TIWT - Trip I Want to Take

Guatemala is an underrated destination for a traveler in their twenties. It is pretty reasonably priced, can be seen in about a week, and has some really cool things to see. I made a quick itinerary for a week long trip there.

From my research some cool sights to see are:

• Lake Atitlan
• Antigua
• Semuc Champey
• Tikal
• Isla de Flores
• El Paredon

Potential Itinerary

• Friday: Red eye flight to Guatemala City, typically has layover.
• Saturday: Arrive Guatemala City, travel to Antigua (~1 hour), see the city and spend night there.
• Sunday: Travel from Antigua to Lake Atitlan (~2.5 hours), spend night in an airbnb or in a hostel near the lake.
• Monday: Begin Acatenango expedition, hiking up to mountain to see the volcano.
• Tuesday: Wrap up Acatenango expedition, travel back to Antigua to spend night there.
• Wednesday: Go to Guatemala City to take flight to Isla de Flores (~1 hour flight), spend night there.
• Thursday: Visit Tikal, spend night in Isla de Flores.
• Friday: Flight from Isla de Flores to Guatemala city, spend night there.
• Saturday: Flight back home from Guatemala City.

This itinerary balances the major sights to see while still packing in as much as possible. Here’s a rough breakdown of the costs:

• Flight: depending on how far in advance, can assume flight should cost ~$550-600
• Accommodation: For hotels/airbnb ~$45 per night, for hostels/cheaper hotels ~$25 per night
  • @ 7 nights, ~$315 for hotel/airbnb or ~$175 for hostels
• Excursions:
  • Acatenango Volcano: ~$120 per person for guided hike
  • Tikal: $40 for entrance and transportation
• Miscellaneous Costs:
  • Food: $25/day, $175 total (overestimated cost)
  • Flight: round trip to/from Isla de Flores $150
  • Various Uber/Taxi: ~$100
• Total:
  • High end: $1,500
  • Low end: ~$1,300