Guatemala Journey — Self-Launched
8 days · Guatemala
G Adventures charges £1,299
No-markup version: ~£387 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An 8-day self-launched version of G Adventures' "Guatemala Journey" (National Geographic Journeys, trip code CGGNG): Guatemala City → Antigua → Lake Atitlán (Jaibalito) → Antigua → Flores → Tikal. Same route, same highlights — colonial Antigua on foot, lakeside Mayan communities around Atitlán, a chocolate workshop, a Petén cooking class, and the jungle ruins of Tikal — but booked piece by piece with local buses, tourist shuttles, lake boats and a domestic flight. Expect roughly a third of the tour price, with far more freedom to hang around the lake or add a volcano hike.
Day-by-day
Land in Guatemala City, shuttle to Antigua
Guatemala City → Antigua Guatemala
Arrive at La Aurora International (GUA) and skip the hotel transfer — walk out to the official taxi rank or pre-book a shared tourist shuttle to Antigua (roughly 1 hr, £8-12 shared / £25-30 private taxi). Hostel prices in Antigua are excellent value, so base yourself a 5-minute walk from the Parque Central. Spend the evening acclimatising on the cobblestones: grab a plate of pepián or a cheap set lunch (comedor) and watch the light fade over Volcán de Agua from the Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint if you still have energy.
🚌Airport shared shuttle or taxi to Antigua, ~£8-12
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Antigua (dorm £8-12 / private double £22-30)
- →Cerro de la Cruz sunset viewpoint (free)
- →Evening wander around Parque Central and Arco de Santa Catalina
Antigua colonial walk, chocolate and coffee
Antigua Guatemala
Do the historian-led walking tour independently: Antigua's historic centre is compact and walkable, and a self-guided route via the Paseo de los Museos covers City Hall (Palacio de los Capitanes Generales), the Cathedral ruins, the Capuchinas convent and the Museo de Arte Colonial for a few quetzales each — or join a licensed local guide for £12-18. In the afternoon pick a coffee farm tour (Finca Filadelfia or De La Gente co-op, ~£15-25) or a half-day Acatenango/Pacaya volcano trek if you're feeling ambitious. Book the volcano hike a day ahead through your hostel — it's the single best optional extra on this trip.
🚌On foot; tuk-tuk across town £1-2
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Antigua (dorm £8-12 / private double £22-30)
- →Self-guided colonial walking route (museum entries £2-5 each)
- →Coffee farm tour £15-25 (book direct or via GetYourGuide)
- →Optional Pacaya volcano sunset trek ~£25-35
Chicken bus and lake boat to Jaibalito
Antigua → Jaibalito, Lake Atitlán
Take a local chicken bus or shared shuttle from Antigua to Panajachel (~2.5-3 hrs, chicken bus ~£3, shuttle £8-10), then hop the public lancha across Lake Atitlán to the tiny car-free village of Jaibalito (~30 min, £2-3). Check into a lakeside guesthouse with volcano views. In the afternoon take another public boat to San Juan la Laguna and walk the village: weavers' and painters' co-operatives, the women's textile collective, and a Mayan lunch cooked by a local family (£5-8). Drop into a community tourism office to arrange a tree-planting or ceremony experience if you'd like the same cultural moment the tour includes.
🚌Shuttle or chicken bus to Panajachel £3-10; public lancha to Jaibalito £2-3
🛏Lakeside guesthouse in Jaibalito (private £18-28, dorms cheaper)
- →Public boat ride across Lake Atitlán
- →San Juan la Laguna co-operative visits (free, small purchases optional)
- →Local Mayan lunch £5-8
- →Optional tree-planting ceremony via community tourism office £3-5
Free day on the lake — hike, kayak, swim
Jaibalito / Lake Atitlán
The tour's best day is a free one, so keep it free. Walk the lake trail from Jaibalito to Santa Cruz and back (2-3 hrs, steep in parts, stunning views) and reward yourself with a swim off the rocks. Kayaks can be rented at Santa Cruz or Panajachel for £4-6/hr; fishing trips with local boatmen run £10-15. Birdwatchers should be out at dawn. In the evening eat at a family-run comedor in Jaibalito — three courses for under £6 — and enjoy the total absence of traffic noise.
🚌On foot; occasional public boat between villages £1.50-2
🛏Lakeside guesthouse in Jaibalito (private £18-28)
- →Jaibalito–Santa Cruz lakeside hike (free)
- →Kayak hire £4-6/hr
- →Optional fishing trip £10-15
- →Optional paragliding over the lake £35-45
Back to Antigua for a bean-to-bar chocolate workshop
Jaibalito → Antigua Guatemala
Boat back to Panajachel and shuttle to Antigua. Book the ChocoMuseo bean-to-bar workshop directly on their website (~£22-28 for the 2-hr workshop) — you grind your own cacao and take the bars home. Use the afternoon for a salsa class (£8-10 at any of the city's dance schools) or to climb Cerro de la Cruz for the classic Antigua panorama. If you've still got appetite for ruins, the Museo Casa Santo Domingo is worth an hour.
🚌Lancha to Panajachel £2-3; shuttle to Antigua £8-10
🛏Hostel or guesthouse in Antigua (dorm £8-12 / private double £22-30)
- →ChocoMuseo chocolate-making workshop ~£22-28 (book direct)
- →Optional salsa lesson £8-10
- →Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint (free)
Fly to Flores and cook on Lake Petén Itzá
Antigua → Flores, Petén
Take a morning shuttle to Guatemala City airport (~1 hr, £8-12) and fly TAG or Avianca to Mundo Maya/Flores (1 hr, roughly £55-85 one-way if booked a few weeks out — much cheaper than the tour's bundled flight). Alternatively, overnight luxury buses from Guatemala City to Flores run ~£22-30 if you'd rather not fly. Settle into a Flores guesthouse on the island, then book a lakeside cooking class through a local restaurant or your hostel (~£15-20) — pepián, tortillas from scratch, and a swim or hammock afterwards.
🚌Shuttle to GUA £8-12; domestic flight GUA–Flores £55-85
🛏Guesthouse or hostel on Flores island (dorm £7-10 / private £20-28)
- →Lake Petén Itzá cooking class ~£15-20
- →Sunset walk around the Flores island causeway (free)
Tikal at sunrise or in the cool of the morning
Flores → Tikal National Park
Book a shared sunrise shuttle from Flores to Tikal (departs ~4-4:30am, returns early afternoon, £10-15 including park entry? no — park entry is separate: ~£15-18 for foreigners, buy at the gate or via your shuttle operator). Take a licensed guide at the entrance for £20-25 if you want the history, or self-guide with the site map. Climb Temple IV for the canopy view, and listen for howler monkeys. Many travellers add the sunset tour instead and stay for the birdlife. Back in Flores by afternoon for a swim and a beer on the terrace.
🚌Shared shuttle Flores–Tikal return £10-15
🛏Guesthouse or hostel on Flores island (dorm £7-10 / private £20-28)
- →Tikal National Park entry ~£15-18
- →Optional licensed guide £20-25
- →Temple IV climb and jungle walk
Depart Flores
Flores
Fly back to Guatemala City (or continue overland to Belize's San Ignacio, ~4 hrs by shuttle for £20-25 — a brilliant onward move if you have more time). Transfers to Mundo Maya airport are a 5-minute taxi from the island (£2-3).
🚌Taxi to Flores airport £2-3
🛏None (departure day)
- →Departure
Self-launched vs. G Adventures
| This itinerary (self-launched) | G Adventures | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£387 | £1,299 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £912 per person (70%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more G Adventures-style trips? Check them out here.~£387
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Guatemala Journey — Self-Launched cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £387 per person for 8 days in Guatemala. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with G Adventures?+
Yes — G Adventures charges around £1,299 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £387 — a saving of roughly £912 (70%) per person.
How long is the Guatemala trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Guatemala.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, adventure, hiking trip through Guatemala, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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