GUATEMALA : ONE WEEK ITINERARY

7 DAYS IN GUATEMALA

Day 1: Antigua

We arrived around 11:30 am at the airport in Guatemala City. When we exited, we booked a shuttle to go to Antigua. I think we paid $25 for two people. We waited a few minutes for another person to fill up the (private) car, and I believe after an hour, we were in Antigua. We checked in at Yellow House Hostel. We really recommend it; it’s well-placed, the rooms are well-decorated, the breakfast is super good, but you have to share the bathroom, but it was clean. Then, we went for a walk towards the bank at Parque Central to exchange our dollars (the bank had the best exchange rate). After that, we went to eat at Rincón Antigüeño. It’s a lovely and popular restaurant; the food was really good and cheap. In the afternoon, we discovered the town. The must-sees are Arco de Santa Catalina and Iglesia de la Merced. You can also visit some convents. To end the day, we went to have a beer on the rooftop of Antigua Brewing, and we ended up eating street food on the square of Iglesia de la Merced.

Day 2: Volcán Acatenango

Yesterday, we booked our tour to Volcán Acatenango. As we aren't hiking experts, we booked the tour in a 4x4. It cost $200 each, it's double than the normal price, but we didn’t regret our decision. After the 4x4 trip, we needed to walk an hour to arrive at the camp. Hiking up, I could feel that with the altitude, it was harder for me to breathe. Around 4 pm, we were at the camp. We were sharing our tent with another couple. It was quite cold up there. Night was coming, and the guide proposed a hike to get closer to the volcano for an extra cost. Here was our big mistake… motivated by the others and thinking, "Come on, we have one life," we decided to follow the group who were definitely hiking experts, as they hadn’t come in a 4x4. At first, it was easy because we were going down, and we could see the volcano erupting, but after it started to go up, and straight up, I couldn’t breathe anymore. It was impossible for me to continue, so I gave up and went back to the camp. But going back, I had to go uphill; I thought I wouldn't make it. I had to stop every two meters to breathe. All night, I felt a pain in my chest. When the group returned, they told us that they hadn’t seen any more eruptions, so it wasn’t worth it. So, the conclusion is we should have stayed in the camp, where we could see the volcano really well. So, if you are like us – not hiking experts, not used to the cold, and not used to the altitude – just go in a 4x4, walk the one hour to the camp, and stay in the camp to watch the eruption. But even with the hard conditions, we could enjoy the experience of seeing a volcano erupting. We did it! I didn’t sleep much, and around 4 am, we could hear and see more eruptions. The sunrise was also incredible, like being suspended in time – just breathtaking.

Day 3: Volcán Acatenango - Antigua

A bit before 8 am, we started to go down from the volcano. We returned to the hotel and showered. Then, we wanted to go to eat; on our way, we found the little Jade Museum, which is free. We went to this cute food court patio called La Fuente to have lunch. I have to say that after that, we were really tired, so we went back to the hotel to have a nap. That night, we ate some tacos at Ta’cool Tacos shop. And we had cocktails at Ulew, a speakeasy cocktail bar that creates cocktails just for you. We paid $11 per cocktail.

Day 4: Antigua - Atitlán

Yesterday, we booked the morning shuttle to go to Lake Atitlán. We arrived before midday, checked in at Selina, and had lunch. We booked a tour with Good Adventure (ATC) to discover the different crafts. We loved ATC, and while the ATC experience itself wasn’t amazing, the tour was really interesting. Our first stop was Santa Catarina to visit a weaving workshop. Then, we stopped at San Antonio Palopó to learn about the cacao/chocolate process, and we finished in San Antonio Palopó with a visit to a ceramic workshop. The scenic road along the lake was also super nice. I think we paid $60 in total.

P.S.: You can also do some paragliding on top of the lake; it’s a popular activity there. As Dani doesn’t like heights, and I planned to do my first time in another destination, we skipped it.

Day 5: Atitlán

We booked a kayak for one hour in the morning (it was next to the muelle público). It was nice because it was really peaceful. After breakfast, we came back to the muelle público to take a boat towards San Pedro La Laguna. We bought a round-trip ticket with the return via San Juan La Laguna. I think we paid around Q50 for the round trip per person. We arrived around 10:30 am at the muelle of San Pedro de la Laguna, and we walked through this colorful town to the Museo Tz’unun Ya’. This small museum cost Q35, and you will learn about this volcanic region and the Maya culture with a local guide. Then, we had lunch at Bar Sublime; the view of the lake was beautiful. After lunch, we took a moto-taxi to go to San Juan de la Laguna. We got lost in the colorful streets of this town and discovered lots of street art. And then, we took the boat back to Panajachel.

Day 6: Chichicastenango

It was a Sunday, so we booked transport to go to the market of Chichicastenango, which is one of the biggest. We bought our jade souvenir there as it was cheaper. You will also find lots of weavings. In the middle inside, you have a local food court. This market is open on Sundays and Thursdays. You have to bargain for the price. Before going back to our bus, we went inside the Hotel Santo Tomás, where you can see parrots in a beautiful patio. We booked the transport with Eterna Primavera; it was the cheapest we found. Back in Panajachel, we enjoyed our last night having dinner in one of the restaurants that are on the lake.

Day 7: Atitlán - Guatemala Airport

Today, we are leaving Guatemala. We booked a shuttle directly to the airport. Be careful to go in advance, as sometimes you can get stuck in traffic.