Your Epic 2 Week Guatemala Travel Itinerary (updated 2024)

Guatemala is a small country in Central America packed full of amazing things to do and places to see. There’s so much to see, the hard part is planning your Guatemala travel itinerary.

If you ask any backpacker who has had the chance to travel Central America about their favourite destination, we’re sure they would say Guatemala, or at least put it into their top 3 destinations! And, filled with rich history, beautiful natural sites, dense jungles and awesome food we certainly wouldn’t disagree.

Read on for our Guatemala 2 week itinerary packed full of travel tips, spots to visit and how to get between each destination.

Is Guatemala cheap to travel?

Guatemala is a very affordable country to travel for the average backpacker/ traveller. Of course, like anywhere you can end up spending more by eating in Western restaurants, paying for tours and booking your bus journeys with expensive companies. But, it is also very easy to travel on the cheap. Guatemala is cheaper than Costa Rica and Mexico to travel but, not as cheap to travel as Nicaragua.

We spent £1360 and were for 2 of us and were in Guatemala for 17 days in total (£40 per day each).

Things to note before planning your Guatemala travel itinerary

Language spoken: Spanish
The official unit of currency: Quetzal (GTQ)
Size of Guatemala: 108,889 km²
Capital of Guatemala: Guatemala City

How to get around Guatemala

Chicken buses (colectivos)

One of the best and most memorable ways to travel around Guatemala is by chicken buses. These are retired U.S. school buses transformed into public buses for use throughout Central America. They are usually customised with bright colours and flashing lights. They sometimes retain their the child size seats, making them not the comfiest for long journeys! They generally cost between Q10-25 (£1-2.50 or US$1.30-3.25) per person, they cover smaller towns and more rural areas as well as the bigger cities. Chicken buses are perfect for shorter journeys.

Pullman Buses

Pullman buses are the long-distance buses that can be booked in advance. They travel between cities and large towns like Guatemala City and Flores, as well as internationally to Belize, Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras. They’re (most of the time) a lot more reliable and comfortable than the chicken buses and a bit more expensive.

Tourist Buses

Tourist buses are the preferred way to travel Guatemala. Your guesthouse, hostel, hotel or local tourist agency can book these for you. They cost quite a bit more than the public buses (typically around Q175-300 (£17-30 / US$23-40) depending on the distance), but for speed, convenience, safety and reliability, they’re the best way to travel around Guatemala and Central America as a whole. They’re also great for meeting fellow travellers who are travelling in the same destination as you.

Overall, the buses Guatemala are great and super easy to book shuttles to and from every city. We recommend the bus in Guatemala throughout your 2 week Guatemala itinerary.

Visas & entry requirements for Guatemala

Currently (correct as of 2024), Guatemala is part of the C4 agreement. Meaning, when you enter Guatemala or your first stop within the 4 countries you will be granted 3 months of free travel between Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras & Nicaragua.

You do not need a Covid PCR or Antigen test to enter and there is no cost to enter.

When is the best time to visit Guatemala?

Guatemala can be described as having 2 seasons. Rainy and dry. The rainy season runs between May to October and the dry November to April. The best time to visit Guatemala is during the dry season. February is our recommended month to visit Guatemala. The days are predominantly warm and sunny, but it’s not as hard to find hotel or hostel to stay in compared to during the busier periods of January and Easter.

Where to Stay in Guatemala during your Guatemala travel itinerary

Here are some of our favourite hostels and hotels where we stayed in Guatemala that shouldn’t be missed during any Guatemala travel itinerary:

Hotel Peten (Flores)
Zephyr Lodge (Lanquin)
Maya Papaya (Antigua)
AmiGos (San Pedro, Lake Atitlan)

How long should I spend in Guatemala?

Despite this being a 2 week Guatemala itinerary, if you have the time then we recommend 3 weeks! If you’re a backpacker wanting to explore every nook and cranny of Guatemala, 3 weeks in, Guatemala, Central America is an awesome amount of time. This will give you enough time to experience all the best sites without being in a hurry. However, you can still see some amazing places during 2 weeks in Guatemala. If you are tight on time then you can convert our itinerary to a 7 day Guatemala itinerary and just see the top spots.

Why visit Guatemala

Guatemala is a country packed full of incredible sites, amazing history and unparalleled natural beauty. From the black sand beaches of Santa Rosa to the colonial town of Antigua, to the natural pools of Semuc Champey to the towering ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal. Guatemala is a rich and varied country with plenty to keep you occupied during a two or three week trip. Plus, it is one of cheapest places to travel in Central America. The small country has everything that a backpacker is looking for.

Guatemala travel itinerary and best places to visit in Guatemala

We started our trip into Guatemala by crossing the northern border with Belize. We therefore, started our trip in Flores which is a great place to start and ideal if you are crossing from the North. If you are crossing from the South then you can do this Guatemala travel itinerary in reverse.

Flores for Tikal – 2 nights
Lanquin for Semuc Champey – 2 nights
Antigua plus Volcan de Acatenango – 5 nights
Lake Atitlan – 5 nights

Read on for our 2 week Guatemala itinerary. If you are looking for a 7 day Guatemala itinerary then simply reduce the time that you spend in Antigua and Lake Atitlan. We also recommend removing the Volcan de Acatenango hike as this takes up 1 night and 2 full days and instead will allow you to enjoy your time in Antigua during your 7 day Guatemala itinerary.

Flores en Guatemala

Flores en guatemala or better known as Flores is a small town located in northern Guatemala. The town itself occupies the small island of Isla de Flores on Lago Peten Itza and despite being a lovely little spot itself, is the gateway to the ancient Mayan site of Tikal.

Tikal is a must-see for anyone who travels to Guatemala, as the largest Mayan site, it not only has a whole bunch of incredible ancient temples and pyramids but these are also found inside a really awesome, atmospheric jungle that feels incredibly off-the-beaten-track.

To visit Tikal your best bet is to stay in the nearest major town of Flores. Flores has a beautiful little island right on the lake, filled with restaurants, bars and tour companies, attached only to the mainland via a bridge.

To get to Tikal from Flores en Guatemala it is approximately a 1.5 hour drive from Tikal. Flores is filled with an abundance to tour companies all promising the best price. For our trip to Tikal we paid 130 Quetzal (approx £13) for transport and a tour guide. We left at 8 am and got back at about 4.30 pm. There are options for sunrise and sunset tours but because of the weather, we opted against doing one of these.

You can read all about our trip to Tikal here.

Opening hours of Tikal:

Tikal is open between 6 am – 6 pm.

Things to note before visiting Tikal:

Entrance costs 150 Quetzal and is 100 extra if you want to visit before or after its official opening hours (for sunrise or sunset)

Wear enclosed shoes, as unlike other Mayan sites you can climb some of the pyramids here plus, you’ll be walking through grass and jungle

Bring a camera, there are a lot of photo spots. The only restrictions on cameras are no drones, but tripods are allowed. Tikal really is a must for things to visit in Guatemala.

Lanquin

San Agustín Lanquín or simply Lanquín is a little mountain town in the province of Alta Verapaz. There isn’t too much to see directly in the town of Lanquin, however, it is the gateway to the incredible Semuc Champey or to go tubing in the nearby river.

Deciding where to stay is a huge factor in making your time in Lanquin memorable. We opted to stay in Zephyr Lodge a hostel that also has private rooms, each complete with the most incredible view over the mountains. It is possibly the most beautiful spot we have ever stayed (maybe minus Cappadocia in Turkey). The view from Zephyr Lodge makes this place worth a stop even if you aren’t visiting Semuc Champey. But, let’s face it, as the highlight of our Guatemala trip, and possibly our Central American trip so far, why wouldn’t you?

Zephyr Lodge has a selection of dorms and private rooms available. However, we treated ourselves to a ‘deluxe room’ with a balcony which cost 500 Quetzales (around £50) per night for the 2 of us but, you can grab a dorm bed for as little as 115 Quetzales (around £11). Still complete with the most incredible view.

Semuc Champey

We booked our tour to Semuc Champey with the hostel, on reflection if this was a good move or not is up for debate as it means the hostel, instead of the locals, gets the profit from this. However, as the hostel is extremely hard to get to, for ease, this is what we opted for. You can opt to visit Semuc Champey by yourself, however, you won’t get the same experience or the ease as a tour includes.

The tours generally run between 9 am – 5 pm making it a full day out and well worth your money.

Semuc Champey tour overview

The tours through Semuc Champey begins with a trip into the Semuc Champey caves where you take a candle and make your way through a set of caves, varying in size and water depth. I, Reanna get claustrophobic so left once we got to a smaller section. Chris carried on with the group and enjoyed the whole experience. We don’t recommend going in if you do get claustraphobic as it is a very confined space.

You are then taken to the famous swing, this is a rope swing where you can swing off of it and into the water. However, we saw people falling and hurting themselves so just bare this in mind if taking part (I, Reanna, have also visited her previous to this trip and bruised my whole stomach and legs). After you’re taken to see a beautiful waterfall.

If you want to enjoy lunch at Semuc Champey then it costs an additional 50 Q for a buffet lunch. The lunch included a great selection of food including tons of veggie options. The money is paid directly to the locals.

In the afternoon you’re taken to the main event. Semuc Champey! First a short, but, extremely steep and tiring, (especially with the humidity) hike up to the viewpoint. You could opt to head straight to the pools here if you didn’t fancy this but we would thoroughly recommend it! The rest of our day was then spent floating around and exploring the beautiful pools.

A perfect way to spend the day and a must to add to the list when you travel Guatemala!

Antigua, Guatemala

Antigua is a beautiful city that can be found in the central highlands of Guatemala. It is known for its coffee and has an abundance of great little coffee shops and eateries all dotted along the beautiful cobbled streets. We treated here as a little break in our quick-moving itinerary and we were so glad we did! It is one of the top Guatemalan tourist cities.

If you’re wondering is Antigua Guatemala safe? Then the answer is yes! The most crime that you will face is petty crime such as pickpocketing and theft. Which you can get in any city. This makes Antigua a safe city to visit and a great spot to spend some time if you’re worried about safety in Central America or Guatemala.

Some top things to see whilst in Antigua are:

• Get up early to photograph Arco de Santa Catalina (the famous arch, before the crowds)
• Hike up the short ascent to Cerro de La Cruz (great for sunset!)
• Visit Filadelfia Coffee Resort & Tours
• Sample some of the incredible eateries including the amazing vegan options (Samsara & Wachuma)

Hiking Volcán Acatenango, a Central America must!

One of the main things to do in Antigua is Acatenango trekking. Acatenango is Guatemala’s stratovolcano in Guatemala, close to the city of Antigua. It is part of the mountain range of the Sierra Madre and is Antiguas most famous volcano standing at 3,976 m high. It is joined by Volcán de Fuego, an active volcano that famously puts on an incredible show every evening, spewing hot red lava every 30 minutes.

Acatenango trekking is one of the most challenging and rewarding things that you can do during your Guatemala travel itinerary. The hike up is hard and the sleeping accommodations are less than luxurious. But, the incredibly unusual view more than makes up for this.

Acatenango trekking tour

Acatenango trekking was hard. Possibly the hardest thing we’ve both done. It has to be done with a tour company, you cannot hike without one. Most of the tours leave at 9 am from Antigua, we opted for Tropicana which provides all food, blankets, warm clothes and little huts to sleep in. We also chose this company (which is also a hostel) because of their vegetarian choices for food and great reviews. There are a lot of tour companies that all offer the Acatenango trekking. They are all very similar and include practically the same thing. It’s really down to the reviews, days they have availability and maybe the food choices that are included that should make up your choice.

The tour cost us 60 USD per person.

Acatenango trekking tour guide

The hike up took our group 5 hours. Unfortunately, it should have been an incredibly beautiful hike up if it wasn’t for the cloud and fog which covered everything within about 2 metres from where we were.

Once at the top you’ll spend the evening around the campfire, drinking red wine and hot chocolate and talking with your fellow hikers.

The next morning we were awoken at 4 am to see the incredible display from Fuego and view that we were robbed of the previous day. You can also opt to hike up to the summit for sunrise, which most of our group did. Due to us being slightly *read very* unfit and slightly annoyed from the lack of views the day before, we instead opted to huddle around the campfire and watch Fuego erupt in the distance.

The view was incredible. After breakfast, we began our descent down, made much easier by the incredible surrounding views. A must-see for travel in Central America and any 2 week Guatemala itinerary or (if you can) a 7 day Guatemala itinerary.

Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

Our final stop and all-around favourite place we stayed in Guatemala! The lake is considered one of the most beautiful in the world and we can certainly see why. Made up of multiple little towns the lake gives off a relaxed island vibe where your days can be spent laying in hammocks, sipping £1 Cuba Libres and if you’re feeling a bit more energetic, hiking the many mountains and volcanoes that surround it.

How to get from Antigua to Lake Atitlan

First off, if you’re wondering how to get from Antigua to Lake Atitlan, it couldn’t be more simple. There are several methods to get from Antigua to Lake Atitlan and vice versa. If you’re traveling from Antigua to Lake Atitlan, the most convenient location to catch a ride is Panajachel. Because of this we opted to spend our first night in Panajachel before heading across the lake to San Pedro.

The cheapest way to get from Antigua to Lake Atitlan is the chicken bus, however, these will take a long time and are unreliable. There is one direct bus early in the morning from the central bus station by the market. It leaves at 7:00 a.m. and should arrive in Panajachel by 10:45 p.m. If you are travelling from Panajachel to Antigua then unfortunately there isn’t a direct bus, instead you have to get 3.

Where to visit in Lake Atitlan

Some of the most popular towns to visit in Lake Atitlan include:

• Panajachel
• San Pedro
• San Marcos
• Santa Cruz

We spread our time out here across Panajachel and San Pedro with a day trip to San Marcos included.

Each town has something different and amazing to offer and we would highly recommend spending a bit of time here to be able to really get a feel for Lake Atitlan. San Pedro, despite being known as the party town, was our favourite!

We hope that you add this little place to your list when planning your travel through Central America.

We hope that you have enjoyed our 2 week Guatemala travel itinerary and it inspires you to travel the wonderful country of Guatemala.