Columbus Guatemala Travel

We had a great time in Guatemala and could not have had better support from Carino Sotelo (as well as Catherine and the other fine staff members at Columbus Travel in Antigua). Carino’s communication was consistently clear, timely, and useful. She was extremely gracious, and we now consider her to be a friend.

Specific things done for us include:

1) A detailed spreadsheet showing time, guide name, activity details, and helpful suggestions for each activity. It addressed every question we could possibly have had prior to the trip.
2) An actively managed WhatsApp chat that we used daily. Columbus Travel responded within seconds after each of our chat updates - regardless of time of day.
3) An impromptu offer to join the Columbus Travel team in making a sawdust rug on the street before a Sunday Lenten procession. It was great fun.
4) An informative group discussion with their full team on the Mayan calendar - made at our request.
5) A welcome gift of our favorite drinks and snacks upon arrival.

I am pleased to note that all of our activities, hotel stays, and transports went off without a hitch. We give Columbus Travel an unqualified 5-star review. Well done by KimKim to partner with Columbus Travel in Guatemala!

The whole travel team treat us like family, JJ our tour guy was amazing answer all our questions we had.

I cannot say enough positive and outstanding things about the kimkim / Columbus Guatemala Travel Team! It was my first trip to Guatemala, and hopefully won't be my last. That is in part due to the beautiful country of Guatemala, but also because of the careful planning, the collaboration, the almost immediate answers to questions and friendship of the Team! I felt 100% supported, informed and all the details handled every step of the way. Catherina and Sofia are AWESOME! So was everyone else, but special call out to Catherina and Sofia. They made sure I was taken care of from before I arrived, to the minute I arrived and also after I got home! I love adventure and travel and new experiences and the Team made sure every box was checked. I cannot recommend the kimkim / Columbus Guatemala Travel Team enough. I will absolutely use them again in the future!

Well organized and excellently flowing introduction to the beauty that is Guatemala!! We preferred a more active trip with plenty of hikes and natural wonder; that is exactly what we got. Our guide, driver and new friend Esteban was a wealth of local knowledge and tips about the areas we visited. Highly recommend!!

Activity Reviews

Semuc Champey

Guatemala

Awesome hike and soak in the limestone pools. We also visited a cave. Great day for the active, outdoor enthusiasts!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Pacaya Volcano Hike & Picnic, Private.

Guatemala

Beautiful hike!!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Villages Around Lake Atitlán by Boat

Guatemala

Fun to explore the unique villages and learn about the various Mayan trades and traditions! Great day of exploring communities.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Mayan Face Sunrise Experience (Group)

Guatemala

Definitely worth the early rise time!! Great albeit challenging hike to a beautiful view of sunrise accompanied by coffee and local baked goods.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We had a terrific time in Belize. Our guide in St Ignacio was wonderful and he took us to the Mayan ruins and also took us on the river swim and a hike. In Hopkins village we stayed at Jaguar Reef which was an amazing property. We really loved Belize and the Belizian people and we will be back. Thanks so much for planning a great trip for us.

Hotel Reviews

San Ignacio Resort Hotel

San Ignacio

This hotel is close to a forest making it a wonderful property. We were pretty comfortable there. I did not rate it 5 stars because it has limited food options for vegetarians. The staff in this hotel were great.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Nice location with a forest next door

Staff

Very friendly great staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and comfortable

The Lodge at Jaguar Reef

Hopkins

Amazing property right on the beach. Food was simply outstanding as was their service

Authenticity & Character

Right on the beach an easy way to get to the keys from there as the pick up is right at the hotel by boat. Nice bar on the ocean and great pools and food.

Location

Right on the beach with great snorkeling and food

Staff

Friendly wonderful staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Clean and very comfortable beds and room

Activity Reviews

Discover Xunantunich

Belize

Great to see the ruins and learn about the ancient Mayans

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

I

Transport

Enjoy Barton Creek & Big Rock Falls

Belize

Unique and pretty caves the boat ride can be a bit unnerving in parts if you are claustrophobic.

Quality of Experience

O

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Transfer From San Ignacio to Hopkins with Stop at Mayflower Bocawina National Park

Belize

Quality of Experience

H

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Barrier Reef Snorkeling Half Day

Belize

The reef snorkeling was amazing! Meds and Jeff from get to know Belize was outstanding!

Quality of Experience

No

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Spa and Relaxing day!

Belize

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

K

Transport

Had a wonderful week in the Placencia area, staying at UMaya resort which is lovely. Kim Kim arranged several excursions for us and they went without a hitch. We felt so well cared for by the Kim Kim team who were watching weather and juggling options for us that best fit. Couldn’t be happier with Kim Kim as our travel agents.

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.

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.

Fantastic trip to Guatemala. I wanted to go to three areas of the country: Antigua, Lake Atitlan, and Tikal National Park. I also used Guatemala City to be able to use the airport easily when going to Flores. Everything went really well. There were many different trips within Guatemala that needed to be taken and every time the driver was right on time ready to go when we were ready to go. I even decided to plan the Tikal portion on my own and Catherine was just fine to work with my desires. My wife and I felt safe and secure the entire trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo

Antigua

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

I just didn't like how there really wasn't a way to open a window at night

Porta Hotel del Lago

Panajachel, Sololá

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Not sure why they close the pool and weight room at 8 PM

Activity Reviews

Villages Around Lake Atitlán by Boat

Guatemala

I think if I was given the option I would have elected for a private boat tour of the lake.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Welcome to Guatemala

Guatemala

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport