Arrive in Guatemala City. Most flights from the U.S. will connect and arrive at La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City (GUA) late in the day. For those arriving on March 11, Tania Salazar (Whats App +502 3182 6534) will provide transportation between the airport and AC Hotel (Marriott) Guatemala City in Zone 16. 

There is free Wi-Fi in the airport. Tania has your contact information and will greet you with a sign outside of baggage claim. Tania will join us for much of our week in Guatemala. 

The AC Hotel is located in the Paseo Cayalá neighborhood, a new model of open and economically resilient development in a city of gated development. There are shops, restaurants, residences, and civic buildings that seek to revive the architectural identity of the region. Is it a utopian enclave or a testament to inequality? Read this New York Times article, and explore and discuss.

Should you arrive early, enjoy exploring the city on your own. You may want to enjoy one of Guatemala City's outstanding museums, and there is much to explore in Paseo Cayalá. If you wish to explore elsewhere in Guatemala City, we recommend staying within Zones 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, and 16 (our hotel). Uber is safe and convenient. There is a bank ATM near the hotel in Cayalá.

Don't miss the outstanding view from the hotel's rooftop lounge. It's a great place to gather for a drink or meal on your own upon arrival. 

Our trip will officially begin the next morning.

Welcome to Guatemala's capital. Awake well-rested at the AC Hotel (Marriott) Guatemala City and savor a cup of locally-grown coffee and complimentary breakfast.

This morning we explore Guatemala City. Much of our exploration will be on foot, so be sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring sun protection and water bottle (water will be available to refill).

At 8:00am, we meet our hosts Astrid Celada and Judith Bautista in the lobby. Check out of your room and bring your luggage, which will accompany us in our private vehicle. Marcos will be our driver for the week.

We visit the "Mapa en relieve" for overall context to Guatemalan topography. We continue to Zone 1, the historical heart of the city. Highlights include the Plaza de la Constitución, Central Market and the beautiful Metropolitan Cathedral with its 10 stone columns etched with the names of thousands of victims of Guatemala’s civil war. 

We explore the civic center with government institutions like the city hall, Palace of Justice, and Bank of Guatemala. We also walk the Avenida Reforma, considered the developed part of the city.

We meet for a casual lunch at Los Tres Tiempos, enjoying typical hearty Guatemalan cuisine and a view of the city.

After lunch, we transport as a group 150 km (100 miles, about three hours) west to Panajachel on the north shore of Lake Atitlán in the Guatemalan Highlands. We check in at lakeside Hotel Atitlan, our base for the next few days, enjoying the sunset over dinner at the hotel at 7:00pm prior to our exciting day ahead.

We awake in Panajachel, taking in the sunrise views of the San Pedro, Tolimán and Atitlán volcanoes. Enjoy breakfast at the hotel. 

Bring a small daypack including a jacket for warmth and rain—we are heading to the highlands for a day with Rise Up leaders. For background reading, here's a collection of Rise Up's Guatemala leaders & stories. 

This short Rise Up documentary previews our day.

At 8:30am, we depart for a two-hour drive through Guatemala's Western Highlands to the second-largest city, Quetzaltenango (known as Xela, pronounced shay-la). It was here that Spanish conquistador Pedro de Alvarado killed and defeated Tecun Uman, one of the last leaders of the Mayan K’Iche’ people and now the official national hero of Guatemala. 

At Parque Central, we meet Juany Garcia Perez, Rise Up's Country Coordinator who was part of Rise Up's inaugural cohort in 2009. The park is the city's cultural epicenter with manicured trees and walkways surrounded by colonial and neoclassical structures on all sides with volcanos as the backdrop. Juany walks us through the historic center, municipal buildings, and local craft centers, and we visit the Municipal Office of Childhood & Adolescence.

We transport to a local restaurant and are welcomed by about 20 leaders of the Red Departamental Las Niñas Lideran (LNL), who live in the municipalities of Quetzaltenango, Cantel, and Esperanza. We get to know each other via a favorite icebreaker activity. With Denise and Astrid as translators, we learn more about their work. Topics might include girls' physical and mental health (article) and how leaders have creatively used technology to launch a violence-prevention campaign. 

We end our time together enjoying a casual lunch with Rise Up leaders, learning more about life in the Highlands.

Following a full, inspiring day in Xela, we say farewell and transport back to Hotel Atitlan. We have a bit of time to relax before meeting for dinner at 6:00pm at nearby Migoya's restaurant.

Today, we explore the beautiful surroundings of Lake Atitlán, the deepest lake in Central America, surrounded by three cone-shaped volcanoes. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring sun protection and water bottle (and room in your backpack for potential purchases).

After breakfast at the hotel, we meet Astrid and our boat driver at 8:00am at our hotel dock. Via private boat, we discover the way of life of the local people in villages such as San Juan La Laguna and Santa Cruz.

Our first stop is San Juan La Laguna, where we hike to an overlook with jaw-dropping views of the lake towns. We visit a women's weaving cooperative, learning firsthand how cotton is produced in the region, and how natural ancient techniques produce the vibrant colors we find in clothing, wall hangings, and accessories. Read more about Mayan weavers' fight to retain their art form.

We visit an organic coffee farm El Tata Cafe. Coffee has been produced in Guatemala since the 1850s and remains the country's second-largest export after sugar. The coffee sector employs more than 125,000 Guatemalan families, including many women. Finally, stop for an introduction to Guatemala's native bees. Walking through town, stop to buy a locally woven poncho, art or cacao treat.

We transport via boat to the village of Santa Cruz, taking a tuk-tuk from the boat dock up to the Centro de Capacitacion (Center for Training) trade school commonly referred to as CECAP. Run by Amigos de Santa Cruz , we tour the computer lab, craftsman workshops and culinary kitchens and learn how education and economic empowerment have transformed the lives of the indigenous people of Santa Cruz and surrounding villages.

From their Cafe Sabor Cruceno rooftop cafe, we enjoy exceptional local cuisine (try pepián, the national dish of Guatemala) while enjoying unparalleled views of Lake Atitlán.

We return to Hotel Atitlan. Spend the rest of the afternoon at the lakeside pool, or walk down the road and enjoy the trails, butterflies or zip lines at the Atitlan Nature Reserve.

We meet in the hotel lobby at 6:30pm to tuk-tuk to Amaranto restaurant. With everything from curries to wood-fired oven pizza to craft beer and cocktails, it's a casual way to spend our last night in Panajachel.

Following an early breakfast at the hotel, we say farewell to Panajachel and transport by private vehicle on a 60 km (40 mile) drive to Chimaltenango.

This short video recognizes the story and legacy of Veronica Buch, who passed away in a tragic accident in 2023. Veronica was part of Rise Up’s first cohort in Guatemala in 2009 and tirelessly worked to mobilize girls, women, and allies towards creating a more equitable country for girls and women–including successfully advocating to ban child marriage in Guatemala.

Daughter Melody Juárez Buch follows in her mother’s footsteps. We meet Melody, several Rise Up girl leaders, and Juany in San Andrés Itzapa, a town of 40,000 people and an Eastern municipality of Chimaltenango. We visit the September 15 School, providing insight into Guatemalan education. We are welcomed by community leaders at the Municipal Hall. With the assistance of Denise and Astrid as translators, we learn more about the lives of girls and women in the municipality and the importance of advocacy.

We make a short drive and are welcomed by about 15 local leaders of Red Las Niñas Lideran (LNL) at the headquarters they share with Maya Pedal, a local NGO that transforms used bicycles into pedal-powered machines that become water pumps, grain mills, coffee bean de-pulpers, and electricity generators. 

We get to know each other over lunch, and Melody and her peers share their experiences as a network. They explain the alliance between LNL and the use of bicimaquinas (pedal-powered machines) and lead us on a tour of the Maya Pedal facilities.

At about 3:00pm, we say farewell. We continue our drive to Antigua and check into Good Hotel Antigua, a former private mansion repurposed into a chic contemporary hotel in 2017. Good Hotel is a social business--focused on local sourcing and sustainability, job training, and reinvesting profits into education via Niños de Guatemala.

We reconvene for dinner at 6:30pm at Fermento. Per the invitation of Michelle Swenson, we will be joined by special guest, Anne Kraemer, an anthropologist and the CEO and co-founder of Maya Health Alliance | Wuqu’ Kawoq. Founded in 2007, Maya Health unites language, culture, and science to transform the health of Maya people in rural Guatemala. After our week with Rise Up leaders, we will have much to talk about.

While our day concludes with a walk back to the hotel, you may continue to enjoy a Friday night out in Antigua.

Today is about exploring Guatemala's former capital city. Get lost, explore shops, try chocolate and coffee. Antigua is a UNESCO's World Heritage Site, with colonial architecture and bursts of color organized on a nicely navigable grid system. 

For those who wish to join, Jodi will lead an optional short hike up Cerro de la Cruz where we are rewarded with amazing views of the city and the surrounding volcano landscape. Afterward, we stop at Casa Santo Domingo, the site of a former convent almost destroyed by an earthquake in 1773. 

From here, explore the city on your own. Choose to explore one of several Casa Santo Domingo on-property museums—for silver, chocolate, clay work, church relics and crypts, and architecture. Take a photo in front of the famed Santa Catalina Arch. Need a map and ideas? Click here. Looking for some traditional souvenirs? Click here.

Lunch will be on your own today.

We reconvene for dinner at 6:00pm to enjoy a sunset dinner on the rooftop of Patio de la Primera and compare notes from our day. While our day concludes with a walk back to the hotel, feel free to continue to enjoy a Saturday night out in Antigua!

Following breakfast at hotel, we gear up for an exciting feat—a climb of the Volcano of Pacaya. Be sure to wear sturdy shoes and bring your hat, sun/rain protection and water bottle.

We leave our hotel at 8:00am for a one hour+ drive to the start of our hike. We're joined by our local female guides Tania and Ruby and SHE-CAN scholar Marielos Jimenez.

With an elevation gain of 1500 feet, Pacaya is one of the most accessible and popular volcanoes in Guatemala. For those who prefer, horses and walking sticks are available for you to purchase. Expect our hike up to last about two hours, with some group bonding, funny moments, and Instagram-worthy photo moments in honor of Rise Up. Our reward at the top? Pizza Pacaya and s'mores!

We drive back to town for a shower and a well-deserved rest. But don't miss the chance to enjoy the celebration of Easter season in Guatemala! Today one of the most emblematic processions through Antigua's cobblestone streets (read more).

At 6:00pm, we meet as a group at Welten restaurant. Welten means "world" in German; founder Monika Grave was eager to train Guatemalan women, and their current female chef team of 10 work in pairs across culinary specialties.

We take time to share our respective learnings from the week. It's the perfect way to end and consider our future travel experiences.

We awake for our last morning in Antigua. Enjoy breakfast on your own. Our trip officially ends this morning.

Participants may choose to extend their stay in Antigua, continue their travel within Guatemala, or return to the U.S. Given the variety of travel plans, airport transfer will be on your own. 

La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City (GUA) is located about 40 km (25 miles) from Antigua. Transport can be arranged via the Hotel or Uber or with Tania Salazar (Whats App +502 3182 6534). While travel time is generally 45-60 minutes, we recommend you allow extra time.