Guatemala for families tour

Included meals: breakfast at the hotel and dinner with a Maya family.
Accommodation: Maya host family
A guided hike led by a local guide

Walking level: easy

Elevation gain: +150 m / –150 m — about 3h45 walking time

Lake Atitlán is often described as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world — Aldous Huxley himself wrote about it “Lake Atitlan too much of a good thing.” It lies at 1,500 m / 4,920 ft above sea level, in a tropical highland region framed by three lofty volcanoes between 3,000 and 3,500 m / 9,840 and 11,480 ft. 

From Panajachel, you’ll take a boat with your guide to the village of Santa Cruz La Laguna, then follow a scenic trail along the lakeshore to the hamlet of Tzununá. This off-the-beaten-path route offers some of the most spectacular views of the lake and its volcanoes. The path winds through small hamlets, offering an authentic glimpse of daily Maya life. Lake Atitlán was formed in an ancient volcanic zone; a series of calderas sculpted the surrounding mountains and gave the region its dramatic relief.

In the mid-afternoon, you’ll reach the Maya village of San Juan La Laguna, one of the prettiest on the lake. Many women here are organized in cooperatives, and they’ll show you how they’ve revived the ancestral art of cotton dyeing using natural plants.

You’ll share dinner and spend the night with a Maya family in the village (organized through an ecotourism association). It’s a warm, enriching experience that allows you to connect with local life and appreciate the hospitality of the Maya people.

Included meals: Breakfast with your host family.
Accommodation : Hotel (Quetzaltenango).

Morning departure for the highland village of Chichicastenango, steeped in Maya traditions. It was here that the Popol Vuh—one of the few surviving pre-Columbian texts and the sacred book of the Quiché Maya—was rediscovered.
Today, the town is best known for its incredibly colorful markets and fascinating scenes of religious syncretism that unfold daily in and around its 16th-century colonial church. The church was built on the foundations of an ancient Maya temple; its stairway has 18 steps, one for each month of the Maya solar calendar.
As you wander through the narrow streets, you’ll experience one of the most famous handicraft markets in the region—a vibrant explosion of color and life. Vendors sell textiles, masks, incense, fruit, silverwork, and carved wooden figures. Among the most prized items are embroidered huipiles (women’s blouses) and traditional dancer masks.
Just a ten-minute walk from the center lies the town’s colorful cemetery, where you may witness Maya families performing ancestral ceremonies to honor their ancestors. Nearby, the Pascual Abaj hill serves as a sacred site for rituals that blend ancient Maya beliefs with Catholic elements.

In the mid-afternoon, transfer across the highlands and its volcanic landscapes via the Pan-American Highway to the city of Quetzaltenango.
Overnight in the historic center of the city.

Meals included: breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (Guatemala City)
A guided hike led by a local guide

Moderate difficulty

3 hours of hiking, 350 m (1,150 ft) elevation gain and loss

At dawn, drive to the hamlet of Llano del Pinal, located at the foot of the Santa Maria–Santiaguito volcanic complex. A 1.5-hour walk on the western flank of the colossal Santa Maria Volcano (3,770 m / 12,370 ft) leads to a small natural viewpoint where you can watch eruptions of the Santiaguito Volcano (2,500 m / 8,200 ft).

The Santa Maria–Santiaguito volcanic complex was formed relatively recently, in 1902. A powerful explosion of Santa Maria created a caldera on its southwest flank, within which the small stratovolcano Santiaguito later developed. It has been in constant activity since 1922. The grand landscape before you offers, on clear days, sweeping views stretching all the way to the coastal plain and the Pacific Ocean. Santiaguito is one of Guatemala’s three active volcanoes.

Return to your vehicle in the hamlet and take the Pan-American Highway toward the village of San Francisco El Alto, located at 2,630 m (8,630 ft). Stroll through one of the largest indigenous markets in the region—livestock, colorful embroidered textiles, pine furniture, fruits, and spices from all over the country. Near the market, you can witness Maya ceremonies against a stunning backdrop. After visiting this immense market, continue through nearby Maya villages: (your choice) San Andrés Xecul, whose church features an incredibly colorful façade, or Salcajá, home to the oldest church in Central America, founded in 1524.

Pass through the Maya village of Zunil with its beautiful traditional cemetery dominated by the Santa Maria Volcano (3,770 m / 12,370 ft). Follow a small mountain road through hand-cultivated patchwork fields to reach the Fuentes Georginas hot springs. Enjoy a relaxing bath in large natural thermal pools on the slopes of the Zunil Volcano, surrounded by lush high-altitude jungle with towering tree ferns.  

Seldom visited by travelers due to its location off the classic tourist routes, the mountainous region of Quetzaltenango offers superb natural landscapes and Maya villages rich in tradition.

By mid-afternoon, drive back across the highlands toward the capital.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (Livingston)   
Self-guided visit

Head toward the Caribbean! The route takes you through landscapes filled with candle cactus and calabash trees. Stop at Quiriguá for a self-guided visit of this archaeological site, famous for its impressive stelae—the tallest ever discovered in the Maya world. This UNESCO World Heritage Site lies in a pocket of tropical forest surrounded by vast banana plantations. You can observe many bird species such as toucans and parrots, as well as magnificent tropical trees. During the drive through the plantation, a short stop allows you to learn about the cultivation of this giant grass, which literally shaped the country’s political, economic, and social landscape throughout the 20th century.     

By midday, transfer to Puerto Barrios, the country’s former major Atlantic port, where you will meet your boatman for a trip along the coast to the Caribbean village of Livingston. The population of this isolated village remains largely Garifuna, a people living along the Atlantic coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. With a unique history, the Garifuna people emerged in the 17th century from the blending of escaped African slaves and Indigenous Carib peoples. In 2001, their dance, music, religion, and language were declared a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.

Overnight in the village (two nights scheduled).

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (Livingston)     

Your boatman will meet you at your hotel’s dock for a lovely excursion. Following the northern coast by boat, you’ll reach the natural site of Siete Altares (“Seven Altars”), a series of beautiful freshwater waterfalls in the tropical forest (swimming possible—water shoes or sandals recommended). Continue to Playa Blanca, a white-sand beach lined with coconut palms, hammocks, lounge chairs, and pelicans.
Return to Livingston by boat. Free afternoon to enjoy the Caribbean atmosphere of the village. Suggested activities: sip a coco loco (fresh coconut with rum) at a seaside café or try the local specialty tapado, a delicious seafood and coconut milk stew.
Second night in Livingston.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Lodge (Tikal National Park)

After breakfast, take a motorized boat trip on the calm waters of the Río Dulce, surrounded by exuberant tropical vegetation. With its gorges and lush rainforest, the riverbanks include several nature reserves—impressive cliffs, bird islands, and mangroves once used by pirates to ambush treasure-laden ships bound for Spain. Monkeys, anteaters, toucans, coatis, iguanas, manatees, pelicans, egrets, and herons inhabit this region of abundant wildlife. Midway, visit the Ak Tenamit Maya community project to discover the rainforest and the handicrafts of the Q’eqchi’ Maya, as you navigate up a tributary of the river. The Río Dulce, gateway to the Caribbean Sea and Guatemala’s largest river, connects the sea to Lake Izabal, the country’s biggest lake (590 km² / 228 mi²). Together they form one of the most important hydrological systems of eastern Guatemala, channeling rainfall from the highlands to the Atlantic. At the end of the excursion, enjoy a self-guided visit of the small San Felipe fortress, built to protect Spanish warehouses on Lake Izabal from pirate raids. Today, this charming little fort stands as a postcard symbol of the region.
In the afternoon, drive across the Petén region toward Tikal National Park. Along the road, you’ll see numerous ceibas (kapok trees), the national tree of Guatemala and sacred to the Maya. The Petén, the last area to be recolonized, was one of the most important centers of Maya civilization. Recent lidar studies have revealed that several million Maya inhabited these fragile lands for nearly 18 centuries.
Overnight inside Tikal National Park, just steps away from the archaeological site entrance—perfect for immersing yourself in the magic of the place.

Note: It is possible to enter the archaeological site for sunset or sunrise. Please inquire for details.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (El Remate)
Guided visit in English included: Archaeological site and Tikal National Park

Explore Tikal with a English-speaking specialist guide. Tikal National Park is one of the few UNESCO World Heritage sites listed for both its cultural and natural value—celebrated for its extraordinary biodiversity and its archaeological significance. This former ceremonial center, inhabited mainly from the 9th century BC to the 9th century AD, lies at the heart of a 576 km² (222 sq mi) tropical forest reserve.            ²   

With its towering pyramids—Temple IV rises over 230 ft (70 m)—Tikal is the most awe-inspiring Maya site in the country, and perhaps in all the Maya world. During its pre-Columbian peak, this great metropolis extended its political, economic, and cultural influence as far as the Mexican highlands. Your guide will introduce you to both the site’s fascinating history and its rich ecosystems. The protected habitats shelter several monkey species, anteaters, deer, coatis, and more than 300 bird species. The vegetation is equally remarkable, with over 200 tree species thriving in the reserve.

Before leaving Tikal National Park, stop for a canopy tour. Moving from one aerial platform to another, you’ll traverse the jungle alongside a local guide, gliding through the treetops on a system of zip lines. This thrilling activity lets you discover the habitat of monkeys, toucans, and parrots while enjoying spectacular aerial views of the rainforest.

Then, a short transfer brings you to the village of El Remate, on the shores of the large Lake Petén Itzá.

Overnight in El Remate.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (Guatemala City)
Guided visit in English included: Archaeological sites of Yaxhá and Topoxté
Flight Flores – Guatemala City included

Drive along roads and trails to the archaeological site of Yaxhá. Guided visit of the site. Relatively unknown, this magnificent site is currently the best-restored in Guatemala after Tikal. From the top of the main pyramid, enjoy panoramic views over the surrounding region and Lake Yaxhá. Off the beaten path, take a boat ride across the lake to reach the small but beautiful site of Topoxté, which remained inhabited by the Maya until the 16th century.     

After the visit, transfer to the Flores airport for the late-afternoon flight to the capital. Short transfer from the airport to your hotel.

Overnight in a hotel located in Zone 10 of the capital.     

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (El Paredón)   

Transfer to the Pacific coast and the small fishing village of El Paredón.

Far from the beaches frequented by city dwellers, El Paredón is an ideal place to relax at the end of your journey. The waves here are perfect for learning and practicing surfing. You can unwind by your hotel’s pool, play beach volleyball, go kayaking, or enjoy a motorboat excursion through the mangroves with a local fisherman at dawn or sunset (please inquire). In this natural reserve, you can observe numerous bird species. A small local NGO has also set up a marine turtle conservation center in the village.

Depending on the time of year, you may even witness sea turtles nesting!

Second night in El Paredón.

Meals included: Breakfast
Accommodation: Hotel (El Paredón)     

A full day to enjoy the beach, the sea, the pool, and explore the nearby nature reserve! (Please inquire for excursion options, such as sea turtle nesting season.)

Second night in El Paredón.

Meals included: Breakfast

Short transfer to Guatemala City Airport for your international departure (check-in three hours before the flight). Depending on your flight schedule, you may visit the city’s main museums (upon request). In that case, we recommend choosing flights departing in the mid- or late afternoon.