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Semana Santa: Easter in Guatemala
10 days, Guatemala City to Antigua Guatemala
Itinerary
Day 1Guatemala City/Antigua Guatemala
Arrive at the Guatemala City airport. Transfer to Antigua is included.
Arrive at the Guatemala City airport and transfer to your hotel in Antigua. There are no planned activities during the day, so check into the hotel and enjoy this charming city.
Please note that Antigua's nearest airport is Guatemala City, Guatemala. Don't get caught flying into the Caribbean island nation of Antigua; it's nowhere near the start of this tour!
Your Welcome Moment: Welcome Moment - Meet Your CEO and Group
Your opportunity to meet your CEO and fellow travellers, and learn more about your tour. Opt to join the group for a local meal afterwards. Don't forget to see the notice in the lobby (or ask reception) for the official time and place to meet up with the group.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Day 2Antigua Guatemala/Jaibalito
Travel to Lake Atitlán and catch a boat to the small town of Jaibalito, the base for the next three nights. From here, explore indigenous villages on the lake as they prepare for the Holy Week processions.
Jaibalito is a small village on the shore of Lake Atitlán, known for its tranquility. It is accessible only by boat and foot trail and offers stunning views of the three volcanoes and lake. The area is also ideal for outdoor pursuits like swimming, fishing, windsurfing, hiking, bird watching, kayaking, and horseback riding.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Transport
Settle in and scan the scenery as you journey to your next destination.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 3Jaibalito
Explore indigenous villages on the lake as they prepare for the Holy Week processions. Also visit San Juan la Laguna, a G Adventures-supported village. Take an orientation walk, visit various co-ops, enjoy a local Mayan lunch and a Mayan tree-planting ceremony. Take some free time to enjoy the lake.
Volcanoes and small indigenous villages surround this pristine lake, truly one of the most beautiful spots in Central America. Twelve traditional Maya villages, blue-grey mountains and three volcanoes line the shores of this lake resulting in a wonderful combination of unusual natural beauty and indigenous culture. Visit some of the villages of Lake Atitlán on an included boat tour. The towns will be be abuzz preparing for Holy Week processionals and activities, so our timing is just right to get a sense of the colour, costumes, and age-old customs that surround this holiday time.
Free Time
Free time for outdoor pursuits like swimming, fishing, windsurfing, hiking, bird watching, and kayaking.
San Juan La Laguna Village Visit
Visit the town of San Juan la Laguna and immerse yourself in the Tz’utujil culture for an afternoon. Focus on three different associations originating in San Juan la Laguna; textiles, medicinal plants, and paintings. See groups of women making textiles using natural dyes. Your guide will explain the dyeing techniques and observe the waist loom in action. Next, see how plants are used for their medicinal properties within these communities. Enjoy the sights of traditional paintings by local artists/painters who portray their traditional way of life, ceremonies, customs and traditions through large scale murals found throughout the town of San Juan la Laguna. Souvenirs/products from all points of this tour will be available for purchase if you'd like to bring something home and also support this village community.
Boat
Climb aboard and get your float on.
Your G for Good Moment: Lake Atitlán Boat Ride and Community Visit
Get ready for spectacular views of the surrounding volcanoes and everyday life in a highland village. The people of this area are friendly and excited to greet travellers. Stop off in San Juan la Laguna, a G Adventures-supported village, for an included local Mayan lunch. Participate in a Mayan tree planting ceremony, providing insight into Mayan culture and beliefs.
Test your communication and bargaining skills in the colourful local markets, of which there are many. There are also a number of community Mayan weaving cooperatives that you may wish to visit. The proceeds from the sales return directly to the community and are a significant contribution to the local economy.
Optional Activities - Day 3 HideShow
Fishing
Channel your inner Mayan, hop aboard a rustic wooden cayuco, paddle out into Lake Atitlán, and pray for fish. With only a small hook, net, and no motor, your local guide will demonstrate his traditional fishing techniques. You may even catch a black bass!
Kayaking
Grab your life jacket and tour local waters by kayak. Get up close to marine life and see many sights you may miss on shore.
Meals included:
Breakfast | LunchDay 4Jaibalito
In the morning visit the famed market of Chichicastenango. With a local expert, explore beyond the market and gain a deeper understanding of the culture and faith of the locals. Included are visits to Santo Tomas Church, the cemetery, and Cerro Turcaj pilgrimage and offering site.
A trip to Guatemala would not be complete without a visit to the famous market of Chichicastenango. Renowned for its colourful handicrafts, wood carvings, and hand-woven textiles, “Chichi” is also an important trading place for the local residents, and provides close-up views of daily life of today's Maya.
Please note that the actual day we visit Chichi market is subject to change based on market day schedules.
Boat
Climb aboard and get your float on.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Chichicastenango - Beyond the Market
With an expert local guide, explore beyond the famed Chichicastenango market and gain a deeper understanding of the culture and faith of the locals. Twice a week, thousands of indigenous people from the surrounding Mayan villages dress in traditional attire to visit the market and sell their products but also to celebrate their religious ceremonies based on a combination of Christian and Mayan beliefs. Visit Santo Tomas Church, dating from 1540, whose steps are covered with offerings of flowers, incense and candles. (Even today, Mayan priests are allowed to use this Catholic church for rituals.) Then continue on to the above ground cemetery with its varied and brightly coloured tombs. Also visit Cerro Turcaj just outside town, where, for hundreds of years, Mayans have made offerings at a sacred sacrificial stone to the deity of Pascual Abaj.
Free Time
Enjoy free time to continue exploring the lake and local Villages.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 5Jaibalito/Antigua Guatemala
Travel back across the lake and transfer to Antigua, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over the next five days here, enjoy the many parades and ceremonies, not just as a spectator, but as a participant in the celebrations.
Return to Antigua to explore the city, shop, and of course, to enjoy the Semana Santa (or Holy Week) celebrations.
When we arrive, Semana Santa will be in full swing, and there will be plenty to see and experience. As home to the world's largest Holy Week celebration, the spectacular Easter festival here is beyond comparison.
In between observing these ceremonies, you may choose to climb a nearby volcano, mountain bike through the countryside or just relax in a pleasant street side café.
Our schedule over the next few days will be flexible, allowing our CEO to best plan out what activities and events we can participate in. When and what is done each day will be relayed to you on the ground, by the CEO allowing for him/her to make the most out of our time here.
Boat
Climb aboard and get your float on.
Private Vehicle
Settle in and scan the scenery from the convenience of a private vehicle.
Holy Week Celebrations
Antigua is renowned for its elaborate and colourful festivities during Holy Week. Visitors and locals alike throng to the city to celebrate Semana Santa with processions, religious ceremonies and most memorable, the gorgeous “alfombras” or carpets created from coloured sawdust and flowers. Brilliant purple, green, blue, red, and yellow images and geometric designs are created using sawdust augmented with bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations and pine needles. Generations of families painstakingly craft their “carpets” in the middle of the streets, outside their homes, right before a float or procession passes by. Charge your camera batteries – this is a photographer’s dream!
Optional Activities - Day 5 HideShow
Pacaya Volcano Hike (Half-Day)
59USD per personDrive one hour to the base of Pacaya Volcano to begin your ascent. This volcano is still active, so hiking to the crater is off limits. Near the summit, grab a stick and toast marshmallows over a smoking fumarole using earth's natural "ovens" to heat your snack.
Coffee Tour Antigua
Travel a short 10-minute ride outside of Antigua to the Finca Filadelfia coffee plantation. Walk through the plant nursery, explore the rows of coffee plants, pick a coffee “cherry” (each one has two beans inside), then discover the various stages that go into making the perfect cup of quality coffee. The farm also has a restaurant and zipline for those who opt to fly above the canopy to spot the very best beans.
Massage
30-60USD per personRelax and enjoy a Mayan massage. You’re on vacation!
Salsa Lesson
10USD per personKick up your heels and learn this typical Latin dance. Dancers of all skill levels are welcome. Get lost in the rhythm of the music and let your body take you to a new place -- one-two-three, one-two-three, hip roll, arm up, partner under, shimmy, shake, salsa! Vamos a bailar! (Let's dance!)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 6Antigua Guatemala
Today, get your bearings and explore Antigua on a guided cultural walking tour with a local expert, including the museums at Paseo de los Museos. Along the way, continue to watch as the city prepares for Easter celebrations.
This evening, put on your dancing shoes and opt to take an optional Salsa class.
Your Journeys Highlight Moment: Antigua Cultural Walking Tour
Meet our guide at the fountain in the Central Plaza and take a leisurely walk along the cobblestone streets of this UNESCO World Heritage site. The tour focuses on Antigua's history, culture, and restoration efforts. (A bylaw, for example, stipulates buildings must only be painted certain colours in order to maintain the Spanish colonial character of the exteriors.) Visit the City Hall Palace, Palace of the Captain's General, the main cathedral, and many of Antigua's other attractions. Learn about jade and the valuable role it played in Maya culture. Shop for jewelry, pottery, textiles and wooden carvings.
Holy Week Celebrations
Antigua is renowned for its elaborate and colourful festivities during Holy Week. Visitors and locals alike throng to the city to celebrate Semana Santa with processions, religious ceremonies and most memorable, the gorgeous “alfombras” or carpets created from coloured sawdust and flowers. Brilliant purple, green, blue, red, and yellow images and geometric designs are created using sawdust augmented with bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations and pine needles. Generations of families painstakingly craft their “carpets” in the middle of the streets, outside their homes, right before a float or procession passes by. Charge your camera batteries – this is a photographer’s dream!
Optional Activities - Day 6 HideShow
Salsa Lesson
10USD per personKick up your heels and learn this typical Latin dance. Dancers of all skill levels are welcome. Get lost in the rhythm of the music and let your body take you to a new place -- one-two-three, one-two-three, hip roll, arm up, partner under, shimmy, shake, salsa! Vamos a bailar! (Let's dance!)
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 7Antigua Guatemala
Continue to enjoy Holy week celebrations with free time for self-guided discovery.
On Good Friday, residents begin laying down painstakingly detailed street "carpets" of flowers, pine needles and and dyed sawdust. Each design is unique and fleeting, as the carpet disappears as soon as a procession passes through. Join in and help create one of these elaborate carpets.
Early in the morning, elaborate processions begin, slowly moving the heavy, palm-decorated "Anda" (special float) of Christ along the streets in a sombre re-enactment of his crucifixion. An honour passed down from generation to generation, the men involved in the processions, known as "Cucuruchas," wear purple cloaks (symbolizing mourning) and hold burning incense as they walk. Marvel as they take turns bearing the weight of the solid wood carved platforms, weighing up to 3,630kg (8,000 lb)!
Holy Week Celebrations
Antigua is renowned for its elaborate and colourful festivities during Holy Week. Visitors and locals alike throng to the city to celebrate Semana Santa with processions, religious ceremonies and most memorable, the gorgeous “alfombras” or carpets created from coloured sawdust and flowers. Brilliant purple, green, blue, red, and yellow images and geometric designs are created using sawdust augmented with bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations and pine needles. Generations of families painstakingly craft their “carpets” in the middle of the streets, outside their homes, right before a float or procession passes by. Charge your camera batteries – this is a photographer’s dream!
Optional Activities - Day 7 HideShow
Pacaya Volcano Hike (Half-Day)
59USD per personDrive one hour to the base of Pacaya Volcano to begin your ascent. This volcano is still active, so hiking to the crater is off limits. Near the summit, grab a stick and toast marshmallows over a smoking fumarole using earth's natural "ovens" to heat your snack.
Coffee Tour Antigua
Travel a short 10-minute ride outside of Antigua to the Finca Filadelfia coffee plantation. Walk through the plant nursery, explore the rows of coffee plants, pick a coffee “cherry” (each one has two beans inside), then discover the various stages that go into making the perfect cup of quality coffee. The farm also has a restaurant and zipline for those who opt to fly above the canopy to spot the very best beans.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 8Antigua Guatemala
Continue to enjoy Holy week celebrations with free time for self-guided discovery.
On Good Friday, residents begin laying down painstakingly detailed street "carpets" of flowers, pine needles and and dyed sawdust. Each design is unique and fleeting, as the carpet disappears as soon as a procession passes through. Join in and help create one of these elaborate carpets.
Early in the morning, elaborate processions begin, slowly moving the heavy, palm-decorated "Anda" (special float) of Christ along the streets in a sombre re-enactment of his crucifixion. An honour passed down from generation to generation, the men involved in the processions, known as "Cucuruchas", wear purple cloaks (symbolizing mourning) and hold burning incense as they walk. Marvel as they take turns bearing the weight of the solid wood carved platforms, weighing up to 3,630kg (8,000lb)!
Holy Week Celebrations
Antigua is renowned for its elaborate and colourful festivities during Holy Week. Visitors and locals alike throng to the city to celebrate Semana Santa with processions, religious ceremonies and most memorable, the gorgeous “alfombras” or carpets created from coloured sawdust and flowers. Brilliant purple, green, blue, red, and yellow images and geometric designs are created using sawdust augmented with bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations and pine needles. Generations of families painstakingly craft their “carpets” in the middle of the streets, outside their homes, right before a float or procession passes by. Charge your camera batteries – this is a photographer’s dream!
Optional Activities - Day 8 HideShow
Pacaya Volcano Hike (Half-Day)
59USD per personDrive one hour to the base of Pacaya Volcano to begin your ascent. This volcano is still active, so hiking to the crater is off limits. Near the summit, grab a stick and toast marshmallows over a smoking fumarole using earth's natural "ovens" to heat your snack.
Coffee Tour Antigua
Travel a short 10-minute ride outside of Antigua to the Finca Filadelfia coffee plantation. Walk through the plant nursery, explore the rows of coffee plants, pick a coffee “cherry” (each one has two beans inside), then discover the various stages that go into making the perfect cup of quality coffee. The farm also has a restaurant and zipline for those who opt to fly above the canopy to spot the very best beans.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 9Antigua Guatemala
Continue to enjoy Holy week celebrations with free time for self-guided discovery.
On Good Friday, residents begin laying down painstakingly detailed street "carpets" of flowers, pine needles and and dyed sawdust. Each design is unique and fleeting, as the carpet disappears as soon as a procession passes through. Join in and help create one of these elaborate carpets.
Early in the morning, elaborate processions begin, slowly moving the heavy, palm-decorated "Anda" (special float) of Christ along the streets in a sombre re-enactment of his crucifixion. An honour passed down from generation to generation, the men involved in the processions, known as "Cucuruchas", wear purple cloaks (symbolizing mourning) and hold burning incense as they walk. Marvel as they take turns bearing the weight of the solid wood carved platforms, weighing up to 3,630kg (8,000lb)!
Holy Week Celebrations
Antigua is renowned for its elaborate and colourful festivities during Holy Week. Visitors and locals alike throng to the city to celebrate Semana Santa with processions, religious ceremonies and most memorable, the gorgeous “alfombras” or carpets created from coloured sawdust and flowers. Brilliant purple, green, blue, red, and yellow images and geometric designs are created using sawdust augmented with bougainvillea, chrysanthemums, carnations and pine needles. Generations of families painstakingly craft their “carpets” in the middle of the streets, outside their homes, right before a float or procession passes by. Charge your camera batteries – this is a photographer’s dream!
Optional Activities - Day 9 HideShow
Pacaya Volcano Hike (Half-Day)
59USD per personDrive one hour to the base of Pacaya Volcano to begin your ascent. This volcano is still active, so hiking to the crater is off limits. Near the summit, grab a stick and toast marshmallows over a smoking fumarole using earth's natural "ovens" to heat your snack.
Coffee Tour Antigua
Travel a short 10-minute ride outside of Antigua to the Finca Filadelfia coffee plantation. Walk through the plant nursery, explore the rows of coffee plants, pick a coffee “cherry” (each one has two beans inside), then discover the various stages that go into making the perfect cup of quality coffee. The farm also has a restaurant and zipline for those who opt to fly above the canopy to spot the very best beans.
Meals included:
BreakfastDay 10Antigua Guatemala
Depart at any time.
Departure Day
Not ready to leave? Your CEO can help with travel arrangements to extend your adventure.