Top Things to Do in Guatemala

The Glimpse Of Guatemala tour is designed for the traveler who wants orientation before independent exploration. A guided arc through the capital's historic center, colonial architecture, and highland context provides the conceptual map for everything that follows.

Hobbitenango, Altamira and Antigua Borial parks occupy the pine-forested ridge above Antigua Guatemala. The approach, a winding road through trees that opens onto a hillside of rounded grass-roofed structures, wildflower gardens, and sweeping views over the colonial city below, produces a distinct sensation of having stepped sideways out of Central America into a cooler, greener world.

Lake Atitlán sits inside a volcanic caldera at altitude. The first sight of it, the water blue, the three volcanoes across the far shore reflected on a windless morning surface, the white walls of village churches visible at the water's edge, is one of those encounters that travelers struggle to frame in advance. The Lake Atitlan Private Tour moves between the villages ringing the caldera's shore.

The Tour To Chichicastenango, An Ancestral Mayan Market plus Panajachel moves travelers through two of Guatemala's most compelling highland experiences in a single day. Chichicastenango's Thursday and Sunday markets are among the most extraordinary in the Western Hemisphere. Thousands of K'iche' Maya vendors set up before dawn.

El Paredón is Guatemala's Pacific surf coast distilled to a single low-key village. Black volcanic sand holds the midday heat against your feet. The constant low roar of large Pacific swells moves in from open water. The smell of salt and sunscreen, a handful of surf camps and open-air restaurants where the hammocks are permanently occupied by travelers who planned to stay two days and renegotiated their flights.

The Private Arrival Transfer from La Aurora International Airport to Antigua Hotel places a driver with your name at the arrivals hall. Luggage is handled directly to a waiting vehicle, and travelers are delivered to their Antigua hotel via the highland highway as the colonial city comes into view below the volcanic rideline.

Zoológico La Aurora

Zoológico La Aurora, set within Guatemala City's Zone 13 park complex a short distance from the international airport, is the country's primary zoological institution and one of the most visited sites in the capital.