how to spend 3 weeks backpacking Guatemala: Guatemala travel itinerary
Omg so you’re planning a trip to Guatemala? I’m so jealous - prepare to have the time of your life! When I reached Colombia at the very end of my Central America Backpacking trip, I was surrounded by people who had just made the exact same journey as I did. It’s only natural to compare notes, and nearly every single person that I talked to, when asked, said that their favorite country of the trip was Guatemala (and for good reason).
Think turquoise pools hidden in the jungle, ancient Mayan ruins, more volcanoes than you can count, colonial cities, and black sand beaches… you can’t say that Guatemala doesn’t have something for everyone. That being said - there’s so much to do that it can oftentimes feel overwhelming. Hopefully by the end of this post I can give you some useful information (and inspiration!) for your Guatemala travel itinerary.
Whether you’re backpacking Central America north to south, south to north, or you’re short on time and simply flying in and out of Guatemala on a vacation, I’ve got you covered.
The Best Guatemala Travel Itineraries:
The beauty of backpacking through Guatemala is that it’s easy to tailor your route to your style and time constraints. You can opt for the classic routes that hit all the highlights or explore off-the-beaten-path gems if you have a little time to kill.
If you’re wanting to hit everything in this post, I recommend a total of 3 weeks. It’s possible to do shorter, but honestly, Guatemala has a mind-boggling amount of experiences and adventures to offer, and I’m trying to give you a realistic view of things here. Travel days in Guatemala can be deceivingly LONG - despite how small the country may appear on the map. In fact, if you do decide to do the full 3 week linear route from Flores to El Paredon, at least 4 of these days are fully travel-dedicated.
I don’t say this to intimidate you, but rather to keep your expectations in check! It’s an easy mistake to make when you plan two nights somewhere thinking you’ll have 3 days - when in reality your bus gets in past dinner and leaves on the third day at 8 a.m.. leaving you with just one full day to actually explore. I know it’s not ideal but the best things never come easy!
1. North to south: Flores to El Paredon
If you’re coming from Belize, you’re in luck! This is the exact route that I did. It’s ideal for those on a full Central America backpacking trip and are heading north to south. I left Caye Caulker by ferry and then hopped on a full day bus to Flores. From there, you can explore the ancient ruins of Tikal before continuing your journey southward, with stops at Semuc Champey for some jungle caving and cliff jumping, Antigua for some incredible food and killer volcano hikes, Lake Atitlan for yoga, boat parties, or more volcano hikes (have I mentioned how many volcanoes are in Guatemala? No? it’s 37.), and lastly to El Paredon for some black sand beaches, sunbathing, and surfing. From El Paredon, exit Guatemala by taking a bus to Santa Ana or Leon (but SPOILER alert for the next few blog posts: El Salvador is NOT to be missed).
2. The El Salvador to Guatemala Journey: From Antigua to Flores
For those coming from El Salvador or Nicaragua, you’re basically going to do the whole thing backwards. Start by taking a shuttle from either Leon or Santa Ana and head to El Paredon, or skip it and head straight to Antigua if you’re shorter on time! Spend a few days on Lake Atitlan, and then continuing in a reverse order - through Semuc Champey and up to Flores.
3. The Guatemala Loop: The Classic Guatemala Route
If you're short on time or want to explore just Guatemala, why not do a loop? Fly into Guatemala City, then head straight to Antigua (tbh have not heard great things from backpackers about Guatemala City, except for HERE), and follow the route north to Lake Atitlán, Semuc Champey, Tikal, and eventually fly from the small airport in Flores back to Guatemala City.
If you’re extra short on time and have no desire to tackle the two (2) (TWO!) 12 hour travel days that will get you into and out of Semuc Champey (insane but worth it if you do have the time and sense of adventure), consider splitting your time between just Antigua and Lake Atitlan. You still get the epic volcano views of the lake, the chance to hike Volcano Acatenango, and you get to explore and eat your way through Antigua.
If you don’t have 3 weeks, never fear. Even just these two cities in Guatemala are WELL worth the trip and the airfare.
As I slowly but surely get through all of my Central America content, I should have guides for every stop of whatever itinerary you decide on (except for El Paredon! I swapped it out for more days on Lake Atitlan, and as I was getting more than enough black sand beaches later on in Nicaragua and El Salvador, I have absolutely no regrets). Admittedly, the blog content is slow (but steady!) these days - but if you have any questions, I’m just a comment or a DM on instagram away!
To pique your interest and to help you solidify your choices, here’s a quick rundown of what each Guatemalan city has to offer - and I’m including my own personal timeline of how many days I spent in each location just so that you have a better idea of how to tailor your own itinerary.
Where to go in Guatemala
Flores - 2 days, 3 nights
Flores itself, while very cute and worth a day of exploring, is not ~really~ why people actually add Flores to their Guatemala travel itinerary. Flores is simply a launching pad for day trips spent exploring ancient Mayan ruins at Tikal!
Even more impressive than Chitchen Itza (in my very humble opinion), Tikal is an incredible complex of both buried and excavated pyramids, home to toucans, capybaras, jaguars, and howler monkeys. These were by far my favorite ruins in all of central America, and well worth a visit.
On your day exploring Flores, take a lap around the island, hire a small lancha to take you to Jorge’s Rope Swing, or join a boat party leaving from Los Amigos hostel.
I spent 1 day traveling from Caye Caulker to Flores, 1 day exploring the island, and 1 day visiting Tikal. The next morning (technically day 4 of being in Guatemala) I hopped in a shuttle bus for a full day of travel to our next stop: Semuc Champey!
Semuc Champey - 2 days, 3 nights
You see - some people who are shorter on time would fly from the Flores airport into Guatemala City, and then continue their adventure in Antigua (which is just 45 mins to an hour from the airport). If you have a few extra days to kill and a sense of adventure - your next stop is going to be Semuc Champey.
This turquoise river cutting through the jungle of Guatemala is truly unlike I’ve ever seen. Not only is it gorgeous to look at from the top of the hike, you can spend the day swimming, tubing, cliff jumping, or exploring the massive cave system that lives below the river.
YES - getting there is brutal. But I promise you it’s well worth adding a few extra days to your Guatemala travel itinerary.
I spent 1 day exploring the cave system, tubing, and cliff jumping, and the second day hiking to the viewpoint and swimming in the pools. Don’t forget the 1 whole day traveling to Antigua😉
Antigua: 4 days, 5 nights (Includes 2 days and 1 night hiking Volcano Acatenango)
Antigua is a stunning UNESCO world heritage site, full of both incredible street food and high end restaurants, volcanoes to hike and cathedrals to visit, as well as other fun things to do, such as the hilariously out-of-place Hobbiton (a recreation of the Hobbit’s village in Lord of the Rings), chocolate and coffee farms, and cooking classes.
Arguably, the best thing to do in Guatemala is to do an overnight hike of dormant Volcano Acatenango (and I say arguably because some people say this is the best thing they’ve ever done - and yet the same people say it’s also the hardest/most horrific thing they’ve ever done). The view from the top of Acatenango is unmatched - you have the perfect view of the VERY active Volcano Fuego - and you even have the opportunity to add on an extra hike to see the lava up close.
You spend the night on the mountain and wake up for the most epic hike to the summit for sunrise - so count Acatenango as a 2 day, 1 night experience on your Guatemala travel itinerary. Oh - and maybe include a day to rot at the hotel after - this hike is KILLER. But you can do it - I know you can!
One thing to note here is that because Antigua is situated at such a high elevation, you should definitely spend your first day or two in Antigua seeing the sights and acclimating to the altitude before you start such an intense hike. I did the hike my very first day in Antigua and survived - so if you’ve messed up your planning and booked Acatenango for your first day in Antigua - never fear! I did it - but this is just so you have all the information going in :)
If you have more steam in you than I had in me - you can always hike volcano Pacaya or Volcano Agua on one of your spare days in Antigua! My body would’ve FOUGHT me if I signed up for another volcano hike - but I know people who did both and raved about those as well.
I spent 2 days hiking Acatenango and another 2 days exploring the city. On the morning of my 5th day, I jumped in yet ANOTHER shuttle bus that would take me to my most anticipated stop of the trip: Lake Atitlán
Lake Atitlán: 7 days, 8 nights
Lake Atitlán is pure magic - so much so that it has become home to a large population of yoga-loving (“hippie” - if you will LOL) westerners, because the lake is believed to be an energy vortex. Now - I can neither confirm nor deny this claim - what I WILL say, however, is that the vibes on the lake are immaculate. Whether or not that’s due to an energy vortex, who knows? But at the very least I truly understand where they’re coming from.
There are quite a few different towns around the lake, and I made it a priority to visit as many as I could. I split my time evenly between three towns - San Marcos, Santa Cruz, and San Pedro.
Each town has a distinctly different vibe: San Marcos was home of the yoga lovers, Santa Cruz was for relaxing at the famous hostel “Free Cerveza” (famous for a reason - this was such a good stay), and San Pedro was for those either looking to spend a few weeks attending a Spanish school or for those trying to party hard.
*** Quick note: If you’re continuing on through central America, either make San Pedro your last stop or switch lake Atitlan and Antigua in your itinerary, as most shuttles leave from San Pedro and make a pit-stop in Antigua to pick up more travelers. I left from San Pedro to head to Santa Ana and it worked well, it was just an earlier wake up call!
***** Another note is that most shuttles will drop you at Panajachel (the hub of Lake Atitlán), and you’ll have to take a small boat to whatever town you decide to stay in. I wouldn’t recommend staying in Panajachel.
San Marcos
Some people hate on San Marcos for their alternative, western population of expats, so I went in very skeptical. Thankfully, it exceeded all expectations, and it’s home to what I think is the best view of the lake - the yoga platform at the Eagle’s Nest. Either stay there for a night, or plan your stay around a free community day - it’s worth it! Another perfect thing to do in San Marcos is to visit Cerro Tzankujil Nature Reserve for a day of swimming in the lake and jumping off the 12 meter diving platform. This is one of the rare places you’ll actually feel comfortable swimming in the lake, as it’s clean and unpolluted on the reserve.
Santa Cruz
Listen - I actually don’t know what there is to do in Santa Cruz - I just stayed at Free Cerveza and rotted in my tent with the most beautiful backdrop of the lake and volcanoes. As a solo backpacker and hostel lover - this is a must. If you’re here on vacation with a significant other or aren’t into hostels, maybe add a few days in a boujee hotel like Casa Del Mundo (not in Santa Cruz - but I just loved having a few days of doing nothing other than enjoying a fun hotel and the lake, and would highly recommend adding a lazy stop to your itinerary).
San Pedro
San Pedro is a hit or miss for a lot of people. It’s very busy and developed, with lots of backpackers basing themselves here as they attend a few weeks of Spanish school or party at Mr. Mullets. I will say - Mr. Mullet’s weekly boat party is definitely worth checking out if you’re into that sort of thing - boat excursion opportunities are surprisingly minimal on the lake - so take what you can get! This is also the town I was based out of when I did the Indian Nose sunrise hike, which is also a popular thing to do on Lake Atitlán.
El Paredon - two days, three nights
As I mentioned earlier in this article - I skipped El Paredon for more days on the lake! I did have a few friends go who said they’d report back, so here’s the consensus: It’s nice. The black sand beach is beautiful, but at the end of the day nothing beats a white sand beach. My surfer friends absolutely loved it, but if that’s not you, be prepared to lay by the pool, do a little shopping, and fend off the sand flies (I have nothing personal to add except the way my jaw dropped when we all reunited in Santa Ana and I saw the sand fly bites firsthand - they are NOT to be trifled with let me tell you).
That wraps up this Guatemala Travel Itinerary!
With as small as Guatemala is, it sure packs a punch on the adventure scale. I spent three weeks here, and I feel like I barely scratched the surface. I didn’t spend time in El Paredon, and there’s also a 3 day hike from Xela to Lake Atitlan that I totally missed out on, purely on the basis of me not having heard of it until it was too late. If I had to plan a perfectly all-encompassing itinerary, I would say 5 weeks in Guatemala would be ideal; you would truly never run out of things to do in this amazing country.
Whether you have 6 weeks or 6 days, Guatemala is worth the flight. If you need any help crafting your own personal Guatemala Travel Itinerary, leave a comment below or shoot me a DM on instagram - I’m happy to help always:)
Safe travels! 🌎✈️
