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Guatemala City, Guatemala
Welcome to Guatemala! Are you ready to see the best places in Guatemala?
Unfortunately, your arrival point, Guatemala City, is not the most exciting
spot to be. In addition, Guatemala City is unsafe. Armed robberies can happen
and thieves are quite common as well. Though some zones are better, you will
still have to traverse through the other zones just to get there. The main point
of being in Guatemala City is to take either the overnight bus or a flight to
the city of Flores. If you are arriving via Mexico or Belize, then skip ahead to
the part of the Guatemala itinerary that fits you. If you arrive early in
Guatemala City and really have a desire to visit the city, visit zone 1, the
historic center. There is no luggage storage at the airport but you could store
your stuff in one of the hostels in Zone 1 (I recommend Capsule Hostel). If they
don’t allow you, see if you can “book 1 night” there just so you can leave your
stuff inside the hostel while you explore the city. Remember to ALWAYS take Uber
in Guatemala City, no taxis. * Where to Take the Overnight Bus from Guatemala
City to Flores There are three bus companies that have overnight buses from
Guatemala City to Flores: 1. Linea Dorada 2. Fuente Del Norte 3. Autobuses Del
Norte All the stations are located in Zone 1 (also the historical center) and
are within 2 blocks from one another. Linea Dorada is the most luxurious and
expensive option but feel free to check out the other options as well.
- Museo Popol Vuh
- Plaza de la Constitución
- La Cocina de la señora Pu
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Flores Island (Guatemala), Guatemala
Welcome to Flores Guatemala, one of my favorite towns in all of Guatemala! The
Peten Lake that surrounds the whole entire town makes Flores a magical place.
The main reason why you are here is for Tikal Mayan Ruins, one of the most
impressive Mayan ruins in the entire world. It is many times better than Chichen
Itza in Mexico, mainly because of its location and the fact that you can climb
onto most of the ruins. Tikal National Park is a simply a must-see place in
every Guatemala itinerary, and believe it or not, you can camp overnight in
Tikal if you want! You must be tired from the overnight bus, so today you will
get to relax and enjoy the beauty of Flores. There are two super relaxing places
in Flores Guatemala: 1. Jorge’s Rope Swing 2. Playa Chechenal Peten Jorge’s Rope
Swing is a beautiful place close to the island of Flores where you can just lay
down and sunbathe or have a swim in the lake. There are also rope swings and
platforms to jump into the lake from!
- Jorge’s Rope Swing
- Playita El Chechenal
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Tikal, Guatemala
Today you will see the magnificent Tikal ruins for sunrise. Then you will spend
half the day exploring the archaeological site. You will return to Flores with
no intention of doing anything else but to sleep. If you are not exhausted after
visiting Tikal, check out one of the top things to do in Flores Guatemala. If
you haven’t explored the town yet, make sure you walk around the perimeter
especially, it is so beautiful. Also, you will want to arrange transport to go
to Lanquin for tomorrow, you can buy that at Los Amigos Hostel as well.
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Lanqúin, Guatemala
Are you ready to leave the beautiful island of Flores Guatemala? Because today
you will be taking a tourist transport to the beautiful town of Lanquin and
Semuc Champey. Get ready for the 8-hour bumpy ride on some of the worst
Guatemala roads ever. I highly recommend you bringing a travel medicine kit.
(Trust me, it’s worth it!) The main attraction in this area is a natural pool
called Semuc Champey. You will arrive in the town of Lanquin in the late
afternoon. Before you arrive, decide if you want to stay in the town of Lanquin
or next to Semuc Champey. The town of Lanquin is a local town that has
everything you need (grocery stores, restaurants, markets), if you decide to
stay there, stay at Vista Verde Hostel. If you stay next to Semuc Champey, you
will have to rely on your accommodation for food, transport, and everything. My
recommendation is the Greengo’s Hotel. The good thing about staying there is
that you can literally walk to Semuc Champey pools from there.
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Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Welcome to Quetzaltenango (after another 8-hour ride, I promise it’s the last
8-hour van ride), or if you can’t pronounce that, just Xela. It is hard to
believe but Xela is the 2nd most populated city in all of Guatemala. What’s
harder to believe is that it barely gets any tourism. Many tourists decide to
skip Quetzaltenango because it is definitely not the prettiest place to be for a
vacation. But the reason I put it in this 2 week Guatemala itinerary as one of
the places to visit is that Quetzaltenango is as authentic as Guatemala can be.
In Quetzaltenango, you will see how the majority of people in Guatemala live,
how their conditions actually are, and how much heritage it has. Quetzaltenango
is a place filled with Guatemala culture. It is the place to visit in Guatemala
to experience local life! But if you don’t like seeing the raw and ugly, skip
Xela and go to Panajachel on Lake Atitlan instead and you will have more days to
spend in Antigua. Quetzaltenango is one of the best places to study Spanish in
the world! Note: Xela can be cold due to the high altitude, especially at night!
- Fuentes Georginas
- Volcan Santa Maria
- Parque A Centroamerica
- Catedral Metropolitana de los Altos, Quetzaltenango
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San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala
Today, you will finally arrive at the famous Lake Atitlan, one of the most fun
and beautiful places in Guatemala. Lake Atitlan is a place you must visit on
your Guatemala trip. Made up of small villages and towns with different
specialties around the lake, there is so much culture to explore here.
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Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
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Panajachel, Guatemala
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Santa Cruz la Laguna, Guatemala
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Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala
Last but not least, you are at the breathtaking colonial town of Antigua, the
most popular tourist destination and a present-day UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Antigua was once the capital of Guatemala, but a series of devastating
earthquakes prompted changing the capital to present-day Guatemala City. Walking
down the cobblestone streets of Antigua and you will undoubtedly stumble upon
cultural gems, interesting museums, and buildings in ruins. There are many
awesome things to do in Antigua, but the ones you cannot miss are hiking volcano
Acatenango, visiting Hobbitenango, and checking out the Cerro de la Cruz
viewpoint. Below is our recommended allocation of time, but you are welcome to
switch it up however you like.