Guatemala 2023
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Daily Itinerary

Day 1: Tuesday December 26: Arrival in ‘The Land of Eternal Spring’

Our Guatemalan adventure begins with a relaxing evening in La Antigua Guatemala, the original capital of Spanish Central America. We’ll take a little stroll along the cobblestones then enjoy a delightful welcome dinner.

From La Aurora, the Guatemala City Airport, it’s about a 45-minute ride to La Antigua. We will arrange to have you picked up and taken straight to our hotel.

Hotel: Hotel Boutique Los Pasos
Meals: D

Day 2: Wednesday December 27: ‘The most beautiful lake in the world.’

In the morning, we’ll make the two-hour trip from La Antigua to beautiful Lake Atitlan. Ringed by volcanoes and picturesque Maya villages, Alexander von Humboldt, the great German naturalist and explorer, called Atitlan ‘the most beautiful lake in the world.’ In the afternoon, we will explore the lake by boat, visiting Maya villages like Santiago Atitlan and San Juan La Laguna. Perhaps we’ll leave an offering to Maximón, the drunken, cigar smoking, devilish local Maya saint.

Hotel: Hotel Atitlan
Meals: B,D

Day 3: Thursday December 28: Market Day in Chichicastenango

Thursday is market day in the K’iche Maya town of Chichicastenango. The Chichicastenango market is the greatest handcraft market in the New World. We’ll explore the flower market on the church stairs, the vegetable market, and the swine market. We’ll also visit the Santo Tomas church, where the Maya Popol Vuh was recorded, and the cemetery, where we may find Maya shamans performing services for the dead. Then we’ll return to our hotel on the lake to relax and enjoy the sunset.

Hotel: Hotel Atitlan
Meals: B

Day 4: Friday December 29: Maya Villages around Lake Atitlan

Solola, a Kaqchickel Maya town overlooking the lake, is one of the few places where both men and women wear their traditional traje (clothing). Tradition, and the general absence of tourists, make the Solola market an amazing cultural experience. Friday is market day in Solola, so we’ll spend part of the morning exploring its colorful, traditional market. Later, we’ll travel back down to La Antigua, our home through the New Year’s weekend.

Hotel: El Convento Boutique
Meals: B

Day 5: Saturday December 30. La Antigua Guatemala, a ‘colonial jewel’

UNESCO calls La Antigua, a World Heritage site, a ‘colonial jewel.’ The enchanting colonial town is nestled in a valley loomed over by the Agua volcano and the smoldering Fuego volcano. La Antigua is the home of magnificent colonial churches, convents, and arcades, sometimes in ruins, great food, and a bustling marketplace. Rick and Valerie will take everyone for a brief tour to introduce this town they love so much.

Hotel: El Convento Boutique
Meals: B,D

Day 6: Sunday, December 31

New Year’s Eve in La Antigua is an unforgettable experience filled with traditional dance and fireworks. We will search out the best experiences across the day and the evening.

Hotel: El Convento Boutique
Meals: B,D

Day 7: Monday, January 1, 2024

A free day to enjoy wonderful La Antigua whatever way you choose. Antigua is enchanting. You might walk the town’s cobblestone streets, exploring its colonial architecture and the ruins of 16th century cathedrals destroyed by earthquakes. Maybe you’ll choose to shop La Antigua’s many shops and its bustling marketplace. Or perhaps you’d rather just find a rooftop where you can sit, eat, and drink tasty things, and watch for ash plumes from the Fuego volcano.

Hotel: El Convento Boutique
Meals: B

Day 8: Tuesday, January 2: To the Peten

We’ll take the short flight to Flores, the beautiful colonial island town in the middle of lake Peten Itza. Then we’ll continue on to the Maya Biosphere Reserve and spend the afternoon exploring Uaxactun, a fascinating Maya site seldom visited by tourists, on the way to our rendezvous with Tikal.

Hotel: Jungle Lodge
Meals: B,D

Day 9: Wednesday, January 3: Tikal

With the Tikal Pyramids towering above the rainforest canopy, Tikal is considered the greatest of all Classic Maya cities. The Maya Biosphere Reserve is also home to exotic species, including howler monkeys, spider monkeys, coatis, ocellated turkeys, and toucans.

We’ll get up early (4am!) and climb Temple IV, Tikal’s tallest pyramid, to watch the sunrise over the rainforest. Then we’ll spend the morning exploring Tikal’s pyramids and palaces. After an afternoon siesta, we may return to the acropolis for sunset and enjoy the sights and sounds of the forest coming back to life. Featured as the rebel base in the original ‘Star Wars,’ Tikal was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979.

Hotel: Jungle Lodge
Meals: B

Day 10: Thursday, January 4: Flores, Lake Peten Itza, and La Antigua

We’ll take the morning to wander the colorful streets and enjoy the lake views of Flores and Lake Peten Itza. Then we’ll fly back to La Antigua for one last precious evening and a delicious farewell dinner.

Hotel: Hotel Boutique Los Pasos
Meals: B,D

Day 11: Friday, January 5:

We’ll bid farewell to this incredible country.

Meals: B

Photos courtesy Piers Cañadas, Rick Paine