Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Days 4-5
Grabbreakfastorcoffeefromanyofthecoffeeshopsalongtheplaza.CaféCondesamakes
a fine choice for breakfast. Take some time to see Antigua's major sights. Return to your
comfortablehotelroomforsomechill-outtimebeforeheadingouttodinner.Onthesecond
day, head out to Finca Filadelfia for breakfast and take a tour of the coffee farm. Lunch is
at your leisure and you can also use the time to do some shopping. In the afternoon, head
out with one of the groups making the Pacaya Volcano climb to see the lava light show.
The trip returns late at night.
Days 6-7
Takeashuttlebussometime aroundnoonforPanajachel, ontheshoresofspectacular Lake
Atitlán. You also have the option of continuing to nearby Santa Catarina Palopó or Santa
Cruz La Laguna if Panajachel doesn't suit your style. The afternoon is yours to explore
or simply relax. Plan on Day 7 being a Sunday or Thursday so you can grab a shuttle bus
from Panajachel to Chichicastenango to see the colorful Chichicastenango Market. Return
to Panajachel in the afternoon.
Days 8-10
It's up to you. Head to the other side of the lake to San Pedro or Santiago for some more
highland Mayan culture amid splendid settings or any of the other Mayan villages around
the lake. You can also stay right where you are and do the other villages as day trips. This
will give you time to really enjoy the lake, as the pace of your visit to Atitlán thus far will
have been a bit hurried. Take a shuttle bus back to Guatemala City on the afternoon of Day
9 and check in to your hotel. Savor the culinary delights at another one of the city's excel-
lent restaurants before packing your purchases for the flight home the next day and turning
inforthenight.Besuretoleaveroominyourcarry-onfortheexcellentduty-freeshopping
at La Aurora Airport.
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WEEKEND
EN
GUATEMALA
Guatemala's close proximity to U.S. shores and easy access by air (just 2.5 hours from
Houston or Miami; 5 hours from New York) makes it a great candidate for an international
weekend getaway. This itinerary is named after Nobel laureate Miguel Ángel Asturias's
1956 collection of short stories dealing with the overthrow of Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán in a
CIA-orchestrated coup.
Day 1
Plan this day to be a Friday or Saturday. There are nonstop flights from New York/Newark
on Saturdays. Most other gateway cities have multiple flights daily.
