Ask Jaunted: Guatemala In A Week

November 28, 2007 at 9:15 AM | by ced138 | Comments (2)

Occasionally, readers tell us about their tentative travel plans, and we use our past experience and obsession with travel to help them make the most of their trips. If your guidebook could talk, this is what it'd say. Return the favor by letting us know how you fare!

Today's Question from Jesse:
My girlfriend and I are heading to Guatemala on Christmas. I'm seeking advice on what sort of itinerary I should tentatively create. We are flying into Guatemala City and are relying on public transportation. We don't want to overestimate on what we plan to see. My girlfriend is interested in Mayan relics and I am a wildlife seeker. What sort of a compromise is there to meet our individual needs in our limited time frame?

Our Resident Guatemala Expert Claire Tackles This One:
I traveled to Guatemala and Belize for 11 days in March. I wish I had tempered my zeal to see as much as possible with the realization that chicken buses take longer than you can possibly imagine to wind through the mountains. (And it was only a half an inch on the map!) Assuming you plan to spend eight days or so in Guatemala and based on your interests, I suggest you visit Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Tikal.

Take the two-hour shuttle ride out of Guatemala City to Antigua. There, be sure to watch the sunset at the rooftop Sky Cafe and spend at least one afternoon climbing Pacaya Volcano.

From the Antigua bus stop, head west to Lake Atitlan, surrounded by smoking volcanoes and indigenous towns. I stayed in San Pedro, where the gringo population outnumbers the locals. For a more authentic experience, take the boat from Panajachel, the main port, to other villages dotting the sunken volcano. Santiago has a popular music scene and local Mayans praying to a statue of Maximon, the saint who loves to drink and smoke.

From Atitlan, head north to the Mayan ruins of Tikal. If possible, I recommend flying there and back to Guatemala City--otherwise you'll lose two full days to travel. Take a morning tour, watch the sunrise from the temples and listen to the hoots of the waking howler monkeys.

Yep, that's just about the best week I can imagine--and the one I would plan for myself if I could find time to step away from my keyboard for five minutes. Have fun!

Related Stories:
· Guatemala Field Trip [Jaunted]
· Guatemala Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Comments (2)

Return to » Ask Jaunted: Guatemala In A Week

Just got back from 1 week in Guatemala (My fifth time there), and here is my suggestion. Take a shared shuttle from GUA to Antigua (About $10/person). Skip Guatemala City all together. Spend some time in Antigua, it is a beautiful city. After a day or two, take a shuttle to Panajachel, Lake Atitlan. There are many small towns around the lake that are great to visit. San Pedro La Laguna, San Marcos, etc are all fun and deserve a day or two of your time. Boats can take you anywhere you want around the lake, and I would highly recommend exploring the area. The people are beyond nice and the experience is one of a kind.

If you really want to see it all, especially the Mayan ruins, go to Tikal. This is a bit out of the way though, and you will be traveling a lot of your trip rather than relaxing. Another suggestion would be to do Tikal on another trip, and visit ChiChi one day to go to the market.

For public transportation, Chicken Buses work, but shared shuttle is usually more enjoyable and not that expensive.

My final comment would be focus on the word you used "tentative". Just go and see where the wind takes you. There will be tons of english speaking travelers there around Christmas, and you can get good ideas from talking to people in the hostels/hotels as well as on the shuttles.

One thing that is pretty consistent in Guatemala is that every trip is an adventure, full of surprises. I think it is the most beautiful place in the world and I hope your trip is very memorable.

The overnight bus from Guatemala City to El Flores (a 45 min. shuttle to Tikal) is more economic and a time-saver. You save a night's lodging and travel when you wouldn't be seeing anything anyway. I suggest you go to Tikal first, then return to Guatemala City and relax around Antigua and San Pedro. The latter are beautiful, but Tikal is amazing.

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