CHICKEN BUSES TOUR

Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala

Nd
33 reviews
Duration: 7 days
Group size: 1 - 999
CHICKEN BUSES TOUR
Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala

33 reviews

Duration: 7 days
Group size: 1 - 999

About this trip


CHICKEN BUSES & NIÑOS DE GUATEMALA SCHOOLS TOUR


Our tours make you experience the real Guatemala with 100% of profits going directly to Niños de Guatemala schools. Just by taking a tour, you are helping to support families in need in Guatemala!


Visit Ciudad Vieja and discover what everyday life looks like in Guatemala. With our guide you’ll catch a chicken bus, visit Niños de Guatemala schools  Nuestro Futuro and El Horizonte, and see two main industries of the town: A chicken bus factory and a coffin carpentry. While walking around Ciudad Vieja, our guide will tell you all about the city, its people and daily life here.


Ciudad Vieja


This tour begins with an exciting start -a ride on one of the colorful and chaotic chicken buses, an experience you cannot skip if you want to understand Guatemalan everyday life. After a short bus ride (15 - 20 min.) you will arrive in Ciudad Vieja, one of the former capitals of Guatemala. While walking towards your first stop and passing through the local market, your guide will tell you about this interesting place.


Local Workshops


After learning all about the school, you’ll visit workshops of the two principal industries here: Chicken buses and coffin carpentry. Chicken buses are a common form of transportation in Guatemala. These former U.S. school buses are repaired, modified and decorated locally to meet the needs of the Guatemalan bus companies. At the workshop, you’ll learn how the buses are transformed and the industry in general. Coffin carpentry is a prominent and important part of life in Ciudad Vieja. At the workshop, you will meet Don Cesar who owns a family coffin-making business. Here, you'll learn how the coffins are built and decorated according to Guatemalan tradition. Also, the guide will share with you more about the mayan beliefs, traditions and celebrations related to this part of life.


Niños de Guatemala Schools Nuestro Futuro and El Horizonte


In Ciudad Vieja, you will visit two schools of the NGO: Nuestro Futuro and El Horizonte. Nuestro Futuro is the first primary school of Niños de Guatemala, which opened its doors in 2009. Nearly 200 children, aged 4 to 12, who would otherwise not be able to go to school, attend Nuestro Futuro. You will get to see the school premises, meet the students and learn more about Niños de Guatemala, our programs and what education is like in Guatemala. After finishing primary school, some pupils of Nuestro Futuro and El Porvenir (a further primary school run by the NGO in the neighboring town) attend secondary school El Horizonte. After opening in 2015, the first class of El Horizonte graduated in November 2017. Here you will learn about additional programs of the organization and the future opportunities for our graduates.


After these fun and educational visits you will return to Antigua by chicken bus. A good way to observe all that you have just learned about these Guatemalan buses in real life!

Please make sure to wear closed-toed comfortable shoes and clothes suitable for a school environment (covered shoulders, shorts and skirts below the knee). Please be prepared to walk through Antigua and Ciudad Vieja. There is an uphill to reach the schools.


This tour takes 3.5 to 4 hours.


 

All reservations must be made and paid for at least 24 hours in advance and/or no later than 5pm the day before the tour.
Any change with less than 24 hours notice will be subject to availability.
You must send your proof of payment (Deposit slip, Transfer Screenshot or Platform confirmation email) to [email protected] to receive the confirmation email.
If there is a cancellation within 24 hours prior to the tour, no refunds of any kind will be processed.
If there is a cancellation more than 24 hours in advance, you may request a credit for future reservations or other services. No refunds will be processed for client cancellations.
No credit is processed for no shows.
We reserve the right to use any audiovisual material taken in any of its tourist activities for illustrative and/or promotional purposes.
We are not responsible for any damage or loss of personal belongings during the tour.
We do not accept cash payments

Policies for Groups

We recognize that changes happen during the planning of trips.
Once you have paid your “Package”, refunds can be made only if:
Cancellation notice is made 30 days prior to your scheduled
arrival date;
For any reason NDG needs to cancel your trip, all costs
including deposit will be refunded or applied to a rescheduled
trip.

You cannot be refunded if:
A cancellation is made less than 30 days before the scheduled
arrival date;

What’s included

  • Public Transport
    Chicken Bus
  • Local guide
    Bilingual English/Spanish
  • All entrance fees
    Chicken bus factory and coffin workshop
  • Refreshments
    Water, if you bring your own bottle

What’s not included

  • Sun and rain protection
    Please bring sunscreen/rain cover as necessary
  • Lunch
    Not included
  • Private Transport
    Available with an additional fee. Contact us to coordinate it!

Available Packages

Trip Price
$40
Deposit: $15

Your Organizer


Nd
Niños de Guatemala
33 reviews
social business tour operator offering off-the-beaten-path excursions with an impact. We offer unique and sustainable experiences in the areas surrounding Antigua and nationwide in Guatemala that give back to the communities we visit. we believe in creating a positive impact with everything we do. 100% net profit of all services booked with us is donated directly to Niños de Guatemala, an NGO providing education and empowerment to ~500 children who would otherwise not have access to it, to break the cycle of poverty and contribute to a better future for Guatemala. We offer unique and memorable experiences that collaborate with the communities we visit and support the local economy by partnering with local guides, providers, and artisans.

Reviews

Even if I stayed only one day, volunteering at Niños de Guatemala was a very enriching experience! I felt very welcomed and appreciated. My few hours were well balanced between information about the system and idea of the NGO and acting directly with one of the teachers in a class. I can only recommend volunteering there!
By Annalena G for Volunteer for a day on Mar 13, 2025
We loved our stay with Mirna and Fransisco! They are amazing and very kind people who welcome you with open arms. They live in a beautiful house together with their daughter, two dogs named Sasha and Kimmy and their parrot, Plancha. Sometimes their other children come by as well and everyone was very kind. Is was a really nice experience to practice our Spanish during the homestay and we learned a lot more on Guatemalan culture and we tried out a lot of Guatemalan typical foods, it was so delicious! I can recommend for everyone to stay here at least a week while volunteering, it is a very fun and open way to learn more about Guatemalan culture and food and to practice your Spanish :)
By Menno d for Menno & Chloé - 01 week Homestay on Mar 10, 2025
Staying with our host family and working with Ninos de Guatemala was an experience of a lifetime that I could not recommend enough. I have no idea how to express my appreciation for all that the program does for these kids. From the mission of the school, to working along side talented teachers that should have pride in their abilities, and finally heading back to a family that in such a short time, welcomed us into their home, I can not say thank you enough. I will forever be grateful for my short time in Antigua and Ciudad Vieja, and will make every attempt at returning.
By Mason B for MASON on Feb 16, 2025
This is our 2nd year at Niños De Guatemala. We not only volunteered at the school, but we felt so at home, we also sponsored two children at the school we volunteered at. From the teachers to the administration to the parents helping at the school, but most especially the children make you feel you are really doing some good in the world. The entire experience is extremely rewarding. We encourage anyone with a little time on your hands & love in your hearts to find out what the organization is all about & to experience what we did during our two times volunteering there. You will not be disappointed!! We are now planning our third trip back.
By Peter L for 1 month volunteer on Jan 22, 2025
It was great! The Spanish classes were a good help to improve my Spanish. Loved the home stay. Food was delicious, all the help given was fantastic. A great thanks to my hosts that have become new friends.
By Ines G for SPANISH & HOMESTAY PACKAGE 1 on Dec 19, 2024
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References

We went on the Worry Dolls tour, it was so good! We met in Antigua, got a chicken bus to a town where we went into Rosa’s house to make worry dolls, and then visited a school ran by the organisation. Our guide Andrea was fantastic! She explained everything really well and was very helpful too. Would recommend this tour to see the real Guatemala with the comfort of a guide!
By Molly K on 12 Aug, 2024