Leslie Hsu Besner and Family
Sample Itinerary
Day 1
ARRIVAL IN ANTIGUA
Welcome to Guatemala! Upon arrival, meet your guide and transfer to your hotel.
Antigua, the former colonial capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala, combines 17th and 18th century buildings and ruins with all the modern conveniences discerning travelers desire. The city was established as Santiago (St. James) in 1543 after a mudslide destroyed the former capital. Santiago’s history was punctuated by massive earthquakes, followed by rebuilding and reparation, until the earthquake of Santa Marta in 1773 prompted a move to the present capital in Guatemala City. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, Antigua exudes a unique atmosphere of history, intrigue, and surprise. Resting in a fertile valley at 1530 m and surrounded by hills and volcanoes, Antigua’s climate is likened to “eternal spring."
Your hotel, Panza Verde, is a beautiful colonial style boutique property with only 12 rooms and an excellent restaurant – one of the best in Guatemala. Set around a central courtyard, the rooms are decorated in a romantic and stylish fashion. The hotel offers a lush garden patio and terrace areas to relax in as well as a bar lounge, restaurant, small lap pool, art gallery, and inside and outside dining.
The hotel believes in green practices and sustainable tourism, which will be evident upon your arrival.
Overnight Panza Verde
Day 2
AGAIG & SANTIAGO ZAMORA
Begin the day with a fairly traded coffee experience, where you learn how coffee is grown, harvested, and processed through a supply chain designed to support local farmers and sustainable practices. Walk through the stages from bean to cup, gaining insight into the role of fair trade in improving livelihoods and encouraging environmentally responsible production. You'll have the chance to taste the coffee too, comparing different roasts to understand how origin, altitude, and processing methods influence flavor.
Later, take part in a textile bag workshop led by local artisans, focusing on traditional techniques and up-cycled or sustainably sourced materials. You observe and then take part in the process of transforming fabric into reusable bags. The session highlights practical skills and the value of reducing single-use plastics, while offering a hands-on opportunity to create something to take away with you.
Overnight Panza Verde
Day 3
COMALAPA MARKET, IXIMCHE, LAKE ATITLAN
After breakfast, head to Lake Atitlán, long admired by author Aldous Huxley as “the most beautiful lake in the world.” Formed over 80,000 years ago by a volcanic eruption, the caldera now holds 130 km² of water, framed by steep hills and the three surrounding volcanoes of Atitlán (3,537 m), Tolimán (3,158 m), and San Pedro (3,020 m). The lake has been home to Maya communities for centuries, including the Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel peoples, whose history in the region dates back to at least 1000 B.C. and includes periods of alliance, resistance, and shifting control during the Spanish conquest in the 1520s.
You'll make stops in Comalapa, known for its contemporary Maya art traditions, and at Iximché, the former Kaqchikel capital and an important archaeological site with restored temples and plazas that offer insight into the region’s pre-Columbian history.
Continue to Laguna Lodge, a luxury, eco-boutique hotel on the shores of Lake Atitlan. The hotel is situated on the Tzantizotz Nature Reserve and operated with a strong focus on sustainable travel. The rooms and bathrooms are spacious and with balconies that offer wonderful views across the lake to the San Pedro and Atitlan Volcanoes.
Overnight Laguna Lodge
Day 4
SAN JUAN, SANTIAGO VILLAGE
Enjoy breakfast a la carte, followed by a full-day tour of San Juan & Santiago Village.
You’ll be picked up from your hotel and transferred to San Juan La Laguna Village to visit a local textile cooperative where you’ll see the back strap loom in use and watch how villagers still dye with natural dyes. Also visit the home and workshop of local naïf painters before boarding the boat to Santiago Village for lunch. After lunch, walk with your guide to find the house where the Maya God Maximon is living. Each year a different “brotherhood” has the privilege of taking care of their God so his location changes. Once with Maximon you may see local shaman performing rituals for local people and if you wish you can ask your guide to help you hire the services of a shaman for you to have a personal ceremony performed. After visiting Maximon, you can visit the local church and learn about the history of this very traditional town, see the market, and learn about their distinctive textiles and primitive art. When you are ready you will be transferred back to the hotel.
Overnight Laguna Lodge
Day 5
GUATEMALA CITY
Guatemala City, home to one-fourth of the country’s entire population and the capital of Guatemala, features a huge range of restaurants, hotels, and shopping facilities. Guatemala City is the country’s commercial and financial center, as well as the hub of the nation’s transportation. The main sites in the City include the museums of Ixchel, Popul Vuh, and the Archaeology Museum, the national palace, the cathedral, and the relief map.
You’ll be met at your hotel by your private driver and guide for the one hour transfer out to the highland town of Chichicastenango. Along the way, you’ll pass through the central highland region and see the local Maya people in their traditional dress going about their daily lives – working in the fields, collecting firewood, travelling between markets, selling their wares. Upon arrival at Chichicastenango your guide will take you to explore this famous market both the local areas of the fruit and vegetables, and everyday items as well as the craft area where you can find endless variety of beautiful textile, wooden and ceramic crafts. Guests can also visit the famous St. Tomas Church where local Maya people come to perform Maya rituals within the Catholic church – demonstrating the interesting way the two faiths have combined in recent times. If guests want to, they can also hike up the hill to the Pascual Abaj ritual site to see if any local shaman are performing rituals and/or to the cemetery on the outskirts of town. Lunch is provided. When you are ready you’ll be driven to Guatemala City.
Overnight Camino Real Guatemala City
Day 6
FLY TO FLORES
Begin your day with a box breakfast at Camino Real Guatemala City before transferring to the airport for your flight to Flores. On arrival, continue to a relaxed lunch before heading out in the afternoon for a Yaxhá sunset tour, where ancient temples rise above the jungle canopy as the light shifts across the site.
Tonight, settle into Jungle Lodge, a simple, nature-immersed base set close to the archaeological sites, offering an easy and atmospheric stay within the surrounding rainforest.
Overnight Jungle Lodge
Day 7
TIKAL NATIONAL PARK
Begin your day with breakfast at leisure before setting out for a private tour of Tikal at your own pace.
Deep within the rainforest, vast limestone temples emerge above the jungle canopy, surrounded by an ecosystem rich in wildlife and birdlife. As you explore the site, you may hear the calls of howler and spider monkeys echoing through the trees, alongside glimpses of toucans, parrots, and other tropical species moving through the forest. Lunch is served within the Tikal National Park, allowing time to pause and take in the surroundings before continuing your exploration.
Return to Jungle Lodge this evening.
Overnight Jungle Lodge
Day 8
RETURN TO GUATEMALA CITY
After breakfast, you’ll transfer to the local airport for your flight back to Guatemala City. On arrival, the rest of the day is at leisure at Camino Real Guatemala City, where you can unwind at the hotel, enjoy the pool and wellness facilities, or relax in the gardens.
Overnight Camino Real Guatemala City
Day 9
Departure
Enjoy your last breakfast at Camino Real Guatemala City, then transfer to the airport for your international departure.
