Guatemala
- Rotem Haskia
- Apr 20, 2020
- 9 min read
Updated: Apr 22, 2020
Did you know that Guatemala is the home of 37 volcanoes? I welcome you to a blog around the land of lava which contains some of my best memories from central America! when people think of Central America they mostly think about the white beaches with crystal clear water but I invite you to a magical place where you can climb on an active volcano, roast marshmallow on burning lava and full in-love with the Maya culture.
Antigua
After landing in Guatemala City you will can an 11$ shuttle from the airport and soon enough you will be at the wonderful Antigua- The first destination in our journey in Guatemala! This famous old city is where most of the action happens- from volcano climbing to the best views of Guatemala. Antigua is a beautiful small town with pastoral streets, unique architecture and is surrounded by 3 volcanoes: Agua, Acatenango and the active one- Fuego.
Where to sleep?
Zoola hostel: a home away from home, this hostel managed by Phillip is providing you all the thing you need in one place- from a delicious affordable restaurant (make sure you try the Shalom Hamalca dessert), to comfortable beds, the best tours, shuttles and nice service.
What to do?
Plaza Mayor: you can enjoy walking around the Main Plaza. In the Plaza you will find a lovely local artists market with 84 local shops and the church. You can continue wondering around the streets that are filled with interesting old buildings and also the main local market that is a must visit spot where you can buy anything, meet and learn about the locals.
Hobbitenango: if you ever saw the "Hobbit" movie or just want to feel like you are inside of a fairy tale I can recommend on vising this place just a 20 minutes drive with a local bus from Antigua. Hobbitenango is a hostel and restaurant on the top of a beautiful mountain with a breathtaking view of the Guatemalan volcanoes. In Hobbitenango you will not only enjoy the views you will also enjoy little pastoral houses that looks like from the Hobbit movie and the whole place basically looks like a magical Hobbit village.
Cerro De La Cruz viewpoint: a viewpoint that offers the view of Antigua from above underneath the gigantic volcano. The walk is completely in the shade, easy and goes between beautiful pastoral streets.
Pacaya volcano: The Pacaya is an active volcano in the area of the city but is a short one afternoon trip unlike the Acatenango one. The hike to the Pacaya is a bit hard but is a short 2 hours max one. On the top of the mountain unlike the Acatenango you will not stand on a mountain in front but on the active volcano itself and since the Pacaya is not as high as the Acatenango the lava is not bursting out in an explosion but dripping from it like a river of fire. In the Pacaya you will enjoy being up close to the lava, cook sausage and roast marshmallows on it and especially enjoy really feeling the warmth and noise of an active volcano.
How to make the best of the Pacaya mountain:
There are two options for a Pacaya trip in 06:00 am and 14:00 pm when the morning one is better for seeing the views of the area but the noon one is best for lava.
Bring with you a warm layer and a flashlight since you will go back in the dark.
Make sure if the company provides marshmallows and if not bring some yourself since when will you ever get the chance to roast marshmallows on lava again? Also, it's delicious!
The Acatenango Volcano: I can highly recommend on Soy Tor company for this adventure that for me is the main reason to visit Guatemala. The journey to the marvelous Acatenango starts around 07:30 am, the drive takes about an hour and soon enough you will be at the beginning spot of the hike. The climb takes between 4-6 hours and is in a medium difficultly level. Once you will get to the camp site your breath will be taken away by the marvelous Fuego Volcano erupting in front of your eyes. After taking some pictures and calming down the adrenaline you will go on a sunset walk. The sunset walk is 10 minutes from camp and in it you will see the sun going down between the massive clouds and coloring the sky around the erupting volcano in magical colors.
Back at the campsite there will be a delicious dinner waiting for you and right after for dessert the fun began- Lava! There are no words to describe the feeling when a volcano erupts in front of your eyes and lava is flying everywhere, I hope the pictures might transfer the experience. In the night you can also enjoy the lava from the warmth of you tent since this agency have the best front row view.
After some resting the brave ones between you will get the option to get up in 03:30 am for a hard 1.5 hour walk to the top of the mountain for the sunrise. The sunrise is breathtaking and the view from the top of the mountain offers another viewpoint on the volcano.
After a spectacular once in a lifetime experience you will walk down the mountain in the slippery downhill part and return to Antigua, tired but satisfied. How to make the most of your Acatenango experience:
Try to climb in a full moon night since the moon is affecting the volcano and you will get much more impressive eruptions. Also, the view of a sky full of stars is making the experience even more impressive.
Pack yourself 4 layers for the cold night but most important a hat and gloves for the wind.
A flashlight will help you a lot especially if you are climbing to the sunrise part.
If you are a photographer do not forget your tripod for your long exposures.
Rent a porter that carry your bag to the top for an easy climb.
Rent at least one walking stick! It might help a little on the climb up but it's a life saver on the sunrise climb and walking the slippery downhill on the way back from the mountain.
Sunglasses and a face mask, this trip is very dusty one and those can really help you to avoid eating sand for 4 hours.
In average I would say that most people consumed here 5 liters of water so be prepared because what you bring is what you'll have.
Caoba Organic Farm: In the farm you will learn all about the farm products, see the animals and green fields, you can also volunteer, shop for organic products and have breakfast at the organic restaurant. Tip: The farm is opened every day except Monday and its best to come here on the weekend for the farmer's market.
Bicycle trip: The Zoola hostel offers an interesting bicycle trip around 6 villages in the area with many stops for trying local food and a tour in a Macadamia Nuts farm. The tour is very informative but I would say it's best for people that do it for the bicycle part more.
Where to eat?
Since I traveled as a backpacker, I do not have the craziest 5 stars restaurants list to offer you but I do have some hidden local gems:
McDonald: The biggest McDonald restaurant in the whole Latin America.
Don Paletero shop: offers unique and delicious ice-cream like banana filled with Nutella.
San Martin bakery: here they have an amazing Nutella banana croissant and the best mini pizza pastry.
The Bagel Bar: A tasty and unique bagel variety.
San Pedro
San Pedro is a Guatemalan town on the southwest shore of Lake Atitlán, here you will enjoy from peace, quiet and some soul searching. San Pedro is a place to discover new sides of yourself while participating in many of the town's classes, nature tours or hiking to the Indian nose.
Where to sleep?
Casa Blanca: a beautiful cheap hostel in the center of San Pedro. The hostel is close to anything you will need in a walking distance, from bars and restaurants to the boat pier. My favorite thing about this place is the front row view to lake Atitlan, its comfort couches and bean-bag chairs to enjoy a book by the view and its green garden that really set a good vibe.
What to do?
Painting class: an excellent painting class at Ajcac art shop which in it we painted one on one with a private teacher and created the ultimate souvenir from the trip.
Yoga: take a boat across the beautiful lake to San Marcos which is known as a more "hippie" and relaxed town. In San Marcos we took a taxi to Yoga Forest and after a 10 minute walk we arrived to this unique place. In Yoga Forest you can take classes, sleep and mainly disconnect from everything in front of the amazing lake views in the middle of the forest. We took a one and a half hour yoga class in the beautiful calming location.
Chichicastenango Market: Take a shuttle that you can book in every traveling agency to the biggest market in South America. In this market you will find cheap souvenirs, clothes, local food and a really interesting cultural experience.
Spa: for the girl backpackers that are traveling for quite some time now I have to recommend on Brenda's beauty salon.
What to eat?
The Sababa restaurant: offers delicious food from all around the world.
"Girls Juice": serves the famous "Princess Muzli" which is heaven in a (giant) cup.
Bar-Burger: Eran's premium burger restaurant with an excellent rate on TripAdvisor.
Semuc Champey
Semuc Champey, which means, “where the river hides under the earth” in Q'eqchi' is a little piece of heaven in the middle of a jungle where you will enjoy from the famous natural infinity pools filled with crystal clear water.
Where to sleep?
Oasis: when you arrive to Semuc Champay by a bus in the bus station you will find free jeeps to take you here. This hostel was a very nice one with a great bar/restaurant and a private pool but there was one thing that was most important to me- before everything this place is a jungle to it fullest, the most important thing for me here was a place to protect me from my fears- bugs and frogs. After two nights hear I understood that this mission is doomed to fail but Oasis sure did their best to help as much as they can and provided a great service. Also, from this hostel you can book an excellent tour to the famous park and transportation which is very important and comfortable.
What to do?
Semuce Champy Natinal Park tour: After about 35 minutes of a bit rough road you will arrive to the famous park! Right in the beginning we met a small snake and felt the jungle atmosphere. The first stop is after a 40 minutes climb to the famous viewpoint you see in all the local postcards, a lookout over all the crystal blue pools in the middle of the jungle.
After the viewpoint there is another thirty-minute walk down to the beautiful pools for a nice cool swim between scenic views of blue pools, waterfalls and green jungle. After the swim you will have a lunch stop and right after you will start your tour inside the water caves. Take to your consideration, The water caves tour is one hour long, deep inside the cave system in complete darkness and in some point you'll also need to swim and climb only with the light of your candle- not the best if you're claustrophobic. After the stressful caves you will relax in a fun tubing trip in the beautiful river and return back to your hotel.
Flores
In the north of Guatemala Flores is a picturesque town on a small island on Lake Peten Itza. Flores is the capital of the Petén Department and the main attraction here is about the Maya tribe that lived in the area.
Where to sleep?
Green Monkey Hostel: a cute hostel in the middle of the town so every agency is in a walking distance.
What to do?
Sunrise trip to Tikal: Tikal is one of the largest and the most preserved Maya tribe community and is a must visit place. The tour in Tikal goes in 3 different hours 03:00 am, 04:30 am and 08:00 and the early ones are the most recommend for spotting wildlife and avoiding the hot hours of the day that makes it really hard to enjoy the park since it involves a lot of step climbing. The tour on 03:00 am includes a climb to see the sunrise in the jungle and cost 100 Q more than the others tours and you also need to buy the ticket to it in advanced in the bank. I recommend booking the transportation + guide through Balam agency that were really cheap and the guide Karlos was wonderful. The tour takes you around the main temples and important spots in Tikal, you will learn about the Maya history and culture and if you're lucky you will spot many wildlife such as monkeys, agouties, toucans and more.
This blog contains information I gathered after almost a month in Guatemala but it should be perfect for a two weeks trip. I really think that this country is something else, something you cannot get anywhere else. I personally finished my trip in the north in Flores and from there took a bus to Belize but you can also take a bus to Mexico. For more picture click here or search @Travel_Rotem on Instagram.
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