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11 Day itinerary in Guatemala, Central America & Caribbean

Guatemala must-sees

Make a journey along the classical must-sees of Guatemala in only 11 days! You travel from the mountainous highlands full of culture, through the region of cloud forests, caves and rivers, onto the north of Guatemala where you find dense jungle and ancient Mayan ruins. The last highlight is the subt... Read More

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PetraHenry

By Petra and Henry

Overview

Physical Difficulty

Light
help_outline

Recommended Age

Everyone

Operated in

English, Spanish

GUIDANCE

On Some Day Trips

starting point

Guatemala City

trip type

Private

trip attributes

Indigenous culture

Kayaking

Meet local people

Historic & cultural landmarks

Nature & Wildlife

Start

Night

End

Highlights

1

Explore the colonial town of Antigua and its history with an excellent guide

2

Take a boat ride with panoramic views on surrounding volcanoes and indigenous villages

3

Immerse in the jungle and explore the ancient Mayan culture at Tikal National Park

4

Go on adventure in Semuc Champey, and go swimming, tubing and caving!

Itinerary

Grand total expand_more

Day 1

place Arrival in Guatemala City - transfer to Lake Atitlan

Arrival at international airport La Aurora (Guatemala City). Right after arrival you are picked up personally, and you travel in a private vehicle to Panajachel, the main town on Lake Atitlan. Here you will stay for 1 night.

Accommodation:

  • Grand total: Hotel Dos Mundos
Day 2

place Lake Atitlan to Antigua

Time to explore the lake! Today you make a boat tour, the ultimate way to enjoy the stunning panoramic view of the lake. The boat with bilingual guide will take you along several indigenous villages around Lake Atitlan; for example San Juan la Laguna, Santiago Atitlan and San Pedro la Laguna. You return to Panajachel in the afternoon. There you take the 4:00pm transfer to Antigua, the famous colonial town. Here you spend 2 nights.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Day 3

place Antigua - relive colonial times

Meet your tour guide at your hotel for a private Cultural Walking Tour around this World Heritage Site. The tour focuses on the city’s history, cultural trends and restoration efforts. We visit the City Hall Palace, focus on the Royal Palace, visit San Jose Cathedral, and learn about Maya archeology at the Maya Jades Museum. Complete the tour at the best museums in town at Paseo de los Museos (Hotel Casa Santo Domingo). The tour takes 3 hours, and includes entrance fees, bilingual guide and a bottle of water. The afternoon is free to explore more of Antigua yourself. Antigua is a small town, and easy to navigate and do a self-guided tour along the many churches, convents and ruins. You could also visit a local coffee farm, jade museums, art galleries, the chocolate museum, or do souvenir shopping.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Day 4

place A travel day to the cloud forests

Today is a travel day, because you travel from Antigua to Lanquin. This trip takes about 8 hours in a collective shuttle van, and leads you to the very interior of Guatemala, in the area of lush cloud forests and green hills and mountains. Here you spend two nights at a great eco lodge, located on the side of the Cahabon river. You stay in a typical cabaña or room to your choice; breakfast is included.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Grand total: Hostal Oasis The Traveler
Day 5

place Adventure in Semuc Champey

Today the tour that you came here for; from the lodge you depart for National Park Semuc Champey. This is formed by what is known as a natural land bridge 500 meters long which forms the backbone of a series of descending turkoize pools and small waterfalls that make up Semuc Champey. We take you on a full-day tour, starting with a visit to the Kan-Ba caves. This cave complex is flooded by water, and with a guide you will swim, climb and slide through the caves, with only candle in your hand (this activity can be optional). After that you visit Semuc Champey itself, where you can hike to the lookout point, and take a swim in the stunning turquoise colored pools. Finally, you tube down the river to relax from this day. Lots of fun and adventure!

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Grand total: Hostal Oasis The Traveler
Day 6

place Onwards to Flores

Today you travel to Flores, the colorful peninsula in the Peten Itzá lake. The ride in collective shuttle van takes about 8 hours. The bus is not allowed on the small island, but it´s easy to find a taxi or tuk tuk to your accommodations. In Flores you stay at a comfortable hotel on the boulevard, with a restaurant, swimming pool and great lakeviews.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Grand total: Hotel Casona de La Isla
Day 7

place Tikal National Park

Get ready to visit one of the highlights of Guatemala! Tikal National Park is on the program for today. It is a 45-minute drive from Flores to Tikal, and in Tikal you have a guided tour through this immense park of Mayan ruins. The bilingual guide will walk you along the many ruins, temples and complexes from the ancient Mayan culture, and tell you everything about the impressive history. Entrance fees are included, as well as the lunch in the park. In the afternoon the van returns you to the hotel in Flores.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation:

  • Grand total: Hotel Casona de La Isla
Day 8

place Travel by bus to Rio Dulce

After an early breakfast you take a taxi to the busstation, where you take the first class bus to Rio Dulce, about 4 hours south from Flores. Rio Dulce is both the name of the village and the river, which leads to the Caribbean Sea. You spend 2 nights at a unique eco-lodge, situated on the banks of the river in the mangroves, in a cute cabaña with bathroom and A/C, breakfast is included. The rest of the day is free to enjoy the hotel, the pool and the leisure activities the hotel offers (nature trails, lookout point, kayaking, etc). The hotel has a restaurant and swimming pool.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Grand total: Tijax Jungle Lodge
Day 9

place A lovely day on the water

Rio Dulce is known for its wildlife and canyons, which is a must-see you can´t miss! After breakfast your private boat picks you up at the hotel dock. During the tour you see a bird island, the San Felipe Castle, hot springs, local fishermen and many birds such as pelicans. In Livingston, there is a quick stop. Then you continue to Playa Blanca, the only white-sand beach of Guatemala, where you can swim, relax and have lunch with fresh fish! On the return you can also visit Siete Altares, which is a natural area of beautiful small waterfalls that you can wade through, to find a big waterfall at the end to jump off! After this, the boat returns you to the hotel in Rio Dulce.

Guide: Included for the day

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Grand total: Tijax Jungle Lodge
Day 10

place Return to Guatemala City

After the nice weather in Rio Dulce you travel back to Guatemala City. The hotel boat brings you to the mainland again, where you take a short walk to the busstation. You take the 9:30am first class bus to Guatemala City (tickets included). At the bussstation in Guatemala City you are picked up by our taxi driver, who brings you safely to your hotel in the business district.

Meals: Breakfast

Accommodation:

  • Grand total: Hotel Las Américas
Day 11

place Airport transfer

The hotel will take care of your courtesy transfer to the airport, for your flight back home. Hasta pronto Guatemala!

Meals: Breakfast

What’s Included

Accommodation expand_less

  • Hotel Dos Mundos
  • Hostal Oasis The Traveler
  • Hotel Casona de La Isla
  • Tijax Jungle Lodge
  • Hotel Las Américas

Meals expand_less

  • Breakfast (10)
  • Lunch (1)

Transport expand_less

  • Private transportation in minivan with driver (door-to-door)
  • Collective tourist shuttle (door-to-door)
  • First class bus (assigned seats)

Activities expand_less

  • Collective full-day boat tour to indigenous villages on Lake Atitlan, including local guide
  • Collective city tour with English-speaking guide, entrance fees and bottle of water
  • Collective full-day day tour to Semuc Champey, including transportation. local guide and entrance
  • Collective full-day tour to Tikal National Park, including transfer, entrance, English guide, lunch
  • Private full-day boat tour including local guide

Extras expand_less

  • Full service by your local expert with 24/7 assistance on location,
  • Digital preparation packet before departure
  • Physical travel packet with documents, vouchers, maps and tickets, delivered at the first hotel
  • Accommodation based on double rooms with private bathroom
  • All breakfasts during the established hours

Not Included expand_less

  • International flights, travel insurance
  • Other meals, drinks and snacks.
  • Taxi´s / tuk tuk between busstop and hotel in Flores
  • Entrance fees during the Rio Dulce boat tour (depending where you want to stop)
  • Personal expenses, tips
  • Costs related to Covid-19 measurements (e.g. testing before the trip and before returning)
  • Additional tours or activities, to be booked locally by your own preference

About Petra

TEAM LEAD

+1 Local experts

verified Baboo Certified

star_outline 5 (8 reviews)

Expertise: 

Kayaking

Hiking

Snorkeling/Diving

Visit markets

Meet local people

Rural home stays

Indigenous culture

Historic & cultural landmarks

Purposeful Travel

Nature & Wildlife

I have a tourism education background from the Netherlands. In Guatemala I worked in tourism, and then started my own business in 2012. I have been organizing trips for traveling and volunteering ever since, and I love showing Guatemala´s beauty!

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