Guatemala is a mixture of amazing culture, jaw-dropping scenery, and endless outdoor activities. We absolutely fell in love with this country!
How to get there:
We booked a flight from Austin to Guatemala City. It was only 5 hours to get there. From Guatemala City, we booked private transportation to Antigua. After reading several hours of blogs, we decided to bypass Guatemala City and go direct to Antigua. While Guatemala City is known to be dangerous, Antigua had a pretty good reputation. We ended up traveling from G.C. to Antigua after dark, which wasn’t in the plan, but it worked out just fine. There was insane traffic getting there!
About the trip:
The main reason we decided to visit Guatemala was to hike Acatenago, which was amazing. We also decided to check out Lake Atitlan and Antigua and loved both!
Is it Safe ?
This question was huge for us when we were looking into Guatemala. Guatemala has a big reputation for being an unsafe country. Guatemala City has one of the worst crime rates in Central America as well. We did not have an issues with safety in the country. We made sure that we were not traveling late at night and hired local drivers when traveling throughout the country. Everyone we met was wonderful and friendly, from the bartenders to people recommending restaurants, to the locals we just ended up talking to.
Where to stay:
All of the hotels in Antigua were beautiful with lush gardens and wonderful colors. In Lake Atitlan, we stayed at an amazing bed and breakfast: Jenna’s place. Finally, for Acatenago, we booked huts through Wicho and Charie’s.
What to do:
Explore Antigua: WIth its mixture of colorful buildings and historical landmarks, Antigua is a city like no other. There are cobblestone streets, great restaurants, and amazing views. The Santa Catalina Arch is the famous yellow arch with a volcano in the background. There are also short hikes like the Cerro de La Cruz.
Hike Acatenago- This was one of our favorite hikes! We booked through Wicho and Charlie’s and can say, it was 100% worth it. . This was a two-day hike. On the first day, we hiked up to the base camp. The hike was through Guatemalan hills, cloud forests, and volcanic ash at the end. It was pretty tough, but there were huts at the base camp. This means that we didn’t have to pack all of our camping gear to the top. At the base camp, we waited for sunset watching the Fuego Volcano erupt. While the views in the daylight were nice, the volcano after dark was absolutely incredible! The next morning we hiked the summit for the sunrise which was also amazing.
Explore Lake Atitlan
This lake was incredible! It had great blue water surrounded by volcanoes and lush hills. The views were stunning! There were several lake towns to visit all with a different vibe, but the same incredible views. San Juan had an amazing art vibe, San Pedro was party vibes and great food, and Panajachel was the biggest town there (we are writing another post just about Lake Atitlan.)
We hope you get to fall in love with Guatemala as we did.
Until next time,
Dez and Jordan
