Start your first full day in La Antigua with a walking tour of the city. We will begin with a brisk walk up to Cerro de la Cruz, giving us a stunning panoramic view of the city, surrounding towns, and the three volcanoes that tower over us - Agua, Fuego, and Acatenango. From there, we will return to the town center and continue our journey on the cobblestone roads of La Antigua. We will cover a bit of the history of the city, stop in the most iconic plazas and also point out some of our favorite neighborhood haunts for food, drinks, and music.

Enjoy a delicious traditional meal at Chermol, one of our favorite garden restaurants in town that is known for its Guatemalan/Argentinian fusion menu and a great selection of craft beers. We highly recommend their empanadas, grilled shrimp and choripan! After lunch, you can enjoy some free time to rest or explore independently.

Interactive Artisan Workshop: Jade

Get your hands dirty as you make a souvenir to take home with you at the end of your trip. We will head to Xilbaba Joyas, a unique jade shop founded and run by Guatemalan female entrepreneurs. Here we will learn about jade and its historical, cultural and economic significance before working on our very own piece of jewelry to take home!

We will walk together to dinner at Angie Angie for our group dinner, one of our favorite places for pizza, pasta, tapas and live music by the fire! After dinner, we will take a stroll around Central Park Plaza before heading back to the hotel.

Enjoy a tour of some of the most picturesque towns surrounding La Antigua Guatemala. We start at San Juan del Obispo, visiting one of the first Catholic churches built in Guatemala along with the adjoined convent. Much of the original structure of the church and convent still remain after centuries of renovations. Our next stop is a home-based winery where you will get to taste and buy some artisan wine from the region, with their specialty being the loquat wine. Close by we will try another San Juan specialty, artisan chocolate from the region at our friend Brenda’s place. This small chocolate factory has been the family’s business for four generations! From there we will make brief stops in two more nearby towns, San Pedro las Huertas to see the famous “pila” and Ciudad Vieja to visit a chicken bus factory, before arriving at Cerveceria 14 to enjoy an early lunch (included) and epic views from this independent local brewery.

After free time to freshen up we'll be heading to the airport for our domestic flight to Flores as we begin our journey to the eastern side of Guatemala!

We'll take a ride to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City to catch a short 1 hour flight to the town of Flores, Petén. Please be packed and ready to go by 2:30 pm to catch our flight as we begin our three-day/three-night journey to the eastern side of Guatemala. Our journey will take us to lakes, rivers, and the Caribbean, as well as the jungles of Tikal National Park to marvel at the Maya ruins. 

What to bring for the 3-night excursion:

● Hiking boots or sport sneakers

● Backpack

● Light rain jacket

● Swimsuit

● Sunblock

● Water jug (water refills will be available)

● Small flashlight (optional but recommended)

● Mosquito repellent

● Earplugs

● Binoculars (optional)

● Camera

● Breathable clothes since it can be hotter and humid on this side of the country

Around 7:00 pm, We will arrive in Flores to relax at our hotel with a beautiful view of Lago Petén Itzá! From there we will have dinner (not included) and enjoy this lazy island town in the middle of the lake. We recommend that you get a good night’s sleep for an early morning rise to enter the jungle of Tikal.

After breakfast, we will hit the road to make the 1-hour journey to the National Park of Tikal where our guide, Oliverio, a local from Peten with over 20 years of experience, will be waiting for us. On a good day, we will be able to appreciate all different kinds of wildlife such as spider monkeys, howler monkeys, orange-breasted falcons, woodpeckers, parrots, and much more. We will visit various temples, as well as the Central Acropolis, the Window Palace, and the Lost World. After exploring the park, there will be an opportunity for ziplining which costs approximately $50 extra. 

After finishing our tour in Tikal National Park, we will head back to the small village of

El Remate for lunch with a view at Casa Don David’s. After lunch, we will begin our approximate 4-hour long journey to Rio Dulce, where we will be spending the night and leisurely enjoying some downtime.

We should be in Río Dulce by 7:00 pm at the latest and will head to our hotel where we will be staying in private bungalows suspended over water along the river. Here we can enjoy the pool, as well as delicious dinner and drinks.

Our day begins with a delicious breakfast before boarding our private boat for a day on the river and ultimately onto the Atlantic!

We will board our private boat once again to explore Río Dulce and the town of Livingston. Our first stop is Castillo San Felipe, an ancient castle that once served as a fortress to protect the land from pirate invasions. Next, we will continue on to the Island of the Birds and then take a dip in the hot springs before the river meets the Caribbean Sea, giving us a view of neighboring Belize. We will then enjoy a late lunch (not included) in the small Caribbean town of Livingston. This is the only part of Guatemala that you find a strong presence and influence of the Afro Guatemalan culture which is made up almost entirely of people who identify as Garifuna. The food here is unique and delicious, loaded with seafood and rich with distinct Caribbean flavors and the town is known for its African drumming.

Upon finishing our visit to Livingston we will return by boat to our boutique, riverside, hotel. Arriving back at the docks of our hotel, everyone will have time to relax and enjoy a leisurely evening at the hotel. (Dinner not included)

We will board our private shuttle in the town of Río Dulce and make our way back to La Antigua. We will stop throughout our journey for bathroom breaks and to eat lunch (not included) on the road.

We should arrive in La Antigua no later than 4:00 pm, at which point we will return to our hotel to get settled in. Everyone's free to enjoy the afternoon and evening exploring the city as they please. Feel free to ask for recommendations!

7:00 pm: Guatemala Street Food Tour (included)

Meet in the hotel reception at 7:00 pm to begin our tour as we enjoy some of the Antigua area’s best street food in three of the surrounding towns!

Breakfast is served between 7:00 and 10:00 and then the day is free to explore La Antigua at your leisure. We are more than happy to assist you in setting up any activities or procuring anything you might want or need. Just let us know! For those interested in a structured activity on this day, we would be happy to coordinate a coffee farm tour with our dear friend Don José for just $30 a person, which includes a traditional lunch prepared by Don Jose’s wife or another member of his family. This tour can be done in the morning from 9:00 am - 1:00 pm or in the afternoon from 1:00 - 5:00 pm.

We will meet at the hotel entrance to board our private shuttle for a 1-hour drive to the nearby farming town of Tecpán. Around 10:00 or 10:30 am we will arrive in Tecpán for a bathroom break and the opportunity to purchase a beverage or small snack. Here, we can also spend some time looking at the artisan crafts. After departing Tecpán we will continue driving to the famous Lake Atitlán.

We will arrive to Lake Atitlán and take a short boat ride to San Juan La Laguna. Here we will spend the day learning about the crafts and traditions of the Tzutujil people. This mellow lakeside town has escaped the commercialization of its neighboring town and has built an impressive and successful cultural/experiential tourism micro-economy that does not rely on Western influence or heavy investments from foreigners. You’ll see this when we tour their cooperatives to learn about agriculture, weaving, textiles, chocolate making and more. In short, the people of San Juan are pioneers of community-based cultural tourism in the country. We will spend the entire day and night in San Juan exploring, eating and interacting with individuals from the community who have graciously opened up the doors to their home for you. Lunch and dinner are provided and meals are a great time to interact with your host family!

After breakfast with our host families, we will wave goodbye and return to our boat. We will spend the morning and early afternoon stopping at some neighboring towns, including San Pedro La Laguna to check out the art scene there and Santiago Atitlán to visit their market, church and Maximón shrine. Later in the afternoon, we will arrive at our hotel. From here, you can visit the local nature reserve, rent a kayak, explore the nearby town of Panajachel and much more! Just let your tour leader know what you’re interested in doing and we can arrange it for you!