Guatemala in 7 Days

If you’re new to my blog, I like to jump right in—so let’s get started! In my blogs, I separate everything into Pre-Departure, Trip, and Budget Breakdown +Afterthoughts.

Pre-Departure

Flights

We flew Alaska Airlines round trip for $300 per ticket. This gave us a Saver Fare, with two layovers on the way to Guatemala and one layover on the way back. We took a red-eye flight going there, and honestly, I remember taking off and then waking up as we landed. The average price from my home airport was around $450–$500, so this was a great deal!

We found these flights using DailyDropPro, a service that sends you flight deals when prices drop. It costs $150 a year, but we’ve easily made that money back multiple times over just from purchasing one of their deals. (I plan to write a full blog dedicated to DailyDropPro soon.)

Items You Might Not Think About Packing—But Should!

These were totally worth packing, and I highly recommend bringing them:

• Tummy Meds – I HIGHLY recommend bringing Pepto (the pill form worked great), plus anti-diarrhea and anti-nausea meds. We actually went through most of what we packed because my husband got sick. If you get motion sickness, be sure to bring Dramamine.

• Sun Hat – If you plan on hiking Mount Acatenango, I highly recommend a good sun hat! I loved this one that had a space for a ponytail.

• Packable Daypack – If you’re staying at Lake Atitlán, you really need a good pack for going from town to town. My favorite one has an insulated pocket for food, drinks, or even wet clothes!

• Trail Runners or Gym Shoes – You might think, Guatemala = warm, so I can leave my gym shoes at home. Nope! Even if you’re not planning to hike, I highly recommend bringing a good pair of trail runners or gym shoes. Walking around the lake or in town, there can be hazards—so just bring closed-toe shoes.

• Turkish Towel – A Turkish towel is always handy! We used ours for hiking Acatenango and every day at the lake since our hotel didn’t provide lake towels. This one is my favorite and super affordable.

  
  

Here’s a checklist of everything else I packed (feel free to save and print for your own use):

What Luggage We Used

Both my husband and I packed in our Samsonite Mother Lode Travel Backpacks. We’ve had these for five years and absolutely love them! We use them a ton, and they were perfect for this trip.

The Trip

Places We Stayed

Societal Antigua– $125/night

We stayed in the Suite+ (a splurge for my 30th birthday), and it was great! It came with free breakfast, a daily drink from the bar, and morning yoga. It’s a hostel, so the average age skews young.

Sunset Lodge, Lake Atitlán – $128/night (3 nights)

We LOVED the Sunset Lodge at Lake Atitlán! We could have stayed here forever. There’s an on-site vegan restaurant, a hot tub, lounge chairs, plus free paddleboards and kayaks for guests. It’s in Santa Cruz, a quieter town on the lake. We stayed in the Rock Apartment, which is at the top of the hotel (so lots of stairs), but so worth it!

Itinerary

Download and Print for Quick Reference!

Day 1: Arrival

We landed in Guatemala City at 6 AM. Customs and immigration were a breeze. We booked a private transfer through GetYourGuide to Antigua, and after a red-eye, it was a LIFE saver! Our driver picked us up right outside the airport, and we were off on the 1.5-hour drive to Antigua. This cost $25 per person.

🚗 Tip: The drive can be rough if you have motion sickness—take meds beforehand!

We arrived in Antigua around 9 AM and stored our luggage at the hotel since our room wasn’t ready.

For breakfast, we ate at Sky Café, which I highly recommend. The views were incredible, and the food was perfectly priced! It’s on the top floor of a three-story building—just keep walking up!

After breakfast, we walked/hiked to Cerro de La Cruz, which has a fantastic view of Antigua. It’s not far from town, and I’d rate the hike 2/10 difficulty.

Once our room was ready, we checked in, showered, and took a quick nap before heading off on a Street Food Tour! We always try to do one food tour on our trips to connect with the local community. This one was amazing—our guide was knowledgeable and led us through the markets to try food we never would have on our own!

Our guide walked us to Casa del Ron, a high-end rum bar, and he was right—we loved it! If you love rum, you must stop here and get the rum flight. It’s pricier than other places, but it’s the most upscale spot we visited in Antigua. Get a reservation! We tried to go back later in the trip and were turned away because it was full.

Day 2: Antigua

We started our day with CA Travelers’ Coffee & Gastronomic Bike Tour. We rode fat-tire bikes to a coffee plantation, where we learned about Guatemalan coffee and its role in the country’s economy. After enjoying some coffee, we visited San Felipe, a town near Antigua, to try Guatemalan candy and kombucha. We also grabbed tostadas from a tiny booth and ended the tour at Antigua Brewing Company.

Next, we visited Convento Santa Clara, an important site in Antigua’s history. We spent about an hour walking through the ruins. You can hire a guide, but we just bought tickets and explored on our own.

For dinner, we followed our bike tour guide’s recommendation and ate at 27 Adentro, a Guatemalan fusion restaurant with a charming courtyard.

To end the night, we went to Ulew Cocktail Bar, a speakeasy hidden inside Antigua Brewing Company. You enter through an old red phone booth! It’s a small space, and everyone must have a seat, so there can be a wait. 

The cool part of this bar: There’s no menu! The bartenders craft drinks based on your preferences. Sitting at the bar was an amazing experience—we got to watch them create other people’s drinks, too! Our cocktails were unique and served in fun glasses. A must-do!

Day 3: Mount Acatenango & Mount Fuego

⏰ 4 AM. Let me repeat that—4 AM.

We chose to do the day hike on Mount Acatenango instead of the overnight trek, mainly due to time constraints. But looking back, we were SO happy with our decision (more on that later).

We met at OX Expeditions at 4:45 AM. There were 10 of us in our hiking group, with a huge range of skill levels and acclimation to altitude. For this hike it was $69 USD a person.

After our safety briefing, where we learned we would be stopping every 20 minutes for a break (much to my husbands chagrin and my joy) those who wanted hiking sticks could grab one. They also gave us bottled water as well as a sandwich for lunch. 

🚨 A Few Warnings If You Want to Do This Hike: 

✔ You need to be in great shape. I trained for three months, and it was still the hardest hike of my life. Even two ultra-marathoners in our group struggled. 

✔ Bring a buff for your face—you’ll be hiking through volcanic ash and dirt. 

✔ Bring more water than you think you’ll need.

It took us roughly 4 hours to climb up and it was the hardest hike of my life! Mind you I hike and backpack almost every other week in the summer. I have done some crazy hard hikes and this topped them all. 

I ended up being a full middle of the group hiker, while my husband was cruising up with everyone behind him. Our guide was great and stayed in the back of the pack to make sure no one got left behind. 

Every 20 minutes we stopped at a hut for water, snack and bathroom (in the forest) break. These breaks really allowed me to recharge and push to the next hut. Plus I was able to chat “It is only 20 minutes to the next hut” which helped me get through. 

Around 2 hours in, the overnight campers started coming down and there were SOOOO many of them so many people. Our guide side on a “busy night you can get close to 300 people at the top”. 

The final pitch of this hike was the hardest, I ended up counting steps by the dozen in order to get to the top. It was worth it though because as I crested the summit Mount Fuego exploded. The sound and the ash cloud made me gasp in awe (ok maybe I screamed al little by the shock of it).

I reached the viewing area where I sat with my husband and the couple from canada while we waited for the rest of the group and we had the WHOLE summit to ourselves! Something you will not get if you overnight Mount Acatenango. 

The group eventually all made its way to us. We did have several people start to get altitude sickness as we were at 13,000 feet and so we hurried and  had lunch before heading down. 

The hiking stick ended up being the saving grace to protect my knees and to keep from face planting into the slippery ash. Those who did not have sticks had one or two falls on the way down. 

Coming down we saw hundreds of folks heading up which was crazy to us as we had just had the top of the mountain to ourselves! The trail and huts were PACKED with people, again which was so crazy we had them all to ourselves! At that moment we were ecstatic that we had chosen the day hike  and not the overnight hike. 

It took us about half the time to get down and we waited on the side of the road for our bus to pick us up! Our guide was nice enough to grab beers for everyone at the local stand and we just chilled and talked until our bus took us back to Antigua. 

The hike was brutal—4 hours up, every step harder than the last But It was absolutely unreal.

Day 4: Mount Pacaya and Pizza

Should you eat pizza cooked in a volcano? Yes, you absolutely should!

We booked the Pizza Pacaya tour and were picked up from our hotel for the hour-long drive to Mount Pacaya.

Compared to Mount Acatenango, this area was much busier and more touristy. As soon as we arrived, locals approached us, offering horses for rent to ride up the trail. Some even followed us for a while, trying to convince us to take one. Thankfully, our guide was fantastic—he kindly but firmly called them off.

This hike was much, much easier than the previous day's, though it still had a few challenging moments. You’re climbing over volcanic ash until you reach the lava field, so wear gym shoes or hiking boots to protect your feet!

Along the way, our guide explained the history of Mount Pacaya and its most recent eruptions.

Once we reached the lava field, we climbed down to the "restaurant." This is where we met David, who was incredibly kind and welcoming. He let us choose toppings to split on our pizza (if you're solo, you get a whole pizza to yourself). Once assembled, the pizza was placed on a cookie sheet and cooked in a volcanic vent—yes, inside the volcano itself!

The cooking process took about 10-15 minutes, during which we took photos, chatted with other travelers, and soaked in the unique scenery.

They've even set up tables in the lava field, where each person gets a soda or water. And as a final treat, we got to roast marshmallows over the volcanic vents! After finishing our meal and taking more photos, we made our way back down.

When we got back to Antigua, my husband started feeling sick. While he rested, I took a solo walk around town, stopped by the bank to exchange money, and found an amazing little restaurant called Madre Tierra for dinner. It was so good—I highly recommend it!

Day 5: Travel Day from H*LL

Honestly, this was a terrible, no-good day.

My husband woke up even sicker than the night before. Thankfully, we had over-the-counter medicine, which came in handy as we had a long journey ahead. We had booked a shared shuttle to save money, but looking back, we should have paid extra for a private car, given the situation.

We were crammed into a van with 8 other travelers. Only one of them spoke English.

🚨 WARNING! 🚨

The road from Antigua to Lake Atitlán (Panajachel) is extremely winding. It was two hours of pure misery, and three people got carsick along the way. If you’re prone to motion sickness, take meds before this drive—you’ll need them!

Halfway through, we stopped at a gas station, and thankfully, my husband was feeling a little better by then.

Once we arrived in Panajachel, we opted for a private boat to our hotel. The alternative was the crowded public water taxis, but given my husband's condition, we decided to avoid them. The private boat cost 200 QZD, and honestly, it was worth every penny.

The boat ride to Sunset Lodge in Santa Cruz took about 20 minutes. Upon arrival, we were greeted at the dock and shown to our apartment-style room, which included filtered water, coffee, tea, a fridge, a cooktop, and a kettle.

That evening, we ate at the on-site vegan restaurant. I loved the food, but my husband is someone who needs meat to survive—so he was not a fan.

Day 6: Up, Up, and Away…

Thankfully, my husband woke up feeling almost 100% better. He spent the morning sipping coffee on the dock and chatting with other guests while I got ready for the day.

We walked to the main hub of Santa Cruz and took a tuk-tuk up the hill to Café Sabor Cruceno—a women-run café with breathtaking views and the best breakfast of our entire trip! They also offer cooking classes, which we couldn’t fit in this time, but I’d absolutely come back for one.

After breakfast, we headed to Panajachel for our next adventure: paragliding!

We booked with Real World Paragliding, the ONLY certified paragliding company in Guatemala. Their instructors are certified and train in countries around the world.

The experience costs $100 USD per person for a 4-hour adventure. If you’re prone to motion sickness, take meds beforehand!

We did point-to-point paragliding, and it was an absolute blast! The weather was perfect, which is crucial for a smooth flight.

⛅ Note: This activity is weather-dependent! Make sure to schedule it early in your trip in case you need to reschedule.

After paragliding, we took a boat to San Juan La Laguna on the other side of the lake. What we didn’t realize? The public taxis stop running at 5 PM. We arrived at 4:15 PM, rushed to grab food (meat for my husband), and barely made the last boat back.

💡 Pro tip: San Juan is stunning—don’t rush through it like we did!

The public water taxis were super easy to use, and the drivers announce each stop as they go. Just remember: CASH ONLY!

Day 7: Final Day

This morning, we paddle boarded into the center of the lake, and it was absolutely magical. If you visit Lake Atitlán, make sure your accommodation offers paddleboards or kayaks—it’s a soul-healing experience.

After breakfast at the hotel, we took a boat to San Marcos, known as the "hippie" town. This area is full of wellness retreats, yoga centers, and vegetarian restaurants.

We spent the afternoon at the San Marcos Nature Preserve, which costs $4 USD per person to enter. Here, we cliff-jumped and swam in the lake!

How to Find the Cliff-Jumping Spot:

1️⃣ After getting off the water taxi, take the steps on your left down to the beach area. 

2️⃣ Walk along the beach, passing restaurants and hotels. 

3️⃣ Look for a sign for the Nature Preserve and pay for entrance. 

4️⃣ Follow the trail until you find the jumping platform.

💡 Pro tip: Have someone climb down to the rocks where you'll exit the water to take amazing jump photos!

After swimming, we grabbed dinner at Tul Y Sol, a beachside restaurant, before browsing the adorable shops in town.

That night, we returned to Santa Cruz and had one last meal at the hotel restaurant. Again, I enjoyed it—my husband, not so much (because, again, no meat).

Day 8: Heading Home

We booked a private water taxi for our early departure. They were on time, and when we arrived in Panajachel, a private shuttle was already waiting to take us to Guatemala City.

The drive took three hours, and honestly, the Guatemalan airport was a breeze to get through.

💎 If you have Priority Pass, check out the Casa Del Ron Airport Lounge! They offer table-side food service, excellent coffee, comfy seating, and plenty of charging stations.

Budget Breakdown and Final thoughts

Here is what we spent for 7 days in Guatemala

This is more than we would typically spend on a trip, but since it was both my 30th birthday and my husband's 36th birthday, we decided to splurge a little! 🎉

Honestly Guatemala was an amazing country, with great food, people and experiences! I highly recommend Guatemala to you for you next trip!