The Ultimate Guatemalan Trip

If you are looking to see volcanoes, go lake town hopping, and climb giant ancient pyramids, Guatemala is the ultimate destination to find all of these adventures in just one week!

Here you will find the ultimate 1-week itinerary to visit the beautiful land of Guatemala.

Day 0: Flying into Guatemala City and Getting into Antigua

Depending on where you are coming from, most people will need to start their journey by flying into Guatemala City. You can take a car straight to Antigua from the airport, which is an hour away. For transportation, most hotels in Antigua offer a shuttle straight from the airport, which I found to be much cheaper than booking on websites such as Viator or Guatego.

Day 1: Discovering Antigua

On your 1st day in Antigua, you can walk the streets of Antigua. If you enjoy walking tours, you can go on a walking tour to discover some of the famous stories of the city.

Antigua is a city that is surrounded by the volcanoes: Agua, Acatenago, and Fuego. It used to be the capital of Guatemala until the late 1700s. Many of the buildings that you see in Antigua are from the colonial rule. Our guide described that the buildings that have large stone platforms, such as the San Jose Cathedral, have large stone platforms because the church wanted to show that they have a significant influence over the people.

Some of my favorite sites located in the central city are:

• Plaza Central Park - the central park inside of Antigua, where you can find street vendors, souvenior shops, and coffee shops. Our tour guide mentioned that you will see many ladies in colorful clothing who have traveled from all around the country to sell their products.

• Real Palacio - the palace that was constructed for the military and government, but was destroyed in the 1770s and later restored after being declared a UNESCO heritage site.

• Catedral de San José - a magnificent church where you can visit the tombs of old church officials. It used to be bigger, but parts of it were converted into event venues.

• Arch de Santa Catalina - the iconic landmark of the city with a giant clock.

• Casa del Jade - the shop/museum, where you can discover your Maya spirit animal; in this shop, you can find the unique pieces of Jade that can only be found in Guatemala.

If you have a bit more time, I would recommend visiting the Cerro De La Cruz. It is a breathtaking lookout where you can see all of the city as well as the surrounding volcanoes.

Day 2 & Day 3: Hiking the Volcano

There are so many different places where you can find a volcano guide to hike the volcano. The entire experience was breathtaking and the highlight of my trip. Since it's a lot to describe, you can find my full recap here. I would not miss the volcano hike, though. If you have the physical capabilities to do so, it is the most exhilarating and rewarding experience I have ever encountered.

Day 4 & 5 & 6: Explore Lake Atitlan

After hiking the volcano, you will need to find some time to relax. The best way to do that is to head over to Lake Atitlan. You can get to Lake Atitlan by purchasing a ride with your hotel or by going on Viator or Guatego. It is much cheaper if you go through your hotel than sites like Viator or Guatego. If you are on a tighter budget, you can also do the chicken buses, which cannot be purchased in advance. I will say that these buses typically do not have air conditioning and can be quite packed and less comfortable. Chicken buses will cost around $5-6 USD.

An average cost for a ride shuttle (through your hotel) would be $16 USD per person or 125 Quetzals. The ride can take about 3-4 hours (depending on the traffic). I highly recommend leaving first thing in the morning if you can to avoid the rush hour traffic.

If you choose to stay in any other town other than Panajachejel, there will be more travel time. Most shuttles will only stop in Panajachejel, and you will have to take a bus or a boat to get to any of the other towns. Also, make sure you take sturdy luggage or bags, as all of the luggage will most likely be tied to the top of the bus.

There are so many different towns to explore. We decided to stay in Panajachejel as it is the central hub and would be easy to get a boat to and from the different towns. If you take a private boat, it will be 20 to 30 minutes to get to your destination, but if you take a shared boat, it can take up to two hours to go from port to port.

I would recommend purchasing the day you get to the dock, that way you know what you are purchasing. We purchased on Guatego, where we paid more, but it ended up just being a shared boat anyway. If you go to the tourist booth by the dock, you can get more information and purchase the right boat excursion for you. Most of the lanchas (boats) leave around 9 am, and the last boats are around 5 pm.

Here is a quick summary of the lake towns:

• Panajachel - the main hub where all the buses stop from Antigua or Guatemala City; It is a great place to begin. Some things to do: Reserva Natural Atitlan, paddle boarding through Guatesup.

• Santiago - According to the locals, the most authentic town where you can find a mix of tourist shops, Mayan languages, architecture, lake-side views, and mountains. Sites to see include: Asociacion Cojolya, Cofradia Maximon, Parque de Paz, and Playa Publica Chinim ya'.

• San Marcos - Aka the Hippie Town, this town is best known for hosting the best yoga retreats, meditation centers, Reiki, sound baths, etc.

• Santa Cruz - Known for being a quieter destination, this town offers kayaking, scuba diving, and traditional cobblestone streets. It also houses the most famous hotels: Casa del Mundo.

• San Pedro La Laguna - Known as the Israeli and backpacker destination, this town has ecclesitical mix of being a town of expats as well as offering Mayan traditions, and is also known for being the party destination of the lake towns.

• San Juan La Laguna - Known for being the cultural hub of the lake, where you can find endless art galleries, colorful murals, and weaving collectives. Some sites to see: Kaqasiiwaan viewpoint, La Calle de los Sombreros, Calle de las Artes.

• Santa Catalina Polopo - Known for its colorful, picturesque buildings and hot springs. It is a quieter town and a different vibe from most of the touristy towns on the lake.

Whichever lake town you choose, here are some quintessential things to do by the lake:

• Water activities: You can go paddleboarding, fishing, kayaking, etc. It is a great way to wind down after hiking for hours on end. If you want to swim in the lake, be prepared that some of it might not be the cleanest. It is up to you to risk it if you'd like.

• Visit a Women Weaving Collective: One of my highlights was being able to witness women take single cottons, put a natural dye on them, and create a textile full of colors and different patterns. These collectives offer job opportunities for single mothers or women with little education. It is a great way to give back to the community. Some of the clothes that you see in their studios have taken more than a month to make by hand.

• Discover some of the magnificent art studios: Visit some of the wonderful art studios along the lake and see how the colorful murals and paintings are created. If you love art, I would recommend visiting San Juan.

• Go hiking or see the lookouts above the lake: The most magnificent views of all the volcanoes can be seen from the lake. Some highlight lookouts: Rostro Maya (Indian Nose - San Pedro), Mirador del Lago Atitlan (lookout vista in Panachejel), and Kaqasiiwaan viewpoint (in San Juan).

• Pottery Studio - You can visit a pottery studio and see how they do their craft. The most famous of all studios along the lake would be Maya KE.

On your last day at the Lake, you can take a shuttle back over to Guatemala City for your last ring adventure to the ancient city of Tikal.

Day 7: Exploring Tikal

On your last day, you can take an early flight from Guatemala City to Flores. This flight is about an hour, and the time to get through the airport will be very short. Once you arrive at the airport, you can take a shuttle to Tikal, or you can do a guided tour. After seeing the park, I would recommend taking a guided tour. The park is so big, and it is quite easy to miss certain items. If you only have a day, I would definitely recommend doing a guided tour so you can ensure that you don't miss anything. Keep in mind that you can only climb three pyramids: Temple IV, Temple II, and the Giant Pyramid (in the Lost World). One of my biggest pet peeves is watching people destroy landmarks by climbing where they are not supposed to.

If your tour offers food in advance, I would recommend purchasing it. There is only one main restaurant. Because the tour groups include so many people, they typically do not have the capacity to take individual orders at the same time. When we went, it wasn't even that busy; it can be quite stressful since tour groups only give you 30 minutes to order and eat your food. Once you finish at the park, you can have dinner in Flores and explore the town before heading to the airport.