Guatemala

My route: Guatemala City-->Antigua-->Lake Atítlan (San Marcos)-->Antigua/Acantenago Hike-->Antigua-->Guatemala City

Time Spent: 1 Week

Getting There

I'd booked a flight into Belize and out of Guatemala (TAG Airlines) about 2 weeks later without giving much thought to how I'd maneuver between the two. When planning time actually rolled around, I ended up having to shell out $283 for flight from Belize City to Guatemala City simply for convenience. I didn't have a lot of time and though it was pricy for a short, 1 hour 15 minute flight, (to put that into perspective, my flight from Denver all the way to Belize was under $200. My roundtrip flight from Denver to Nicaragua was $350,) I needed to get where I was going.

Much to my surprise, it was a tiny, 6 or 8 passenger plane with a depressurized cabin. Equal parts terrifying and awesome with amazing views and a great sunset I got to take in from above.

Guatemala City--> Antigua--> San Marcos, Lake Atitlán

Upon arriving in Guatemala City, (where I was advised to get in and get out,) I hopped on the first shared taxi to Antigua, Guatemala. I didn't book a car in advance, though if you arrive during the day, you can do this or take a bus. No buses were running when I got in, so I paid slightly more just to get where I was going and not hang around Guatemala City for longer than necessary.

Wanderlust Hostel

In Antigua, again, I had no place booked to stay, (sensing a theme here?) I stumbled upon Wanderlust Hostel, ($10/night, clean, friendly, great location, and they had a room,) for one

night before heading out to Lake Atitlán first thing in the morning. Before that though, I had breakfast at Wanderlust, (free breakfast, mind you- another nice perk,) on the rooftop terrace where I luckily noticed that in the distance, Volcan Fuego was erupting. Wowza. Just next week, I'd be hiking the dormant volcano right next to it. Cue the chills.

View of Volcan Fuego erupting from Wanderlust's rooftop terrace

To get to the lake, (Panajachel, or 'Pana,' for short,) I just turned up at a travel agent around the corner from Wanderlust, (or maybe I booked at Wanderlust itself- either way, getting to the lake is easy-peasy,) and booked myself onto a shuttle that took me to Pana. From there, I paid to get on a shared boat that stops all around the lake, but I hopped off at San Marcos, where I stayed for the next several days and ate all the food, (think fresh, organic, healthy, cacao...yum,) did all the yoga, and got all the massages. I stayed in the a house that my friend Karl saved me a room in, (top right picture.) I'm happy to put you in touch with the owner of that house, but there are tons of cheap, amazing places throughout town that you'll see as well.

As you can likely tell from my pictures, San Marcos is known for being a serene little oasis filled with all things holistic, spiritual, natural, healing, and awe-inspiring. Quite the hippies paradise. You'll find reiki healers having tea and yogis sipping smoothies alongside local Mayans, (the population of the entire lake is primarily indigenous,) and school children, (there's a school right in the center of town.) It really is a magical little melting pot; I've truly never seen anywhere like it.

Take a book and be sure to check out Cerro Tzankujil- a nice little nature reserve with a great swimming hole, diving platform, and rocks to sunbathe on (see video below.)

I loved San Marcos so much that I didn't even stop at any of the other villages on the lake, and I have zero FOMO about that, though I'm sure they're lovely.

Here were a few my favorites from San Marcos:

Circles Cafe and Bakery- amazing coffee, cacao, food, and wifi

Shambhala Cafe- Their back garden is seriously dreamy, (see below.)

Acantenago Hike

When I returned to Antigua from San Marcos, (a simple boat back to Pana and shuttle to Antigua-can be booked at almost any little travel shop,) I was preparing myself for the Acantenago hike. This is a two day, 11 mile hike up to 13,000+ feet (5,150' elevation gain,) on a dormant volcano. (Note that you can do it in a single day, though I wanted to camp and am not a fan of being rushed.)

Fuego in the background...not awake quite yet, but would be shortly after this shot..

The best part is that it's right next to the active Volcan Fuego that erupts throughout the day and night. You'll likely see it bursting hot lava throughout the night and bellowing smoke throughout the day..all at eye level. It's truly one of the coolest things I've ever done. You should do this with a guide/group, (in fact, I'm not even sure if doing it solo is an option.)

Fuego at night. This shot was taken from our basecamp by some friends I shared a tent with. Follow @forksinthepath on Insta!

I booked my hike through Wicho and Charlie's Hostel and highly recommend it, (as do others) You don't have to stay there to do their hike, but I did out of convenience. Here's why I recommend them:

1) THEY HAVE YOUR CAMP ALREADY SET UP. That means no lugging up your sleeping bag, tent, blankets, pillow, food, etc. This is huge, as the hike isn't exactly a walk in the park.

2) For 400Q (~ $50) not only do they have all the camping gear you need already set up, they include food, (I still brought some of my own snacks, and you do need to bring your own water) a dinner of wine and pasta at base camp, amazing guides, (they're a Guatemalan family that runs these hikes,) that've done this a million times over, but they also feed you a decent breakfast the morning of.

3) Wicho and Charlie's was extremely easy to do business with and super friendly.

After the hike, I was beat. They shuttle you back to Wicho and Charlie's, and I was so glad to have a bed there to crash in, a hot tub to soak in, and the next few days to mosey around town at my leisure...

Antigua

While I'm not typically a fan of hostels that just seem to be a bunch of bunk beds in a room, I absolutely adored Wicho and Charlie's and ended up staying there for the rest of my time in Antigua. The beds are fully enclosed so you still have your privacy. The rooms are clean, the showers are hot, the location is amazing, and the staff are great.

My time in Antigua was spent at local coffee shops, eating amazing food, reading, checking out a party that another hostel was throwing, taking pictures of the colonial architecture, and perusing the little shops.

The last noteworthy thing in Antigua is this wild rave that I'd heard whisperings of. Apparently, it happens every Saturday night. It used to take place in an abandoned swimming pool, but now the location changes, I'm told. Ours was in a sort of field where we could see Fuego erupting until sunrise. Getting there was a tricky- I wouldn't have been able to figure it out on my own, but I was with two of the guys that worked at Wicho and Charlie's, (did I mention I loved that place?) and I'd be lying if I said there wasn't a brief run in with the law, but it all buffed out. #closecall

Here were my favorite restaurants and cafes in Antigua:

Samsara- Seriously amazing vegetarian food (picture 1 above) Rainbow Cafe

Ríncon Tipicó- Great local spot and very affordable

GuateJava- amazing coffee (picture 2 above)

From Antigua, I shuttled it back to Guatemala City and flew home..heart full and body exhausted.