Guatemala Family Vacation

On arrival in Guatemala City at La Aurora International Airport, after clearing customs and immigration, you will be met and transferred to Antigua to your boutique hotel. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the best preserved colonial cities in the Americas. It is a magical and captivating place with colonial architecture, scenic setting and crumbling ruins. Colorful craft markets line the streets, vendors pass with handmade traditional toys and bands play live music in the many parks and pedestrian walkways. Strolling through town on the cobblestone streets, you will find are art galleries, craft boutiques, coffee shops, cafes and more.

After breakfast, your guide will meet you at the lobby of your hotel for the drive to a nearby local community called San Miguel Escobar. On arrival, you will meet the family who will be your local guides for the tour. Your have the opportunity to choose from one of the community run tours including making homemade peanut butter, making your own handbag out of a huipil or explore a coffee farm with the grower. Each of the tours is a wonderful way to experience life with the local farmers, artisans and families. De la Gente is an organization that helps the people of the community of San Miguel Escobar create sustainable and profitable business through tourism. With the increased income, the people of the community are able to invest in education, healthcare, housing and nutrition. In this tours, you’ll be able to interact with real Guatemalans creating your own souvenir alongside the farmers and artisans.

After the tour, you’ll be transferred to the hills above Antigua for a zip line adventure. Fly through the tree canopy and between the hilltops above Antigua like Super man! Antigua Rainforest Tours runs a carefully operated zip line adventure that is close to town and guaranteed to get your blood pumping! It’s a big hit with our traveling families. The remainder of the afternoon is yours to explore Casa Santo Domingo’s grounds and gardens or venture out into town. Antigua is easy to navigate and explore on your own. Dinner at your leisure.

After breakfast, meet your guide and enjoy a family-friendly walking tour of Antigua. You will visit breath taking colonial monuments and find out why this city was the bustling center of the region for the Spaniards. Discover the secrets of Antigua’s traditional history and art. Admire the colonial architecture of the XVI century churches, buildings, fine arts, terra-cotta ceramics, wooden sculptures and a great variety of traditional weavings. Kids love exploring the catacombs and ancient ruins, run through the central park and be sure to throw a coin over your shoulder into the fountain!

After the morning walking tour, your driver will transfer you to Lake Atitlan (get ready for a curvy road!). A lunch (not included) stop can be made at a local restaurant – we love Hacieda Real for its amazing steaks, farm animals and kids’ play area. Arrive at Lake Atitlan and take in the expansive views. With three stunning volcanoes rising above its emerald surface, Lake Atitlan is characterized by its natural beauty surrounded by gorgeous views of the volcanoes and traditional indigenous Maya villages. The famous writer Aldous Huxley considered it “the most beautiful lake in the world.” Hotel Atitlan is set on the shores of the lake, facing the volcanoes and offers extensive gardens to explore. This family-friendly hotel has a lakeside swimming pool, kid-friendly dining and acres of gardens to run and play in.

After breakfast, your local guide and boat will meet you at your hotel’s dock before you embark on a half-day private village tour. Small Maya villages line the shores of Lake Atitlan, each of these villages is named after one of the Twelve Apostles and each focuses on specific traditional handicrafts. First you visit the busy town of Santiago (St.James), this important village is home to Maximon, a pagan saint who drinks moonshine and smoke cigars. True, he’s a bit naughty, but it’s a colorful and fun experience to visit Maximon, and completely unique to the Santiago Atitlan village. Every day he is visited by locals, healers and tourists asking for favors and blessings and watching the on-goings and ceremonies is an interesting look into local life in Lake Atitlan.

Continue on to San Juan la Laguna, famous for its naïf art galleries, town murals and natural dyes textiles. This town is used as a model of sustainable tourism throughout the Guatemalan Highlands. Its beauty, cleanliness and co-op craft markets set the village apart. You can even try the back-strap loom and test your weaving skills! Enjoy a lakeside lunch at one of our favorite restaurants before the boat takes you back to your hotel. Dinner at your leisure tonight (you can dine at the hotel or we make arrangements for dinner in Panajachel, at additional cost).

After breakfast, your guide will transfer you by private boat to pick up the kayaks and gear for your padding adventure on the lake. Enjoy an easy 45 minute – 1 hour kayak tour along the shores of Lake Atitlan, paddling past small indigenous villages, local Mayan fisherman and rugged cliffs with exotic plants and bird life. Arrive at the small village of Tzununá and then embark on an easy guided hike along footpaths used by the local people, with stunning views of the volcanoes surrounding the lake. You will hike down to a local restaurant for lunch. After lunch, transfer by private boat back to your hotel. The afternoon is at leisure to relax and swim or venture into Panajachel to shop and explore. Dinner at leisure.

Enjoy a wonderful morning at leisure at your hotel, taking in the beautiful views over a cup of coffee on your balcony. At noon, you’ll be transferred to Guatemala City for your local flight to Flores, Peten. On arrival to Peten, claim your luggage and you’ll be met and transferred you to the hotel.

The area of Petén is the largest department (like a state) of Guatemala. It occupies about a third of the country, but contains only three percent of its population so it is quite wild and open. This area produces wood, chewing gum, oil, pepper and other agricultural products. Its main income comes from tourism and the Mundo Maya, which spans the Peten with both hidden ruins and excavated sites open to the public.

After breakfast, your local guide will meet you at your hotel and you will head to Tikal National Park to begin your day of adventure. With your expert Mayan history guide, explore this massive, ancient Maya site and learn about the layout of the temples, architecture, history, and even some theories of why the Mayans disappeared. Keep your eyes out! You might see monkeys (spider and howler), parrots, macaws and toucans throughout the site. If you are really lucky, you may spot some of the ground mammals like the coatimundi or even the extremely rare jaguar that make their home in these forests. After the tour, enjoy lunch at a restaurant in the middle of the jungle.

Declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Tikal National Park shelters the remains of one of the largest and most important cities in the Pre-Hispanic history of the Maya Civilization, as well as 550 square kilometers of lush rain forest and its flora and fauna. The city of Tikal was inhabited for nearly 1,500 years, starting in the Mid Preclassic (800 BC), until it was abandoned during the 9th century. The structures and monuments found at this site relate the important role Tikal played in measuring time with the Long Count Calendar, and the commemoration of the beginning of various K´atun periods and of the Bak´tun 9. To this day, Tikal has the oldest Long Count date recorded in the Maya Lowlands (Stela 29, 292 AD), indicating that it was the first or one of the first cities to establish a dynastic government that recorded its rulers in stone stela with hieroglyphic inscriptions. Therefore, Tikal recorded a dynastic sequence of 33 successive kings.

On day 8 it’s time to depart. After breakfast, your driver will transfer you to the Flores airport for your flight to Guatemala City where you will check in for your onward flight home.