Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
5/5
Guatemala: Antigua, Lake Atitlán, Chichicastenango and Tikal
9 days from Guatemala City: three nights in Antigua with a Pacaya walk, two on Lake Atitlán, the Chichicastenango market and Tikal at dawn from Flores.
9 days · Round trip from Guatemala City · up to 12 guests
Sunset over Lake Atitlán from Panajachel Photo: lamblukas from San Francisco, United States, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panajachel,_Lake_Atitlan,_Guatemala_(55047563886).jpg)
The facts
At a glance
- Length
- 9 days, 8 nights
- Start and end
- Round trip from Guatemala City
- Group size
- 7 to 12 guests
- Activity level
Moderate
One volcano walk on Pacaya, about 6 km return with roughly 500 m of climbing on loose volcanic ground, and a long day on foot at Tikal, about 8 to 10 km on forest paths with steep wooden stairs up Temple IV. Antigua's cobbles and the steep lanes of the lake villages and Flores fill the other days. The highlands sit at 1,500 to 2,000 m, so take the first day slowly. You can sit out Pacaya and start Tikal later.
- Meals included
- 8 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 1 dinner
- Room of your own
- + CAD 450 (estimated price)
- Season
- November to April
Highlights
Why this trip
- Temple IV at Tikal for sunrise over the forest, with howler monkeys calling, before the day visitors arrive
- The Chichicastenango market on a Thursday or Sunday, with copal smoke on the steps of Santo Tomás
- A morning walk across the black lava fields of Pacaya, with Agua, Acatenango and Fuego to the west
- Our own boat across Lake Atitlán to Santiago Atitlán and the weaving cooperatives of San Juan la Laguna
- Three nights in Antigua: ruined convents, the Santa Catalina arch and the view from Cerro de la Cruz
- Iximché, the Kaqchikel Maya capital on a pine ridge, on the way down from the highlands
- Two nights on the island of Flores, with a boat to the Rey Canek lookout
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 450 (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
- Welcome dinner
- Stay in Antigua
- Drive about 1 h
Fly into La Aurora International Airport (GUA) in Guatemala City, ideally landing by about 3 pm (the latest arrival time is confirmed with your final itinerary).
Afternoon
A driver meets you in the arrivals hall for the drive of about 45 km west to Antigua, roughly an hour, longer when afternoon traffic is leaving the capital. The road climbs out of the city and drops into the Panchoy Valley, where Antigua sits at about 1,500 m beneath the cone of Volcán de Agua. Founded in 1543 and the colonial capital until the earthquakes of 1773 drove the government away, it is a grid of cobbled streets, one-storey houses painted ochre and blue, and churches left as ruins, listed by UNESCO in 1979.
Evening
In the early evening your See Sight Tours guide meets the group for a short briefing on the days ahead: the Pacaya walk, the market day and the early start at Tikal. Then we walk to a welcome dinner of Guatemalan dishes, such as pepián, a spiced stew, at a restaurant in the centre.
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. Drink water and take the first evening gently.
Antigua on foot
A walking day in Antigua, ending on Cerro de la Cruz
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Antigua
Morning
We start after breakfast in the Parque Central, while the light is soft and the shoe-shiners are setting up. Your guide walks you through the town's layers: the arcaded Palace of the Captains General, the cathedral front with the roofless ruins of the older church behind it, the Arch of Santa Catalina, built in 1694 so cloistered nuns could cross the street unseen, and La Merced, its yellow church front covered in white plaster ornament. In the Capuchinas convent you see the circular tower of nuns' cells, a building found nowhere else in the city. Late morning we cross to the market beside the bus terminal, where painted former school buses, the camionetas everyone calls chicken buses, load up for the villages.
Afternoon
Lunch is a sit-down meal in town. The afternoon is free for museums, coffee or a jade workshop.
Evening
Before sunset we climb the steps to Cerro de la Cruz, about 20 minutes up, for the view over the rooftops to Volcán de Agua.
Included
- Antigua walking tour with your guide: Parque Central, the cathedral ruins, the Arch of Santa Catalina, La Merced and the Capuchinas convent
- The market and the chicken bus terminal
- Sit-down lunch in Antigua
- Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint before sunset
Free time: Afternoon free in Antigua
Activity: About 4 km on foot over the day, on uneven cobbles; the Cerro de la Cruz path is a steady climb of about 20 minutes.
A morning on Pacaya volcano
Antigua to San Francisco de Sales and Pacaya National Park, then back to Antigua
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Antigua
- Drive about 2.5 h
Morning
Pacaya is the most accessible of Guatemala's active volcanoes, and the morning is the time to walk it, before cloud builds over the ridges. We leave Antigua at 8 am for the drive of about an hour and a quarter to San Francisco de Sales, the village at the trailhead inside Pacaya National Park, where a local park guide joins us. The trail climbs through farmland and forest, then opens onto black lava fields from recent eruptions: about 6 km there and back with roughly 500 m of climbing, three to three and a half hours at an easy pace. Hikers stop at a lookout below the active cone; how close the rangers allow you depends on what the volcano is doing. On a clear day Agua, Acatenango and Fuego stand in a line to the west, and guides roast marshmallows over warm vents in the rock.
Afternoon
We come down for a late sit-down lunch on the way back, and you are in Antigua by mid-afternoon with the rest of the day free.
Included
- Pacaya National Park entry with a local park guide
- Walk to the lookout below the active cone
- Sit-down lunch on the way back to Antigua
Easier option: Hire a horse at the trailhead for the steepest part of the climb (paid locally), or stay in Antigua for a coffee farm tour on the edge of town.
More active option: A day hike on Acatenango instead of Pacaya, with a mountain guide: a steep climb to a viewpoint facing Fuego and back the same day, with no overnight camp. Booked in advance; the extra cost is confirmed when you book.
Free time: Afternoon free in Antigua
Activity: About 6 km return with about 500 m of climbing on loose volcanic grit. Wear shoes with grip and bring a layer: it is windy at the lookout.
Chichicastenango market, then Lake Atitlán
Antigua to Chichicastenango, then Sololá and Panajachel on Lake Atitlán
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Panajachel
- Drive about 4 h
Departures are timed so this is a Thursday or a Sunday, the two days each week when Chichicastenango's market fills the town. We leave Antigua at 8 am on the Pan-American Highway, climbing through the highlands for about two and a half hours (about 105 km) to Chichi, at roughly 2,000 m. With a local guide we work through the stalls of huipils, carved masks, wooden saints and vegetables, then stop at the white church of Santo Tomás, built in the 1540s on a Maya platform. On its steps K'iche' prayer-makers swing censers of copal and leave flowers and candles; visitors use the side door, and photographs inside are not allowed.
Afternoon
Around noon we sit down to lunch above the square, then drive about an hour and a quarter (about 40 km) south, stopping above Sololá for the first view of Lake Atitlán and its three volcanoes.
Evening
You reach Panajachel by mid-afternoon, with the evening free on the lakefront.
Included
- Chichicastenango market with a local guide
- The steps and the side entrance of the church of Santo Tomás
- Sit-down lunch in Chichicastenango
- Viewpoint stop above Lake Atitlán near Sololá
Free time: Late afternoon and evening free in Panajachel
Activity: The longest driving day, about 3.75 hours in two parts, broken by the morning at the market.
By boat to Santiago Atitlán and San Juan la Laguna
Panajachel by boat to Santiago Atitlán and San Juan la Laguna, then back
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Panajachel
- By boat
Lake Atitlán sits at about 1,560 m in a flooded volcanic caldera, ringed by the volcanoes San Pedro, Tolimán and Atitlán.
Afternoon
Boats go out in the morning, because an afternoon wind locals call the xocomil often whips the water into chop after midday, so we board our own boat at the Panajachel dock straight after breakfast. The crossing to Santiago Atitlán takes about half an hour. In the largest Tz'utujil town on the lake we walk to the 16th-century church of Santiago Apóstol, with its memorial to Father Stanley Rother, the American priest killed here in 1981, and visit the house where a religious brotherhood is keeping Maximón this year; the folk saint moves to a new home every year. A short hop across the bay brings us to San Juan la Laguna, where women's cooperatives dye cotton with plants and weave on backstrap looms, and the streets are painted with murals. Lunch is in San Juan, and we are back in Panajachel by early afternoon, before the wind rises.
Included
- A boat for the group on Lake Atitlán
- Santiago Atitlán: the church of Santiago Apóstol and the house of Maximón
- San Juan la Laguna: a weaving cooperative with natural dyes and a backstrap loom demonstration
- Sit-down lunch in San Juan la Laguna
Free time: Afternoon and evening free in Panajachel
Activity: San Juan and Santiago are built on slopes: short, steep walks up from the docks. Bring a jacket for the boat; mornings on the water are cool.
Iximché, then down to Guatemala City
Panajachel to Iximché near Tecpán, then Guatemala City
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Guatemala City
- Drive about 3.5 h
Morning
The early morning is yours on the lake: the water is often glassy at sunrise, and kayaks can be hired along the shore. We leave Panajachel at about 9:30 am and climb back to the highway for the drive of about an hour and a quarter (about 50 km) to Iximché, outside Tecpán. This was the capital of the Kaqchikel Maya kingdom, founded around 1470. When Spanish forces arrived in 1524 the Kaqchikel first allied with them, and the city became the Spaniards' first capital in Guatemala before the alliance broke within months. Today its grassy plazas, temple platforms and ball courts sit among pines on a narrow ridge, and Maya priests still hold ceremonies at its altars.
Evening
After a sit-down lunch in Tecpán it is about two hours (about 90 km) on the Pan-American Highway to Guatemala City, where we stay one night at a hotel near La Aurora airport for the morning flight north. The evening is free; your guide can suggest a restaurant nearby.
Included
- Iximché archaeological site with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Tecpán
Free time: Early morning on the lake and the evening free
Activity: About an hour and a half on foot at Iximché, on grass and low steps.
Fly to Flores on Lake Petén Itzá
Guatemala City by air to Flores, then by boat to San Miguel and the Rey Canek lookout
- Breakfast and lunch
- Stay in Flores
- By plane
A domestic flight of about an hour takes us north over the highlands and the forests of Petén to Mundo Maya International Airport, a few minutes from Flores. Flying saves a road journey of about 500 km and eight or more hours each way. Flores is a small island in Lake Petén Itzá, joined to the shore by a causeway and covered in steep lanes of painted houses. It stands on the site of Nojpetén, the capital of the Itza Maya, the last independent Maya kingdom, taken by the Spanish in 1697.
Afternoon
After a sit-down lunch by the water your guide walks you round the island and up to the church on its central hill. In the late afternoon a boat takes us across to San Miguel for the short walk up to the Rey Canek lookout, with the whole island laid out below.
Evening
Back in Flores you can swim from a dock or watch the sun go down from the lakeside promenade, then get an early night before Tikal.
Included
- Domestic flight from Guatemala City to Flores
- Walk around the island of Flores with your guide
- Sit-down lunch in Flores
- Boat to San Miguel and the walk to the Rey Canek lookout
Free time: Evening free in Flores
Activity: Breakfast is at the hotel or boxed, depending on the flight time. Petén is hot and humid: bring a hat and water.
Tikal at dawn
Flores to Tikal National Park and back
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Stay in Flores
- Drive about 2.5 h
This is the early start of the trip, and the reason we stay two nights in Flores.
Morning
We leave at about 3:30 am for the drive of roughly an hour and a quarter (about 64 km) to Tikal National Park, enter on the sunrise ticket and walk by headlamp through the forest to Temple IV, at about 65 m the tallest structure at Tikal. From the top you watch the canopy come out of the dark, often wrapped in mist, while howler monkeys roar across the forest; on clear mornings the roof combs of Temples I, II and III rise above the trees. After a boxed breakfast your local guide takes you through the city, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979: the Great Plaza between Temple I and Temple II, the North Acropolis, the palaces of the Central Acropolis and the stepped pyramid of the Lost World. Watch for spider monkeys, coatis and toucans.
Evening
Lunch is near the park entrance around noon, then we drive back to Flores to rest through the afternoon heat before a farewell dinner together.
Included
- Tikal National Park entry with the sunrise ticket
- Sunrise from Temple IV
- Guided walk with a local guide: the Great Plaza, the North and Central Acropolis and the Lost World
- Lunch near the park entrance
- Farewell dinner in Flores
Easier option: Skip the 3:30 am start: a later transfer brings you in at the regular opening and you meet the group in the Great Plaza after sunrise.
More active option: Walk out to Temple VI, the Temple of the Inscriptions, a quieter path of about a kilometre beyond the main plazas.
Free time: Afternoon free in Flores
Activity: The second demanding day: about 8 to 10 km on forest paths, with steep wooden stairs up Temple IV. Bring a headlamp, water, insect repellent and a layer for the cool dark start.
Guatemala City and home
Flores by air to Guatemala City, then Zone 1 and La Aurora International Airport
- Breakfast
- Drive about 30 min
Morning
A morning flight of about an hour takes us back to Guatemala City. If your flight home leaves after about 4 pm, we spend the late morning in Zone 1, the historic centre built after the capital moved here from Antigua. Around the Plaza de la Constitución stand the Metropolitan Cathedral, finished in the early 19th century, and the green-stone National Palace from the 1940s; behind the cathedral the Central Market has a floor of textiles, baskets and pottery for last presents.
Afternoon
Lunch today is your own. Then it is about 20 minutes to La Aurora International Airport (GUA), where your guide sees you to check-in and says goodbye. With an earlier flight home we go straight from the domestic arrivals to your departure, and we help you choose the timing when you book. If you are going on to Belize instead, the border crossing at Melchor de Mencos is about two hours by road from Flores, and we can arrange that transfer on request in place of the flight.
Included
- Domestic flight from Flores to Guatemala City
- Zone 1 with your guide: the Plaza de la Constitución, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the Central Market (for flights after about 4 pm)
- Drop-off at La Aurora International Airport (GUA)
Easier option: With a flight home before about 4 pm, we go straight to the international terminal.
Activity: Book a flight home leaving after about 4 pm to see the historic centre.
- Guatemala Citystart
- Antigua3 nights
- Panajachel2 nights
- Guatemala City1 night
- Flores2 nights
- Guatemala Cityend
- Overnight stop
- Day trip
- By boat or train
Wildlife and weather: November to April is the dry season, with clear mornings for the volcano views; from May to October afternoons bring rain, so we keep the walks and boat trips to the morning. Sunrise at Tikal is often misty, but the forest wakes up either way, with howler and spider monkeys, coatis and toucans.
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Before you book
Right for you?
Good for you if you want
- Travellers who want the highlands and Tikal in one trip without a day on the bus to Petén
- Markets, weaving and living Maya culture as much as ruins
- A volcano walk with an easier choice on the day
- Solo travellers who want company and a fair single price
Not for you if you want
- Step-free access: cobbles, boat docks, steep lanes and the stairs up Temple IV
- Travellers who want to summit and camp on Acatenango
- The Caribbean coast, Rio Dulce or Semuc Champey, which this trip leaves out
- Anyone who cannot face one 3:30 am start (or take the later Tikal entry)
Book flights after we confirm your seat.
8 nights
Where you'll stay
Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.
- Antigua3 nights
- Panajachel2 nights
- Guatemala City1 night
- Flores2 nights
One price
What's in the price
Included
Accommodation
- 8 nights: 3 in central Antigua, 2 in Panajachel on Lake Atitlán, 1 in Guatemala City near La Aurora airport, 2 on the island of Flores
- Central hotels of a 3-star-plus standard, named when we confirm your dates
- Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement
Transport
- Pick-up and drop-off at La Aurora International Airport (GUA)
- Our own air-conditioned vehicle and driver for the group in the highlands and around Flores
- Domestic flights from Guatemala City to Flores and back
- A boat for the group on Lake Atitlán, and the lake boat to San Miguel in Flores
- Transfers to and from Tikal, including the pre-dawn run
Your guide
- A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip
- Local guides at Pacaya, Chichicastenango and Tikal
Activities
- Antigua walking tour, the Capuchinas convent and Cerro de la Cruz
- Pacaya National Park entry and the walk to the lookout
- Chichicastenango market on a Thursday or Sunday
- Lake Atitlán by boat: Santiago Atitlán and San Juan la Laguna, with a weaving cooperative visit
- Iximché archaeological site
- The island of Flores and the Rey Canek lookout
- Tikal National Park entry with the sunrise ticket and a guided tour
- Zone 1 in Guatemala City (for flights home after about 4 pm)
Meals
- Breakfast daily (8, boxed at Tikal)
- Sit-down lunches on days 2 to 8 (7)
- Welcome dinner in Antigua and farewell dinner in Flores
Not included
- International flights to and from Guatemala City
- Travel insurance
- A visa or entry fees, if your passport needs one
- Lunch on days 1 and 9, and dinners except the welcome and farewell dinners
- Drinks
- Tips
- Optional activities: a horse at Pacaya, the Acatenango day hike, kayaks on the lake
- Photo fees at the Maximón shrine and offerings
- Excess baggage on the domestic flights
- Personal expenses
Extras
- Room of your own
- CAD 450 (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 Guatemala trip price include?
Eight nights in central hotels, breakfast daily, seven sit-down lunches, a welcome and a farewell dinner, both domestic flights to Flores and back, airport transfers, our own vehicle and driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, local guides, and every visit in the day plan: Pacaya, Chichicastenango, the lake boat day, Iximché and Tikal with the sunrise ticket.
How big is the group?
The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests. The trips we compared take up to 16, so with us everyone hears the guide at Chichicastenango and Tikal, and the whole group fits in one boat on Lake Atitlán.
Who leads the trip?
A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group from the airport pick-up on day 1 to the airport on day 9. Local guides join where the sites ask for them: the park guide on Pacaya, a guide in the Chichicastenango market and a licensed guide at Tikal.
How fit do I need to be for Pacaya and Tikal?
Moderate. Pacaya is about 6 km return with roughly 500 m of climbing on loose volcanic ground; you can hire a horse for the steep part or stay in Antigua. Tikal is 8 to 10 km on forest paths with steep wooden stairs up Temple IV, and you can join after sunrise instead of at 3:30 am.
I am travelling solo. What is the single supplement?
A room of your own is from CAD 450 more, about 17 percent of the trip price, shown before you book with no surprise later. Every guest gets the same seat in the van, the same boat and the same table at lunch, whether you travel alone or not.
When is the best time to visit Guatemala?
November to April, the dry season, gives the clearest mornings for the volcano views and the lake. From May to October it rains most afternoons, so we keep Pacaya, the boat and Tikal to the morning. Holy Week brings Antigua's processions, with crowds and higher hotel prices.
Which day is the Chichicastenango market?
The big market runs on Thursdays and Sundays. Every departure starts on a Monday or a Thursday so that day 4, our Chichicastenango day, falls on one of them. On other days the town is quiet and most stalls are packed away, which is why we fix the dates around it.
How does booking work?
Choose a date and send a request to book; no payment is taken at that point. We confirm your place within 24 hours. The small group starts from CAD 2,645 per person sharing, taxes included, and the private trip from CAD 4,760. We then send the hotels, flight times and payment details.
Can we travel privately or on our own dates?
Yes. The private style is your party only, on a date you choose, with your own guide and vehicle. If you would rather travel independently on your own dates, ask us from the dates section and we quote the same hotels, flights, drivers and local guides for you.
Do Canadians need a visa for Guatemala?
No. Canadian and US passport holders can visit Guatemala as tourists without a visa; your passport should be valid for six months after you arrive. The same entry covers El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua. We confirm the rules for your passport when you book.
Is Guatemala safe to visit?
Most visitors travel without trouble on a planned route like this one. We move in our own vehicle with a driver, avoid driving after dark, stay in central hotels, and keep Guatemala City to one night near the airport. Read Canada's current travel advice for Guatemala before you book.
Can I combine this trip with Belize?
Yes. Instead of flying back from Flores on day 9, we can drive you about two hours to the Belize border at Melchor de Mencos. Our Belize trip covers the caves, the cayes and the reef, so the two fit together without repeating much beyond Tikal.
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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