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Guatemala '23
Looking for a unique adventure? Guatemala is an amazingly underrated country! Let’s get off-the-beaten path together in this less-explored but absolutely beautiful place! Rich culture, unforgettable landscapes and delicious food make this country a must-visit.
This is not your average cookie-cutter group tour! Ditch the big tour bus and Instagram hotspots and let’s go on a REAL adventure!
Travel education included! Throughout the trip, your trip leader will also be teaching essential travel skills to those of you that hope to backpack the world on your own some day! From water purification techniques to saving money and using public transportation, you’ll be ready to travel the world responsibly on a low-budget! From photography skills to fun Spanish mini-lessons, you’ll be ready to seek out authenticity and capture and seize the moment!
Read on for more info or fill out the form if you are ready or have any other questions!
Trip Profile
Duration
10 Days
price w/ flights
$2700
difficulty
medium
Max Altitude
13,045 ft
group size
6-10
Arrival
Guate City
Departure
GUATE CITY
accomodation
homestays
meals
B+d included
season
jun-aug
Interested?
Use the form below to get in touch and be added to the trip email list!
Interested?
Use the form below to get in touch and be added to the trip email list!
Trip Highlights
- Hiking to the top of the Acatenango Volcano at sunrise to watch nearby Volcano Fuego erupt.
- Kayaking, SUPing and cliff jumping in the volcanic crater lake Atitlán
- Exploring the ruins, food & cultural scene of Antigua
- Explore the artisan markets of Chichicastenango
- Meet local artists, coffee farmers and chocolatiers along the many villages on the shores of Lake Atitlán
- Free time to explore and let the authenticity come to you!
Overview
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What's Included
- All Flights included if flying from CVG! If not, mention so in the contact form and we will give you a custom price!
- Accommodations
- Basic Travel Insurance
- All breakfasts and dinners included. Lunches, alcoholic drinks, snacks and street foods are on you and can be very cheap if you want, or upscale if you want!
- All gear rentals like kayaks, SUPs, sleeping bags, etc.
Tentative Itinerary
- Once we land, we’ll drive to Antigua
- Check into our homestay
- Get some delicious food and get to know each other
- Learn some history through museums
- Wander the streets and visit a local market
- Hang out and acclimate for our volcano hike coming up
- More delicious coffee and foodie stops
- Walk to the town viewpoint to see our volcano from afar
- Meet with our volcano hike guide to discuss tomorrow
- Grocery/market shopping for snacks and any other supplies
- We’ll hike to our high camp on the volcano, taking our time, enjoying the views and eating lunch on the volcano.
- In the afternoon, we’ll start to catch our first views of the fuego volcano erupting into plumes of smoke.
- Set up camp and relax
- Drink some wine and local hot chocolate by the campfire
- Watch the natural fireworks show and feel the ground shake as Volcán Fuego erupts at night
- We will either be sleeping in tents or cots in a communal yurt tonight.
- We’ll wake up early to do our best to make the volcano summit by sunrise.
- Be blown away by 360 views of the sunrise and fuego eruptions.
- Choose to hike a lap around the summit crater or just catch your breath and relax.
- We’ll descend the whole volcano today, stopping again for lunch before driving back to Antigua.
- We’ll drive back to Antigua to collect the rest of our luggage and then travel to Lake Atitlán.
- Big meal tonight and probably an early bedtime!
- Enjoy our amazing homestay on the lake, swim and recover from the volcano hike
- Choose whether you want to come into town for some food market shopping or just chill
- Home-cooked dinner tonight as we enjoy our amazing homestay and watch the sunset over the lake
- Today will be spent taking the public ‘lancha’ boats to different villages along the lakes
- We’ll visit a weaver’s community, a painter’s co-op, a coffee farm and a local chocolatier!
- Don’t forget your camera as the street photography opportunities are endless!
- Today we visit one of the largest markets in all of Latin America.
- This is THE place for souvenirs and street food.
- We’ll wander the markets for the morning and grab some lunch in town
- Depending on flights, we may transport back to Guatemala City this evening or that may happen tomorrow morning.
- After a delicious breakfast, we’ll grab kayaks or SUPs and play around on the lake, jumping in whenever we want
- Next we’ll take a lancha boat to a popular cliff jumping area where there are different heights for everyone! If you don’t want to cliff jump, it is also a beautiful place to relax and swim.
- Quick hike to an amazing viewpoint
- Lunch in the ‘hippy village.’
- Transport all the way back to GUA to stay close to the airport for the night.
- Early flight home, arriving back in CVG in the evening.
Essential Information
Packlist
Vaccinations
Accommodation
Transportation
Food
Fitness
Travel insurance
Packlist
See the full packing list here: https://nostringstravel.com/guatemala-packlist/
Vaccinations
Please visit https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/guatemala
NST recommends Passport Health for travel vaccines.
Accommodation
We will be staying at various homestays throughout the trip and also a camping setting on the volcano in either a communal tent or shared 2 person tents. If you want your own tent, you’ll have to carry it instead of splitting half the weight with someone else. You are not promised your own private room. We will quickly become one big family and you will love it!
Transportation
We will be flying, taking group vans, taxis and public boats at different points throughout the trip.
Food
We’ll be eating local food while we are in Guatemala! If you are a vegetarian, gluten-free or any other dietary restriction, we can most likely accommodate you! Guatemala is really easy for most diets! Just make sure to let us know ahead of time!
You can expect some similarities with Mexican food in Guatemala, but often on the lighter, slightly healthier side. Rice, corn, beans, eggs, meat and tortillas are staples, but we’ll also have the opportunity to try more modern takes on some traditional dishes, including vegan versions in many places. Guatemalan dishes are often simple but extremely delicious and filling! Some of the best coffee and chocolate comes from Guatemala too and we will be sure to indulge!
Fitness
How hard is the hike?
Reaching the top of Volcano Acatenango is hard, both physically and mentally. Whether you are an experienced hiker or not, you are likely not used to the steep incline that we will be ascending. But every year, many inexperienced hikers make it to the top and have no regrets! It is a challenging that is absolutely worth it and is considered life-changing by many people!
The total elevation gain is 5,150 feet over less than 9 miles. We try to split that gain into two days, waking up early on day two to summit the volcano at sunrise, but depending on the weather forecast, it is possible that we will push all the way to the summit on Day one. The summit of Acatenango is about 13,050 feet high, so altitude sickness is possible. We will spend a few days in Antigua before in order to acclimate the best that we can. The temperatures also drop the higher that we climb, so camping overnight will be much colder, with overnight lows ranging from low-30s down to low-20s depending on our luck.
The final hour of the hike is the hardest, with the steep ground becoming less firm and turning into more of a loose gravel. It is strenuous, but again, so worth it!
It’s also important to recognize that for some, the way up is fine but the way down is much more strenuous. Everyone is different and we will take it as slowly as we need to. Just remember that after the hike, a beautiful lake swim awaits!
You do not need to be a professional hiker nor be extremely fit to hike Acatenango. A good base level of fitness is important, but every year people of all fitness levels make it to the top and will tell the story for the rest of their lives! Your guide is especially talented in keeping the mood light and sparking everyone’s enthusiasm to keep the group motivated. We will suffer together and become better because of it! We will take our time and take as many breaks as you need. Our group will quickly become one big family and we will do our absolute best to get you to the top!
Travel insurance
Small group travel insurance is included in your trip price. There is no extra cost to you. Exact details vary from trip to trip and you should contact your trip leader if you want to learn more!
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Interested?
Use the form below to get in touch and be added to the trip email list!
Interested?
Use the form below to get in touch and be added to the trip email list!