Itinerary

Day 0: Flight & Private Transportation to Antigua

Antigua is a small colonial city surrounded by volcanoes in the Southern part of Guatemala. It’s a popular tourist destination within the country and considered safe for travelers.

THE FLIGHT ✈️ Our flight departed at 7PM EST from JFK Airport in New York, and it was scheduled to arrive in Guatemala City around 10PM (Guatemala Time - 2 hour difference ). The direct flight duration was a little over 5 hours.

THE PRIVATE TRANSPORT 🚌 We booked private transportation through Road Runner Guatemala. You can expect to pay approximately $40-$50 USD for private transportation from Guatemala City Airport to the City of Antigua. You can also try shopping around for better prices through the Uber app or local taxis right outside the airport. (Don’t forget to ask if hotel or Hostal offers shuttle service.)

Depending on traffic, you can expect your car ride to Antigua to take anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes.

We checked into our hostel, Maya Papaya, around midnight and decided to go for a walk in the beautiful cobblestone streets of Antigua.

Quickly we discovered that night life ends very early in this city.

Day 1: Streets of Antigua, Independence day celebrations & Birthday celebration

Guatemala celebrates its Independence day every September 15th by organizing colorful parades, serving traditional food, showing national pride through decorations and the famous torch relay.

We took this day to explore the beautiful city at our own pace. We had a few restaurants in mind and in between checking them out, we were able to enjoy the parades through the main streets and plazas.

Our first stop was Starbucks ☕.

The architecture and art reflected in this facility are superb. 💯 Recommended.

The second stop was the main plaza or “Plaza Central”. As it is typical of main plazas throughout South and Central America, this is the spot to find vendors selling souvenirs, grab a quick snack, feed the birds, and see the locals in their everyday lives. Here, my friend Melissa, and I met the most precious little girl that quickly caught our attention and melted our hearts. Meet Genesis ❤️

After filling our hearts with joy and love from Genesis, it was time to fill our stomachs.

We decided to check out a new Rooftop restaurant nearby, La Tasca for lunch.

The food was delicious! I must say though. Although this restaurant offers different options, it is definitely mostly dedicated to seafood lovers 🦀🦐

Shortly after lunch, my friend and I were ready for dessert. We are foodies for sure! We got delicious crepes at La Luna De Miel . (Make sure to check out the expenses section to get an idea of pricing on food in Guatemala)

We decided to walk a bit and get some rest before heading out for dinner at a highly rated Steakhouse, Casa Escobar. My gorgeous friend Melissa had made reservations in advance to celebrate my birthday here 😊. Thanks Mel 🤍

Birthday Photo Dump 🎂

The food was excellent! We truly enjoyed every bite. We wrapped up our night around 10PM. Although, we wanted to check out the night life in Antigua, we decided not to because the next day we were off to our next adventure, Volcan Acatenango!

Days 2 &3 : Acatenango Volcano Overnight Hike

Finally! The day we anxiously waited for arrived.

Our day started around 8AM at our pick up spot at the in the main plaza in Antigua. We opted to go with the tour company, Acatenango Local Adventure.

A little over a 45-min ride, we arrived at Aldea La Soledad. This is the starting point of the hike to the volcano and also the hometown of the owner of our tour company. We were served breakfast and given a quick orientation at the house of the tour guide.

Here, we were served breakfast and given the opportunity to buy snacks, borrow warm clothes, and rent gear such as walking poles, headlamps, hiking shoes, etc.

Our tour guide, Armando, estimated the hike to take us 5 hours. Little did he know, we were not capable of keeping up with his pace 😂. We ended up at the base camp around 7 hours later, and none of us had the energy to do the additional hike to Volcan El Fuego.

The hike was uphill approximately 90% of the time and I must admit, it was very difficult, specially carrying 4 liters of water, food, gear and other items in your backpack.

We were very lucky to have clear skies for the majority of the time and to see the volcano erupt a couple of times along with thunder! We were not lucky enough to see lava explosions, but that was not a big deal for us.

Being there felt surreal. Being there was a blessing.

We spent the most beautiful sunset here as we shared hot food, hot chocolate, marshmallows and stories about life. We also observed from our base camp, the brave hikers completing what is considered the most difficult hike, Volcan Fuego. I truly wish my body was capable of doing this additional 3-4 hour hike. I could only imagine what it must be like to be standing on the ridge of an active volcano. This is definitely something I’ll attempt again in the future.

Around 10PM, I got into my sleeping bag and tried to get some sleep while there was non-stop thunderstorms outside. It was scary, but it also felt like a free show from Mother Earth showing off her beauty.

At 4AM, we woke up to summit Acatenango and have 360 views of the city, Volcan Fuego, Lake Atitlan, all accompanied by the most surreal sunrise you’ll get to experience.

Two people from our group, including my friend, Melissa decided to sleep in and skip this part of the tour.

We spent about an hour watching the sunrise here and then proceeded to complete the descent to base camp, to pack, and go back to Aldea Soledad. The descent took approximately 3 hours in total. Our bags were lighter, it was much easier to complete. We did it!

Days 3 & 4: Luxury Hotel, ATV Tour & Theme Parks

On day 3, we arrived back to Antigua approximately around 2PM. We were extremely exhausted, dirty, and tired. We grabbed a bite and quickly went to check into our luxury hotel, El Convento.

We booked a double bed Premium Queen Room with jacuzzi and breakfast included. The price was for this room was the same as our roundtrip flight 😂 ($300 USD). Oh boy! I only book luxury hotels as a reward after an exhausting activity and typically 1-2 nights tops.

As soon as we arrived to the room, we started up the jacuzzi and spent hours there relaxing our sore bodies from the hike along with a bottle of wine. We did some exploring, checked out a popular spot for nightlife called El Barrio, but quickly returned to get some much needed rest.

The following day, we decided to have some fun riding ATV’s throughout the City. We booked a guided tour through Direct Adventure. The ATV tour we chose included a visit to El Cerro De La Cruz viewpoint, Altamira Theme Park, Hobbitenango Theme Park, and lunch!

Expenses

All prices below are based on two travelers. Currency conversion are as of 11/17/23

*I opted for a private room for this trip. However, you can choose a shared dorm and cut your costs by up to 70%.

Total Approximate Expenses per person including flights : $924

✍🏻 Take Note:

• This trip can easily be more affordable if you opt to stay in hostels or cheaper hotels. However, I do recommend you book a nice comfortable hotel for the night after hiking the volcano. Definitely needed!
• The City of Antigua has many excellent restaurants packed with tourists which in turn drive up prices. You can opt for local traditional restaurants, equally good, and with much better prices.
• If you do decide to hike Acatenango, I suggest you prepare by going on walks for a couple of days at least two weeks prior to this adventure. If you have access to a treadmill, walk for 20-40 mins on incline. This will definitely assist.
• If you are looking to party in the City of Antigua, keep in mind that it is better to start around 9-10PM. Many bars and clubs close early (around midnight - 1 am).
• If you are thinking to travel solo, do it! This trip is by far one of the easiest trips to accomplish for solo travelers.

Explore these blogs by other travelers:

Volcan Acatenango Hike with Volcan Fuego: BEST NEW TOUR

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Hands-Down Best Things to Do in Antigua, Guatemala (2023)

Plan extra time when you visit Antigua, Guatemala—it's surprisingly safe, completely charming, and offers travelers unique cultural lessons.

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Thank You for reading my first blog :)