Location: Guatemala City
Day 1 - 14 Apr 2021
Guatemala City Metropolitan Area
Content: Welcome to Guatemala! You’ll probably arrive into Guatemala by air, meaning you’ll be in Guatemala City. I wouldn’t recommend spending any time here, get in and get out!
Location: Antigua
Day 1 - 14 Apr 2021
Antigua Guatemala
Content: Instead make your way to the nearby city of Antigua. It’s a beautiful colonial city, full of bright and colourful buildings, cobbled streets and volcanoes!
Location: Antigua
Day 1 - 14 Apr 2021
Somos
Content: I’ve stayed in a lot of hostels, all around the world, and this one has to be one of my favourites! It was mainly to do with the people, but also the fact that it has a hot tub, bar and a kitchen with views of multiple volcanoes.
Location: Antigua Guatemala
Day 1 - 14 Apr 2021
Mirador del cerro de la Cruz
Content: Once you’ve settled into the hostel and grabbed something to eat (there’s a great little bakery, two doors down from the hostel where you can get some amazing pastries), head to a viewpoint of the city. The walk to the top takes around 20 minutes and has steps the whole way up. The view at the top is just incredible. You’ll see the whole of the city, plus the volcanoes in the background. Here you’ll realise what a magical place Antigua is!
Location: Antigua
Day 2 - 15 Apr 2021
Hobbitenango
Content: This place is based on The Hobbit, featuring Hobbit Houses and lots of little activities. To be honest, it’s a really random place but we had an amazing time. It’s set up in the hills of Antigua, so the views, if you don’t have clouds, are pretty amazing. There’s lots of things to do including a rope swing, archery, axe throwing, games like jenga and hammocks to chill in. You can easily spend the whole day here, just being a kid again! You’ll need to get an Uber up to Hobbitenango if you don’t have a car. Entrance is around £5.
Location: Antigua Guatemala
Day 2 - 15 Apr 2021
Santa rosa burger club
Content: After all of that fun, you’ll probably be quite hungry. A good place to find a very filling meal is Santa Rosa Burger Club! The burger was one of the best that I had during my time in Central America. The chips were also great.
Location: Antigua
Day 3 - 16 Apr 2021
Acatenango
Content: This is the reason why people come to Antigua, even Guatemala. It was the highlight of my whole 6 months travelling. Acetenango is a 4,000m high inactive volcano, but the star of the show is Fuego. Fuego is an active volcano that is constantly erupting, and it’s opposite Acetenango. It’s mesmerising watching a volcano erupt so close to you! The climb up is pretty hard as it’s quite steep and you’re at altitude which makes it slightly harder to breathe. I bought a walking stick for £1 and I think it was the best investment of my life! It took us 5 hours to get up to the campsite for the night. I booked the tour with Tropicana for £45 who provide a guide, transport and all of your meals during the hike. You sleep in tents opposite Fuego, which erupts all night long! It’s hard to get any sleep as you want to spend the whole night just watching it.
Location: Acatenango
Day 4 - 17 Apr 2021
Acatenango
Content: The next morning it’s up at 4am to complete the hike to the summit of the volcano. It takes around 45 minutes, just in time to watch the sunrise. From Acatenango you can see a number of other volcanoes, plus Fuego still erupting! It’s pretty chilly until the sun comes up, but oh wow the views are just spectacular! You’ll then return to camp for breakfast and begin your descent back down. This took us just 2 hours as we ended up running down it instead. Honestly this may be the most physically challenging thing that I’ve done, but it’s also one of the most memorable and incredible moments!
Location: Antigua Guatemala
Day 4 - 17 Apr 2021
McDonald's
Content: Okay McDonald’s may not be the healthiest of options but this is what motivated us all the way down. The thought of as much McDonald’s as we could eat. To make it a bit more justifiable as well, the McDonald’s in Antigua is rated one of the best in the world due to its view of the volcano and pretty outdoor garden. It was exactly what we needed!
Location: Lake Atitlan
Day 5 - 18 Apr 2021
Lake Atitlán
Content: Now that you’ve had some time to recover from climbing a volcano, I’d recommend moving on to Lake Atitlan. We got an Uber there as it was split between three of us and the same price as the shuttle, but shuttles are also available. Lake Atitlan is a stunning lake surrounded by volcanoes. It’s the perfect place to just relax or continue the fun with some more hiking!
Location: San Pedro La Laguna
Day 5 - 18 Apr 2021
Hotel AmiGos
Content: I would recommend basing yourself in San Pedro and visiting the other towns via water taxi. San Pedro has the most going on and the best places to eat. Here we stayed in Hostel Amigos which was pretty basic but it did the job. It has a lovely rooftop with gorgeous views across the lake and a great bunch of people.
Location: San Marcos La Laguna
Day 5 - 18 Apr 2021
Cerro Tzankujil (Nature Reserve)
Content: If you fancy jumping straight in (literally), then head to Cerro Tzankujil situated in San Marcos, another town on the lake. Here you can rent kayaks, go paddle boarding and jump off a 10m high cliff! Watch the video above to see what you’re getting yourself into! I promise it’s not as scary as it looks. The water taxi from San Pedro to San Marcos costs around £1.50 each way. You might be lucky like us and have some furry friends as company. The reserve is a nice place to just chill and enjoy the views for the rest of the day.
Samsara's Garden
Content: A great place to grab a late lunch or dinner is Samsara’s garden. It feels like a secluded jungle and offers delicious and healthy food! It’s also super affordable!
Location:
Day 5 - 18 Apr 2021
Lake Atitlán
Content: Lake Atitlan is the perfect place to spend a few days relaxing and pretty much doing nothing! When you’re ready to move on, head to either Semuc Champey or Flores to visit Tikal. Guatemala is a beautiful country that can take between 2-3 weeks to see the main spots.