We Care Trip to Poland & Romania
June 16 – 28, 2024
Join Together Women Rise in Guatemala. Dive deep into the heart of Guatemalan culture by combining a learning exchange while exploring the country’s natural beauty.
On this immersive journey, Together Women Rise highlights the work of the incredible grantee, Limitless Horizons Ixil (LHI). Their holistic model includes literacy programming as well as critical scholarships and support that create opportunities for the Indigenous youth, women, and families of Chajul, Guatemala, to develop the academic and professional skills needed to affect change in their lives and community.
Your experience will be as vibrant as this colorful country as you engage with LHI to complete a multi-day service project. Please join us!
Please note: The details of this itinerary are subject to change and will be updated throughout the trip-planning process.
Highlights
- Contribute directly to the Together Women Rise grantee, Limitless Horizons Ixil, and see the projects that are being funded first-hand.
- Take a private tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Antigua.
- Learn how to cook locally created meals bursting with authentic flavors such as boxbol, a regional Ixil dish that is naturally vegan, made out of corn meal wrapped inside squash leaves and steamed.
- Get to know the Ixil people through hands-on experiences with community leaders including women weavers and ex-guerilla fighters.
Itinerary
Day 1: Friday, April 5
Arrivals
Hola! Arrive at Guatemala City Airport (GUA), where you will be met by your driver for a private transfer to Antigua. The drive is approximately 45 minutes.
Established in 1543, the historic city of Antigua combines old world charm with modern luxury. Once the capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala, Antigua has a colonial feel with prominent Spanish influences evident in the architecture and culture. It also boasts stunning views from every direction of the dual-peaked Acatenango Volcano, whose soil grows much of the country’s coffee plants.
Once you arrive, settle in to your hotel. You may choose to explore the town, if time allows, before coming together this evening for a Welcome Dinner.
Overnight: TBD TO BE LINKED
Day 2: Saturday, April 6
Sightseeing in Antigua
Enjoy a Guatemalan breakfast before heading out as a group for a 4-hour guided walking tour. Antigua is full of beautiful historic sites such as the Arco de Santa Catalina, an iconic 17th-century archway, and the stunning Iglesia de La Merced, an 18th-century Spanish church famous for its intricate stonework and yellow exterior. Your knowledgeable guide will lead you through the winding streets and Spanish courtyards before bringing you to lunch.
After lunch and more exploring, the evening will be free to relax.
Overnight: TBD TO BE LINKED
Day 3: Sunday, April 7
Travel to Nebaj
After breakfast, take a beautiful drive in private vehicles to Nebaj, a town in the Cuchumatanes Mountains, the highest non-volcanic mountain range in Central America. This region is also known as the Ixil Triangle, a trio of counties made up of Nebaj, Chajul, and Cotzal that are home to the Maya Ixil people who were the target of genocide during Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. The war officially ended with the 1996 Peace Accords, but the struggle to recover continues today.
The drive takes approximately 5 hours and will include stops en route for sightseeing and lunch. Arrive in Nebaj in the late afternoon and enjoy a leisurely dinner.
Overnight: TBD TO BE LINKED
Days 4 – 6: Monday, April 8 – Wednesday, April 10
Working with Limitless Horizons Ixil
Spend three days working with Limitless Horizons Ixil (LHI) in Chajul. On each of these days, you will drive approximately 45 minutes from your hotel in Nebaj to Chajul, another county in the Ixil Triangle and home to LHI.
As you become acquainted with the town, you will visit the local schools, community library, and open-air food market. Activities may include cooking lessons in local family homes, Ixil language lessons, visiting an ex-guerilla fighter to learn about Chajul’s civil war history, meeting with local weaving experts to learn about traditional Ixil clothing, and more.
During these days, you may also participate in service work project planning to contribute to the long-term community and economic development of Chajul. Past projects include planting an organic community garden, laying the cement floor of a classroom, organizing professional development workshops for local teachers, and painting murals in the public library.
At the end of each day, you’ll enjoy dinner in either Chajul or back in Nebaj, where you will return to your hotel each evening.
Overnight: TBD TO BE LINKED
Day 7: Thursday, April 11
Return to Antigua
After breakfast, travel back to Antigua via private transfer.
Explore Antigua at your leisure before tonight’s farewell dinner.
Overnight: TBD TO BE LINKED
Day 8: Friday, April 12
Departures
Savor one last Guatemalan coffee with breakfast before your private airport transfer to Guatemala City Airport (GUA) and your flight home.
