This Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary will take you to three main areas: Antigua, Acatenango, and Lake Atitlan. The first part of this itinerary is filled with hiking and adventure, the second part is all about relaxation!
Guatemala is one of the most underrated country’s I’ve ever traveled to. They call it the poor man’s Costa Rica, but I call it the best kept secret in Central America. Here are my reasons: Flight prices and accommodations are cheap, beautiful landscapes, warm weather, apparent culture, delicious food, and perfect coffee.
Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary Agenda
- Best Time to Travel
- Flight
- Transportation
- Day 1-2 Antigua
- Accommodations
- Day 2-3 Acatenango
- Day 3-4 Antigua
- Accommodations
- Things To Do
- Day 4-8 Lake Atitlan
- Things to Do
- Affordable Luxury Rentals Lake Atitlan – Vacation Homes
- Accommodations
- Traditional Guatemala Cooked Meals
Best Time to Travel – Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary
Guatemala has a warm climate that is year round and the dry season is from November to April. We traveled this Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary in April 2019 over Easter, which is the end of the dry season. It was a little cloudy during the last 4 days on Lake Atitlan. Even during the rainy season it only rains for a few hours and then clears up.
Easter time in Guatemala is known as Semana Santa! Each region has their own events and it’s a really awesome thing to take a part in. I highly recommend traveling this Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary over this time. Just note accommodation and flight prices may be higher at this time.
Flight – Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary
Spirit offers very cheap flights from the US to Guatemala. We flew from Detroit to Guatemala with a 1 hour layover in Houston for $400. The flights were so cheap that we convinced 4 of our friends to come with us. The total travel time was about 6-7 hours from Detroit.
Transportation – Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary
Chicken Bus
Guatemala has one main public transportation option, the chicken bus. These are school buses from the US that Guatemala purchases and then doctors them up with bright paint and fun Guatemalan details! You will see them almost the minute you step outside the airport. The buses are plentiful and you can almost get a ride anywhere.
They are often packed with locals! Jump on one to get a feel for the culture and plus these rides will only cost you pennies!
Private Transfer
If it were just Faris and I we would take the chicken bus. Since there were 6 of us and all of our luggage we decided to go with a private transfer. We used a private transfer for all of our transportation on this 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary. We went through Guatemalan Adventure and got a big van with a driver.
We had the same driver for all of our trips and he was fantastic. He showed us some great view points and stopped at some local markets with us.
The cost came to $100 per person (6 people, $600 total) for all of the below rides. We also tipped the driver for each drive about $10-$15. This is quite expensive for Guatemala but we felt it was the safest, easiest option for a big group.
- GUA Airport, Guatemala City to Antigua – 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Antigua to Lake Atitlan – 2 hours, 40 minutes
- Lake Atitlan to Chichicastenango – 2 hours, 20 minutes
- Chichicastenango to Lake Atitlan – 2 hours, 20 minutes
- Lake Atitlan to GUA Airport, Guatemala City 3 hours
Day 1-2 Antigua
Antigua is a small city, surrounded by volcanoes, in the south. The city has quite some charm with it’s stone roads, Spanish Colonial buildings, and views of the volcanoes. Antigua has become a known spot for travelers so you will see backpackers and tourists. You will find boutique hostels, a large food scene, and trendy bars!
We actually traveled to Guatemala the week of Easter so we were fortunate enough to see the Semana Santa activities. During this time Antigua hosts large processions, food markets, and the city is decorated with art pieces!
Antigua Accommodations
We stayed with Barbara’s Boutique Hostel which is located right in the middle of Antigua. This hostel was perfect because they had a room for 6 people. They have large shared bathrooms which is great when traveling in a group.
Not to mention this hostel is beautiful and peaceful. We loved the roof top patio for sunset and drinks! They also serve up a mean breakfast and have free Guatemalan coffee all day!
Day 2-3 Acatenango Hike
Acatenango is a volcano located near Antigua. Many hiker’s from all over the world come to hike this volcano for the amazing views! We had to put this on our list because of the amount of positive reviews and the beautiful pictures!
We did a 2 day Acatenango hike with the tour company Wicho & Charlie’s. I wrote an entire blog on our experience, it includes all the details you will need to book your own tour. I linked Wicho & Charlie’s site and the blog above!
Now just a warning the Acatenango hike is an intermediate hike. It’s not easy so if you are not into hiking I do not recommend doing this. If you are debating it I highly recommend pushing yourself to do this. This is one of my top travel experiences I’ve ever had.
Day 3-4 Antigua
Once we returned from our Acatenango hike we were exhausted! We actually stayed at the same hostel as the first night, Barbara’s Boutique Hostel . It worked out perfectly because Barbara’s let us keep our bags in their storage room while we did the 2 Day Acatenango hike.
Since we were back in Antigua mid-afternoon we celebrated finishing our hike with a beer and then headed to Frida’s for giant margarita’s!
Things to Do in Antigua
We had about a day in a half in Antigua. Day 3 started off with the giant Margaritas and tacos at Frida’s.
Then we checked out the street food markets and got a ton of snacks. I loved the fresh guacamole tostadas they are so good!
We spent the next day and a half doing the following:
- Day 3 After Return from Acatenango
- Margaritas & Tacos at Frida’s
- Walked around town
- Checked out the street food markets
- Dinner at Por Que No’
- Ice Cream and Chocolate at ChocoMuseo
- Drinks at Cafe No Se
- Day 4 Morning
- Coffee Tour with De La Gente -> Must do!
- 1 PM Transfer to Lake Atitlan – 2 Hours, 40 Minutes
Day 4-8 Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan is a fresh water lake located in massive volcanic crater in Guatemala Southwestern Highlands. Lake Atitlan is known for Mayan villages, hiking trails, and incredible volcanic views.
The drive to Lake Atitlan is beautiful so make sure to keep a lookout! Once you are on the lake the easiest way to get anywhere is by boat.
Things to Do Lake Atitlan
There are plenty of things to do on Lake Atitlan. We were actually able to book all of our excursions through our accommodations including the boat tour and transfer to Chichicastenango. It’s relatively easy to find a transfer and a boat tour outside of your accommodations for a cheaper price so keep this in mind.
We decided to book with our accommodations because it was just easier with a group of 6 and there was no language barrier. You can read more about it in our Affordable Luxury Rentals Lake Atitlan – Vacation Homes Blog.
Lake Atitlan Activities
- Take a boat tour to neighboring towns: Santiago, San Pedro, and San Marcos.
- Take a tuk tuk tour and visit the markets in Santiago
- Grab lunch at Sababa in San Pedro
- Grab the best pistachio gelato at DolceGelato in San Marcos
- Take a transfer to Chichicastenango
- Visit the open air market – make sure to look up the open dates before you go
- Colorful Chichi Cemetery
- Hang by the pool & enjoy home cooked Guatemalan foods – booked through accommodations – see next section
Accommodations
Affordable Luxury Rentals Lake Atitlan – Vacation Homes
Guatemala Luxury Vacation Rental
We chose to take advantage of the cheap luxury housing on Lake Atitlan because we felt like we deserved it after climbing Acatenango!
The exchange rate between Guatemalan Quetzal and USD is quite favorable making Lake Atitlan Luxury Homes affordable! We stayed in a 5 bedroom, 5.5 bath mansion overlooking the lake and volcanoes with a pool for $65/night/person
Not to mention the luxury housing comes with concierge service, private cooks, and a long list of options for excursions and things to do! I loved it so much that I wrote a separate blog on the vacation rentals, Affordable Luxury Rentals Lake Atitlan – Vacation Homes .
Check it out for more luxury housing options, costs, locations, excursions, and private cook food menu including: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks!
Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this Ultimate 8 Day Guatemala Itinerary and it helps you plan your own trip! I really like the balance this itinerary offers.
You start off slow and enjoy the city of Antigua, challenge yourself in a difficult hike to Acatenango, and relax on the beautiful Lake Atitlan. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below and come say hi to us on social media!
IG: @LisaKisil
IG: @FarisAbraham
Wow, this trip looked amazing and you did a great job documenting it. You created wonderful memories to look back on too.
Allie of
http://www.allienyc.com
Thanks Allie, we appreciate it! Guatemala is definitely high on our list and we would love to go back 🙂