In two weeks you can travel the whole of Guatemala and enjoy its greatest attractions, both natural and manufactured. Combine nature and culture with walks around Spanish colonial Antigua, boat rides on Lake Atitlán, hikes to volcano peaks, and tours of ancient Maya ruins. For more indigenous history, visit Tikal National Park, followed by a jaunt to the Caribbean to neighboring Belize. And if you want to test your endurance, opt for a multi-day mountain-biking adventure or volcano circuit hike.

Itinerary #1: Nature, Culture & History in Guatemala

Experience Guatemala's rich culture and unspoiled natural beauty on this 14-day greatest hits tour

Visit Lake Atitlán, one of Guatemala's highlights
Day Highlights Overnight
Day 1 Arrive in Guatemala, Transfer to Antigua Antigua
Day 2 Walking Tour of Antigua & Cooking Class Antigua
Day 3 Summit Pacaya Volcano Antigua
Day 4 Transfer to Lake Atitlán, Boat Tour Lake Atitlan
Day 5 Kayak Atitlán & Hike to Lakeside Villages Lake Atitlan
Day 6 Lake Atitlán Free Day Lake Atitlan
Day 7 Visit Chichicastenango Market, Transfer to Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango
Day 8 Walking Tour of Quetzaltenango & Cooking Class Quetzaltenango
Day 9 Flight to Flores & Transfer to Tikal National Park Tikal National Park
Day 10 Explore Tikal National Park Tikal National Park
Day 11 Río Dulce Boat Tour & Hot Springs Rio Dulce
Day 12 Río Dulce Day Trip to Livingston Rio Dulce
Day 13 Flight to Guatemala City, Walking Tour Guatemala City
Day 14 Depart Guatemala City  


A personal driver will be waiting in Guatemala City to drive you to Antigua, in the beautiful western highlands. This city has earned UNESCO World Heritage Status due to its well-preserved colonial center. On a walking tour, you'll visit historic Baroque buildings and churches like the 16th-century Antigua Guatemala Cathedral and La Merced Church. Then you'll prepare authentic Guatemalan dishes in a cooking class taught by a local chef. Next is a hike up the Pacaya Volcano. Once at the summit, at 7,500 feet (2,288 m), you'll enjoy a picnic lunch while enjoying sweeping views of nearby peaks.

On day four, you're off to Lake Atitlán, a volcanic lake surrounded by green hills and towering volcanoes. After a boat ride, you'll visit nearby indigenous villages like Santiago and San Juan. The next couple of days are yours to hike between villages, visit textile co-ops run by indigenous women, and kayak around the lake. On day seven, you'll visit the highland town of Chichicastenango, famous for its massive Mercado, an outdoor market where you can buy hand-woven textiles and crafts. Then you'll visit Quetzaltenango, a mountain city home to the K'iche' Maya people. Spend a day here touring historic cathedrals.

Continue the adventure on day nine with a flight north to Tikal National Park. This 222-sq-mile (574-sq-km) protected area is home to the most famous Maya ruins in the country. On a guided tour, you'll visit pyramid temples and citadels from the 1st century. The following day, head south to the Río Dulce for a boat tour of the most beautiful river in the country. Then see more natural wonders on a visit to a jungle waterfall and natural hot springs. After stopping in the Caribbean coastal town of Livingston, you'll return to the capital for your flight home. Learn more

Itinerary #2: Guatemala & Belize

Combine the best of the Caribbean with rainforest adventures on this Guatemala and Belize escape.

Spend time on a remote island in Belize
Day Highlights Overnight
Day 1 Arrive in Guatemala, Transfer to Antigua Antigua
Day 2 Transfer to Cobán, Explore Ram Tzul Cobán
Day 3 Day Trip to Semuc Champey Cobán
Day 4 Candelaria Cave Tour, Transfer to Tikal National Park Tikal National Park
Day 5 Explore Tikal Tikal National Park
Day 6 Transfer to Río Dulce, Boat Tour to Livingston Livingston
Day 7-8 Boat Transfer to Belize & Lime Caye Cayo District
Day 9 Boat to Puerto Barrios & Flight to Guatemala City Guatemala city
Day 10 Transfer to Chichicastenango & Lake Atitlán Lake Atitlán
Day 11 Boat tour of Lake Atitlán, Transfer to Antigua Antigua
Day 12 Antigua Walking Tour Antigua
Day 13 Hike Pacaya Volcano & Hot Springs Antigua
Day 14 Depart Guatemala  


This adventure begins in Antigua. Take a self-guided tour of the colonial buildings like the 18th-century Convento Santa Clara and the Palacio del Ayuntamiento (City Hall Palace). Then travel north by car into Guatemala's coffee country, where you'll visit romantic waterfalls at the Ram Tzul nature reserve, swim in the terraced turquoise pools at Semuc Champey, and go tubing through limestone river caves. Afterward, take a guided tour of Tikal and visit its five main temples, the Lost World Complex, Great Plaza, and more. The next day, take a ride on the jade waters of the Río Dulce to Livingston.

From Livingston, hop over to neighboring Belize and take a speedboat to Lime Caye, a remote island in an unspoiled marine park. Spend the next couple of days camping, fishing, lazing on white-sand beaches, and snorkeling at Belize's 180-mile (290-km) Barrier Reef. After flying to Guatemala City, transfer to Chichicastenango to browse the market and its historic Iglesia de Santo Tomás, a 16th-century Catholic church built on the site of a former Maya temple. Take boat tours of Lake Atitlán and visit local villages before returning to Antigua, then transfer to the capital for your flight home. Learn more

Plan your trip to Guatemala
Chat with a local specialist who can help organize your trip.

Itinerary #3: Honeymoon in Guatemala

Over 14 days of romance and adventure in Guatemala, you and your partner will stroll the cobbled streets of Antigua, hike up volcano slopes and Maya ruins, enjoy spa treatments, and much more.

Romantic sunset over Tikal
Day Highlights Overnight
Day 1 Arrive in Guatemala, Transfer to Antigua Antigua
Day 2 Antigua Walking Tour & Cooking Class Antigua
Day 3 Antigua Free Day Antigua
Day 4 Volcano Hike & Spa Day Antigua
Day 5 Transfer to Lake Atitlán & Boat Tour Lake Atitlán
Day 6 Lake Atitlán Free Day Lake Atitlán
Day 7 Kayak Atitlán & Hike to Lakeside Villages Antigua
Day 8 Iximché Ruins & Transfer to Antigua Antigua
Day 9 Antigua to Tikal National Park Tikal National Park
Day 10 Tikal & Uaxactún Tour Tikal National Park
Day 11 Yaxhá Ruins & Transfer to Río Dulce Rio Dulce
Day 12 Río Dulce Boat Tour Rio Dulce
Day 13 Finca Paraiso Hot Springs Guatemala City
Day 14 Depart Guatemala City  


You and your sweetheart will kick off an unforgettable honeymoon in Antigua. Walk under the romantic Santa Catalina Arch and visit historic buildings painted in bright pastels. Cuddle up during a cooking class and a free day to shop for crafts and clothing in Antigua's various markets. Get active on day four with a hike up dried lava fields to the summit of Pacaya Volcano, followed by a relaxing soak in natural hot springs and a couples massage. Then it's off to Atitlán for a couple of days, relaxing on your schedule. Hit the water in a kayak, visit a women's weaving co-op, or enjoy a zip-line ride. 

On day eight, visit Iximché, the ruins of a city of the 15th-century Kaqchikel Maya kingdom. Transfer to Tikal, tour the leading archeological site and venture deeper into the jungle to Uaxactún. It's home to ruins dating to 600 BCE and a village that Maya people still inhabit. Continue the theme with a visit to Yaxhá National Park, the ruins of another Maya city that date to 1000 CE. Take a ride down the beautiful Río Dulce, after which the aquatic romance continues at the waterfalls and hot springs at Finca Paraiso. The next day, return to Guatemala City and depart. Learn more

Itinerary #4: Best of Guatemala by Mountain Bike

If your dream vacation involves more action than relaxation, hop on a bike for this 2-week cycling tour of Guatemala's ruggedly beautiful western highlands. 

Hit the bike trails in Guatemala
Day Highlights Overnight
Day 1 Arrive in Antigua Antigua
Day 2 Antigua Walking Tour & Bike Prep Antigua
Day 3 El Zur Mountain Bike Park Antigua
Day 4 Tecpán to Lake Atitlán Backcountry Mountain Bike Ride Panajachel
Day 5 Lake Atitlán to Slickrock Mountain Bike Ride Lake Atitlan
Day 6 Lake Atitlán Free Morning, Transfer to Huehuetenango Huehuetenango
Day 7 Climb the Cuchumatanes & Descend into Todos Santos Todos Santos Cuchumatan
Day 8 Cross-Country Ride - Todos Santos to Laguna Magdalena Laguna Magdalena
Day 9 Cross-Country Ride - Laguna Magdalena to Acul Acul
Day 10 Cross-Country Ride - Acul to Uspantan Uspantan
Day 11 Cross-Country Ride - Uspantan to Cobán Cobán
Day 12 Backroads Ride from Cobán to Semuc Champey Lanquin
Day 13 Transfer from Lanquín to Antigua Antigua
Day 14 Antigua to Guatemala City, Depart  

 

Upon arrival in Antigua, tour the colonial buildings, dine in nice restaurants, and sample local street food like empanadas (dobladas in Guatemala). After prepping your bike, a van will take you to a trailhead at 8,500 feet (2590 m). From here, enjoy a 12-mile (19-km) descent. Day four is a backcountry adventure through indigenous settlements and over pine-forested mountain trails down to the north shore of Lake Atitlán. From here, you'll head back up the mountain on a single track to a high point of 9,842 feet (3,000 m) before dropping into the Madre Vieja river valley and eventually back to the lake.

Next, head into the Cuchumatanes Mountains and Huehuetenango, a city that sits at 6,233 feet (1,900 m). Hit the road on a 6-mile (9 km) ascent before dropping down into the indigenous village of Todos Santos. Then it's a 26-mile (42-km) cross-country ride through coniferous forests to the jade waters of Laguna Magdalena. For the next three days you'll cycle through the Quiché Department before ending up back on Atitlán's north shore. Then drive to coffee country for a 43-mile (69 km) ride to the turquoise pools of Semuc Champey. Return to Antigua and transfer to the capital for your flight home. Learn more

Itinerary #5: Guatemala Volcano Trek Adventure

Push yourself to the limit over 14 days of trekking not seven different volcanoes in southern Guatemala.

Conquer the volcano
Day Highlights Overnight
Day 1 Arrive in Antigua Antigua
Day 2 Hike Pacaya Volcano Antigua
Day 3 Hike Volcán Acatenango & Camp Overnight Acatenango Volcano
Day 4 Day Hike to Volcán Fuego & Camp Overnight Acatenango Volcano
Day 5 Sunrise on Acatenango & Transfer to Antigua Antigua
Day 6 Transfer to Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango
Day 7 Hike Volcán de Zunil Zunil
Day 8 Summit Volcán Zunil & Hot Springs Quetzaltenango
Day 9 Hike Volcán Santa Maria Quetzaltenango
Day 10 Transfer to Tuichán, Hike Volcán Tajumulco Tajumulco
Day 11 Descend Tajumulco & Transfer to San Pedro on Lake Atitlán San Pedro La Laguna
Day 12 Hike Volcán San Pedro San Pedro La Laguna
Day 13 Iximché Ruins & Transfer to Antigua Antigua
Day 14 Transfer from Antigua to Guatemala City for Your Departure Flight  


The base for this adventure is Antigua. After touring the city, start off easy with a 3-4-hour hike up Pacaya for a picnic lunch at the summit. Day three is a slightly longer ascent up Volcán Acatenango, where you'll camp at 11,700 feet (3,565 m) and will be treated to views of the Antigua Valley and neighboring Volcán Fuego. The next morning, embark on a day hike to Fuego and return to the campsite in the evening. Then take a sunrise hike back down Acatenango and transfer back to Antigua. On day six you'll take a drive on the Pan-American Highway to the high-altitude city of Quetzaltenango.

On day seven head up 3,200 feet (1,000 m) and make camp below the peak of Zunil Volcano. The next morning summit Zunil and enjoy views of nearby volcanoes before descending to a natural hot spring. Then hike up Volcán Santa Maria, which sits at 12,360 feet (3,770 m). Next, drive toward the Mexican border and stop for a 4-hour ascent of Volcán Tajumulco, the highest in the country at 13,789 feet (4,203 m). The last trek is up Volcán San Pedro to 9,900 feet (3,020 m) to enjoy views over the Bay of Santiago. Then visit the Iximché ruins before returning to the capital and flying home. Learn more

More Great Guatemala Itineraries

Looking for more inspiration for your trip to Guatemala? Check out these other Guatemala itineraries, with outdoor adventures, cultural trips, and best-of tours to hit the highlights. 

Map

Map of 2 Weeks in Guatemala - 5 Unique Itinerary Ideas
Map of 2 Weeks in Guatemala - 5 Unique Itinerary Ideas