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Travel Route: Colors of Guatemala 1-2 weekStart your trip in Antigua, close to the capital Guatemala-city. Guatemala City is a big and bustling, unsafe city so your best option is to move to Antigua right away. Put some effort in learning the essentials of Spanish language, which you can use along the way. There are so many language schools here that you can just walk in, sign up and start the next day. To make the experience complete, stay with a local family to practice your Spanish with as much as possible. If you have the time, a week in Antigua is perfect to learn some basics every morning while exploring this lovely town in the afternoon. Many of the schools organize daytrips themselves to see the most beautiful places in and around town. In any case make sure to Climb Volcano Pacaya while in Antigua. After your first week, take a few days to cruise to and around Lago Atitlán. Stay in the hippie-village of Panajachel where in the sixties and seventies the best parties where held. You will probably meet some of the hippies that could just not say goodbye to this place and when seeing the surroundings, you will understand why. Especially when looking at the lake from the rusty old pier or the tiny beach. To enjoy the sights to the fullest, drive around the lake by car – be careful with the frantic traffic! – or have a small boat trip on the lake itself. Not far from Lago Atitlán, is Chichicastenango, the best place to go shopping. Take all your money and your bargaining-skills here because you will want to have everything you see. The market is based here on Thursdays and Sundays of which Sunday is the busiest. You can easily walk around for the whole day so try to come early to have a few hours in the afternoon to explore some of the rest of the town. When you have seen all the highlights in the region of Guatemala-city, the logical way to go is north. The highways and big roads will automatically lead you to Cobán where all comes together… and nothing special comes out of it. The village is small and it is mostly a town to stay for one night before travelling further North. But hold up, don’t try and skip this town because there is one thing you have to experience here. At the sharp end of the plaza Hotel La Posada is situated, the best hotel and restaurant from Cobán and far beyond. Eat outside on the veranda to watch the night fall and have an amazingly good night of sleep before you continue on the road. Delightful Flores will be your next stop. This little town is situated on an island in the lake of Petén Itzá. It is lovely to walk around the city alongside the banks of the lake or wind through the small streets in the centre. With not much very special to see, for most travelers Flores serves as a base for trips to Tikal, Semuc Champey and the Caves at Lanquin. On the first steps you set inside the Mayan temple park of Tikal, you feel the history and magic this place beholds. It is extra special to arrive before sunrise so you can see the sun come up from atop of one of the many temples. The biggest temples are suited for climbing although many others can only be recognized by mounds of earth. You will not only see tourists here, but also many locals which usually means that it truly is a special place to visit. Take two or three days to walk around a few hours every morning and relax in Flores in the afternoon. From here, travel further to Mexico or Belize, or fly your way back to Guatemala-city for a few bucks and one of the shortest flights you will ever experience. A dazzling and colorful experience |
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