Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Guatemala Active: Acatenango, Antigua and Lake Atitlán
7 days from Guatemala City: Antigua on foot, an overnight climb of Acatenango facing an erupting Fuego, a recovery night in Antigua and two nights of walking and kayaking on Lake Atitlán.
7 days · Round trip from Guatemala City · up to 12 guests
The San Agustín church ruins in Antigua, now holding a small museum Photo: Nerdoguate, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Museum_in_San_Agustin_church,_Antigua_Guatemala,_in_2024._13.jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 7 days, 6 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Guatemala City
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Active
The Acatenango climb is about 5 to 6 hours up from the La Soledad trailhead at about 2,400 m to a camp at about 3,500 m, roughly 1,100 m of ascent on steep, loose volcanic trail, then an optional pre-dawn push to the 3,976 m summit and about 3 hours down. Porters carry your pack. Anyone who prefers can take the Pacaya day walk instead (about 6 km round trip, about 450 to 550 m up depending on the trailhead) and sleep in Antigua. The lake walk is about 1 to 1.5 hours on a hilly path; the kayak session is about 1.5 hours on calm morning water.
- Meals included
- 6 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners
- Room of your own
- + CAD 335 (estimated price)
- Season
- November to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- Watch Fuego erupt after dark from a camp on Acatenango, with a porter carrying your pack
- Sunrise from the 3,976 m summit of Acatenango, with Agua, Fuego and the Pacific haze below
- An easy option on the climb day: a half-day walk on Pacaya and a night in Antigua
- Antigua's cobbled streets and the San Agustín church ruins in the early morning
- A recovery night back in Antigua, with your bags waiting at the same hotel
- A Maya ceremony visit and the weaving co-operatives of San Juan la Laguna
- Kayaking on Lake Atitlán at 7 am, before the afternoon wind, then a walk between lake villages
What makes this trip different
Free time is part of the plan
Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.
Solo without the penalty
A room of your own is + CAD 335 (estimated price).
Day by day
Itinerary
Tap any stop on the map to open that dayClick any stop on the map to open that day
Arrive in Antigua
La Aurora International Airport, Guatemala City, to Antigua
- Dinner
- Stay in Antigua
- Drive about 1.5 h
Fly into La Aurora International Airport (GUA) in Guatemala City, where a driver meets you in arrivals for the drive west to Antigua, about 45 km and an hour to an hour and a half depending on city traffic. The road climbs out of the capital and drops into the Panchoy valley, with the cone of Agua volcano straight ahead. On the way you share the road with the camionetas, retired North American school buses painted in bright colours, which are Guatemala's local buses and fill the yard beside Antigua's market. Antigua was the Spanish colonial capital until the earthquakes of 1773 moved the government away, and its grid of cobbled streets, low painted houses and ruined churches is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Afternoon
Check in to your central hotel and rest; Antigua sits at about 1,500 m, so take the first afternoon slowly and drink plenty of water.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group to walk through the week, including the gear check for Acatenango, and then we sit down together to a welcome dinner nearby.
Included
- Pick-up at La Aurora International Airport (GUA)
- Welcome briefing with your guide
- Welcome dinner in Antigua
Free time: Free until the evening briefing
Activity: Antigua is at about 1,500 m. An easy first day helps you adjust before the climb.
Antigua on foot, and the gear check
A walking day in Antigua
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Antigua
We start walking at about 8 am, when the streets are quiet and the light is clear on the volcanoes. Your guide takes you under the yellow Santa Catalina Arch, to the carved facade of La Merced, around Parque Central and the cathedral, and into the San Agustín church ruins, where a small museum now sits among the fallen vaults and excavated burials. We finish at the Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint for the classic view of the town grid with Agua behind it. A gentle walk at altitude is also the best preparation for tomorrow.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch in town, the Acatenango operator fits your borrowed gear (warm jacket, hat, gloves, poles and headlamp) and briefs you on the climb, so anything missing can be bought in town today.
Evening
The rest of the afternoon and the evening are free: pack light, eat early and sleep well.
Included
- Morning walk in Antigua with your guide: the Santa Catalina Arch, La Merced, Parque Central and the cathedral, the San Agustín church ruins and the Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint
- Sit-down lunch in Antigua
- Gear fitting and climb briefing with the Acatenango operator
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Antigua
Activity: About 3 hours on foot on cobbles, with a short climb to Cerro de la Cruz.
Up Acatenango to face Fuego
Antigua to the La Soledad trailhead, then on foot to base camp
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Acatenango
- Drive about 1 h
Morning
After an early breakfast we drive about an hour to La Soledad, the village trailhead at about 2,400 m, where you meet your licensed mountain guides and porters, who carry your pack. The trail climbs steeply through maize fields, then cloud forest, then high pine forest, and the volcanic soil is loose underfoot, so the pace is slow and steady with regular rests.
Afternoon
Lunch is on the trail in the forest. Expect five to six hours of walking and about 1,100 m of ascent to reach camp at about 3,500 m by mid-afternoon. The camp faces Fuego across a saddle, close enough to hear it.
Evening
As the light goes, its eruptions turn from grey ash plumes to glowing lava, and a hot dinner is served at camp. Shelters are tents or wooden huts with mats and sleeping bags rated below freezing; there are drop toilets and no showers. Bed early: the summit walk starts before dawn.
Included
- Acatenango overnight climb with a licensed local operator and mountain guides
- Porter for your personal pack
- Warm gear on loan
- Park and community fees
- Trail lunch and hot dinner at camp
- Fuego's eruptions after dark from camp
Easier option: Instead of Acatenango, walk Pacaya: about 1.25 hours by road to San Francisco de Sales, then a guided walk of about 6 km round trip and about 450 to 550 m of ascent through pine forest and old lava fields to a viewpoint, with lunch included. Back in Antigua by mid-afternoon, with a night in the group hotel.
Activity: The hardest day: steep, loose trail at altitude for five to six hours. Porters carry your pack, but you carry water and snacks. If you feel unwell, the guides bring you down.
Sunrise on the summit, down to Antigua
Acatenango summit and down to La Soledad, then Antigua
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Antigua
- Drive about 1 h
At about 4 am those who want the summit set off with a guide by headlamp for the last stretch, about 1 to 1.5 hours on loose cinder to the 3,976 m crater rim.
Morning
From the top, the sun comes up beside Agua, Fuego smokes just below you, and on a clear morning you can see the Pacific haze and the line of volcanoes running towards El Salvador. If you stay at camp, the sunrise over Fuego is still in front of your tent. We regroup for a hot breakfast, then walk down, about three hours and hard on the knees, to La Soledad and the van.
Afternoon
By early afternoon you are back at the same hotel in Antigua where your bags have been waiting. A sit-down lunch, a long shower and a free afternoon follow: a massage, a café on Parque Central or simply sleep. Those who walked Pacaya have had a free morning and rejoin the group here.
Included
- Pre-dawn summit walk to the crater rim of Acatenango (optional)
- Sunrise over Fuego
- Breakfast at camp
- The descent with your mountain guides and porters
- Sit-down lunch back in Antigua
Optional experiences
- A massage in Antigua
Easier option: Skip the summit and watch the sunrise from camp, then walk down with the group.
Free time: Afternoon free in Antigua; in the evening your guide books a table for everyone who wants to eat together, so the Pacaya walkers and the climbers swap stories (dinner on your own account)
Activity: The summit adds about 2 to 2.5 hours round trip from camp; the descent is about 3 hours on steep, loose ground. Poles help.
To Lake Atitlán and San Juan la Laguna
Antigua to Panajachel, then by boat to San Juan la Laguna and back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Panajachel
- Drive about 3 h
A later start after the climb. We leave Antigua around 8:30 am for Lake Atitlán, about 95 km and two and a half to three hours through Chimaltenango and over the highlands to Sololá, before the road drops in switchbacks to Panajachel and the first view of the lake, a deep caldera ringed by the volcanoes Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch we take a boat across to San Juan la Laguna, a Tz'utujil Maya town known for its weaving co-operatives, where the women show how cotton is spun and dyed with plants before it goes on the backstrap loom. Then a Maya spiritual guide, an Ajq'ij, receives us for a ceremony visit: a fire of candles and copal resin, prayers in Tz'utujil and time for questions. It is arranged through the community with their consent, and photos are only with permission.
Evening
Boat back to Panajachel in the late afternoon; the evening is free.
Included
- Drive from Antigua to Panajachel with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Panajachel
- Boat to San Juan la Laguna and back
- A weaving co-operative in San Juan la Laguna
- A Maya ceremony visit with a community spiritual guide (Ajq'ij)
Free time: Evening free in Panajachel
Activity: The afternoon boat can be choppy when the Xocomil wind is up; life jackets are provided.
Kayak at seven, then walk the north shore
Panajachel by kayak, then by boat to Santa Cruz la Laguna and on foot to Jaibalito
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Panajachel
- By boat
Afternoon
Lake Atitlán is usually glassy at dawn, before the Xocomil wind gets up around midday, so we are on the water at about 7 am. With a local kayak guide we paddle for about an hour and a half along the shore, with San Pedro volcano across the water and the light still low. After breakfast a boat takes us to Santa Cruz la Laguna, a Kaqchikel village climbing the hillside above its dock, where a local guide walks us along the path to Jaibalito, about an hour to an hour and a half of short climbs and descents through coffee plots and gardens, with the three volcanoes in view most of the way. Lunch is a sit-down meal in Jaibalito, beside the water.
Evening
We are back in Panajachel by boat in the early afternoon, before the crossing gets rough, and the rest of the day is free: the market street, a swim or a sunset from the shore.
Included
- Morning kayak session on Lake Atitlán with a local guide and equipment
- Boat to Santa Cruz la Laguna and back from Jaibalito
- Guided walk from Santa Cruz la Laguna to Jaibalito
- Sit-down lunch in Jaibalito
Easier option: Skip the walk and take the boat straight to Jaibalito for lunch; the kayak session is also optional.
More active option: Carry on from Jaibalito on the path towards Tzununá with the local guide, about another hour, and take the boat back from there.
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Panajachel
Activity: Kayaks are stable doubles or singles; you need to be comfortable in water. The walk is about 1 to 1.5 hours on an uneven, hilly path.
Back through Antigua and home
Panajachel to Antigua, then La Aurora International Airport, Guatemala City
- Breakfast
- Drive about 4 h
Morning
A last breakfast by the lake, then we leave Panajachel at about 8 am and climb back out of the caldera to the highlands.
Afternoon
It is about two and a half to three hours to Antigua, where we stop for a final sit-down lunch on your own account and a last walk round Parque Central, so the day's driving is broken in the middle rather than done in one push. From Antigua it is about 45 km and an hour to an hour and a half to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, arriving in the mid-afternoon. In total today is about 140 km and about four hours on the road. Your guide sees you to the terminal and checks your flight before saying goodbye.
Evening
If your flight leaves earlier in the day, we skip the Antigua stop and drive straight to the airport, or you can add a night in Antigua or Guatemala City at the end.
Included
- Drive from Panajachel to Antigua with your guide
- Time in Antigua for lunch
- Drop-off at La Aurora International Airport (GUA)
Activity: Book a flight leaving after about 4:30 pm to include the Antigua stop.
- Guatemala Citystart
- Antigua2 nights
- Acatenango1 night
- Antigua1 night
- Panajachel2 nights
- Guatemala Cityend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: November to April is the dry season: clearer mornings on the volcanoes and fewer trail closures, but camp nights on Acatenango can drop below freezing. On Lake Atitlán the Xocomil wind usually rises around midday, so we paddle and cross early.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Fit walkers who want to see Fuego erupt at night and are happy to camp one night at altitude
- Travellers who like an active morning and a free afternoon
- Friends or couples where one wants the big climb and the other prefers Pacaya
- Solo travellers who want a group for the mountain night
Not for you if you want
- Anyone with heart or lung conditions that altitude would affect, without a doctor's clearance
- Travellers who need hot showers and a bed every night
- A first trip to Guatemala that wants Tikal and Chichicastenango: see our Antigua, Lake Atitlán and Tikal trip
- Non-swimmers who want to kayak
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
6 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Antigua2 nights
- Acatenango1 night
- Antigua1 night
- Panajachel2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 6 nights: 2 in Antigua, 1 at the Acatenango base camp, 1 more in Antigua at the same hotel, 2 in Panajachel on Lake Atitlán
- Central hotels of at least a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms and tents shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at La Aurora International Airport (GUA), Guatemala City
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver for every road transfer
- Boats on Lake Atitlán to San Juan la Laguna, Santa Cruz la Laguna and Jaibalito
- Porters for your personal pack on Acatenango
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- Licensed local mountain guides on Acatenango and Pacaya, a local kayak guide, a local guide for the lake walk and a community spiritual guide for the ceremony visit
Activities
- Antigua walking tour, with the San Agustín church ruins and the Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint
- Acatenango overnight climb, with park and community fees and warm gear on loan
- Sunrise summit walk on Acatenango (optional)
- Pacaya guided walk and entry, as the easy option on day 3
- Weaving co-operative in San Juan la Laguna
- Maya ceremony visit in San Juan la Laguna, with the community fee
- Kayak session on Lake Atitlán
- Guided walk from Santa Cruz la Laguna to Jaibalito
Meals
- Breakfast daily (6)
- 5 lunches: in Antigua on days 2 and 4, on the trail on day 3, in Panajachel on day 5 and in Jaibalito on day 6
- Welcome dinner in Antigua
- Dinner at the Acatenango camp
Not included
- International flights to and from Guatemala City
- Travel insurance, which must cover hiking to 4,000 m
- Dinners except the welcome dinner and the camp dinner, and lunch on day 7
- Drinks
- Tips for guides, porters and drivers
- Massages and other optional activities
- Personal hiking boots and clothing
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 335 (estimated price)
When you can go
Dates and prices
Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.
Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.
Before you book
Booking terms
Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.
Business addresses
See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584Guest reviews
What guests say
Reviews from guests on our day tours.
Jane
October 06, 2026
5/5
Susan
October 06, 2026
5/5
Tom L
October 05, 2026
5/5
MandL83
October 05, 2026
5/5
Darren O
October 05, 2026
5/5
Good to know
Questions
What does the price include?
Six nights (five in central hotels, one at the Acatenango camp), breakfast daily, five lunches, a welcome dinner and the camp dinner, airport transfers both ways, our own vehicle and driver, lake boats, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, the Acatenango operator with porter, gear loan and fees, the Pacaya option, the kayak session, the lake walk and the ceremony visit.
How hard is the Acatenango hike?
It is the hardest part of the trip: five to six hours up a steep, loose trail with about 1,100 m of ascent to a camp at about 3,500 m, then an optional pre-dawn summit walk to 3,976 m and about three hours down. Porters carry your pack. Regular hikers who walk several hours a week cope well.
What if I don't want to climb Acatenango?
Take the easy option. On day 3 you walk Pacaya instead with a local guide, about 6 km round trip and about 450 to 550 m up through pine forest and old lava fields, then sleep at the group hotel in Antigua and have a free morning before the climbers return.
What is the camp on Acatenango like?
Basic but warm: tents or wooden shelters with mats and sleeping bags rated below freezing, a hot dinner and breakfast cooked at camp, drop toilets and no showers. It faces Fuego, so you watch the eruptions from camp. We confirm the shelter type when we name the operator.
Will I definitely see Fuego erupt?
Not definitely. Fuego erupts often, sometimes every few minutes, but activity varies and cloud can hide it. If activity rises too far, the authorities close the trail; in that case we swap in Pacaya or another day hike, depending on conditions, and a second Antigua day, and tell you before you travel when we can.
How big is the group?
The small group runs with 7 to 12 guests. On the mountain that means one guide team, one camp and a pace the whole group can hold.
I'm travelling solo. Will I pay more?
Only if you want your own space. The single supplement is CAD 335 and covers your own room in all five hotel nights and your own tent or shelter space at camp. You are never placed in a lesser room or seat for travelling alone.
When is the best time to go?
November to April, the dry season. Mornings on the volcanoes are clearer and trail closures from rain are rarer. Camp nights are cold, often near or below freezing, so the warm gear on loan matters. From May to October afternoon rain is common and views are less reliable.
Do I need a visa for Guatemala?
Canadian, US, UK and EU passport holders do not need a visa for tourist stays. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua share one 90-day allowance under the CA-4 agreement. Check the rule for your passport when you book; airlines may ask for six months' passport validity, so check with your airline.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. Besides the small group, the trip comes as a private trip for your party only, on a date you choose, from CAD 3,520 per person. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote the same hotels, operator and guides.
How does booking work?
Choose a start date and request to book. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. The small group starts from CAD 1,955 per person sharing, taxes included.
See Sight Tours has been providing travel services across North America since 2006. Operating in 20 cities across Canada and the USA, the company specializes in small group tours that offer personalized, high-quality experiences for travelers.
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