Suggested itineraries for Guatemala

Don’t feel like researching all the possibilities yourself? No problem. I obviously have many ideas what would be absolutely must-do’s and must-sees on your trip to Guatemala. Wanna go for a ride?

Where to start?

Alright, this mainly depends how you arrive in the country. Most usual options are:

- By air in Guatemala City: take a shuttle van from there to Antigua
- By minivan from Playa El Tunco or San Salvador (both in El Salvador): you will probably also arrive in Antigua
- By minivan from San Cristobal de las Casas: head for Panajachel or Xela. My advice would be to go for Xela. It’s a good base to get used to the height, and has lots of hiking options. It is also what I did 🙂

Where should I definitely go?

Antigua should be on everyone’s list. A beautiful colonial town at the foot of a dormant volcano. Great to walk around, enjoy the cafes and restaurants and museums for 1-2 days. Add another day if you want to go for a hike here.

Xela is visited by many just for one night, as a starting point for the three-day trek to Lake Atitlan. Though that is absolutely a must-do, you can also enjoy the laidback city for a couple of days more. And if you want to do more trekking, you can expand your stay as long as you want. Tajumulco (at 4.222 metres the highest point in Central America) is a two-day hike (with an overnight stay). Santa Maria volcano, located at the edge of the city, is a strenuous one-day hike up to 3.712 metres.

Panajachel and/or San Pedro la Laguna: San Pedro is where the hike to Lake Atitlan ends. It’s a small, relative lively village with a lot of expats enjoying the slow life. Same can be said of Panajachel, on the other side of the lake. Ideal for 1-2 nights of relaxing and recovering.

What more options are there?

Many, of course, but it depends on how much time you have and which means of transport. Semuc Champey is quite touristy, also of course because these cascaded waterfalls are stunningly beautiful. The site is hard to reach by public transport, it will take you a day from Guatemala City. By rental car is obviously much quicker.

Livingstone is a bit further away and popular for the one-day jungle river boat tour from Rio Dulce. A good alternative is to go to Copan and its (yes, even more) Mayan ruins.

The Mayan ruins of Tikal are of course probably the most famous spot of Guatemala. I haven’t visited this place myself yet, as it is up north in the jungle. This place is easiest to visit when you are coming from Belize. From all other tourist destinations in the country there are tours as well though.

So what about the capital?

Proceed with caution. This sprawling capital (don’t underestimate its size, this metropolis has 2.5 million inhabitants and counting) was definitely not on my must-see list, but it does have some nice districts where the vibe especially during daylight and early evenings is quite good. If you plan on spending some more time in the country, staying 1-2 nights in Guatemala City might not be a bad idea after all.

Location	7 day trip	14 day trip	21 day trip
Xela	1 day sightseeing 3 days trek to Atitlan	1 day sightseeing 1 day trek to Santa Maria 3 days trek to Atitlan	3 days of sightseeing 1 day trek to Santa Maria 1 day trek to Tajumulco
San Pedro or Panajachel	1 day rest	1 day rest	2 days rest
Antigua	2 days sightseeing	2 days sightseeing	2 days sightseeing 1 day hike Acanetango 1 party night
Semuc Champey	–	1 day travel 1 day excursion	1 day travel 1 day excursion
Livingstone	–	–	1 day travel 1 day excursion
Tikal	–	1 day travel to 1 day excursion 1 day back	1 day travel to 1 day excursion 1 day travel back
Guatemala City	–	–	2 days
Arrival / departure	1	1	1