosmopolitan Guatemala City, a River Dulce experience that was mind blowing to even a hot springs experience in two different locations... to a cultural festival that was an explosion of dancing/music and food the care and attention to detail by my in country coordinator Chris was amazing. I always felt he had my back and whenever I reached out (multiple times) he responded and always made me feel safe!
The lodging was a really great mix of up-scale eco camps, to high end hotel rooms to a boutique hotel in Flores right in the heart of the festival. I give each place the highest of ratings!!!
My guides ranged from good to outstanding. Oliver my guide to Tikal changed his whole approach when he heard birding was my passion. I saw 21 taxa in addition to exploring the ruins. Capitan Otilio Morales my guide on the Rio Dulce to Livingston changed his tour and put me on some bird nesting spots that only a seasoned captain could find.
Other guides were ok but my lack of knowing the language was a negative and took away from the experience, but hey that's on me!
The people made the experience and I certainly met many native Guatemalans and have a little understanding of their lives and the struggles they face. One funny experience was getting of the small boat in Livingstone and the ladies were braidng hair extensions and could not believe my braids were real hair and all wanted to rebraid with beads very funny.
Also was able to see 4 churches and attend mass and receive communion in Flores very very special! Also was able to light a candle and place by the statue of Nuestra Senora in Guatemala City in the Cathedral.
Have some real good pictures and could expand but am out of time for now.
Great job to all and a humble thanks to Chris!!!!!

Really good trip. Chris did an excellent job organizing

Hotel Reviews

Ramon's Village Resort

San Pedro

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Try greeting guests

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mayan Princess Beach & Dive Resort

Roatan

Very good staff. Poor facilities

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Falling Leaves Lodge

San Ignacio

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Casa Encantada

Antiigua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Actun Tunichil Muknal (ATM) caves day tour

San Ignacio

Wow, amazing, awesome

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Hol Chan/Shark Ray Alley - from Ramon's Village

Guatemala

It was okay

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

My husband & I had a great experience vacationing in Guatemala. First of all Chris was amazing with his prompt responses, excellent logistical planning & flawless execution. He did not miss a single detail & made our lives easier with reminders of important details. Chris was also extremely flexible with the plan & modified some of the original ideas to incorporate new stops in the trip. Our guides were also excellent & extremely knowledgeable. Willy traveled with us for 3 days & was super helpful. Highly recommend him. Other guides at the different locations were also great! All in all, a very memorable experience.

Hotel Reviews

Casa Antigua

Antigua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Isla de Flores

Ciudad Flores Petén-Flores

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Tour the famous Chichicastenango Market

Guatemala

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Explore Tikal National Park

San Ignacio

Quality of Experience

Local Foodie Tour

Antigua

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Kayaking & Hiking Lake Atitlán

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

December 23 All-day island trip
It rained most of the day and it was windy and basically unpleasant.
The trip should have been canceled but the guide did not explain that
we could have postponed the trip until there was a sunny day
The boat trip was about 90 minutes each way and the sea was quite wavy.
There was little sun so the snorkeling was not good.
We did not dress very well for the weather and so we were cold a good part of the day.
The guide did provide us with some interesting facts about the Maya civilization and
he and his wife cooked a chicken lunch on an open fire which provided some heat to warm
us a little,
One reason we decided to vacation in Belize was because we had read that the snorkeling was excellent. However, rainy days are not good for snorkeling,

December 26 we were scheduled to visit the Mayan ruins.
Our guide was 90 minutes late to pick us up and then turned us over to a friend of his who guided us for the day. We first visited a family that harvested and made chocolate.
They talked for an hour about chocolate which was some what interesting and then they
prepared a lunch for us .
We then went to the Mayan ruins which were interesting and we enjoyed walking through the area. However, as our original guide was not with us and our substitute guide had no money we had to pay for all of us to tour the Mayan ruins.
We made a quick stop at the spice farm for cold drinks.

We cancelled the trip to the Zip Line a couple days in advance and I would appreciate a full
refund of $3,500 charged for that day. Also we cancelled in advance the driver who was scheduled to drive us back to Belize City. I trust you will reimburse me for the charge for
that trip. The drive to Placencia with 10 people and the driver and luggage was not very interesting so we all decided to fly back to Belize City

The accommodations at Los Porticos were comfortable.

Hotel Review

Los Porticos Villas

Placencia

Our group consisted of ten people - 7 adults and 3 children We rented two condos. Each had two bedrooms plus pull out couches in the living rooms. We were located on the ocean and there was a swimming pool. We rented a golf cart for the week as it was about a 10 minute ride into the town of Placencia. One condo also provided 2 bikes. We were also able to hire 2 chefs who cooked breakfast for us every morning which was very nice.

Authenticity & Character

It was on the beach and near other hotels where kayaks could be rented

Location

Near the town of Placencia which has several restaurants

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Local Area Boat Tour with Optional Activities

Placencia

Take this trip on a sunny day and the experience should be worth while It rained and was windy with out sun the day we took the trip

Quality of Experience

The guide should have cancelled the trip due yo bad weather

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Free day in Placencia

Placencia

Nim Li Punit Mayan Ruins & Spice Farm Tour

Placencia

Our guide provided good information about the Mayan ruins at Nim Li Punit. Walking through the area with the guide made the experience more interesting. We stopped at the Spice Farm only briefly.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Angel Falls Zipline Day Trip

Placencia

Not for people over 50 years old

Christa was great, along with all the other assisting guides that showed up throughout the day! Exceeded expectations!

This was an incredible trip. Definitely something off the beaten path. Our guide, Jossue aka Pepien, was fantastic and spared no effort or expense making the trip run smoothly, even if it meant finding a guy in the middle of the mountains to drive us to another part of the mountains on short notice. The mountain biking was challenging but not impossible for someone with not a lot of experience. Staying with the local Mam hosts was a very unique experience and something that you will likely not find on other trips. If you are planning on going on this trip be prepared to deal with cold nights, occasional rain, high altitude, and unfamiliar food.