Guatemala Itinerary: A Two Week Adventure

Guatemala, one of Central America’s most colorful gems. This Guatemala itinerary will have you exploring through a romantic Spanish colonial town, paddling the deepest lake in Central America, swimming in turquoise waters and exploring ancient Mayan civilizations.

Our time in Guatemala was definitely full of some truly amazing moments.

We begin our time in Guatemala in one of the most beautiful and romantic towns and continued our journey until we reached ancient Mayan civilizations.

We spent two weeks traveling through Guatemala and because of the lack of infrastructure between destinations I think this is the appropriate amount of time to spend in this country.

This post is covers the ultimate Guatemala Itinerary: A Two Week Adventure.

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GUATEMALA FUN FACTS

Official Language: Spanish
Currency: Guatemalan Quetzal
Population: 18.8 Million
Capital City: Guatemala City
Major International Airport: La Aurora International Airport
Best Time to Visit: November-April
There are 21 indigenous Mayan communities each boasting their own language.
Guatemalans invented the first ever chocolate bar.
Coffee is Guatemalas biggest export business.
There are more than 30 volcanoes in Guatemala.
Old American school buses live their second lives as ‘chicken buses’.
Guatemala’s Lake Atitlan is the deepest lake in Central America.

Guatemala Itinerary

After landing at Guatemala City Airport (La Aurora International Airport) it will take roughly 40 mins to an hour to reach the town of Antigua.

I recommend pre-booking transfer through your hotel. This should run you about 350Q ($45USD) for up to two people. I think this is the best way to get to your hotel after a long day of travel. Airport taxis run around the same cost and a shared shuttle from GuateGo is around 155Q ($20USD) per person, so if you are not traveling solo it makes sense to pre-book a private transfer.

Our first stop on this itinerary is.

Antigua

Welcome to Antigua a Unesco World Heritage Site. Antigua is a beautiful candy colored cobble stoned town surrounded by volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. These volcanoes can be seen and admired while roaming the streets or sipping a cocktail from a rooftop bar or restaurant.

Antigua showcases Spanish colonial architecture perfectly. We also loved how extremely walkable it is.

I recommend a 4 night stay including an overnight hike to Acatenango.

THINGS TO DO IN ANTIGUA:

Take a free Walking Tour
People watch at Parque Central
Snap a picture of the famous Arco de Santa Catalina
Visit the museums at Casa Santo Domingo
Cerro de la Cruz Viewpoint
Visit Caoba Farms
Shop for Artisan Goods
Visit the Mercado
Acatenango Overnight Hike
Take a day trip to Chichicastenango Market “the biggest outdoor market in Central America”

WHERE TO DINE IN ANTIGUA:

Frida’s
Antigua Brewing Company
Caoba Organic Farms
Glacy Cream
Don Palatero
La Casa de las Sopas
Rincón Antigüeño
El Gran Cafe

Lake Atitlan

This beautiful high-altitude lake, once nominated as one of the seven wonders of the world, is surrounded by volcanoes and dotted with small, colorful towns. Home to primarily Indigenous communities and Central America’s deepest lake.

I recommend a 4 night stay.

It will take roughly 2.5 to 3 hours to get from Antigua to Lake Atitlan. Shared shuttle service can be arranged through your hostel, hotel or travel agency. This usually cost around 150Q ($20USD) or a private transfer will run you around 950Q ($125USD ) for up to 4 people.

Towns in Lake Atitlan to considered staying:

Panajachel-The largest and most popular tourist hub with lots of shops, cafes and restaurants.

San Pedro-Budget friendly and backpacker haven.

San Marcos-This tiny village is known as the hippie town of Lake Atitlan.

Santa Cruz-The steepest village in Lake Atitlan with a traditional vibe.

Jaibalito-The hidden gem of Lake Atitlan.

We stayed at La Fortuna on our first visit and I can not express how much we love this place. It was AMAZING! Our villa, the food, the location, it was all just so perfect. Highly highly recommend.

On our most recent visit we stayed at Balam Ya Villas in Santa Catarina Palopo and this was also such a great stay. The service was exceptional! We absolutely loved how they cooked breakfast for us in our villa and even came to cook dinner, it was delicious! Plus the views from the villas are jaw dropping.

THINGS TO DO IN LAKE ATITLAN:

Explore the towns around Lake Atitlan
Hike Indian Nose
Mirador San Juan
Cerro Tjankujil Nature Reserve
Paraglide over Lake Atitlan
Sunrise Stand Up Paddle Boarding or Kayaking
Tour Trama Textiles
Homestay with a local
Learn about chocolate making at Liccor Marron Chocolate
Sweat it out in a traditional Temazcal
Take a coffee tour at La Voz Que Clama en el Desierto
Cool off and take a swim

tip: Before cooling off and taking a swim near your hotel, make sure to ask your host. Parts of the lake are not recommend to swim in.

Semuc Champey

Semuc Champey, hidden in the lush mountainous jungle offers a long natural forming limestone bridge with cascading turquoise pools. Beneath it lies Cahabon River which disappears under the limestone bridge only to reappear miles later.

Although it’s a bit of a mission to get to, we absolutely think it’s worth it .

Take a shared shuttle service from From Lake Atitlan to the town of Lanquin. It will take approximately 8 hours to get to Lanquin. It’s a very long day. Lanquin is the closet town to Semuc Champey. Cost from Lake Atitlan to Lanquin should cost around 300Q-375Q ($50 USD).

Make sure to arrange transportation from Lanquin to your hotel beforehand. If you are staying in Semuc Champey it will take an additional 40 minutes to get to your hotel.

I recommend a 3 night stay

THINGS TO DO IN SEMUC CHAMPEY:

Swim in the natural limestone pools
Hike to Semuc Champey viewpoint “El Mirador”
Visit KanBa Cave “Candlelight Cave”
Rope swing
Grab a beer and enjoy River Tubing

Semuc Champey Admission Fee: 50Q ($6USD)

KanBa Cave Admission Fee: 70Q ($9USD)

tip: I don’t recommend a tour for visiting the pools and mirador. It’s very easy to do by yourself. This way you can decide to make use of your own time as you please. You will need a guide for KanBa Cave, a guide can be acquired at the entrance of the cave.

tip: It takes so long to get to Semuc Champey that I do not recommend a stay of any less than 3 nights. It’s going to take almost a full day from Lake Aititlan to get to Semuc Champey.

Flores

The small and quiet island of Flores is used as the gateway for exploring most of the archaeological Mayan parks around the area. The island of Flores is connected to the mainland by a short causeway and is surrounded by the third biggest lake in Guatemala, Lake Peten Itza.

I recommend 3 night stay

Another long travel day awaits. It should take roughly 6 hours to get from Semuc Champey to Flores. A shared shuttle service from Lanquin to Flores cost around 250Q ($30USD).

THINGS TO DO IN FLORES:

Sunrise Tour of Tikal National Park
Have a cocktail at one of Flores’s rooftop bars
Sunset Tour of Yaxha National Park
Relaxing Day At Jorge’s Rope Swing
Beach day at Playa El Chechenal
Hike to Mirador Rey Canek
Rent a kayak and explore Lake Peten Itzal

Tikal National Park Admission Fee: 150Q ($20USD)

Tikal National Park Admission Fee for Sunrise: 250Q ($32USD)

Yaxha National Park Admission Fee: 80Q ($10USD)

WHERE TO DINE IN FLORES:

Maracuya
Cool Beans
Restaurant y Pupuseria Sabor Salvadorinia (W4H5+VXW, Flores, Guatemala)
Sky Bar for Drinks

If it’s time to head home or to another destination, I suggest flying out of Mundo Maya International Airport near Flores.

TIPS FOR GUATEMALA

Don’t drink or brush your teeth with tap water.
Be very careful where you eat, food poisoning is super common.
Always carry cash for tuk tuks, street vendors and shuttle services.
Roads are very windy so bring dramamine if you’re susceptible to car sickness.
Pack snacks and a bit of entertainment for those long shuttle ride days.

That wraps up this post a Guatemala Itinerary: A Two Week Adventure.

BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE:

travel resources

Here you can find all the travel site links that we personally use and recommend.

ACCOMMODATION: We find the best deals with BOOKING.COM. The more you book the better the perks like free breakfast with your stay, room upgrades and even higher discounted room rates.

CAR RENTALS: We have always used RentalCars.com and find them to have the best deals, customer service and selection of locations.

FLIGHTS: Our go too for booking flights has always been SKYSCANNER. We always find the best prices on this site.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: GET YOUR GUIDE and VIATOR are two very reputable sites with easy and hassle free bookings.

TRAVEL INSURANCE: It’s so important to travel with insurance and for this we use World Nomads or Safety Wing.

Guatemala Itinerary: A Two Week Adventure

Guatemala Itinerary