Guatemala & Copan: Land of the Maya for Semana Santa (Self-Launched)

Land at La Aurora and take an Uber or official taxi to Zona 4 or Zona 10 (about Q80-120 / £9-13). Settle into a hostel in Zona 4, then wander Mercado Central for a cheap lunch of tamales or pepian and dip into the Museo Nacional de Arqueología if you want context for the Mayan sites ahead. Book your Copan shuttle tonight — most hostels can arrange it or use a local agent like Transportes Turismo.

🚌Airport taxi/Uber ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm in Zona 4 (e.g. Hostal Los Lagos or similar) — ~£13

• →Mercado Central
• →Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología (£5)

Take a morning shuttle from Guatemala City to Copan Ruinas — most companies run direct for around Q350-450 (£35-45), roughly 6 hours including the El Florido border crossing. Bring your passport and be ready to pay the small Honduras entry/exit fees (a few pounds each way). Afternoon free: stroll the cobbled plaza, grab a baleada from a street stall and check opening times for the ruins.

🚌Direct shuttle Guatemala City–Copan Ruinas ~£40

🛏Guesthouse/hostel dorm in Copan Ruinas — ~£14

• →El Florido border crossing
• →Copan Ruinas town walk
• →Baleadas dinner

Walk 1km to the ruins and go early — the site opens around 8am and is far quieter before the day-trip buses. Entry is about US$20 (£16) for foreigners plus a small optional tunnel ticket. Hire a licensed guide at the gate (roughly US$25-30 per group — ask to share with other travellers) or use the site's self-guided route: Great Plaza, the Hieroglyphic Stairway and the Acropolis. In the afternoon, tuk-tuk to Macaw Mountain bird rescue centre (£7) or the site museum.

🚌On foot + tuk-tuk ~£2

🛏Guesthouse/hostel dorm in Copan Ruinas — ~£14

• →Copan ruins entry (~£16)
• →Local guide (shared)
• →Macaw Mountain (£7) or Museo de Copan

Long travel day. Take a local bus or shared minibus back to the border, then onward via Morales to Los Amates for Quirigua (entry ~Q80 / £8), a compact UNESCO site famous for its carved stelae — a one-hour stop is enough. Then continue by bus to Puerto Barrios (around Q100 / £10 total on local buses), where you catch a lancha across the bay to Livingston (Q50 / £5, 30-40 mins). Check into a guesthouse in the Garifuna village and eat tapado (seafood coconut stew) on the main street.

🚌Local buses + border crossing + Puerto Barrios–Livingston lancha ~£20

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel (e.g. Hotelito Perdido / Casa Rosada types) — ~£18

• →Quirigua archaeological site
• →Bay crossing to Livingston
• →Livingston evening stroll

Walk or take a lancha along the coast to Los Siete Altares, a chain of jungle waterfall pools about 45 minutes on foot from town — free to enter, bring shoes you can get wet and a little cash for the local caretakers. Swim, then continue to Playa Blanca for a beach afternoon (lancha ~Q60 / £6 return or hike it). Alternatively, organise a boat trip to Tapon Creek's hot springs and waterfall through a local boatman (roughly Q200-300 / £20-30 shared). Evening: drumming bars and Garifuna music.

🚌Lancha to Playa Blanca ~£6 (or walk)

🛏Guesthouse or small hotel in Livingston — ~£18

• →Los Siete Altares waterfall pools
• →Playa Blanca beach
• →Livingston walking tour
• →Optional Tapon Creek boat trip

Take a morning lancha from Livingston up the Rio Dulce to Fronteras/Rio Dulce town (about Q200-250 / £20-25, 2 hours through spectacular limestone gorge scenery). From Rio Dulce town, colectivos or a shuttle run to Flores in about 3.5-4 hours (Q150-200 / £15-20). Optional detour to the Ak Tenamit community project near the hot springs — arrange with a boatman. Arrive Flores, a tiny island town on Lake Peten Itza, and climb the hill for sunset views with a Gallo beer.

🚌Rio Dulce lancha ~£22 + bus/colectivo to Flores ~£18

🛏Hostel dorm on Flores island — ~£15

• →Rio Dulce gorge boat trip
• →Ak Tenamit community project (optional)
• →Flores island walk & sunset viewpoint

Take a 4:30am shared shuttle from Flores to Tikal (Q120-150 / £12-15 return) to beat the crowds and heat — the mist and birdsong at dawn are the highlight of the whole trip. Entry is Q150 (£15). Hire a licensed guide at the visitor centre (about US$25-40 shared) or self-guide with the map; climb Temple IV for the canopy view. Look for howler monkeys, toucans and coatis. Return mid-afternoon and rest; evening street food back on Flores.

🚌Shared shuttle Flores–Tikal return ~£14

🛏Hostel dorm on Flores island — ~£15

• →Tikal entry (£15)
• →Optional local guide
• →Temple IV climb
• →Maya Biosphere Reserve wildlife

Travel day with a scenic detour. Local buses/colectivos run Flores–Sayaxche (the river ferry crossing is included in the road journey, roughly Q60 / £6) and on to Coban (about Q100-150 / £10-15, 5-6 hours). If you want the caves, base yourself in Raxruha instead — hostels there arrange Candelaria Caves tours by tube, float and torch (roughly Q250-350 / £25-35 for a half-day guided trip). Otherwise settle into Coban, the cool Alta Verapaz coffee town, for two nights.

🚌Flores–Sayaxche ferry road + bus to Coban ~£15

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Coban (or Raxruha) — ~£14

• →Sayaxche river crossing
• →Optional Candelaria Caves guided tour

Take a colectivo or shuttle from Coban to Lanquin (about Q50-80 / £5-8, 2 hours), then a pickup truck up the valley to Semuc Champey (Q25 each way). Entry is Q50 (£5). Spend the day swimming in the terraced turquoise pools and hiking the 30-minute trail to the mirador for the classic panorama. Add the Kan'ba caves with a candle (Q100 / £10) if you have energy. Stay overnight in a Lanquin riverside hostel and arrange a return lift for the morning.

🚌Colectivo + pickup truck to Semuc Champey ~£12

🛏Riverside hostel dorm in Lanquin — ~£12

• →Semuc Champey entry (£5)
• →Mirador hike
• →Optional Kan'ba caves (£10)

Early shuttle from Lanquin back to Coban and on toward Guatemala City/Antigua (Q250-350 / £25-35, 7-8 hours) — book the day before through your hostel. Break the journey at the Biotopo del Quetzal on the Coban road for a 2-hour cloud-forest walk (entry Q50 / £5) with a decent chance of spotting a resplendent quetzal, especially early morning; some shuttles will drop you at the entrance and pick you up on a later run. Arrive Antigua, check into a hostel near the centre, and start scouting procession routes for Semana Santa.

🚌Shuttle Lanquin–Antigua ~£30

🛏Hostel dorm in Antigua — ~£17

• →Biotopo del Quetzal walk (£5)
• →Antigua arrivals wander

Chicken bus from Antigua to Panajachel (Q25-35 / £3), then a public lancha across the lake to Santiago Atitlan (Q25 / £3, 30 mins). Visit the shrine of Maximon (small donation, Q10-20 plus photo fee) and the church where the Tzutujil cofradia worship. Stay overnight in Santiago or in San Pedro la Laguna — San Pedro has the better backpacker hostels, lakeside bars and Spanish schools. Swim off the docks at sunset.

🚌Chicken bus + public lancha ~£7

🛏Hostel dorm in Santiago Atitlan or San Pedro la Laguna — ~£14

• →Santiago Atitlan village walk
• →Maximon shrine
• →Lake Atitlan swimming

Take a public bus or shared shuttle to Chichicastenango (Thursday and Sunday are the big market days — Q30-40 / £4 by chicken bus via Los Encuentros). Wander the market, visit the cemetery with its colourful above-ground tombs, and step into the church of Santo Tomas where Mayan rituals mix with Catholicism. En route back, stop at Iximche, the Kaqchikel capital (entry Q50 / £5) — it's on the Interamericana near Tecpan and easy to reach by bus or on a shuttle that drops you off. Return to Antigua for the night.

🚌Chicken buses/shuttle to Chichi and Iximche ~£10

🛏Hostel dorm in Antigua — ~£17

• →Chichicastenango market
• →Chichicastenango cemetery
• →Iximche ruins (£5)

Spend a full day on foot in Antigua — it's one of the world's great Easter spectacles. Do a free walking tour or your own route around the Plaza Mayor, the cathedral ruins, La Merced and the Santa Catalina arch. In the afternoon and evening, watch cucuruchos in purple robes carry massive processions over hand-made flower carpets (alfombras) laid on the cobbles; locals work overnight on them, so ask before stepping and offer to help. Free — just be patient with crowds.

🚌On foot

🛏Hostel dorm in Antigua — ~£17

• →Antigua orientation walk
• →Semana Santa processions
• →Flower carpet making
• →La Merced & cathedral ruins

Good Friday is the biggest day — the early-morning procession from La Merced and the afternoon Via Crucis draw huge crowds. Get out at 5am to see carpets in their freshest state, and pick a spot on Calle de los Arcos or near San Francisco. Between processions, visit the Museo del Hermano Pedro or take a short hike up Cerro de la Cruz for the volcano-and-town view. In the evening, join locals for vigilia food stalls and music — the atmosphere is the highlight.

🚌On foot

🛏Hostel dorm in Antigua — ~£17

• →Good Friday processions
• →Flower carpets at dawn
• →Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint
• →Evening festival food stalls

Last morning for coffee and a final walk around the plaza. Shared shuttle from Antigua to Guatemala City airport takes about an hour and costs roughly Q100-150 (£10-15); leave 3-4 hours before an international flight. If your flight is late, squeeze in the Santo Domingo convent or a coffee farm tour before you go.

🚌Shared shuttle to GUA airport ~£12

🛏None (departure day)

• →Antigua café morning
• →Optional coffee farm tour