I went to Guatemala with one of my college best friends and NYC roommate of 3 years and it was the first time we were traveling anywhere with just us. We were intending on going to Ecuador and the Galapagos, but it was expensive, so we ended up pivoting to Guatemala assuming it would be similar vibes. We had also heard from friends/family about the Acatenango hike and decided to base our trip around that. I am not sure if it is because this was never the primary desired spot for the summer so expectations were low or if a hiking trip in general is a rather introspective one that left me with lots of unanswered questions about my own life and desires from it, but I can confidently say that Guatemala is one of the best places I have ever been to and one of the first ones I definitely want to go back to soon. This trip also gave me a lot of confidence in my ability to go on a solo trip soon as well as my general athletic ability, both of which I hope to put to a test soon. The only downside to this trip was the few hours we wasted in Guatemala City since it is not worth a visit, but otherwise Guatemala is a true gem in the middle of the Americas and I am confident that it will be considered a staple in every traveler's bucket list very soon.

Day 1: Outbound Flight + Guatemala City "Exploration"/Travel Recovery Day

• Wake up at 4 AM and Uber to LGA for a 7 AM departure on Jet Blue to Guatemala City with a 1 hour layover in Fort Lauderdale

  • We got through security quickly and went to LGA's new Chase Sapphire Reserve Lounge which is gorgeous, has amazing food, and is worth a stop no matter how much time you have at LGA to kill 

• Uber from GCA to the Hilton to check in and relax for a few minutes before leaving to Zone 1 to see the City Center and grab lunch at Restaurante el Adobe

  • Live music with the food was nice and we were able to get out of the sun for a bit before walking around to see the town hall and other buildings

• Uber from Zone 1 (slightly more unsafe and not worth walking around) to Zone 14 (safer, nicer restaurants, greenery) to walk around and pass some time before heading back to the hotel area

• Stop at El Arte Steakhouse for an Irish Coffee to duck the rain before heading back to the hotel for an early night's sleep given the early wake up

Day 2: Travel to Antigua + Antigua Exploration Day

• Eat breakfast in Zone 10 by walking over at 8 AM to Duplo, taking a scenic route back with trees lining the road and runners everywhere

• Use Guatego shuttle van to get from Guatemala City to Antigua

  • Offer hotel to hotel pick up and drop off for ~$20/person which is about what the Uber would have costed but due to the frequent heavy traffic on this route, having a guaranteed car is generally preferred

• Check in at Maya Papaya and put bags away before heading out to explore Antigua's cobblestone streets:

  • Climb 300 stairs to Cerro de la Cruz to get a view of the entire city of Antigua laid out in between the volcanos and mountains

• Grab a coffee at Fat Cat Coffee House, where they have fun drinks like the Japanese Iced Coffee Method and Affogato Shakeratos

• Avoid the rain by ducking into a sports bar to watch the Guatemala vs Canada CONCACAF tournament that went to penalties

  • One of the player's dad was sitting next to us at the bar and his son ended up making a penalty kick which was a really cool experience to be a part of as the whole bar cheered 

• Walk through the central square lined with street vendors, food stalls, and souvenir shops before getting to the famous Arch that is one of the most photographed locations in the world

• Eat dinner at Aqua, a restaurant with a great rooftop to see the sunset at, before heading to Wisdom, a speakeasy behind a wig store for drinks, and checking out El Barrio, a giant multi-story bar with lots of different vibes and music in its rooms

• Head to bed early to get ready for an early morning tour

Day 3: Antigua Excursions Day

• ​Head to CA Travelers for the start of the biking tour on fat tire bicycles that goes through:

  • Coffee plantation farm where they teach and show every step of making coffee from harvesting to grinding with samples

  • Chocolate shop where they teach a mini lesson on how to make chocolate with samples

  • Next village over to eat tostadas from a street vendor

  • A quaint little shop on the road run by a 75-year-old grandmother with different types of juices

  • Back to the shop for a beer and a cute video on how CA travelers partners with the schools on the mountains to provide them technology and resources

• Grab lunch at La Cuevita de Los Urquizu followed by a coffee at Cafe Barista before the next activity

• Head to ChocoMuseo to take part in a chocolate making class that includes:

  • Explanations and samples on every step of the chocolate making process from opening the cacao bean to freezing the chocolate

  • Designing your own chocolate bar with as many toppings as you want

  • Interactive songs, dances, and introductions to the rest of the class to help make friends, of which 2 of the friends we made from England ended up hiking the volcano with us as well

• Visit La Bodegona, a supermarket, to grab water bottles, snacks, and other necessities for the hike next morning and then back to the hostel to pack the bags for the hike

  • The non-hiking luggage can stay back at Elvin's house so the bags need to be reorganized to include only what is needed for the hike in the backpack and everything else in the rest of the luggage

• Eat dinner at Samsara, a vegetarian restaurant with protein shakes to fuel up as a last big meal before the hike starts the next morning and head to sleep before the big day

Day 4: Acatenango Ascent

• Get picked up by V-Hiking tours vans from the San Sebastian Plaza and get driven to Elvin's house to eat breakfast, rent necessary items, and get the information breakdown on the hike

  • We did not bring the heavy jackets when we packed so we rented thick jackets for the summit as well as walking poles for 35Q (~$5) in total per person

  • The breakfast was solid and included pancakes, plantains, watermelon, coffee, scrambled eggs, and beans

  • We would have a group of 17 hikers and 3 guides to accommodate, allowing for a fast group, medium group, and slow group when it came to pace, but all would be relatively close to each other

• Begin the hike -- better detailed in the vlog, but general timeline includes:

  • Begins at ~8,000 feet of elevation and is a steep incline with loose terrain for the bulk of it ~ 9 AM

  • First stop is about 1,000 feet up after straight incline at a little restaurant and shop area where you can get fruit, water, and other snacks but they are all more expensive than if you had brought it with you

  • The next few stops are at random points in the hike up after periods of steep incline, a few of them have viewpoints, a few of them have water and makeshift bathrooms, but mostly they are quick 5 minute breaks to catch your breath, eat a snack, and drink some water -- remember that as you go higher, the altitude sickness has greater potential to impact you as well

• Around 5 hours into the incline ~ 2 PM, you reach the campsite with the cabins where you can unwind, enjoy the view of the Fuego volcano, and eat the lunch that you carried up

  • Lunch is some rice, veggies, chicken, and fruit along with a granola bar and juice pouch

• Around 4 PM, there is a decision to make in terms of doing the optional Tierra del Fuego hike for 200Q (~$30) -- our tour guides said the volcano was dormant, the clouds were coming, and the hike was a 4 hour round trip, so the entire thing could be in vain, but would technically get you closer to the volcano

  • Given the low probability of seeing any lava up close and the guarantee of being even more tired to attempt to the sunrise hike at 3:30 AM, our group of four decided to opt out of this and relax instead

• Between 4PM and dinner time, hang out with others that stayed back, share stories, take a quick nap in the cabin, etc. before coming back out later to eat fresh made dinner while staring at the volcano in the dark

  • The overall food provided was pretty good since we got some snacks of cookies and hot chocolate in the middle and dinner was chicken and pasta with wine

• Head to bed by 8 PM in multiple layers of pants and jackets given how cold it is starting to get

  • The cabins are shared unless you pay for a private one so we had one person share with us who we became friends with and it is three sleeping bags in a row inside a small rectangular room with little room for anything else

Day 5: Sunrise Hike + Acatenango Descent + Travel to Lake Atitlan

• Wake up at 3:30 AM to start getting layered up and ready to climb the mountain another 200m (~600ft) of straight incline to see the sun rise over the valley and Fuego at 5:15 AM

  • The guides said they would only wake us up at this hour if the odds of seeing anything among the clouds was good

  • This incline at 4 AM right after waking up was in my opinion, the hardest part of the hike when factoring in how cold it was, there was no visibility besides the head lamps, the incline percentage, and the general fact that it was day 2 of the hike

• Find a spot to camp out at to watch the sunrise and take in the beauty for half an hour

  • We ended up sitting about 20m below the actual summit because the clouds at the top were too thick to see through, but just below there was good visibility -- my friend and I actually debated whether the wind and cold at this point was colder than Iceland in November so do not take the layering suggestions lightly

• Take a quick stop at the campsite to gather the rest of the things you did not take to the summit, use the bathroom, drink coffee, and begin the descent at ~7 AM

  • The descent was pretty much the same way down and considering the incline, basically everyone chose to basically trail run it so we were down at the first rest stop with the restaurant on the way up to eat breakfast within 2 and a half hours

• Finish the last 1,000 feet of the hike and get driven by V-Hiking vans at ~10:30 AM back to Elvin's house to change, grab luggage, and say goodbyes to all the friends from the trip before getting into the van to the Lake

• Get dropped off at Panajachel, one of the 12 towns surrounding Lake Atitlan by the V-Hiking driver, and eat lunch at the Little Spoon while walking down the main street of the village

• Take your first lancha to Santa Cruz to check in at the Free Cerveza Hostel

  • The people running the lanchas look a little sus and you might think you are being scammed, but there are signs everywhere that say public boats so it is the right boat to board

  • Free Cerveza was an interesting hotel in that most of the people were our age range and the free beer during family dinner was cool, but the whole experience felt a little too Americanized to believe you were still in Guatemala -- still the dockside location, views, and people you meet make it a fine place to stay at for a couple nights

• After spending the last 24 hours hiking amongst mountains and using nature for all of its facilities, we decided to opt into family dinner, the free beer hour, and the night activities of beer pong to make some friends at the hostel and unwind

Day 6: Lake Atitlan Exploration -- San Juan + San Marcos

• ​Take a lancha to San Juan to explore the third village of the trip surrounding the lake

  • Grab breakfast at a restaurant and then do the Mirador Kaqasiiwaan which is another 300 stair hike to a viewpoint that shows the entire lake and the three volcanos surrounding it

  • San Juan is one of the most colorful and fun villages I have ever walked through, with the roads, walls, sidewalks, benches all painted and Mayan murals everywhere as well as umbrellas, hats, and other fun trinkets stringed along the top to provide shade -- it was a welcome change of pace from the more Americanized hostel we were staying at and we felt a lot closer to the culture here

• Head back to the hostel for a cooking class at noon to make dobladas

  • Most of the work for this cooking class was done by the lady running it and all we really did was cut some veggies and fold the dobladas; also, we only got two each, so the class overall was fun, but the hour and a half could have been spent seeing another village instead

• Take a lancha to San Marcos to explore the fourth village of the trip

  • San Marcos has two things it is famous for aside from its hippie haven nickname -- it is where cliff diving occurs because the water is the clearest here and the Circles Bakery which is at the end of the single road of the village and has great coffee and baked goods

• Return to the hostel around 4 PM, grab a lounge chair and a book, and unwind for the next three hours, talking to people as they come by and taking a break

  • We felt like after the constant go-go-go of our trip, especially from Sunday through Wednesday afternoon, we never had a chance to put our feet up and relax (something that our legs were probably craving after being put through a 5,000 foot stairmaster)

• Grab dinner at one of the local restaurants in Santa Cruz with the friends made at the hostel before heading back to pack all bags and head to bed

Day 7: Travel to Guatemala City + Inbound Flight

• Take a lancha after checking out to Panajachel since most travel in/out of the lake region happens from that village

• Grab breakfast at Chali Cafe while waiting for the Guatego shuttle to arrive

  • This drive back to Guatemala City was a bit painful considering it is 4 hours (to go just 40 miles) and there is lots of traffic that you end up hitting -- think opting for a real van instead of one of the rundown Guatego ones here would have been the better choice

• We were feeling a bit tired of being in the car so we got asked to be let out in any street in Zona 10 upon reaching the city, but after making a quick stop at Moka Coffee to charge our phones, quickly decided it was better to get to the airport extra early and relax there than spend more time in the city that offered nothing

• Head to La Aurora airport where there is a lounge that is open for Priority Pass members where you can get 1 entree, 3 alcoholic drinks, and unlimited other drinks where we ended up spending nearly 4 hours to avoid being outside

• Return to NYC on Avianca