Lakes & Highlands: Antigua, Atitlan & Chichicastenango

Today you explore colonial Antigua, one of the loveliest cities in the Americas and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With your guide you wander the grid of cobbled streets, lined with low pastel houses, flower-filled courtyards and grand baroque churches, many left as romantic ruins by the great earthquakes of the past. You take in the central Parque Central with its cathedral and fountain, the elegant government palaces, the famous yellow arch of Santa Catalina framing Volcan Agua, and beautiful ruined convents such as the vast Santo Domingo and La Merced. You visit a jade workshop and perhaps a coffee house or textile store, learning about the region's crafts. The beauty and atmosphere are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your hotel. This evening, savour Antigua's superb restaurants and relaxed charm. Rest well, for tomorrow you hike active Pacaya volcano.

Today you experience Guatemala's dramatic volcanic landscape on a hike up active Pacaya. You drive out from Antigua to Pacaya, one of the country's most active volcanoes, and hike (or ride a horse part-way) up through pine forest onto vast fields of black, hardened lava, crunching across the surreal moonscape with spectacular views over the surrounding volcanoes, including Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. On active days you feel the warmth of the ground and see steam and glow from vents, and your guide may roast marshmallows over the natural volcanic heat. Returning towards Antigua, you might stop at a highland coffee farm for a tour and tasting. The volcanic scenery is captivating. As the day ends, you return to Antigua. This evening, relax in a candlelit restaurant. Rest well, for tomorrow you journey to Chichicastenango and Lake Atitlan.

Today you journey into the western highlands, taking in the great Maya market and the stunning crater lake. You drive up through beautiful mountain scenery to Chichicastenango, where (on Thursdays and Sundays) one of the most famous indigenous markets in the Americas fills the town with dazzling colour; you wander a labyrinth of stalls piled with handwoven textiles, masks, pottery and produce, and visit the whitewashed church of Santo Tomas, where Maya and Catholic ritual blend amid incense. You then continue to Lake Atitlan, descending to the shore of this stunning volcanic crater lake ringed by three soaring volcanoes and traditional Maya villages. As the day ends, you settle into your lakeside hotel, gazing over the deep blue water to the volcanoes. This evening, savour the beauty and calm of the lake. Rest well.

Today you explore the stunning crater lake of Atitlan and its traditional Maya villages by boat. You cross the deep blue water, ringed by soaring volcanoes, to visit several of the villages that ring the lake, each with its own dress, dialect and character. You visit artistic San Juan La Laguna, meeting a womens weaving cooperative and watching skilled weavers work the ancient backstrap loom, learning how threads are dyed with natural colours, and continue to Santiago Atitlan, the largest Tzutujil town, with its busy market, colonial church and the revered folk saint Maximon. You take in the bustling lakeside town of Panajachel and its craft market. The scenery and living culture are captivating. As the day ends, you return to your lakeside hotel. This evening, watch the sunset paint the volcanoes and lake. Rest well.

Today you enjoy a flexible day to relax and explore the stunning crater lake at your own pace. You might take a boat to more of the lakeside villages, such as San Pedro or peaceful San Marcos with its lakeside walk and calm bays, browse the craft market and lakeside cafes of Panajachel, or take a gentle guided walk along the shore or through coffee groves and cornfields, with ever-changing views of the volcanoes across the water. You could visit a cacao workshop, kayak on the calm morning water, or simply relax at your hotel gazing over the lake. The beauty and calm are captivating. As the day ends, you gather your impressions of your journey through the highlands. This evening, enjoy a final lakeside dinner, reflecting on the beauty and colour of Guatemala. Rest well ahead of your departure tomorrow.

After a final morning by the stunning crater lake, you journey back through beautiful highland scenery to Guatemala City and La Aurora International Airport for your onward international departure (we time the drive comfortably around your flight). You leave having explored the beautiful highland heart of Guatemala, colonial Antigua ringed by volcanoes, active Pacaya with its black lava fields, the dazzling market of Chichicastenango, and the stunning crater lake of Atitlan and its Maya villages, all warmed by the genuine warmth of the Guatemalan and Maya people. The images stay vivid long after you land, the cobbled streets and ruined churches of Antigua, the moonscape of Pacaya, the colour of the highland market, and the volcanoes mirrored in Lake Atitlan. Guatemala offers beauty, colour and culture in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return to this beautiful and welcoming land, perhaps next time to discover Tikal and the jungle.