If you’re visiting Central America, you have to go to Guatemala. Full of volcanoes, rainforest, major cities, amazing people, and delicious food – Guatemala is beautiful and diverse. You can visit GuatemalaCity, the largest city in Central America. But just a few hours away live entire indigenous tribes. Antigua, a charming Spanish colonial town, was probably my favorite city in Central America. And the highlight of our time in Guatemala was hiking and sleeping on top of Acatenango Volcano while watching the nearby Fuego Volcano erupt!
We only spent six days in Guatemala, which was basically enough time for us to know we need to come back! So we are far from experts, but fortunately we had the help of Yves, founder of Omnium Travel Guatemala. He’s a local travel guide with over 25 years of experience! This list has some of our favorite experiences and some things that we will hopefully be back to see soon!
1. Acatenango Volcano Hike
Watching a volcano explode wasn’t something I ever even knew was possible to add to my bucket list. But after our experience of sleeping and camping on top of Acatenango Volcano, I am definitely retroactively adding it! Maybe it was the elevation or the tiredness from the hike, but this was one of the most amazing experiences we have ever had!
Close to the charming colonial town of Antigua sit Acatenango and Fuego Volcanoes. You can hike to the peak of Acatenango, where you can sleep and look down on the neighboring Fuego Volcano erupting. It’s hard to describe what it is like to see the lava and boulders catapulting their way out the volcano and to feel the chest-shaking boom of the eruption. (Too bad my photography skills can’t do it justice!) About every 30 minutes we saw some sort of eruption, and every 2-3 hours there was an eruption big enough to light up the entire volcano peak!
It was one of the coolest experiences we have ever had. But it definitely isn’t all roses. The hike isn’t a long one, but it is a steep one! The 13,000 foot elevation isn’t crazy high, but is something to be aware of. At the peak, when the sun goes down, the wind picks up and the temperature drops! We fortunately had great weather conditions and went with a great company – Tropicana Hostel – so we were able to stay fairly warm. The discomforts were definitely worth the experience!
*If you’re thinking of doing the Acatenango Volcano hike, read our full post!
2. Lake Atitlán
Combine Crater Lake in Oregon with Lake Tahoe in California/Nevada, sprinkle in some gigantic volcanoes and indigenous villages, and you have Lake Atitlán! This massive lake is more than 1,000 feet deep and formed inside a volcanic basin. With 12 quaint towns located around the lake, there is no end of things to experience. Our guide Yves of Omnium Travel Guatemala took us to this beautiful getaway!Â
The lake is breathtaking, but still maintains a more remote feel. You won’t find as many of the typical resorts or modern hotels that usually are located in beautiful tourist locations. Instead, there are smaller boutique hotels and local restaurants. It is easy to take a local water taxi from one village to the next. Just know that if it’s windy, you may be in for a bumpy ride! From textiles, to paintings, each town has its own unique style and is filled with local goods. There are even indigenous Mayan villages located around the lake. We only had enough time for a day trip, but we really wish that we had a few days to explore this incredibly beautiful area!
3. Antigua
Antigua was my favorite city that we visited in Central America. (It is not the same as the Caribbean country of Antigua and Barbuda.) Antigua, Guatemala is a quaint 16th century Spanish colonial city. For 300 years, this city served as one of the primary Spanish settlements in Latin America.
Nestled in a valley surrounded by magnificent volcanoes, every direction you look is an incredible view. About every 30 minutes, you can see smoke billowing from the active Fuego Volcano! In addition to its rich history, beautiful churches, and iconic Santa Catalina Archway, Antigua has no shortage of restaurants and boutique hotels. We loved going to the local market, eating street food, and seeing the historic churches.
With dozens of day trips from this beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site, Antigua is a popular travel destination for local Guatemalans, backpackers, and families. If you’re planning a trip to Central America, Antigua is definitely a must visit.
4. Guatemala City
Although Guatemala City isn’t the reason why most people visit the country, it is pretty cool to visit Central America’s largest city. We only had a day there, so we headed down to the main town square. From there, we saw the National Palace, Cathedral of Guatemala City and the National Library. We also enjoyed walking down the pedestrian street of 6th Avenue and looking at all of the shops and restaurants. There are so many other things to see and explore, but if you have limited time, this is a great place to start!
The following things we did not get the chance to do, but we hope we can visit Guatemala again someday soon and experience!
5. Tikal Ruins
Tikal is usually at the top of the list, but with only six days in Guatemala we weren’t able to make it to these historic ruins. Tikal was one of the biggest and most important ancient Mayan cities. Located in a remote part of the Guatemalan rainforest, everyone that we have talked to has said that Tikal is well worth the visit!
6. Semuc Champey
Semuc Champey is an area covered in beautiful blue natural pools of water. It’s located deep in the Guatemalan jungle. It’s a great way to get off the beaten path and experience more of Guatemala’s beautiful nature!
7. Chichicastenango Market
Chichicastenango Market is the largest market in Guatemala and is full of local vendors. It’s a great way to get to experience more of the local Guatemalan culture. Chichicastenango Market is typically open on Thursdays and Sundays.
8. Pacaya Volcano
Pacaya Volcano is close to Antigua and is a beautiful, fun day hike. (Really any of the 30+ Guatemalan volcanoes would be amazing to visit!) It’s still very much an active volcano, erupting as recently as the day I am writing this in March 2021! So at the moment it can’t be hiked, but when we were there, it could be – and we heard that this volcano is a great day trip from Antigua.
9. El Paredon
El Paredon is a little beach town that is popular with surfers. What it lacks in resorts, it makes up for in local charm! Even if El Paredon isn’t what you’re looking for, there are several other off-the-beaten path Pacific coast beach towns.
10. Ride a Chicken Bus
Of course, if you’re in Guatemala, take the opportunity to ride a Chicken Bus. These public transportation busses are popular all throughout Central America, but we missed our chance to ride one in Guatemala! There are so many other things to see, but this is a great start for our next trip!
How We Planned Our Trip
Our Guatemala trip would not have been the same without booking with Omnium Travel Guatemala. From history, transportation, bookings, and safety, it was incredible to have a local’s expert advice for all our travel needs. Yves, the founder of OTG has more than 25 years of experience in the travel industry and was truly knowledgeable about all things Guatemala. OTG has guides that are fluent in Spanish, English, French, Italian, and Dutch so the language barrier was not a problem!
All we had to do was tell Yves how long we had and the things that we liked to do, and Omnium Travel Guatemala crafted our perfect Guatemalan vacation! Their fleet of vehicles are brand new and it was amazing to be picked up from our room and not have to worry about bus times or directions. But the best thing about our experience with OTM was the peace of mind knowing that if plans changed or anything happened while we were in Guatemala, we had expert locals who were there to help!
*Click here to read more about our experience traveling with Omnium Travel Guatemala!
Where We Stayed
If you’re in Guatemala, be sure to stay in Antigua for at least part of your trip. We stayed at Selena Hostel Antigua. It has all of the benefits of a hostel: great people, a shared kitchen, communal areas, a coworking space, and great value. But the rooms feel more like a boutique hotel. The hostel’s staff was very friendly and helpful. It is conveniently located about a block away from the beautiful Santa Catalina Archway and is right next to dozens of amazing restaurants. The hostel even kept our luggage when we did the Acatenango overnight hike. Whether you are looking for a chance to meet some incredible fellow travelers or find a clean, quiet place to stay, Selena Hostel is a great choice.
Where We Ate
We spent most of our stay in Antigua, which is full of incredible restaurants. We didn’t necessarily have a must-try place, but we never had a bad experience either. Probably our favorite food was the street food from the market outside of the Church of La Merced. We also had some good shrimp tacos just down the street from the Santa Catalina Archway! (But then again we are always fans of shrimp tacos!) We read after we were there that there are some incredible volcano views from some rooftop bars too! You pretty much can’t go wrong in Antigua!
