Guatemala Family Getaway

Guatemala Family Getaway

Who is Maya Trails?

Who is Maya Trails?

A world class ground handler, dedicated to creating authentic experiences and travel solutions through personalized, reliable, and sustainable service. As a specialized DMC, we offer carefully designed, custom EXPERIENCES throughout Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras. Bringing a fresh and creative approach to traveling in the region.

As the heart and center of the Mayan world and the capital of colonial Spain, Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador and Honduras offers travelers a plethora of diverse cultural experiences, atmospheric ancient ruins, adventure, great value 4 & 5 star, luxury, and boutique properties and a stunning natural landscape of lakes, volcanoes, beaches, and lush jungles. 

Quick Summary

Itinerary Detail

Day 1: Welcome to Guatemala & transfer to Antigua

Welcome to Guatemala & transfer to Antigua
Daily Summary

Your driver will meet you at the BLUE exit (right side door) at the airport with a sign with your name on it for private transfer to Antigua (approx 1hr). (This service is on a private basis.)

Day 2: Antigua walking tour & Peanut butter workshop

Antigua walking half day
Daily Summary

Enjoy a guided walking tour of Antigua. You will visit breathtaking colonial monuments and find out why this city was the bustling center of the region for the Spaniards. Starting at central plaza the guide will give you a general idea about the colonization, Guatemala’s history & contemporary issues. View the outside main buildings (Palacio de Capitanes, City Hall, and El Portal), visit backstage of the Cathedral & Cathedral ruins & San Francisco church. (This service is on a private basis.)

Private transfer to San Miguel Escobar town. On arrival, two local peanut farmers, will teach you how to make peanut butter from scratch. Enjoy a delicious homemade tortilla with your own hand made peanut butter.

Day 3: Pacaya volcano hike

Pacaya volcano hike
Daily Summary

Private transfer to Pacaya volcano.
Located just outside the capital of Guatemala City, Pacaya Volcano rises to 2,552m (8,373ft) is one of three active volcanoes in Guatemala. After a period of dormancy, it's been active since 1965, sometimes more dramatically than other times! It is about an hour drive from Antigua to the Pacaya National Park (declared in 2001) and the trailhead in the small village of San Francisco de Sales. The roughly 2 mile trail is relatively steep but well maintained and climbs steadily through farmland and pine forest before arriving on an exposed ridge offering a panoramic view of Pacaya's smoking black cone, miles of old blackened lava flows and the volcanoes to the north around Antigua and Lake Atitlan. The hike continues onto the barren moonscape of the lava flows where you'll be able to roast marshmallows over hot spots for a smores ala Guatemala! You'll enjoy a picnic lunch with a view of the crater from afar (National Park regulations do not allow climbing to the top of the crater).

Total Distance: 8km
Elevation gain: 400mts
Highest point: 2,552mts

Please bring:
- Hiking boots or trekking shoes (no sandals)
- Daypack with rain cover
- One warm layer and/or windbreaker
- Rain jacket (May thru October)
- Personal toiletries and/or medications
- Camera, hat, sunglasses & sunscreen
- Two liters of water (This service is on a private basis.)

Day 4: Chocolate workshop & transfer to Lake Atitlan

Chocolate workshop & transfer to Lake Atitlan
Daily Summary
  • Tour: Chocolate tour -half day-
  • Transportation: Transfer to Lake Atitlan
  • Accommodation: Hotel Atitlan
  • Meals: B

Learn hands on about cocoa seed through a personalized workshop where you will be able to work with the kernel, brew, toast and grind it to elaborate chocolates as we know them. Become a Master-Chocolatier and make your own chocolates, just an hour later you will be able to enjoy them.

Private transfer to Lake Atitlan. (This service is on a private basis.)

Day 5: Kayak, Tzununa hike & San Juan Village tour

Kayak, Tzununa hike & San Juan Village tour
Daily Summary
  • Tour: Kayak & Tzununa hike
  • Tour: San Juan village tour
  • Accommodation: Hotel Atitlan
  • Meals: B, L

After breakfast your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel for your boat transfer to the kayak starting point. Paddle for approximate 45 minutes along delightful peninsulas admiring the shore's beautiful gardens. After kayaking you will start the hike to Tzununa. The north shore of Lake Atitlan Guatemala has no true road access, so you will be hiking along ancient paths that have been used by the Kaqchikel Maya for centuries. You will view villagers going about their daily life and see some of the most magnificent scenery in the world.

Please bring:
- Swim suite underneath clothes
- towel
- sunblock
- change of clothes
- sneakers for the hike (This service is on a private basis.)

Your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel. Private boat transfer to San Juan village. San Juan is famous for its naïf art galleries, town murals and natural dyes textiles. This town is set as an example of organization and tourism destination among the highlands. Its beauty and cooperatives have set it as the perfect village.

Day 6: Zipline adventure & afternoon flight to Peten

Zipline adventure & afternoon flight to Peten
Daily Summary
  • Tour: Zipline Lake Atitlan
  • Transportation: Transfer to Guatemala City Airport
  • Domestic Flights: Flight GUA-FRS
  • Transportation: Transfer from Flores airport to hotel
  • Accommodation: Las Lagunas Luxury Lodge
  • Meals: B
Flight GUA-FRS
Local flight GUA-FRS (approx 1hr).

Private transfer to the Atitlan Reserve. The zip lines cross the San Buenaventura Valley and reach the tip of the Lake Atitlan’s bay. Amazing views of the volcanoes as background.
Each zip-line is a different experience: some are as high as 60 m (196 ft.), others have superb vistas of forests, waterfalls, volcanoes, and the lake itself. At the end of each circuit there is an optional ropes course.

Private transfer to Guatemala City airport. (This service is on a private basis.)

Private transfer from Flores airport to your hotel. (This service is on a private basis.)

Day 7: Tikal Mayan Ruins & Wildlife Encounter

Tikal Mayan Ruins & Wildlife Encounter
Daily Summary

After breakfast, your tour guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel and transfer you to Tikal National Park. Your guide will show you the layout of the temples, architecture, history, some theories of why the Mayans disappeared and if you are lucky a few monkeys, parrots, macaws, and toucans will be on site. After the tour, enjoy lunch at a restaurant in the middle of the jungle. (This service is on a private basis.)

Day 8: Flight back to Guatemala City & departure

Flight back to Guatemala City & departure
Daily Summary
  • Transportation: Transfer to Flores airport
  • Domestic Flights: Flight FRS-GUA
  • Meals: B
Flight FRS-GUA
Local flight from FRS - GUA (approx 1hr)

Transfer to Flores airport. (This service is on a private basis.)

Accommodation

Hotel Casa Santo Domingo

Hotel Casa Santo Domingo

In 1979 UNESCO declared the colonial city of La Antigua Guatemala as a World Cultural Heritage Site turning it to a recognized treasure of exceptional value before the eyes of the world. In the XVII, the Convent of Santo Domingo was one of the largest in America and in 1773, the earthquake of Santa Marta almost totally destroyed it. In 1989, the project known as Casa Santo Domingo was developed with the primary objective of rescuing the vestiges of the Convent and Temple buried under tons of rubble. Hotel Museum Spa Casa Santo Domingo progressively emerged where each corner is a page lost in time that joins others to form a beautiful chapter of the great book of our history. Casa Santo Domingo is a restored Monastery of the Dominican Order turned into a 5 star hotel. It still preserves the treasures from the baroque period and on each corner of this monastery there is a unique art piece. Opened in 1989 the hotel / museum is a must when visiting Antigua.

Hotel Atitlan

Hotel Atitlan

Hotel Atitlán has the best views of the lake. A property with fantastic gardens, birds, and great place to stay when visiting the lake. Each room has a unique personality that is reflected in the decor of hand-woven fabrics, hand-crafted furniture, paintings, and other decorations from the many indigenous villages in the region. The floors are made of traditional tile and covered by hand-made area rugs.

Las Lagunas Luxury Lodge

Las Lagunas Luxury Lodge

Las Lagunas Luxury Boutique Lodge is a beautiful property that combines over 300 acres of land with the comfort of luxury. This hotel has 20 charming suites perfectly equipped (all with private balcony and jacuzzi) and surrounded by a magnificent view of the Quexil Lagoon that will make an unforgettable stay. The property provides with the most amazing SPA, world class dinning, Pool, Avant-garde museum, biking and trekking, boat monkey tour, helicopter landing, etc. 

Details

Details

Price Includes

• Private transfers
• Hotel accommodations
• Hotel tax
• RT Flight GUA-FRS-GUA
• Entrance fee to:
o Antigua half day tour: La Merced, San Francisco & The Cathedral
o Peanut butter workshop
o Pacaya volcano
o Chocolate workshop
o Horseback riding
o Zip line
o Tikal tour
• Meals as described
o Daily American breakfast
o Picnic lunch at Volcano trek
o Lunch at local venue for Antigua tour, Kayak tour & Tikal tour

Price Excludes

• Gratuities for guides and drivers
• Gratuities for porters and housekeeping at hotels
• Personal travel insurance
• Personal expenses
• Alcoholic beverages
• Meals not mentioned in itinerary
• Activities not mentioned in itinerary

Why Maya Trails?

Why Maya Trails?

Who we are

Maya Trails is a Guatemalan-owned and operated tour operator offering bespoke FIT and small-group tours throughout Guatemala, Belize and Honduras. Jimmy Rogers founded Maya Trails as a more personal and creative alternative to the larger, mass-market operators which abound in Guatemala, eventually expanding regionally into complimentary destinations where he and his team had developed deep expertise. The experienced and passionate Maya Trails team understand the expectations of the trade as well as of savvy, well-traveled clients. They specialize in creating authentic experiences through personalized, reliable and sustainable service. 


Responsible Travel

Environmental Practices

Community Engagement

Cultural Preservation

Educational Initiatives

Transparency

What we do

Maya Trails is 100% committed to the travel trade and do not take direct consumer bookings, instead working through a network of Latin America specialists worldwide. With outstanding service and careful attention to detail, the passionate team at Maya Trails makes each trip a unique experience. Offering both customized trips and Signature Tours that allow travelers to 'escape the usual,' Maya Trails are constantly innovating, developing new products and services for their guests and have some of the best, most knowledgeable guides in the region. Maya Trails also have access to top subject matter experts such as Francisco Estrada-Belli, one of the foremost Mayan archaeologists in Guatemala today. He can be brought on board for luxury travelers looking for an in-depth Mayan archaeological tour. 

In addition to great rates at all the key hotels/lodges throughout Guatemala, Belize and Honduras, Maya Trails also own Guatemala’s Hertz franchise, meaning your clients will only ride in top of the line vehicles, which are consistently ‘best in fleet,’ from small 4×4’s up to a Mercedes C class. For your higher-end clients (or those short on time), Maya Trails have access to an extensive fleet of helicopters, so adding a spectacular heli-transfer from Antigua to Lake Atitlan (25 minutes by air vs 3hrs by road) or a helicopter excursion to the remote Mayan ruins of El Mirador are easily arranged.