Things to Do in Guatemala in December

December's crystalline nights stage eruptions from neighboring Fuego volcano that streak the sky like orange lightning. Dry air leaves the view unobstructed while summit camps hover around 5°C (41°F). The six-hour climb slices through four microclimates, from corn fields to cloud forest to alpine scrub, as the lights of Antigua Guatemala shrink below like fallen stars.

December market days detonate with holiday shoppers. The church steps at Santo Tomás disappear beneath a carpet of marigolds and pine needles while incense smoke mingles with woodsmoke drifting from nearby bakeries. Locals snap up Christmas decorations now, so you will spot textiles dyed with cochineal that never appear in other months. Bargaining turns serious around 2 PM when vendors race to catch the last pickup trucks home.

December mornings serve mirror-calm water that reflects volcanoes so cleanly you cannot tell sky from lake. Paddle from Santa Cruz La Laguna to San Marcos La Laguna before 9 AM when thermal winds kick in, then grab a lancha to Santiago Atitlán where Maximon, the smoking, drinking saint, welcomes visitors in a different house each year during December celebrations.

December marks peak harvest at farms such as Filadelfia and Azotea. Workers sort cherries by hand while the smell of wet coffee processing floods entire valleys. Afternoon cupping sessions develop in open courtyards where volcanic ash from nearby Fuego drifts down like snow. The contrast between 25°C (77°F) sunshine and 2,000 m (6,562 ft) altitude yields beans tasting of chocolate and orange peel.

December's 6 AM starts pay off as mist rolls off Temple IV like dry ice while howler monkeys deliver the planet's most primal alarm clock. Dry season lets you scale every temple without slipping, and the jungle floor crunches under boots instead of squelching. By 8 AM, sunlight filters through 40 m (131 ft) ceiba trees at angles made for photography.