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Guatemala City, Guatemala
Guatemala prices were a bit of a shock at first after coming straight from India
but it is very backpacker-friendly on the wallet compared to most places in the
western world. I did lots of tours, took many buses, and went on tons of
adventures and my two-week total was still just under $500 USD. I stayed in
dormitory rooms at hostels, ate cheap local food, and didn’t drink much alcohol.
You could definitely do it cheaper but you could also spend an entire $500 in
one night on a hotel. An example below is regular prices throughout Guatemala
although this can vary from town to town and also depends on where you choose to
eat and sleep. * Hostels: $8-15 * Street food: $2-4 * Restaurant meal: $4-20 *
Transport: 8hr minivan shuttle was $18 * Laundry: $1 per pound
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Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
If you are making the journey through Guatemala from south to north, it’s likely
that Antigua will be one of your first places to visit while backpacking through
Guatemala. I took a $1 chicken bus from Guatemala City, which I was later told
was pretty dangerous but it worked out fine for me and was cheaper than the $8
shuttle bus. Cobblestone streets and vintage facades send travelers back in time
as they wander the streets of Antigua. There were a number of ruins throughout
the streets of Antigua, which was the most picturesque, historic town of my
Guatemala backpacking route.
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San Marcos, Guatemala
From Antigua, I again went with the chicken bus option. However, this time it
saved me only $2 compared to the shuttle and I had to transfer five times and
take a boat before arriving in San Marcos. I would suggest the shuttle to San
Marcos unless you are up for the adventure out of pure enjoyment. I didn’t book
anything online because there were few options but I just walked up to the first
decent-looking spot and found a room for $8 pretty easily. There were plenty of
open rooms throughout the town. I had heard of a little cliff jumping spot in
San Marcos and managed to find it. A really nice deck with an easy way to climb
up made for an awesome chill spot with two girls I had met at the hostel. The
view across the lake was phenomenal and incredibly peaceful. That was how
Guatemala felt the whole trip, not too touristy. Quiet enough to really enjoy
the places you went without battling too many crowds. Along with Semuc Champey,
this was one of my favorite places along my Guatemala backpacking route.
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Cobán, Guatemala
Finally, I gave up on the chicken buses. I caught a shuttle back to Antigua for
the night and then the next morning headed on another shuttle to Coban/Semuc
Champey. It was a pretty long two days. 7 hours to Antigua and 11 hours to Semuc
Champey. That is par for the course for backpacking in Guatemala and it is just
how you make a tight itinerary work if you want to see a lot of places. Make the
most of it and hopefully, you meet a few cool people on your bus. I stayed at a
pretty sweet hostel in Semuc Champey called Greengos. There were others in the
area known for partying and had a different crowd but Greengos had nature and
the vibes I was looking for. A river ran through the hostel, which was so far
into the jungle there was no wifi.
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Flores, Guatemala
Another long bus ride and 9 hours later I arrived at the small island town of
Flores. I was pretty tired from all of the buses and exploring but had two more
adventures left in me. I stayed at a popular hostel called Los Amigos, which had
good vibes, decent wifi, and friendly staff. The first adventure I hit was
exploring the ancient The first adventure I hit was exploring the ancient Mayan
ruins of Tikal. I was lucky enough to get a great guide who taught us a lot
about the ruins but also plenty of weird facts and stories we would have never
learned had we explored without a guide. This was the most expensive ticket of
the trip. However, it was one of those places you just have to visit so you pull
out the wallet and enjoy it. I highly recommend going for the sunrise or morning
tour, the afternoon tour was boiling hot and full of tourists.