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In November 2025 we had the absolute pleasure of visiting Guatemala! After seeing one too many TikTok videos of the beautiful volcano eruptions, we just HAD to go see if it was really worth it 👀. We spent 17 days in the country visiting Antigua, Acatenango, Flores and Lake Atitlán – with a few extra stops in between!
This itinerary is perfect for you if:
- You’re visiting Guatemala for the first time
- You love adventure (but still want comfy beds after 😅)
- You want a realistic pace without rushing every destination
If you’re looking for a super luxury, fly-everywhere trip then this probably isn’t it. But if you love a bit of adventure with comfort at the end of the day, you’ll love Guatemala!
We travelled from the UK so it was a pretty long journey to be honest. From Liverpool to London Euston with good old Avanti West Coast, we then jumped on the tube over to Heathrow Terminal 2. Flying with Avianca via Bogotá was a treat! They were a great airline and I’ll definitely use them again as a good base for exploring Central and South American destinations. Our only qualm was a 7 hour layover in Bogotá airport but it gave me time to practice my Spanish ordering some breakfast and coffees to keep us going 😅 before we knew it, we were landing into La Aurora Airport, Guatemala City!
Day 1-2: Antigua
Arriving into the airport, we booked an Uber straight to Antigua which cost about £36. It took just over 2 hours due to traffic – the taxi driver told us that a flower festival in Antigua meant it was extra busy!
We arrived at Central Hostal San Sebastian for our two night stay. We stayed in a glamping pod and it was such a fun experience! The pods were so cosy and with beautiful fairy lights, lighting up the garden in the evening. There were shared bathroom, kitchen and shower facilities. For our first night, we were so tired and hungry after travelling so we headed to Domino’s for a pizza-fix before getting some sleep.
The following day, we explored Antigua in the height of the flower festival and wow, it was a treat! The streets were bustling and there was so much atmosphere, even in the morning. We visited Arco de Santa Catalina, Parque Central then headed to Rooftop Antigua for a coffee. Here we saw the first view of Acatenango and Fuego – which we would see a lot closer the following day. The rest of the day was spent wandering through Antigua’s charming streets and fuelling up with steak for dinner at La Estancia.
Day 3-5: Acatenango Volcano Hike and back to Antigua
Wow, where to start with this experience! We completed the overnight Acatenango hike and I can tell you it was DIFFICULT. That being said it was SO worth it – I would 100% recommend adding to your itinerary.
After research and checking availability (yes, the tours get booked up weeeeks in advance), we decided to go with Tropicana. We went as a couple and did decide we wanted a private cabin as depending on the tour group, some of the dorms can be up to 20 people. We settled on Tropicana and booked their Private Tour for 2 package costing around £130 each.
The hike was definitely difficult and felt endless at times. The terrain is of course volcanic and can be slippery too which adds to the pain ha! But I will say, the final stretch when the incline flattens out – is where you start to really get excited to see those views from base camp. We arrived at our cabin to clouds but it soon cleared up. The views left me speechless – it was completely worth every step! The views of Fuego when it was erupting are something I will never forget.
There is an optional Fuego hike to get closer (its not included in the tours, so costs extra) but its described as a harder hike than Acatenango. It also takes an extra 4-5 hours. I had already decided I wasn’t going to do it😅. Dale was very tempted but decided against it as we wanted to save ourselves for sunrise. We had a well deserved nap, some dinner and enjoyed the eruptions!
The next morning started with a 4am wake up call and a scramble up to the summit of Acatenango for sunrise. Special, special moments. We then headed back to base camp for breakfast and began our descent – the end was in sight! Its crazy as in the moment you just want the hike to be finished but later on, you wish you could go back to that exact moment. At first I said “there’s no way I’d do that again” but if you asked me now, I would definitely be tempted to ha!
Back in Antigua, we refuelled with guac, tacos and margaritas at Ta’Cool and checked into our second hotel of the trip, the lovely Nico Hotel. Shout out to them for letting us check in so early – I think they felt sorry for us as we looked a state after the hike! The next day we headed out on a fun experience with GetYourGuide. I was very kindly gifted a voucher for this and posted about the experience on TikTok – it was a Coffee ATV Tour and it was so fun. I would really recommend this while in Antigua! We had a lovely small group and headed out for lunch and some drinks together at ABC Antigua after the tour finished. After a final wander around Antigua, it was time for our first night bus and we were travelling to the fabulous island of Flores!
Day 6-8: Flores and Tikal
Fresh off the night bus about 6.30am, we arrived into the bus station at Flores. A very quick taxi took us on to the island which is surprisingly small! After its recent feature in BBC’s Celebrity Race Across The World, I knew it would be small but it still surprised me that you could walk around it in about 15-20 minutes.
We headed to Ahau Tikal hostel where we’d booked a private room. This hostel had such a relaxed vibe. The communal garden was my favourite – hammocks, a yoga platform and even an outdoor shower in the trees. We headed for coffee and breakfast at Delirio and then grabbed a tuktok over to the mainland, heading to the shopping centre. I wanted to visit Megapaca and had heard so many good things online. There were so many rails full of clothes, shoes, accessories and home-wear. You could spend hours! So I would definitely recommend heading here on a rainy day for something to do indoors.
The next day we had a 6am pick up for our tour of Tikal! Tikal National Park is about 90 minutes outside of Flores and is home to many Mayan ruins. Set in the jungle, it is absolutely incredible. Tikal is another must see for me in Guatemala. You spend the day wandering through jungle paths, climbing temples (yes, you can climb some of them here!) and watching monkeys swinging through the trees. We chose not to do the sunrise tour – it costs more money plus is an extremely early start. But felt the 6am tour was early enough that it avoided the hottest part of the day. Others also recommend the sunset tour too as an option. After the tour, we headed back to Flores for some tacos and to watch the most beautiful sunset. We also spotted the checkpoint hotel from Celebrity Race Across The World which was fun!
Jorge’s Rope Swing was on the agenda for the following day after our delicious brunch at Maple and Tocino (a must visit imo). We hopped on a boat from outside the restaurant and quickly arrived at the swing. There are chairs, hammocks and you can buy drinks here. It was so chilled and a nice place to enjoy the sun for the morning/afternoon. In the evening, it was time for a mammoth journey from Flores all the way to Lake Atitlán!
Day 9-14: Lake Atitlán
Arriving into Panajachel at around 8am, our first view of the lake was incredible. Peaceful and serene, it had us so excited for the next 6 days here. We hopped on our first lancha over to San Pedro and headed straight to Sababa for a gorgeous coffee and brunch. Soaking in some lake views, we waited for our Airbnb to be ready. Since we were staying on the lake for a bit longer, we opted for a beautiful cabin just outside of the centre of San Pedro – and were we in for a treat. The view from the terrace was a DREAM and it was so quiet. I would definitely recommend checking them out
San Pedro is the perfect base to explore the lake – with connections all over by lancha and connections to neighbouring San Juan also by tuktuk. We visited a range of towns including San Juan, San Marcos and also the famous Casa del Mundo in Jaibalito. They all offer something different; local art-work, famous hotels and yoga/wellness facilities. I truly believe there is somewhere for everyone on the lake! We spent a day exploring each of these places and I would definitely recommend factoring enough time on the lake to your itinerary – its so worth it. Anyway, much more about the towns coming in another post 👀
While staying on the lake we also did the Indian Nose hike booked through GetYourGuide. This was an amazing experience and it really is a birds eye view over the lake. In the distance, we could see Fuego erupting and it felt like a full-circle moment since watching it erupt in front of our eyes just the week before! Magical moments. Its an early start but this is a must-see for me while at the lake.
After a truly terrifying lancha from San Pedro to Panajachel (note: try not to travel too far on them in the afternoons ha!), we had a chilled night at Posada don Miguel hotel ahead of our early pick up to head back to the airport for our flight home. BUT the universe had other plans for us and our flight home was actually cancelled (thank you A320 software update👀). So with our non-refundable transfer booked, the driver kindly let us change our destination to Antigua!
Day 15-17: Antigua
An extra few days in this beautiful city was definitely welcomed – we had unfinished business! Our first visit here definitely felt rushed as we needed to fit in the overnight Acatenango hike, so we were excited to be back to wrap-up an incredible trip.
After checking in to Hotel Chilero Y Café, we had another wander around the city before having tacos at Ta’Cool again! They were so worth it, we loved their menu. Watching the sunset over Acatenango and Fuego from the hotel rooftop made us so grateful for the extension to our trip. For dinner, we felt like something different and a recommendation for Pappy’s BBQ online came calling! Wow. Texan BBQ style food was just what we needed. We had a window seat and a front row view of fireworks being set off all around the city for a celebration. Did I mention how much I just love Antigua?! For a relatively small city, there is always so much happening.
The following day, we headed to Hobbitenango – nestled up above in the hills around 30 minutes drive from Antigua and only reached by 4×4. It was beautiful and so nicely done! There were a few trails to various viewpoints over the volcanos, live music, swings and even a Hobbit themed pub and restaurant. A great way to spend the afternoon! The only let down for us was the giant hand – the queue of around 45+ minutes was not for us so we didn’t do this. I would say Hobbitenango is well worth a visit though for something different and an easy afternoon/day trip from Antigua.
Our final night in Guatemala had arrived and we found the perfect way to spend it. First heading to ABC Antigua for some drinks, we decided to try locate the secret Ulew speak-easy cocktail bar. We found it and wow, was it worth it! The coolest concept. Upon entry, ask you what you like and don’t like. They then make you the perfect personalised cocktail!
Getting Around:
It’s relatively easy to travel around Guatemala but don’t expect the most high-speed transport. We pre-booked most of our journeys via Bookaway – for both taxis and buses. Internal flights are possible for some journeys (such as Guatemala city to Flores) but book in advance as prices can jump A LOT and very quickly. Night buses are really easy and relatively comfortable as night buses go. Transport is not the cheapest but not hugely expensive.
Guatemala completely exceeding my expectations – from erupting volcanoes and jungle ruins to peaceful lake mornings. It’s a country that rewards you for slowing down and honestly, I’d go back in a heartbeat!
I’ll be sharing detailed guides on Acatenango, Lake Atitlán, budgets and tours next – so keep an eye out 👀✨