Inspiration for your own tailor-made trip
Getaway to Guatemala Maya Villages, Market Mayhem & Volcanic Heights
Guatemala – Antigua – Lake Atitlan – Chichicastenango – Quetzaltenango – Acatenango – El Paredon
Kick things off with a flight to Guatemala City, where you’ll be whisked away to Antigua (the Guatemala edition – no Caribbean detour here). Then, join a local guide to explore the city’s grandest sights, picking up plenty of insider intel on its storied past as you go.
History buffs will be in their element roaming the ancient Maya ruins of Iximche, before fast-forwarding to present-day Maya life at Lake Atitlan. Here, you’ll spend a couple of days meeting locals and learning about their artsy antics, from traditional woodcarving to intricate textile weaving (tempting souvenir alert).
Next, bring your best bartering skills to Chichicastenango’s legendary market and rummage among stalls brimming with shiny jewels, hand-painted pottery and sweet-smelling perfumes. With so many gems up for grabs, you’ll be squeezing it all into your suitcase later – if there’s any room after your last shopping spree, that is...
Dial up the pampering in Quetzaltenango with a hot-spring soak at Fuentes Georginas before returning to Antigua, where you’ll set your sights on Acatenango Volcano. Take on the mighty climb and camp out high on its slopes, where sunrise skies and Fuego’s fiery outbursts are all sure to bump up the holiday photo count.
And for the grand finale? El Paredon on the Pacific coast, where a few days of beach lazing provide a rather lovely antidote to those Acatenango aches.
Itinerary
100% customisable for you
After plenty of daydreaming and eagerly counted-down sleeps, your getaway to Guatemala begins today.
Head to the airport, whizz through security, then celebrate accordingly with a tipple in the lounge before boarding. It’s around a 17-hour flight to Guatemala City (with a quick stop in an American hub along the way), so queue up the films and try to catch some shut-eye before landing.
When you touch down in the capital, you’ll be privately transferred on the one-hour drive west to Antigua, with a fair few twists and turns along the way…
Hop out and check in to your charming guesthouse, your home away from home for the next two nights. The rest of the day is all yours to enjoy, so shake off the long-haul cobwebs with some poolside R&R – dip, lounge, repeat...
Fancy spicing up your first evening in Guatemala? We can also arrange a cooking class, where you’ll rustle up a feast of the country’s classics.
Lace up your best walking shoes this morning, then meet your local guide for a greatest hits tour of Antigua.
Explore Parque Central as your guide gives you the lowdown on everything from the city’s Spanish colonial era, to how its architecture is bolstered to withstand the region’s notorious earthquakes.
Antigua has a strong spiritual streak too, so step inside Saint Joseph Cathedral, where candles flicker and devoted worshippers congregate, before moseying beneath the grand arcades of the Captains' Palace and Town Hall and into the Capuchin convent, once home to generations of nuns.
As you wander, you can’t miss the mighty volcanoes of Agua, Acatenago and ever-active Fuego in the distance, which ups the spectacle when glowing volcanic rock shoots skywards – sparking plenty of oohs and aahs across the city.
Wrap things up at a street food market – your guide will know exactly where the most fiery and flavoursome enchiladas are served. That’s lunch, sorted.
Bid a warm farewell to Antigua this morning and meet your local driver for the three-hour drive west to Lake Atitlan. Along the way, tune into our destination-specific soundtrack as you climb into the mountains of Solola, where the temperature tumbles and wisps of mist curl around conifer-clad hills.
Partway there, press pause on the playlist for a ruin rendezvous at Iximche. Roam the ancient remains and uncover its past as the political and ceremonial stronghold of the Kaqchikel, one of Guatemala’s Indigenous Maya communities.
Cryptic carvings puzzled over, hit the road again and make tracks for Lake Atitlan. When you arrive, settle in to your cosy lodge – your peaceful retreat for the next two nights.
Perhaps enjoy a saunter around the lake, keeping your camera poised for flashes of its abundant birdlife (250 species, to be precise). When hunger strikes, dine somewhere local and see what this corner of Guatemala has on the menu...
Rise and shine whenever you feel like it this morning; today is all yours to explore the dreamy Lake Atitlan at your own pace. Enjoy a lazy start to the day before the allure of freshly baked semitas (sweet Guatemalan pastries) tempts you into town.
Breakfast wolfed down, mooch around the market village of Panajachel, admiring its treasure trove of trinkets. And in true Guatemalan caffeine-loving fashion, the area is also home to a wealth of cafés serving an ingenious line-up of coffee concoctions, from cinnamon-spiced brews to creamy cacao lattes.
Suitably fuelled up, perhaps head to Solola’s market, where farmers who’ve cultivated this bountiful land for generations load up stalls with sun-ripened mangoes and dragon fruit. Join the whirlwind of locals weaving through the stalls, each sporting the ornately patterned traditional dress of their home village.
Alternatively, venture to San Antonio Palopo town to meet the Tz'utujil Maya community and browse handcrafted ceramics embellished with floral motifs (something for the souvenir shelf, perhaps?).
Today’s sightseeing comes with a splash, as you set off with your guide for a motorboat spin around Lake Atitlan’s villages.
Drift between the lake’s 12 Maya municipalities, where mighty volcanoes loom overhead, their mineral-rich soils prime growing ground for coffee and tropical fruit.
Make your first port of call San Juan, where bolts of bright fabric spill from shop shelves and talented weavers work their magic, shaping intricate patterns with every flick of the loom. Cruise on to San Pedro, where the fresh local brew (grown on coffee trees flourishing across volcanic slopes) provides the perfect pick-me-up.
Wind back the clock in Santiago Atitlan, once the heart of the Tz’uttujil Maya kingdom, where locals showcase their artistic flair through elaborate embroidery and traditional woodcarving.
Cultural curiosity well and truly satisfied, step ashore for your private two-and-a-half-hour transfer to Chichicastenango, where you’ll stay for the night.
This evening, follow the irresistible aromas and glow of neon lights into the nearest street food market. Tacos, anyone?
Follow the clamour of pots and pans into Chichicastenango’s famous market this morning, where browsing, bartering and buying are in full swing. Join the throng of locals weaving between stalls piled high with everything from exotic fruit and vegetables to vividly adorned textiles and beaded jewellery. Pause for a bite of breakfast between stalls and, haggling skills permitting, leave with a shiny new souvenir or two.
Need a moment away from all that hustle and bustle? We can also arrange lunch in a local’s home, where you’ll feast on Guatemalan favourites and enjoy a good chinwag with your hosts about everyday life in Chichicastenango.
Shopping bags filled and appetites satisfied, you’ll then be privately transferred on the two-hour drive to Quetzaltenango – your home for the night.
Quetzaltenango’s high altitude means evenings can be chilly, so bundle up in an extra layer and settle into a cosy local diner, warming up over a bowl of aromatic pepian (a hearty Guatemalan stew made with meat, tomatoes and toasted seeds).
Don your bathrobes and slippers; a morning soak with a little volcanic oomph awaits at Fuentes Georginas. Set at the base of Zunil Volcano and surrounded by lush greenery, its naturally warm pools send curls of steam into the cool mountain air. Sink in, stretch out and relax...
Spa-induced serenity achieved, buckle up for the three-and-a-half-hour drive back to Antigua, with a local driver at the wheel.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Guatemalan road trip without a market pit stop en route, so pull up in Zunil, a highland village by the Salama River, where heaps of gloriously ripe fruit and sweet pastries make tasty provisions for the drive ahead. Then, make for Almolonga’s famous flower market, where armfuls of fresh blooms are bought and sold in a fragrant whirlwind of activity.
Back in Antigua, drop your bags then make a beeline for that taco joint you haven’t stopped thinking about since you were last here...
Look up – way up – to Acatenango Volcano, standing at a lofty 13,000ft tall over Antigua. Polish off a hearty breakfast and a cup of Guatemalan coffee because today you’re hiking high up its slopes.
Pull on your trekking boots, then meet your guide, who’s well-versed in the trail's twists and turns. With them leading the charge, begin your ascent, up and up...
It’s an arduous climb, but there are plenty of rest spots along the trail, each serving up knockout views of the rolling farmland below.
After a few hours of steadily gaining altitude, you’ll reach camp (phew), where you’ll stay for the night. Cosy up beside the cracking campfire, hot drink in hand, while dinner cooks over the flames.
As darkness falls, embark on a night walk to a vantage point facing Fuego, watching for bursts of lava shooting skywards. And above the fiery glow, the sky sparkles with a celestial canopy, so keep that wish at the ready for a shooting star streaking overhead...
Early birds who wriggle out of their sleeping bags before dawn are in for a real treat this morning: watch the sun rise above a blanket of clouds and, if you’re lucky, see Fuego erupt with another fiery outburst.
Dig into some breakfast back at the base camp, then begin the descent – you'll soon realise just how many steps you tackled on the way up...
Back down to Earth (by which we mean Antigua), meet your local driver for your private transfer south to El Paredon, set on the dreamy Pacific coast. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour drive, and after that early start, an en-route snooze is practically inevitable...
When you arrive, check in to your oceanfront villa, your peaceful hideaway for the next three nights. Perhaps take a stroll along the volcanic black sands, swim in the shallows or dial up the bliss with a massage before stretching out on a sun-drenched lounger with a cocktail in hand.
Lather on the sunscreen and charge the camera – the next two days are all about embracing El Paredon’s laid-back beach life.
Perhaps stake out a sunny spot and make a good dent in your holiday reads. Or, if you fancy giving surfing a whirl, there are plenty of spots nearby to ride the swell – expect a few wobbles, plenty of laughs and some brilliant ‘did you see that?’ moments.
Ramp up the adventure with a boat trip through Sipacate-Naranjo Nature Reserve, spanning El Paredon’s coastline and hinterland. Drift past vine-entangled mangroves, where avid twitchers can scan the greenery for flashes of Mexican herons, roseate spoonbills and yellow warbler birds.
If you’re visiting between July and December, you may even spot baby sea turtles making a determined dash across the black sands towards the ocean. Hearts are sure to melt.
And for your last evening, we can recommend the perfect spot for a celebratory final meal.
Time flies when you’re having fun and, sadly, your trip across Guatemala comes to an end today.
Tuck into one last breakfast on the beach, soak up those final rays of vitamin D and then, however reluctantly, prise yourself off the sun lounger for your private three-and-a-half-hour transfer back to Guatemala City Airport.
From here, board your overnight flight back home, stopping at an American hub along the way.
All in all, you’ll spend around 17 hours in the air – plenty of time to flick through your camera roll and relive the highlights. And if you already feel a bad case of the post-holiday blues coming on, nothing lifts the spirits quite like dreaming up your next big adventure...
Suggestions
Everything in this itinerary is entirely customisable, down to the smallest details. Here are some more suggestions of what could be included
WHAT’S COOKING IN THE CITY OF ANTIGUA?
Fancy cooking up a storm in Antigua? First, join your local guide for a spin around the city’s main monuments and marvel at incense-swirled churches, convents and grand colonial palaces. With appetites officially awakened, you’ll then be whisked away to a local kitchen, where a chef will introduce you to traditional Guatemalan gastronomy. Here, roll up your sleeves for a cooking class, where you’ll chop, stir and season your way through a selection of dishes, discovering how fresh produce and fragrant spices work together in harmony. Then, it’s aprons off as you feast on your culinary creations. If you’re a self-confessed chocolate fiend, you’ll be in your element as a chocolate workshop is up next. Learn how cocoa pods are grown and harvested and their beans transformed into the sweet stuff we all know and love before, of course, trying the finished product. A few new dishes in your cooking repertoire and a chocolate tasting thrown into the mix? Consider your culinary horizons deliciously broadened.FEAST LIKE A LOCAL IN CHICHICASTENANGO
Leave Chichicastenango’s market crowds behind and make for somewhere rather more homely: a local family’s kitchen. Here, pull up a chair and tuck into a spread of home-cooked favourites, which may include the likes of pepian (a hearty meat stew thickened with toasted seeds and spices), handmade corn tortillas and tamales (stuffed corn dough steamed in leaves) – recipes lovingly passed down through generations. Between bites, chat away with your hosts about family recipes, local customs and the ins and outs of everyday life in Guatemala. And remember, those tortillas aren’t just a side dish; they’re a traditional tool for scooping up every last mouthful.GUATEMALA: THE FAMILY EDIT
Fancy turning this Guatemalan getaway into one for the whole family? We can tailor this itinerary with your tweens or teenagers in mind, with volcano climbs, hot spring soaks and surfing sessions along the Pacific Coast all bound to keep excitement levels sky-high. And with Guatemala’s bustling markets ripe for a shopping spree, your young explorers would be wise to have their pocket money at the ready... With a private driver and spacious car at your disposal, the whole gang can criss-cross the country in comfort; cue the road-trip chatter, questionable playlist choices and plenty of family memories made along the way...
Why visit Guatemala with Original Travel ?
Each of our trips is entirely tailor-made with originality, quality and cultural immersion in mind. Our team of destination specialists will craft itineraries based on your tastes, using their first-hand knowledge and the help of our in-country team of Concierges and guides. All trips are accompanied by a wide range of additional services, including a 24-hour helpline, the Original Travel app, fast-track airport services and much more.
Enquire nowA few of the benefits of travelling with us to Guatemala
- The Original Travel app
- Destination Dossier
- 24-hour helpline
- Expert guides
- 100% carbon absorption
