After returning from an incredibly fantastic trip, I can attribute its awesomeness to several factors, including not planning anything beforehand. Nonetheless, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Antigua, Guatemala. As I’m in the season of embracing every opportunity that comes my way, I decided to join this trip, albeit uninvited. Let’s just say, I invited myself and went along with it, and it turned out to be an excellent decision.
My friend David and I spent five uninterrupted days in Antigua, and you might wonder how we managed to do so without encountering any hiccups. The secret to this successful trip was that, while I didn’t plan anything, David had meticulously crafted an itinerary for almost every day we were in town. Here’s a rundown of all the activities we indulged in.
Itinerary
We filled our trip with a plethora of activities, making it anything but a relaxing vacation.
- Day 1: Fly into Guatemala City and take an Uber to Hostel Selina in Antigua.
- Day 2: Book a bike tour with Selina riding around Antigua and visiting neighboring towns.
- Day 3: All day trip to Lake Atitlan, explore water towns nearby.
- Day 4: Pacaya Volcano hike, enjoy volcano roasted marshmallows.
- Day 5: Volcano Acatenango trek, booked with Tropicana
- Day 6: Explore Antigua a bit more and fly out.
Detailed look into how we spent our days
Tuesday: We hopped on a quick flight from Houston to Guatemala City, which lasted only 2.5 hours – the shortest flight I’ve taken in quite some time. Upon landing, we called an Uber for an hour-long ride to our destination, Antigua, Guatemala. The ride cost us approximately $26. Since it was already late, we cleaned up, grabbed a bite to eat, and hit the sack, preparing ourselves for the exciting day ahead.
We had the pleasure of staying at the Selina hostel during our trip, and let me tell you, it was frankly one of the best hostels I’ve been to in a while. One of the coolest things about it is their app, which is pretty dope. You can easily book activities for your stay, right from your phone.
Wednesday: After a quick breakfast, we hopped on a bike tour, which we’d booked through Selina. We lucked out as we were the only two on the tour, which was a relief since I wasn’t ready for biking on cobblestone streets or tackling a two-mile uphill trek. But we still had a blast visiting a chocolate museum, sipping on the best dessert wines, and exploring a jade factory (although I didn’t snap any pics there because I was so exhausted). We visited a macadamia nut factory during the 5-hour tour that also included stops at various famous cathedrals and landmarks in town.
Some pictures of what we did
Thursday: We had to be ready at 5:30am sharp to catch a bus that would take us on a two-hour drive to Lake Atitlan. By the time we arrived, I was dying to stretch my legs and get off that damn bus. Thankfully, we were treated to a quick breakfast and given around 30-40 minutes to chow down and hit the restroom before our adventure exploring the lake towns and soaking up the local Mayan culture began.
Friday: We hiked for six hours, but it wasn’t as tough as it sounds. The actual hike itself only took around two hours, as recorded by my Apple Watch. As a beginner, I took it slow and steady and made it to the top just fine. After some quick photos, we headed back down to roast marshmallows on the warm volcano rocks, which were no longer hot enough to do a perfect job but still got the job done.
The night before our most significant hike, we went on a bar crawl, and in hindsight, it was worth it. Even though I’m not much of a party person, it felt good to go out and socialize. We called it a night at midnight to catch some sleep before the big hike.
Some more pictures of what we did
Saturday: We tackled the infamous Acatenango hike, and I have to admit, it was the toughest thing I’ve ever accomplished. We met many travelers in Antigua who came specifically for the one-of-a-kind Acatenango trek (which I can confirm I won’t be doing again!). However, as they say, the struggle was well worth the breathtaking views. I won’t give too much away here, but keep an eye out for my upcoming blog post about the experience. All I’ll say for now is: DO IT!
Sunday: After completing the 24-hour trek, we took a quick nap, grabbed a bite to eat, and headed straight to the airport for our journey home. And yeah, I admit it, I shed some tears at the airport because the trip was just that incredible.
Tips
- Avoid exchanging money at the airport. Instead, I recommend using an ATM when you reach your destination. We made the mistake of exchanging money at the airport and felt like we got robbed.
- Most tours feed you breakfast and or lunch
- Bring enough cash to tip tour guides, tuk tuks and souvenir.
- Check out Selina for amazing places to stay worldwide!
Check out my last blog post before you go! Follow me on Instagram and as always, feel free to leave a comment and share with your friends 🙂