8-Day Guatemala Highlights Tour with Tikal, Atitlán and Antigua

If you wish to be picked up from Belize instead of Mundo Maya International Airport (IATA: FRS), just outside Flores, let us know. We will make arrangements for you to join us.

Our tour starts in Flores, a small town located on an island.

Flores is best used as a base from which to make day trips.

Let's go on a walking tour around Flores.

Today we visit a natural park called Ixpanpajul as well as an archaeological site called Yaxha.

At Ixpanpajul, we first go walking on the skyway, also known as the hanging bridges.

We then go zip-lining.

At around noon, we are taken to Yaxha.

There, we are provided with a guided tour.

For those who upgrade, we make a day trip by helicopter to an archaeological site called El Mirador.

Although it contains striking examples of Pre-Classic Maya civilization, the remote location of El Mirador has prevented it from becoming a popular tourist site.

Get ready for a hike as we discover the area.

Lunch is included on today's tour.

Before flying from Flores through Guatemala City to reach Antigua, where we are based for the remainder of our trip, we make a day trip to Tikal.

It is one of the largest archaeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization, and one of the country's greatest tourist draws.

Lunch is included on today's tour.

Today we make a day trip to an active complex volcano called Pacaya.

It first erupted approximately 23,000 years ago.

Pacaya has erupted at least 23 times since the Spanish conquest of Guatemala.

It rises to an elevation of 2,552 meters (8,373 feet).

After being dormant for over 70 years, Pacaya began erupting vigorously in 1961 and has been erupting frequently since then.

Today we make a day trip to Lake Atitlán. The town of Panajachel serves as the gateway to this popular area.

First, we go on a guided tour of the surrounding villages, all located on Lake Atitlán.

Although the cultures of these villages are influenced by the Maya people, each has its own personality and distinctive indigenous style.

Our first stop is the village of San Marcos. There, we have some time to walk along a long street filled with shops and hippies alike. This street is San Marcos' main attraction.

Next, we are taken by boat to the village of San Juan. From this village's pier, we are taken by road to the base of La Nariz del Indio, also known as The Mayan Face. The 1-hour guided hike to the viewpoint is worth the effort. We have some time to relax while up there. We should be back at the base of the mountain around 12:30 pm. We then return to the dock in San Juan and have lunch.

Around 1:15 pm, we are taken by boat to the village of Santiago. There, we are provided with a guided tour. The greatest attraction in this village arguably is seeing traditional women washing clothes in the lake.

Next, we return by boat to Panajachel. There, we are provided with a guided walking tour, wandering the handful of streets filled with restaurants and tourists alike.

Afterwards, we head back to Antigua.

Paragliding over Lake Atitlán is not included in the tour price, but it is in high demand nonetheless.

There are two places near Lake Atitlán that offer this experience.

One is located above Santa Catarina Palopó, which can be reached via a 25-minute drive from Panajachel.

The other is located across the lake in the village of Santa Clara La Laguna, which can be reached via a 30-minute drive from San Pedro or San Marcos.

Which of these two locations would be available for you usually depends on the direction of the wind.

If you are interested in paragliding, then please let us know.

Note that most paragliding companies offer a GoPro camera for rent.

To save yourself some money, bring your own memory card.

Today we make a day trip to Chichicastenango, a town popular specifically for its Thursday and Sunday market.

Expect to see vendors selling traditional attire, masks, handicrafts, food, flowers, pottery, wooden boxes, condiments, medicinal plants, candles, pom and copal (traditional incense), cal (lime stones for preparing tortillas), pigs, and chickens.

Note that Day 6 may be switched with another day trip from Antigua in order for Chichicastenango to be visited on a Thursday or Sunday.

Surrounded by 3 enormous volcanoes and mountains, and otherwise famous for its well-preserved Spanish Baroque-influenced architecture as well as a number of colonial-era landmarks, this town is unarguably Guatemala's most beautiful.

Antigua was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.

We are provided with a full-day tour of Antigua, getting around in a private car.

Antigua is the final destination on our tour of Guatemala.

The capital of Guatemala, where the international airport is located, takes about an hour to reach by shuttle from Antigua.

A shuttle will be arranged for you to reach that airport.

Note that if you wish to spend another day in Antigua rather than go home today, then consider taking the 5-hour hike up Acatenango Volcano.

Watching lava burst out of the volcano in the middle of the night is jaw-dropping.

Tours leave from Antigua usually at 8:30 am and 11:00 pm.

The morning departure includes lunch and dinner as well as an overnight stay.

The late-night departure allows you to arrive at the viewpoint around 3:30 am, in time to see both the bursting lava as well as sunrise a couple of hours later.

If you are interested in this hike, we can make arrangements for you.

The best advice we can give you is to stay warm! It is really cold up there... but it is also an unforgettable experience.

There is one more thing to note.

Purely due to the difficulty in getting there, not included in our standard