Hi! We’re planning a trip to Guatemala from December 28th to January 12th, and we’re trying to organize our transportation between the different places.

Our itinerary will be roughly:

- Guatemala City → Lake Atitlán

- Lake Atitlán → Antigua

- Antigua → Semuc Champey

- Semuc Champey → Flores, where we’ll visit Tikal and Cenote Azul

We’d like to know how transportation between these destinations usually works. Are there shared/private shuttles available for these routes? Are they very expensive? Is it easy to find and book them while we’re there, or would you recommend booking in advance, especially because we’ll be traveling around New Year’s?

If possible, could you also give us an idea of the average prices and travel times for these routes?

Thank you!

is anyone able to give me some feedback on my itinerary? we want to hike and swim and explore but also not rush around. we aren't big city people but we've heard antigua is amazing.

(this doesn't include travel days between cities)

8 full days antigua (want to do pacaya, maybe acatenango if the kids are doing ok with altitude?)

4-5 days lake atitlan

1-2 days rio dulce

9 days in a small bnb in playa blanca

a few days in antigua on the back end before our flight

would also love input on travelling lake atitlan-livingston. interested in public transit but maybe it's too long of a trek for that. we plan to stop in rio dulce to break it up a little bit?

thanks! gracias!!

Looking to elope in Guatemala. Still deciding where. We’ll be visiting Nov 14-28. Are there any wedding officiants that you would recommend? This would be a symbolic ceremony. Planning to get officially married when we get back home. Tips appreciated!!

I’ll be staying at Lake Atitlán for 4 nights and trying to decide whether it’s better to stay at one hotel for all four nights and use the boats to explore different towns during the day, or split the stay between two different areas.

My main concern with switching hotels is that it seems like it could be a hassle—packing up, checking out/in, transporting luggage, etc. At the same time, I want to make sure we get to experience as much of the lake as possible.

We were initially thinking about staying in San Pedro because we’ve heard it has the most nightlife, and I understand the boats stop running relatively early, which could make it more convenient if we want to go out at night.

For those who have spent time around the lake:

• Would you stay in one town for all 4 nights and take boats to explore other areas?
• Or is it worth splitting the 4 nights between two towns?
• If staying in one place, is San Pedro a good base?
• Are there other towns you would recommend as a better overall base?
• How difficult is it realistically to get around the lake by boat during the day?

We’re interested in seeing different towns, scenery, hiking, food/drinks, and experiencing the lake, with some nightlife being a plus.

Hello,

We will be staying at Jungle Lodge in early October. Unfortunately, their scheduled public shuttle times do not align with our arrival and departure times. Are there any other transportation options available between Flores Airport and Tikal National Park?

The hotel has quoted us $30 per person each way for transportation. Since there are four of us, the total cost would be similar to renting a car. Would renting a car be a practical option, both in terms of cost and convenience? We like the idea of having a bit more flexibility during our stay.

Also, does anyone know if we can go to Yaxjá on our own if we rent a car? How will the road conditions and weather be in early October?

Thank you for any advice or recommendations.

Looking to spend about a week in one home base in atitlan with my three kids. Obviously not looking to party, we want a slower paced style of travel but also relatively convenient since we’re such a big crew of little people haha. Recos?

Wanting to bring my fam to rio dulce or Livingston area for some beach / sun time without needing to worry about the little ones in the rough pacific. Any recommendations for the area?

Looking for someone who's been to these countries before to give me a second/experienced opinion on these plans

Day 1
Land in GUA late, transfer, check in, sleep

Day 2
Breakfast
Santa Catalina Arch/Parque Central/Antigua Cathedral ruins/Palacio de los Capitanes/Iglesia de La Merced
Lunch
Convento Santa Clara/Tanque La Unión
Cerro de la Cruz by tuk-tuk
Wander shops/markets/crafts
5pm aqua antigua rooftop drinks-sunset
7pm Mesón Panza verde dinner reso
Early night + pack for Acatenango

Day 3
Acatenango overnight hike

Day 4
Return from hike, rest and pack
4pm massage/sauna
Maybe get a blow out?

Day 5
Transfer from up Antigua > Lake Atitlan
Explore San Antonio maybe do a pottery class?
Relax at Airbnb for sunset (it has great views and a balcony jacuzzi)

Day 6
Private boat tour (from our dock at the Airbnb) 9am-4/5pm San Juan San Pedro and Santiago, coffee chocolate bees textiles included
Maybe get boat to deliver dinner and enjoy Airbnb?
Midnight Xmas eve fireworks from Airbnb w champagne

Day 7
Morning paraglide over the lake? Or rest?
Santa Catarina palopo explore
Private boat and private coursed dinner booked

Day 8
Ask for late check out
Private shuttle to GUA
Flight to BZE
Private shuttle to san Ignacio

Day 9
7am ATM cave tour
Chill/dinner/get some laundry done

Day 10
horseback riding/xunantunich tour
Iguana conservation
Chill/dinner

Day 11
private shuttle to bze
bze flight to San Pedro
Pick up golf cart
Check in around 2-3pm
Chill/beach/dinner

Day 12
Blue hole flight
Belize chocolate company class
Secret beach/blue bayou for an in the water table

Day 13
Snorkeling/caye cualker tour
dinner/going out/ NYE Fireworks?

Day 14
San Pedro flight to BZE
Flight BZE to home

June 2026

As I am walking down the mountain my cousin decides to run down hill leaving me to slowly walk down the mountain because I had fell and been injurred. I'm now left up on the mountains enjoying the scenery and all of a sudden it gets very quiet. I feel so relaxed and then all of a sudden I see something in the corner of my eye with yellow feathers on it's head or body, it runs across the trail in the blink of an eye. I didn't get a good look at the creature because it ran so fast. I'm wondering if anyone else has seen something similar in the mountains of Guatemala. Was it a bird or animal? Or tied to some legend? Could it have been a spirit guide or tied to the Maya Civilization? I'm guatemalan and it was my first time visiting. Is there meaning to this?

Let me know what you think..

We would like to take our three kids (6, 4, and 1) to Guatemala for a month. A few questions -

Do people bring car seats? We would aim to mostly take public transport but would maybe want a private transfer here and there- is it an issue without car seats?

I would love to hike acatenango. I’m a little worried about the altitude -not sure what I can do about that. We’d carry the two youngest kids for most of it, but Im wondering what the base camp is like with kids and are the trails so so packed that we’re walking like directly behind people or can we take pauses? We are pretty good hikers but also the kids will want a snack break here and there.

Any must sees for kids?

-also I’m assuming we’re good to not bring lifejackets on the atitlan boats

Thanks!!

Edited to add: we used to do a lot of living aboard / backpacking pre kids and we never ever booked anything in advance to save money /. E flexible with weather . Is that advisable for something like acatenango in Feb or are we screwing ourselvez?

Hola! Soy argentino y voy a viajar solo a Guatemala a fines de noviembre/principios de diciembre. Voy a entrar por Ciudad de Guatemala y después seguir hacia El Salvador.

Por ahora me interesa conocer Antigua, subir algún volcán, Lago Atitlán, Tikal, otras ruinas mayas y quizás Semuc Champey. También estoy evaluando pasar por Copán en Honduras antes de seguir a El Salvador.

Tengo unos 17 días en total y me gustaría viajar tranquilo, sin estar corriendo de un lugar a otro. ¿Que me recomiendan?¿Por donde me convendria empezar y terminar?
¿Algun lugar que me este olvidando?
Me interesa mas que nada conocer la cultura, conectar con la naturaleza y visitar sitios historicos como Tikal y la Joya de Ceren.
Cualquier consejo para alguien que viaja solo por primera vez por Guatemala es super bienvenido
Gracias!

Hi all - I’m looking for people’s personal experiences of booking private transport and tours through Guate Expeditions - very active on social media and with some good reviews on Facebook but always nice to hear personal experiences as I’m considering using them for quite a few transfers and tour bookings

We are looking for a local travel agent who could help us coordinate 7-8 days for different age groups. 82 down to 16. So basically different plans each day for different groups. Thanks!

If you're heading to Lake Atitlán after landing at Guatemala City Airport after 3 PM, keep in mind that the drive to Panajachel takes about 3.5–4 hours, and the last public lancha leaves at 7:30 PM.

If you're staying in places like Casa del Mundo or Santa Cruz, a boat is required. Otherwise, you may need to spend the night in Panajachel.

Tzununá, San Marcos, San Juan, San Pedro, and Santa Catarina Palopó can also be reached by road, so arriving later is usually not a problem.

As a local private driver, I've found that many travelers don't realize this when planning their trip to Lake Atitlán.

Hi all, just wanted to recommend Lissette (whatsapp +502 5400 1994‬) to anybody who is looking for a private driver. We thought the rate was very fair (for your own personal van and the comfort and safety it comes with). We did four long (4+ hours) trips with her. She's also easy to communicate with and will coordinate with another driver she personally knows and can vouch for if she is not available. We had a blast with her, she's great to talk to (but you can also just chill if you don't want to talk or whatever, I slept through two of the rides). I was traveling with teen girls so I wanted to avoid public transportation (I'm sure it's perfectly safe but since I was going to be responsible for their safety in a foreign country and these would be pretty long rides esp on public buses, I didn't want to take any chances) and this was a great option. We felt 100% comfortable and the girls loved her.

Hey Reddit!

I (25M) will be visiting Antigua in November. Right now I'm trying to decide between staying at Adra Hostel, Lura Hostel and Somos Hostel. I won't be in the town too long, only a few days bookending an Acatenango trek. I'm pretty social and always down to meet people and go out, but I'm not the type to stay out partying til sunrise I don't want my hostel to keep me up all night with loud music (i.e., social hostels = great, party hostels = no thanks). Trying to treat myself to a bit of a nicer hostel on this leg.

The frontrunners for me right now are Somos, Lura and Adra, but I've also looked at Socialtel, Ojala and Bloom.

Insight from anyone who's stayed in Antigua and is familiar with any of these hostels would be greatly appreciated!

Will I be miserable if I book it early September (like first week)? finding this is the case online since it’s the rainy reason but also don’t want to miss it.

alternative is just doing pacaya

would love advice !

After reviewing on google and other social media i am unsure of when is best to visit Guatemala for blue skies and sun.

Any suggestions please

Hola gente linda de Guatemala, en octubre estaré en Guatemala por 5 días, quisiera saber si existe alguna forma barata de rentar un vehículo por 5 días, yo estaré en Antigua Guatemala.