This is a 9 day travel guide for Antigua and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. I was there for 9 days including travel so this is my itinerary of what I did. If you have more time, I would recommend going to Tikal and Semuc Champey. I didn’t have time to go but those were the other places in Guatemala that I wish I visited!
Be aware May – October is rainy season. The weather was beautiful during the day for us but poured most nights. Make sure you have cash because Guatemala is very cash heavy.
Day 1: Travel to Guatemala
Fly to Guatemala City. Make sure to bring your negative covid test taken within 72 hours prior or your vaccine card.
Uber to Antigua. Uber is really cheap and the car ride is around $18 for a 2 hour ride. Also the sun went down really early so prepare for early nights. There is also a curfew in Antigua at 9 so restaurants and bars will close then.
Check into Maya Papaya Hostel. The staff is so friendly and the breakfast is incredible and it’s super clean (especially the bathrooms). The hostel bar is always bustling at night.
I met another solo traveler and we got dinner at La Estancia and it was delicious.
Then we walked around the main square and did some shopping (there are vendors out every Thursday). 
Day 2: Explore Antigua
Have an early breakfast at the hostel (everyone wakes up early since the sun rises early, around 5 am).
Take a free walking tour with Guruwalk and it was very informative. It was a 3 hour tour and I learned all about the colonial history of Antigua and visited the biggest convent in Antigua.
Then, my friend arrived so we went to Caoba Farms for a late lunch. It’s a great farm to table restaurant with vegan/vegetarian options. The food and drinks were delicious. 
Next up, we ubered to Hobbitenango. It’s this huge park dedicated to the Hobbit but it’s so fun even if you aren’t into Lord of the Rings. They have amazing views of the volcano and bars and restaurants. I could’ve stayed there the whole day so make sure to give yourself enough time! 
Then we went back to the hostel for the night since we had an early morning the next day.
Day 3: Lake Atitlan
We took a shuttle to Panajachel in Lake Atitlan through Guatego. It’s $25 for a one way trip and takes under 2 hours.
Our hotel, Lush Hotel is in San Marcos so we took a private ferry there even which was around $25 even though the public ferry is around $3 each ride and comes every 30 minutes. 
Lush is so nice and in an amazing spot so if you’re going to Lake Atitlan, I’d recommend spending a day or two there. San Marcos is known for being the hippie/yoga town on the lake. 
We got lunch at Il Giardino and I had the best mushroom pasta of my life. They have great vegan/vegetarian options. 
Then we spent some time at Cerro Tzankujil Nature Reserve swimming, cliff jumping, kayaking, and hiking. There aren’t many places to swim on the Atitlan because it’s either dirty or unsafe so this is one of the few places you can swim. It’s not a beach either, it’s rocks! 
We visited Eagle’s Nest which is this yoga sanctuary. It has a great view but I’m not going to lie, it was very gentrified so I didn’t feel super comfortable there.
Then we got ready for dinner and it started pouring at dinner so we didn’t stay out too late.
Day 4: Panajachel and Paragliding
We woke up not sure what to do but knew we wanted to walk around Panajachel, the biggest town on Lake Atitlan.
We got breakfast at San Marcos in a cute crepe shop and took the public ferry to Panajachel. We looked up paragliding in Lake Atitlan and booked a reservation for 1 that day with Real World Paragliding. Paragliding has been on my bucket list since I went to Turkey 2 years ago so I was so happy to be able to do it. 
We walked around Panajachel and explored their markets. If you’re there on a Thursday or Sunday, the market, Chichicastenango, is also super popular and there are tours that take you there. It’s a pretty famous market with local vendors.
We met some other Americans in our paragliding group and waited until it was our turn. It was about $90 which I thought was cheap and a little more for photos and videos. You can also bring your phone up with you but I was nervous so I didn’t.
The view was incredible and lived up to all of my expectations.
Day 5: San Pedro and Chill Day
My friend left so I had a small breakfast at the hotel and went to San Pedro for my next hotel. Check out my tiktok about Sababa Resorts. 
San Pedro is one of the bigger towns and is more international. I stayed at Sababa Resorts and LOVED it. They have one hostel room that I stayed in and was the only person. The pool is super nice and their food is delicious and their complimentary breakfast is SO good and filling.
I spent the rest of the day walking around San Pedro. Most restaurants/bars/shops aren’t open until Wednesday so if you’re there, Monday – Tuesday, there might not be much to do.
Day 6: Hike Indian Nose
After a delicious breakfast, I stopped at Los Thermales for my morning activity which are thermal baths run by a local Mayan woman. It was very relaxing going from the hot to cold water. There are different sized baths and it’s BYOB. It’s right in the center of San Pedro. 
Then I booked a guide to hike Indian Nose. It was $40 for a personal, 3.5 hour tour including the drive since he was my tuktuk driver. It was exhausting but the view was so worth it. It’s the best view of Lake Atitlan. 
Day 7: Back to Antigua
I came back to Antigua for 2 days because I had some unfinished business – hiking a volcano. If there’s one thing you should do in Guatemala, it’s hiking a volcano. There are 2 main options: Acatenango and Pacaya. Acatenango is a 1.5 day, overnight trek but the view is incredible and you can see lava exploding at night. Pacaya is much easier and more chill but you get to roast marshmallows on the volcano.
I got back to Maya Papaya hostel after a long shuttle ride and met some people at the hostel and we hiked Cerro de la Cruz which has a great viewpoint of Antigua. Would definitely recommend the short walk. 
If you have extra time in Antigua, I would also visit the chocolate museum, a coffee plantation, and take a cooking class.
Day 8: Hike a volcano
I chose Pacaya since it’s easier and I’m not the best at camping (it’s the bathroom situation). Since my hike was at 2pm, I had all morning to explore the local shops and markets and buy souvenirs. I bought some hot chocolate powder which is so good, try it in Guatemala if you can!
Then I ate at Rincon Tipico which is the highest recommended restaurant in Antigua for local Guatemalan food. I had the Pepian which is a chicken stew and it was delicious and only $5. They also had amazing juice on tap! 
Then I got into the only athletic clothes I brought and my hiking shoes and the bus picked us up for the 2 hour drive up to Pacaya. It’s about a 2 hour hike round trip and the sun came out for us at the top. Walking down, it got dark but the walk down was a lot easier. 
I was nervous to do the hike but it was so worth it and was the perfect ending to an amazing trip.
Day 9: Travel home
My flight was at 12:30 so I left Antigua at 7:30am. Make sure to give yourself enough time for your covid test at the airport. They are about $30 at the airport for antigen tests but the line can get long so get there early. You need your test before you can check in so there will be a lot of lines. 
Have a safe flight and I hope you enjoyed your trip!
