Volcano Pacaya (8370ft/2552m) may not be Guatemala’s highest peak, however its slopes and unique landscapes are certainly of some of the most impressive volcanic landscapes in all of Central America. Set in its own National Park, Pacaya is a storybook volcano with a continuous plume of smoke drifting from its summit and a massive dried lava field forming the valley at the base of its caldera.

Meet at 8AM at your lobby hotel your guide,  who will drive you for proximately 1.5 hours in private transport from Antigua to the park office. 

As our group moves up the myriad of trails on the mountain, Guatemala’s impressive vistas open up before us. As we reach the base of the caldera, our guide will direct the group through the rugged dried lava fields, recently reformed by a massive eruption in 2010. No matter what conditions we encounter on the mountain, our group will have the opportunity to traverse unique volcanic-rock landscapes as we ascend towards the peak. Here the group will stop for a freshly prepared picnic to enjoy along with views of nearby volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. There will be plenty of opportunity to explore geothermal hot-spots on the cooled lava formations – which are always available to help roast marshmallows!

Our hike down brings across the remaining dried lava fields before we begin our descent through Pacaya’s lush and lesser known forests and farmland. After our hike down to the trailhead, we will return to Antigua by private transport to arrive in town around 4-5PM.

Overnight: Antigua

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

In the morning you will meet your expert local historian guide to explore the beautiful city of Antigua. This former capital boasts an impressive catalog of colonial relics in a magnificent setting. Streetscapes of pastel facades unfold beneath three volcanoes. Many old religious and civic structures are beautifully renovated, while others retain tumbledown charm, with fragments strewn about park-like grounds. On this tour you will visit the City Hall Palace, Palace of the Captain’s General, the Cathedral with its majestic ruins, Maya archaeology through the spiritual stone of jade, and the best museums in town at Paseo de los Museos. 

After the tour you will have time to grab some lunch, relax, and enjoy Antigua a bit on your own. 

Then in the afternoon, you will be picked up to head to cooking class where you will have the chance to take home the rich culture of Guatemala by learning how to prepare the local fare. The class  starts at 3PM and runs for  aprox 3 hours depending on the group. 

Guatemalan cuisine is an exotic mixture of traditional colonial Spanish and indigenous Mayan cooking that is both delicious and fun to prepare. Your cooking class will be taught by our native Guatemalan chefs, natives of Sacatepequez who have specialized in the regional cuisine handed down from one generation to another. Outside of the main dish, you will also learn to prepare Guatemalan tortillas and a local dessert.  

At the end of the class, you will enjoy the meal with your chefs!

Overnight: Antigua

Meals included: Breakfast, Dinner

 This morning you will have a private transfer to Lake Atitlan, approximately 2.5 hours drive. Part of the morning will be spent on the Pan American Highway which is known as the part of a network of roads stretching from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to Ushuaia, Argentina. As you get closer Atitlan, keep an eye out for views from above the lake. 

Once you arrive to Panajachel, the main town on Lake Atitlan, you will start a village tour by boat to with our local guide. The lake consists of many smaller Mayan villages and your private boat tour will visit a few to give you a closer look into the local arts, traditions, and stories. Highlights include visiting a local women's weaving co-op, visiting a shrine of the infamous "Maximon" Mayan saint, and picturesque boat rides during the tour. 

Your guide will give you time during the tour to stop for lunch or you may prefer to wait and eat at the hotel in the afternoon. After wrapping up the tour, we will head to the beautiful lakeside hotel of Casa del Mundo. The rest of the afternoon is free for you to relax, enjoy a swim in the lake, and take in the views.

Overnight: Lake Atitlan
Meals included: Breakfast

After waking up to gorgeous views of the lake and its towering volcanoes, enjoy breakfast and then our guide will meet you for today's adventure. 

In the first part of the tour, our paddle takes us westward along the north shore of Atitlan for 1.5-2 hours, passing by tiny villages perched on the sides of the sheer ridges that rise up from the azure waters of the lake. Depending on weather – and speed of the kayak group - there are opportunities to stop for a dip and/or cliff-jump. We will eventually arrive to our destination between the villages of Tzununá and San Marcos La Laguna where we will trade our kayaks for our daypacks and hiking shoes. 

Climbing out of town on the lake trail which connects village to village, we’re treated to spectacular views of volcanoes San Pedro, Tolimán and Atitlán. We’ll pass through small villages as we follow the shoreline for approx 1.5 hours, eventually returning back to Jaibalito and Casa del Mundo. After a hearty and well-earned lunch at the hotel, you´ll have some minutes to rest and be ready to take the boat back to Panajachel and finally get the bus to return to Antigua to your hotel for tonight.

Overnight: Antigua

Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch

Today's tour gives you a great opportunity to explore the area surrounding Antigua on two wheels.

Your guide will stop by your hotel with a van loaded with the bikes to start the trip at 9 am , You will be able to try your bike and hear from our guide a quick safety explanation fo the tour before we start the ride.

Riding to the south, we will head out of Antigua and onto the base of Agua Volcano. On today's ride you will explore and experience the various towns and villages of the Almolonga Valley. Your guide will make plenty of stops along the way to show off the magnificent churches and Spanish colonial ruins. Other highlights of today's ride include:

• Escape Antigua for the day and tour the countryside by mountain bike
• See ruins one earthquake away from extinction
• Visit Lorenzo’s experimental macadamia farm at Valhalla – a sustainable agriculture project
• Explore the many local villages including San Antonio Aguas Calientes, famous for its textiles and weaving

We will return to Antigua around mid-day (varies a little for each group) and then your guide can recommend a great place for lunch. The rest of the day is yours to explore and enjoy the charming streets of Antigua. 

Overnight:  Antigua

Meals included: Breakfast 

Enjoy breakfast in Antigua (depending on your departure schedule) and then we will provide transport back to Guatemala City so you will be ready for your departure flight. We normally recommend arriving 3 hours prior to your flight, which means leaving Antigua 5 hours prior to your flight time to be extra safe.