Guatemala To Be Discovered — Self-Launched

Fly into Guatemala City's La Aurora airport and take a shared tourist shuttle straight to Antigua (roughly 1 hour, Q100–150 / £10–15) — book through your hostel or at the airport shuttle desk. Settle into a colonial-style hostel a few blocks from Parque Central, then spend the evening wandering the cobbled streets, watching Volcán de Agua turn pink at sunset and eating at a local comedor. Pick up a SIM card (Tigo or Claro, ~£8 for a week of data) in town.

🚌Shared tourist shuttle from GUA airport to Antigua, ~£12

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Antigua (dorm £8–12, private room £20–28)

• →Evening orientation walk around Parque Central and the Arco de Santa Catalina
• →Sunset viewpoint over Volcán de Agua
• →Buy local SIM card and stock up on quetzales

Antigua's sights are all walkable, and free walking tours run daily from Parque Central (tip-based, ~£5–8 tip). Follow the route yourself with a city map: the ruined cathedral, La Merced church, San Francisco el Grande, the Capuchinas convent and the Convento de Santa Clara. In the afternoon climb to Cerro de la Cruz for the classic photo over the city. Coffee shops and bakeries are excellent — budget for a proper Guatemalan breakfast of eggs, black beans and plantain.

🚌On foot; tuk-tuk back to the hostel ~£1.50

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Antigua

• →Tip-based free walking tour or self-guided churches and convent route
• →Cerro de la Cruz viewpoint (free)
• →Chocolate museum and coffee roastery visits (small entry or free)

Book a half-day coffee farm tour directly — Finca Filadelfia and Finca El Injerto both run their own tours (Q150–250 / £15–25), or grab a GetYourGuide coffee-and-culture tour with pickup. You'll see the whole bean-to-cup process and cup the finished product. Keep the afternoon free for a wander through Antigua's markets, or add an optional sunset hike on Volcán Pacaya (organised daily by Antigua hostels and agencies, ~£25–35 including transport and guide) if you want the lava-field experience.

🚌Local tuk-tuk or 15-min walk to the finca; optional Pacaya tour includes minibus

🛏Hostel or family guesthouse in Antigua

• →Direct-booked coffee plantation tour (£15–25)
• →Optional Volcán Pacaya sunset hike (~£30)

Take an early chicken bus or colectivo from Antigua's bus terminal to Chimaltenango and change for Tecpán (about 1.5–2 hours, ~£3 total). Iximché, the Kaqchikel capital and Guatemala's first colonial capital, sits 4 km outside Tecpán — a tuk-tuk from town costs about £3 return. Wander the plazas, ball court and ceremonial platforms (entry Q50 / £5); local guides wait at the gate (~£10 for a group). Continue by chicken bus to Panajachel on Lake Atitlán (2–2.5 hrs, ~£3) and check into a lakeside guesthouse.

🚌Chicken buses/colectivos Antigua–Chimaltenango–Tecpán–Panajachel, ~£6–8 total

🛏Family guesthouse or hostel in Panajachel (private room £15–22)

• →Iximché archaeological site with local guide
• →Lakeside sunset walk on Calle Santander

Time this for a Thursday or Sunday, when Chichicastenango's market is in full swing. Pickup trucks and shuttles run from Panajachel's Calle Santander from about 7am (Q50–80 / £5–8 each way, 1 hour). Explore the flower and produce halls, the Maya ceremonial steps of Santo Tomás church where copal incense burns, and the textile stalls. Eat at a market comedor for a couple of pounds. Back in Panajachel in the afternoon, walk Calle Santander for crafts and pick a spot for sunset over the lake.

🚌Shared pickup/shuttle Panajachel–Chichicastenango return, ~£12

🛏Family guesthouse or hostel in Panajachel

• →Chichicastenango market (Thursday/Sunday), free to enter
• →Santo Tomás church and Maya ceremonial steps
• →Calle Santander crafts stroll

Take a chicken bus from Panajachel towards Quetzaltenango and hop off at Zunil (about 1 hour, ~£2). From Zunil, a local pickup runs up to the Fuentes Georginas hot springs (Q20 each way / £2), steaming pools set in a forested gorge — entry is around Q60 / £6. On the way back stop at Almolonga, a valley of vegetable terraces famous for its giant carrots and radishes, and the colourful San Simón shrine in Zunil. Return to Panajachel by late afternoon.

🚌Chicken buses and local pickups, ~£8 total

🛏Family guesthouse or hostel in Panajachel

• →Fuentes Georginas hot springs
• →Zunil and Almolonga village wander
• →San Simón shrine

Catch a public lancha from Panajachel's dock to San Juan La Laguna (about 30–40 minutes, Q25–35 / £3). San Juan is the most community-minded of the lake villages: visit the Tz'utujil women's weaving cooperatives, natural-dye textile workshops, the medicinal plant gardens and the street murals, all walkable and free or donation-based. Stay overnight in a small lakeside guesthouse — this is much more atmospheric than a day trip. Book a kayak or lakeside dinner for the evening.

🚌Public lancha Panajachel–San Juan, ~£3

🛏Lakeside hostel or family guesthouse in San Juan La Laguna (£12–20)

• →Women's weaving and natural-dye cooperatives
• →Medicinal plant garden tour
• →Village mural walk
• →Optional kayak hire ~£5/hour

Take a morning lancha across to Santiago Atitlán (Q25–35), the largest Tz'utujil town, where you can visit the church of Santiago Apóstol with its Maximón shrine, the weaving cooperatives and the murals. Note that Maximón is a sacred site — be respectful and ask before photographing. Return by boat to Panajachel, have lunch on Calle Santander, then take a shuttle or bus to Guatemala City (3–4 hours; shuttle ~£15–20). Overnight in the capital near Zona 1 or Zona 10 to position yourself for the early bus east.

🚌Lancha to Santiago return ~£6; shuttle Panajachel–Guatemala City ~£18

🛏Budget hotel or hostel in Guatemala City Zona 1/Zona 10 (£15–25)

• →Santiago Apóstol church and Maximón shrine
• →Weaving cooperative visit
• →Lunch on Calle Santander

Take an early bus from Guatemala City's Terminal Norte to Morales or Río Dulce (5–6 hours, ~£12–15 with Litegua or Fuente del Norte). Get off at Quiriguá, just off the highway east of Morales — luggage lockers are available at the site gate — and see the tallest Maya stelae in the world (Stela E, over 10 m), the zoomorphic altars and the acropolis (entry Q80 / £8, local guide £10–15). Continue by local bus to Fronteras/Río Dulce (45 min, ~£2) and check into a riverside guesthouse.

🚌First-class bus Guatemala City–Morales/Quiriguá ~£14; local bus to Río Dulce ~£2

🛏Riverside hostel or cabaña in Fronteras/Río Dulce (£12–20)

• →Quiriguá archaeological site with local guide
• →River swim and sunset at the bridge

Take a shared or scheduled boat down the Río Dulce canyon to Livingston (about 2 hours each way, Q200–250 / £20–25 return per person when shared; lanchas leave from the bridge in Fronteras). The canyon walls, water birds and hot springs at Agua Caliente en route are the highlight — the hot-spring stop is often included or a few extra quetzales. In Livingston, a Garifuna town with Caribbean rhythm, eat tapado (coconut seafood stew) and walk the Malecon. Catch an afternoon boat back, then take a shuttle or bus onwards to Flores (3–4 hours, ~£10–15) and stay on the island in Lake Petén Itzá.

🚌Río Dulce–Livingston boat return ~£24; shuttle Río Dulce–Flores ~£13

🛏Hostel or guesthouse on Isla de Flores (£15–22)

• →Río Dulce canyon boat trip
• →Agua Caliente hot springs
• →Garifuna town of Livingston and tapado lunch

Book a shared Tikal shuttle from your hotel the night before (Q150–200 / £15–20 return, leaving ~5–6am) or a GetYourGuide/Klook day tour if you'd rather have a guide included. Entry to Tikal is Q150 / £15; licensed guides gather at the entrance and charge about Q250–350 for a half-day for a small group (~£25–35 split). Walk Temple I (Grand Jaguar), Temple II (Los Mascarones), the Central Acropolis, Complex Q and R and the Lost World pyramid — you can climb the wooden staircases on some structures for jungle-canopy views. Many travellers add the sunset tour for the howler monkeys and spider monkeys at dusk. Return to Flores for a last dinner on the lake.

🚌Shared shuttle Flores–Tikal return ~£18; optional sunset tour add-on ~£10

🛏Hostel or guesthouse on Isla de Flores

• →Tikal archaeological site (entry ~£15)
• →Shared licensed guide at the entrance (~£8–12 per person)
• →Optional sunrise or sunset tour

Take the short domestic flight from Mundo Maya airport (FRS) to Guatemala City with TAG Airlines (book direct or on Expedia; usually £55–85 one way, about 1 hour) — far quicker and more reliable than the 9–10 hour overnight bus. If you'd rather go overland to save money, Fuente del Norte and ADN run overnight first-class buses from Santa Elena to Guatemala City for about £25. Connect to your international departure from La Aurora or extend for a few days in Antigua.

🚌Domestic flight FRS–GUA ~£70 (or overnight bus ~£25)

🛏None (departure day)

• →Last lake swim and breakfast in Flores
• →Fly to Guatemala City for onward flight