Guatemala Travel Agents

Chris helped us plan a really fantastic trip for our first visit to Guatemala. He was helpful, communicative, knowledgeable, and undertook to deal cheerfully with our preferences and frequent changes of plans! It was a good mix of planned activities and free time. We visited Antigua and Lake Atitlan. The hotel Porta in Antigua was beautiful, calm and a great experience with a relaxing pool and really great staff. My favorite activities included the half day Pacaya volcano hike with our fantastic guide Esmeralda and local guide Sheni, and visits to smaller towns outside Antigua to learn about weaving and chocolate making. On Lake Atitlan, we stayed in a lovely hotel in Panajachel, but had I researched the area more, I think I would have preferred a quieter town. However, we didn't have much time there and it was a convenient base. Our guide for a trip to some lake towns, Nicolas, was excellent - he taught us a lot about Mayan culture and history and it was great to visit Santiago with him. I appreciated that Chris planned a tour for us with a local Mayan guide at a really interesting archeological site on the way to the lake since we were not going to Tikal. Guides and drivers that Chris arranged through Old Town Outfitters were all professional, really kind, and great to be with. People were so patient with our elementary Spanish. On our own we visited a few things I would recommend: Cafe Azotea (coffee farm we walked to in Antigua), the Central Market in Antigua where locals buy and sell produce and many other things), Caoba Farm in Antigua for lunch, free salsa lesson at Las Palmas in Antigua.

Hotel Reviews

Porta Hotel Antigua

Antigua Guatemala

Lovely set up, nice pool, good food, attentive service. Our room was on one side of a courtyard and a little dark, but very nice! No complaints!

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Regis Hotel & Spa

Panajachel, Sololá

Really nice small and comfortable hotel with lovely staff and a small hot spring bath in the backyard. They were kind enough to pack us a breakfast the day we left to go back to the US as we were leaving at 6 am. Really enjoyed our stay at this hotel but I would have preferred to stay in a town on the lake that is less busy than Panajachel.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Convenient but a busy area.

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Driving Tour of Almolonga Valley

Antigua

We had a wonderful guide and met some really interesting and friendly local people at their shops. I would have liked to have a little more time to just walk around and see things as well. I don't think the visit to the macadamia farm is particularly necessary or enlightening, at least that was my feeling.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Day Hike to Pacaya Volcano

Guatemala

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Fascinating to see what Mayan life is like around the lake. Extremely colorful and beautiful. People are really enterprising despite some hardships. Textiles, produce, friendly people and beautiful views are everywhere. Personally I could have done without visiting the town of San Pedro, which is really crowded with tourists and shops selling the same items. My favorite part was going through the town and streets of Santiago with our guide Nicolas.

Transfer to Lake Atitlán, Visit the Iximché Ruins

Guatemala

Wow - Guatemala has so much more to offer than I realized at first. Chris helped me plan an 8 day trip for a family of 8. He took care of all the details and had everything very well organized and coordinated. He also helped me make the trip much more efficient and enjoyable. Do not hesitate to use Chris.

We spent 2 days in Antigua. Highlights were hiking to the cross overlooking Antigua, shopping, cheap massages, amazing starbucks, good food, and watching the Antigua soccer team win the Guatamala league in the town square with the rest of the town!

The volcano hike was NO JOKE! We are all in good shape - marathon runners and soccer players....still, this was tough. My teens and young adults did great, but they were pretty beat up too. The hike is relentless uphill. My recommendation is DO IT....go at your own pace, the views and Fuego is worth it. The pay off was watching Fuego erupt dozens of times....a few times with massive explosions like a sonic boom. You'll be tempted not to hike the extra hour to the very top at 4AM. DO IT....so worth it.

Lake Atitlan is a crazy mixture of culture, tourism, and relaxation. We stayed 5 days in 2 different cities. Both times we were in houses fit for Swiss Family Robinson....right on the water. We loved swimming, cliff jumping, relaxing in the sun, eating on the deck with chef prepared meals, and just relaxing. We are very glad we stayed a bit off the beaten path in homes outside the towns. Only way to access were from boat...which meant we had our own little paradise. We also toured 5 different town via boat while there....which was great to pick up culture and meet locals.

One last highlight - we spent half a day at the Eagles Nest retreat. We had amazing guides teach us yoga, hanging silk yoga, sauna/cold plunge experience, and walking through visualization and goal setting - since we were there on New Years Day! Perfect!

Hotel Review

Acatenango Campsite

Guatemala

5 Stars for location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Hike Acatenango Volcano & Camp Overnight

Guatemala

Unbelievable views.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Vinny!

Boat Tour of Lake Atitlán Villages

Guatemala

Columbus Travel out of Antigua was no less than amazing. Every single detail was taken care of, every question was answered immediately. They helped us plan the perfect vacation for our family. It was a perfect combination of adventure and relaxation. I can’t recommend Sofia and team more! They are simply the very best.

Our trip to Guatemala was exceptionally well planned and thoughtfully executed. The itinerary struck a perfect balance between culture, nature, and pace, allowing us to experience the country deeply without feeling rushed.

Highlights included Antigua, Lake Atitlán, and the incredible historical sites, all supported by knowledgeable local guides and smooth logistics throughout the journey.

A special thank you to our local specialist, Alex, who was attentive, responsive, and flexible from the planning stage through the trip itself. Even when small adjustments were needed, everything was handled quickly and professionally, which made the experience stress-free.

Overall, this was a memorable and very well-organized trip, and we would happily use Kimkim again for future travel.

From the beginning the tour operator, Columbus Guatamala Travel, were incredible. From making a WhatsApp Group and giving us information before we even got there, to meeting them all at the office. All the guides were beyond expectation and spoke very good english. A special mention to JJ who spent 3 days with us travelling to Lake Atitlan, who was such a pleasure to have with us and nothing was too much trouble and he was very flexible and helpful.
Following on to El Salvador and Nicaragua, Katherine (Columbus Travel) was in the know about everything and kept an eye on everything we did, making sure everything ran smoothly.
Alfredo, who we had for day in San Salvador, was very informative and really good at showing us around.
Gerald, our guide in Nicaragua, was extremely knowledgeable and we learnt a lot and also was very flexible.
Overall we thanks Columbus Guatamala Travel for looking after us.