With its numerous volcanoes and breathtaking landscapes, Guatemala is a captivating and surprising destination for travel. Being one of the most budget-friendly countries in Central America, it’s no wonder that it’s gaining popularity worldwide.

Guatemala boasts a rich culture and history, and its people are genuinely friendly and helpful. From Lake Atitlan to the Acatenango volcano and its black sand beach, it’s hard not to be enchanted by this country. Guatemala beckons with incredible adventures and stunning views.

In this article, you should find everything you need for a memorable trip that you won’t forget!

Our 18 days itinerary

Antigua + Acatenango volcano – 4 nights

Since Antigua is just about an hour from the Guatemala City airport, it serves as the perfect initial stop on your journey. We spent the first two days exploring this beautiful and historically rich city. Antigua boasts numerous magnificent monuments with breathtaking architecture at every turn. Its vibrant, colorful buildings also make it a city worth capturing for your Instagram feed. Additionally, these initial days allowed us to acclimatize to the altitude of Antigua, ensuring a smoother transition for the rest of our adventure.

The following two days were dedicated to the ascent of the Acatenango volcano. This hike is among the most renowned in the region, and we totally recommend it to fellow travelers. Towering and majestic, the experience of hiking Acatenango is one that will stay with you for a lifetime

Semuc Champey – 3 nights

After Antigua, we took a shuttle to Semuc Champey and spent 3 nights at Zephyr Lodge. Even if Semuc Champey is deeper in the country and it takes longer to get there, it’s totally worth it. You truly don’t want to skip it. Hidden in the Guatemalan jungle, it offers an incredible viewpoint on turquoise water pools. You can also swim in these and do other fun activities. Zephyr Lodge is also a place you want to stay with its amazing infinity pool.

Lake Atitlan – 4 nights

Surrounded by many volcanoes, lake Atitlan is a must when you visit Guatemala. Since there are many villages around the lake, we spent 1 night in Panajachel, 1 night in Santa Cruz la Laguna and 2 nights in San Pedro la Laguna. Each of these places offered something unique. From amazing Airbnbs with breathtaking views to paddle board and to sunrise hike, there’s plenty to do in lake Atitlan. You don’t want to miss it!

El Paredon – 6 nights

At first, we were supposed to spend 2 nights in Quetzaltenango and hike another volcano. But since Olivier hurted is foot while hiking Acatenango, he didn’t want to hike another one. Then, we decided to go earlier at the beach and enjoy our last vacation days there. El Paredon is well known as a surf destination and offers many other activities. Either if you want to relax or party, there is definitely something for you.

Itinerary on a map

Budget – 18 days trip 

Accommodations – about $580 per person

We stayed in different kinds of accommodations; dorms, private rooms in hostels and Airbnb. Of course, it depends on what you’re looking for, but as a couple, we wanted some privacy most of the time. Here’s the details of our lodging options : 

• Tropicana hostel – dorms (4 nights – $54/pers)
• Zephyr Lodge – private room (3 nights – $116/pers)
• Selina Atitlan – dorms (1 night – $23/pers)
• Airbnb – private apartment with viewpoint and private spa (1 night – $86/pers)
• Sababa Resort – dorms (2 nights – $90/pers)
• Mellow hostel – private room (2 nights – $113/pers)
• Driftwood surfer – private room (4 nights $100/pers)

Meals – about $720 per person

This section is based on our estimation, as we didn’t meticulously track all our expenses. We believe we spent approximately $40 each per day on food and drinks, including alcohol. This amounts to a total of around $720 for the entire trip, which also covers our meals at the airports. Due to staying in hostels throughout our journey, we didn’t have the option to cook our own meals and relied on restaurants instead. Some hostels did include breakfast in their accommodations.

However, it’s important to note that the amount spent on food and drinks can vary greatly depending on individual preferences, such as whether you plan to cook, your budget, and your culinary tastes. Overall, we found that food and drinks in Guatemala are generally quite affordable.

Transportation – about $260 per person

Due to the affordability factor, we opted for shuttles instead of renting a car for our trip. Booking our shuttles in advance, mostly through our hostels, ensured a smooth and hassle-free experience throughout our journey. While the atmosphere in a shuttle differs from that of a car, we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves enjoying the rides more than expected. Guatemala’s stunning landscapes provided picturesque views that made the journeys even more enjoyable. Here’s a list of all the shuttles we took during our trip:

• Shuttle from the La Aurora Airport to Antigua ($22/pers)
• Shuttle from Antigua to Lanquin (Semuc Champey) ($39/pers)
• Shuttle from Lanquin to Panajachel (Lake Atitlan) ($52/pers)
• Boat taxis in Lake Atitlan ($8 for 2 rides/pers)
• Shuttle from Panajachel to El Paredon ($50/pers)

Activities – about $185 per person

Since some activities were free, we didn’t have to spend too much money on activities. In Antigua, if you just want to take some photos of the monuments, you don’t have to pay. But, if you want to enter, you’ll have to pay. Then, in El Paredon, the beach is free so you can have as much sun as you want. Here’s the list of our activities, but you might want to add $26 per day for a surfboard rental if you plan on surfing.

• Acatenango volcano ($85/pers)
• Tubing on the Lanquin river ($18/pers)
• Semuc Champey tour ($35/pers)
• Paddle board at Lake Atitlan ($7/pers)
• Indian nose hike at sunrise in San Pedro ($41/pers)

Plane ticket – $590/person

For our plane tickets, we were leaving from Montreal (YUL) to Guatemala City (GUA) with a stopover in Houston (IAH). The total duration of the plane trip is about 7h30 and we paid $590 each. The companies we had were Air Canada and United Airlines and everything went fine with them. If you’re stressed about losing your luggage, we suggest you buy an Airtag. We used ours for the first time and it was really stress relieving. You can buy yours here.

Total – $2 335/person

Then, for our 18 days trip in Guatemala it costs us around $2 335 each. We traveled with mid-high tastes with dorms, private rooms, Airbnbs as well as cheap and more expensive restaurants. Considering our total cost, let’s say Guatemala is the perfect cheap destination in Central America. Here is a graphical representation of all our expenses during the trip:

Best time to travel in Guatemala

Guatemala has two seasons due to its tropical climate: the dry season and the rainy season. To dodge heavy downpours, it’s best to travel between November and April. The driest months are typically January, February, and March, with November and April falling somewhere in between.

We traveled from mid-November to early December, and honestly, we would have preferred to stick to December only to avoid some rain. But, in terms of tourist crowds, it was pretty quiet during our trip.

Good to know about Guatemala

Recommendations

Know the basics of Spanish

In hostels, the majority of employees speak English, so you shouldn’t have any problems booking anything. However, outside of hostels, not many locals speak English. While some tour guides may speak English, not all of them do. Interestingly, we didn’t encounter many communication difficulties during tours. It was more challenging when we were out and about, shopping or asking for directions. A prime example is when we were purchasing our cell data plan; none of the employees spoke English. Given our limited Spanish skills, we had to rely on Google Translate. Overall, this handy tool enabled us to travel throughout Guatemala and communicate effectively with everyone we encountered. It’s simply easier to communicate if you have a basic understanding of Spanish.

Quetzaltenango (Xela)

At first, we were supposed to go to Quetzaltenango, but since Olivier had a foot injury, we decided not to go. Afterwards, if we could go back, we would have gone to Quetzaltenango instead of going earlier to El Paredon. It’s not that we didn’t like El Paredon, but 5 days of beach felt long. We suggest you stop by Quetzaltenango since there’s many things to do there. You could hike the Santa Maria volcano, go to Fuentes Georginas which are natural hot springs, hike the Laguna of Chicabal, etc. 

Book in advance

To secure the best accommodations at the best prices, it’s advisable to book as soon as possible. This is particularly important at Zephyr Lodge if you’re interested in a private room, as they tend to fill up quickly. The same applies to Airbnb rentals with stunning views at Lake Atitlan. The most popular options tend to get snatched up from the platform swiftly.

Our favorites

Our top three experiences would be hiking the Acatenango volcano, taking the Semuc Champey tour, and embarking on the Indian Nose hike at sunrise at Lake Atitlan. We highly recommend these activities. Hiking Acatenango is a rewarding accomplishment in itself, with the awe-inspiring view of the Fuego volcano. Semuc Champey’s viewpoint and turquoise pools nestled amidst the mountains leave an indelible impression. Lastly, witnessing the sunrise from the Indian Nose viewpoint, revealing the stunning panorama of Lake Atitlan and its surrounding volcanoes, is simply breathtaking.

Much more to see

» Tikal National Park

Since we only had 18 days to travel to this beautiful country, we couldn’t see everything and had to make choices. If you have more time than us, we suggest you travel to Flores. 

In the middle of the jungle, there’s Tikal which is one of the major Mayan civilisation sites. The ruins are full of history and great architecture. It’s about a 7 hour drive from Semuc Champey but we’re pretty sure the trip is worth it.

» Los Amates waterfalls

Then, if you plan on going near the Pacific coast, there’s the huge and impressive Los Amates waterfalls in Santa Rosa. It’s about a 3h30 drive from El Paredon. Because of the road’s condition, it’s advised to visit these waterfalls during the dry season. The walk to get to Los Amates waterfalls is about half an hour. Given the high prices for this tour (about $US375) and time, we didn’t go. Maybe it’s possible to do this activity without a guide, but you’ll need a 4×4 car.

» Tajumulco volcano

If you want to hike another volcano then Acatenango, there’s Tajumulco which is near San Marcos. Tajumulco is the highest volcano of Central America with an altitude of 13 445 feet. Since it’s isolated, it’s less known than Acatenango. Sadly, because of the tensions in the area (manifestations, violence), we couldn’t do this trek. Always inform yourself of what’s happening in regions before travel. Hopefully, it will be open when you travel to Guatemala.

Here’s other great places you might want to visit : 

• Viewpoint on Flores at Mirador de Canek
• Yaxha ruins which are less touristy than Tikal 
• Playa Chechenal in Peten with its turquoise water
• Ixpanpajul Natural Park to witness wild animals and to experience adventures like zipline
• Equality falls (San Marcos)
• Laguna Lachua (Santa Verapaz)
• Chichicastenango Market, one of the biggest exterior market

Conclusion

Guatemala is such a rich country in terms of landscape, culture and history. There’s so much to discover and experience. Unfortunately, due to the time you will have to travel and your budget, you will have to make heartbreaking choices. With only 18 days in Guatemala, we feel like we did the most popular things, but of course we would have liked to do more. One thing is sure, traveling to Guatemala means breathtaking landscapes and fulfilling adventures guaranteed. So, don’t wait and book your trip! Don’t forget to share your adventures with us!

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