Perfect 10 Day Itinerary in Guatemala

Welcome to Guatemala. This is the perfect destination for those who enjoy being outdoors and taking in beautiful scenery. Known for its incredible volcano hiking in Antigua, the unique Mayan villages that are around the serene Lake Atitlan, the clear blue waters of Semuc Champey, and the ancient ruins of Tikal. This 10-day itinerary has it all.

Basics

Currency: Quetzals
Language: Spanish
Plugs: Type A and B. 120V and 60Hz.
Safety: Beware of ATMS. Local guide warned me to not take the chicken bus because of the muggings that happen on them. Personally, I did experience mild forms of sexual harassment in Guatemala. Just be warned. This is also just my personal experience. I was touched without my permission several times. Even so I am happy I went and enjoyed this very beautiful country.
Tip 1: You may want to bring motion sickness medicine with you if you are going to be riding the shuttles to different locations around the country. The roads are very curvy and a lot of them are high altitude.
Tip 2: I booked all of my shuttles through the hostels I was staying at.

Day 1: Antigua

Take a shuttle from the Guatemala City airport to your hotel in Antigua. It is around an hour drive.
Take a night food tour around the different small towns that are surrounding Antigua. Enjoy local street food favorites such as gringas, shucos, and hot chocolate.

The tour I took is down below:

Street Food Evening Tour in Antigua provided by Cuscun | Guatemala (tripadvisor.com)

Day 2: Antigua

Morning Pacaya Volcano Hike. This is one of the active volcanos located here in Guatemala. The hike to the top is around an hour, but if you are unable to make it to the top or hiking is not your thing they offer horse rides at around 20 USD. The views are worth it once you are at the top and the best part is the opportunity to roast marshmallows from the heat that is produced from the lava underneath the ground. There are also 2 guys that make pizzas up there.

The tour I went with is linked below:

Pacaya Volcano Tour | Antigua, Guatemala (tripadvisor.com)

If you are looking for a harder hike, there are overnight tours that go to the top of Volcano Acatenango. Many people state that this is the most challenging, but best hike they have ever been on. From the top of Volcano Acatenango you can watch the neighboring volcano Fuego erupt often throughout the night .

Free Walking Tour of the City. Learn all about this rich colonial city including the Santa Catalina Arch. Guruwalk is a reliable site to use when looking for free walking tours.
GuruWalk – The best free tours around the world

Free Salsa Class and Live Music. This is always a way to end the night in a spectacular way. Go dance with the locals after taking the class.

Here is my salsa’s instructor website. His whatsapp number is listed on it. Just message him and see where he will be doing classes the days you are in Antigua.

Home (salsaconfrank.wixsite.com)

Day 3: Antigua

ATV Tour of the Mountains This includes a small tour of a chocolate factory, hobbitenango, and beautiful views. You also have the choice to pick from 3 different locations in which you would like to eat. I enjoyed this tour because you actually have a decent length in time in which you are riding.

Tour is down below:

Antigua ATV Mountain Adventure | Guatemala (tripadvisor.com)

Explore the local shops

Day 4: Shuttle from Antigua to Lake Atitlan

The shuttle ride is around 3 hours.
There are several places to stay at around Lake Atitlan. I chose to stay in Santa Cruz for my first 2 nights and Panajechel on my last night. Santa Cruz is known for the most beautiful views on the lake because of the 2 volcanos spotted from the village.

Day 5: Explore San Juan and Tinte Maya Class

TinteMaya is ran by local Mayan women who are wanting to share their intricate craft with the world. I did 2 workshops here. The first one was a dye class. I learned about the local plants, their medicinal purposes, and the colors that they create for the dyes. The second class I took up the loom and weaved a scarf under careful direction. I do not know much Spanish, but the women knew just enough English to help make the tour educational. This is one of my personal favorite experiences in Guatemala.

Plant used to make yellow dye

Cutting up a banana tree to help pigment stay

Weaving my scarf

This village is super colorful and known for the beautiful designs and local clothes.

Day 6: Explore San Marcos, San Pedro, and Panajechel

San Marcos is known as the hippie village. There are many workshops here. Some involve learning new yoga poses, while others teach you about chakras and how to improve your mental health. I done some thrift shopping here and met some brilliant locals that invited me to light up with them. I politely declined.
San Marcos has a magnificent cliff jumping spot that is quite popular.

San Pedro is known as the backpackers hub and has a ton of bars and restaurants to enjoy.
Panajechel is the biggest village on the lake. It is the only one that has a reliable ATM. It has a local market and is also rumored to be the village with the lowest prices on souvenirs.

Day 7: Shuttle to Semuc Champey

This shuttle is around 10 hours. I stayed in the town of Lanquin which is close by Semuc Champey.

Day 8: Semuc Champey

You can choose to make your way here yourself or to take a tour.
With a tour, you start at the wet caves. You are only provided with a candle and then told to follow your guide in. It is completely dark and you have to face many obstacles while trying to make sure your candle does not flicker out. You will need to be able to maneuver up and down a sketchy ladder, hold on to your guide and go underneath a cascading waterfall, and lastly maneuver your body to go down a dark hole into the water down below. The only direction you receive is to swim left. You will have no clue how deep it is. I absolutely adored this exhilarating experience even though it can be risky.
Afterwards, you will go tubing down the river for around 15-20 minutes. Little kids will try to sell you cheap beer at the start of it. Then you will walk to a waterfall and can cliff jump if that’s your thing.
I booked my tour through my hostel.

There is also a swing that you can use to jump into the river.
Afterwards, is the main event. You have a few hours to enjoy Semuc Champey as you choose. You can take the hour hike up to enjoy the viewpoint. I suggest doing the hike if you are able because it shows you the full spectrum of these pools in the middle of the jungle. It looks like paradise. Once you get done hiking go cool off in the turquoise clear waters while little fish come up and nibble at your feet.

Day 9: Shuttle to Flores

Another long shuttle ride. It is around 8 hours. The destination is totally worth it though.

Day 10: Tikal

Take a guided tour to see what this ancient city has to offer. Climb up a few of the pyramids and enjoy the views of the immense jungle while howler monkey sounds ring through the air. This city once hosted 60,000 people.
Take the next day to head back home.