Join our birding tours in Lake Atitlan and learn more from our expert local birders.

Click here to ask for your Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush Photos.

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Guatemala has some great trekking routes such as Volcan de Pacaya, Pico de Cielo, Volcan San Pedro or a nice lake shore trek (and many more too!). This blog is all about how you prepare for a trek.

Depending on your age and current fitness levels, you preparation needs to start between 1 to 4 months before the trek. Unlike other trips, you can’t start trekking without any preparation.

A well planned, dedicated routine is recommended so that you reach top fitness level when you venture out on the trekking expedition.

Get Trek Ready for Guatemala – Be Fit.

Regular Walking & Exercise: Regular walking or jogging, at least 30 mins to 45 mins can make you fit for easy to moderate treks. A proper workout regime should be chalked out to strengthen the leg muscles and to build your stamina. Aim to easily complete a 45 minute brisk walk without any breaks. Remember to always stretch before and after.

Comfortable Hiking shoes: Good quality hiking shoes are a must for a wonderful trekking experience. Since trekking involves lots of walking on uneven paths, using regular sneakers will be punishing. It is advisable to go to a store and try out the shoes before purchase. Also, pick up hiking socks. Some people prefer to take a shoe that is a ½ size bigger, as feet expand during trekking. You will find these shoes in leading stores selling sports items.

Stay hydrated: Dehydration during treks can be very problematic. Keep your body hydrated with lots of water and other fluids. At least 2 to 3 litres of water in a day is required to keep the body hydrated and fit. Look for a lightweight water bottle to take along the trek.

Proper Sleep: Ensure that you have proper sleep during your trek. A good night sleep is very necessary to rest your muscles and to re-energise yourself for the next day.

Walk with a Backpack: As you start preparing yourself for the trek, walking with some amount of weight will help you to build up the body strength. Later even during the trek, you will discover that you are energetic and will not get easily exhausted.

Proper Diet: A healthy food pattern with lots of fruits, dry fruits and vegetables is the best diet to follow during your preparation for the trek. Avoid caffeine and excess carbs to make the body metabolism just perfect for the trek. Have small but frequent meals. Carry some trail mix, avoid going hungry for long intervals.

Trek Knowledge: Proper knowledge about the trek is very necessary before setting out on an expedition. Know the type of terrain you would encounter, weather conditions and altitude,so that you can pack accordingly. A good waterproof jacket is always a great idea and will come in handy even when you’re not trekking. A spare pair of shoes may be prudent to pack.

Trekking builds your strength and willpower. We love trekking for the positive transformation it brings about. Also the rejuvenation it provides from the hustle of modern life.

In case you’re in the mood to trek to Guatemala. Have a look at our itineraries below. Our treks fall into the moderate category. You would be covering around 10-14 Kms per day. So start training!

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I think we can agree that when traveling, we would want to experience the place as best and as much as possible. One way to help you with that is hiring a local guide when traveling.

If you don’t know why you should hire one, and how and where to hire one, don’t worry. I’ll be able to help you with this article, and with so much available information on the web, it’s even easier.

In this article, I’m going to tell you why you should hire local guides when traveling to Guatemala.

If you are planning on traveling to Guatemala, you might have some questions in mind or something that might worry you. Is it easy, or difficult? Do I need a private guide? What should I prepare for a good trip?

Traveling is fun, but can sometimes be challenging. Guatemala is very different from other most visited countries. That’s why it can be more difficult and challenging if you are traveling to Guatemala because things are so different and you are not used to them. With the language, culture and system differences, it can be really confusing and overwhelming, especially if you’ve never been before. 

It’s fine if you want to visit the generic major tourist destinations with big crowds, but don’t you want to experience the off-the-beaten-track spots or have more local experience?

It’s why guides are available for you to hire, to help you experience more of the place you visit. There are so many more benefits of hiring a guide for your Guatemala trip that you might not know. So, I’ll list some in this article.

Why you should use a local guide when traveling

Enhanced trip

Having a tour guide by your side during your trip can enhance your experience when traveling. A good guide will be able to explain the local culture and traditions and give you other local insights about the places you visit.

A good guide will know the best hours to visit the attractions to avoid big crowds, how to avoid rush hour, and tricks to let you experience the most out of major tourist destinations even with big crowds.

They can also bring you to off-the-beaten-path spots you wouldn’t have known otherwise and offer personal suggestions on how to get the most out of your trip.

It’s hassle-free

One of the things that may be holding you back from having a great trip is that you have to figure out the small details when traveling around.

Where to go? How to get around? Directions? What time does the place open or close? If you use a guide, you don’t have to trouble yourself with it.

You also don’t have to trouble yourself with planning an itinerary, if you hire a guide, they will make an itinerary according to your preferences and interests. You can customize them as well.

Another thing is the language difference. It’s difficult to communicate especially if you are traveling to places where the people speak little to no English at all. A local guide would be able to translate things for you and help you communicate with people.

You can uncover lesser known places

You can visit off-the-beaten-track spots and a new place that is out of the major tourist spots with the help of a guide. Don’t you like the thrill of finding places beyond the obvious and aren’t on popular tourist routes? You can be amazed how the off-the-beaten-path spots can be equally and even more incredible than the major ones.

It’s time and cost efficient

You don’t have to waste your time to plan a good travel itinerary, as the guides will do it for you. A good guide will structure your itinerary to be time-efficient, probably allowing you to visit more places.

You are probably thinking that hiring a guide is an additional expense, so how can it save money? Here’s how. You don’t have to figure out the route by yourself and risking getting lost which can cost you more money.

A good guide will structure your itinerary to be cost-effective and tell you which way is more cost-efficient to travel around, helping you save money.

Here are more reasons why you should use a local guide when traveling

Safety

Private guides have a better understanding of how the local system operates and can help you with things in the country you are visiting that you are not familiar with. You don’t have to worry about getting lost or accidentally traveling to places that are dangerous with a local guide by your side.

Find and eat good food

Do you not love tasting new foods on your travel? Local guides can give you suggestions of where are the best places to eat that are not just the popular tourist spots.

Hiring a guide is also important especially if you have food restrictions/allergies, but the language barrier is too severe, so you can’t communicate well. Just let your tour guides know and they will bring you to the best places to eat according to your preferences and needs!

Discover unique stories and details about the destinations

You can not only visit off-the-beaten-track spots but can also discover unique stories and details about the spots you visit.

Look:

It is easy to memorize facts and look up things on the internet. Hiring a guide can give you so much more than that. Local insights, traditions, history, and up-to-date factual information about the sites.

You can have a richer, deeper understanding of the spots you visit. The guides will be able to tell you the history and context of the spots you visit from an insider/local perspective and answer questions you have about them.

There are more benefits you can get if you use a local guide when traveling.

Bottom line is…

With guides, you can experience things you wouldn’t have otherwise. Guides can make your journey so much more interesting and really add more value to your trip.

Ready for your adventure, and hire our local guides?

If you are interested to know more and save your time during your trip to Guatemala. Send us a message to our local agents to get a customized itinerary and quotation for an unforgettable experience.

In the Voltan Adventures website you can find the best itineraries and our professional guides all over Guatemala. let us help you plan your trip. Customize your adventure now!

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Stay with Local Families in Guatemala

Below, Wendy Moore recounts their experiences, how they became involved in daily village life and learned about the local residentsu2019 hopes, concerns and determination to change their community for the better.

Three days in the remote village of Santa Cruz la Laguna sounded very attractive after the busy excitement and glamour of the cities and their forts and palaces.

From the moment that we arrived we were made to feel so welcome. We were introduced to the leader, Juan Carlos, and taken to our room, where we were pleasantly surprised. The cottage certainly lived up to the description in our itinerary. The cottage was attractive, built with exposed adobe walls. The bedroom was spacious and well-appointed with two double beds and shared bathroom (private bathroom is also available) Dinner took place with the host family, followed by a taste of Guatemalan food.

The next morning, we hike to one of the villages, accompanied by Local Guide. Our first stop was at the village primary school, which Voltan Adventures Charity are helping.

The teacher sets a great example for the children. She had only completed school to grade five but had subsequently completed teacher training and was now studying for her diploma. She is the first female teacher from the village.

Talking to her, kindly translated through our guide, Juan Carlos, we heard about the outreach work that was being done to persuade families to send their children to school. Thereu2019s a strong emphasis on the benefits of education rather than making children stay at home to clean, cook and look after their younger siblings.

After the school we visited the recently built health centre. There we met a group of village women who work to improve the health of those living in the surrounding countryside.

We spent an hour or so sat on the floor with them talking about their work, particularly with women and young girls. The discussion ranged over a wide variety of womenu2019s health issues and their work out in the community, including checking on pregnant women and ensuring that they attended their vaccinations given by the nurse who visits the health centre once a month.

The discussion turned to the marriage traditions locally and the fact that girls can often be promised in marriage as young as seven years old u2014 though they do not live with their chosen husband until 14 years old u2014 but then children arrive soon after and any thoughts of education are gone. They spoke of the pressures on them to have children and how a woman who failed to have children, particularly a boy, risked being abandoned by her husband and her family may well be shunned by others in the community.

The women expressed their hope that their work would help to change these attitudes and empower their children to take a different course. They also asked us many questions about ourselves.

They were especially interested in the fact that we had been married for over 30 years but did not have children. They were keen to know how we felt about this and if it had affected our relationships with family and friends. They said that they were inspired by our example and the strength of our relationship.

After further conversations, we left feeling that we had met a group of very strong women who were determined to change their community for the better.

Next day we joined the mother of the house to make tortillas, and had a cooking lesson. She Showed us around the kitchen, and then showed us how to make Guatemalan tamale. As it was our last day, all the members of the family and they also helped me to put on the traditional outfit of Santa Cruz. Feeling suitably self-conscious we headed for dinner.

Sadly we had to leave the next morning. It seemed like all the family, had come out to see us off. It was an emotional goodbye; we had such a wonderful, enlightening and uplifting visit.

We left feeling we had gained an insight into the work of Voltan Adventures Charity and into the lives of the local people and their determination to change their lives for the better. Our unforgettable experience at Santa Cruz la Laguna was the highlight of our visit to Guatemala.

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Is Guatemala Safe?

Guatemala is like any other country that you will visit whether in the United States, Canada, or Europe.

There are nice neighborhoods and neighborhoods in decline. In neighborhoods which are in decline the statistics show there is a slightly higher crime rate. Since Voltan Adventures is locally owned and operated we know all of the areas and most of the people everywhere we visit. If you are traveling outside of a tour company it basically it all boils down to common sense and following these general rules of thumb to stay safe:

• Do not go out after dark unless you are with several people and have a specific destination to travel to
• Do not flash around large amounts of money in public places. It is best to keep your money in two different places on your person. One packet or area for buying food/water. Another pocket for pulling money out for market purchases/impulse buys.
• Be okay with saying no. When you are in a town on market day you will be approached by children wanting to sell you necklaces, etc… Being polite and saying maybe later will create a crowd behind you as the kids follow you around waiting for this elusive ‘later.’
• Merchants and the Guatemalan people are friendly. Don’t be afraid to ask questions as long as you are being sensative in what you ask.
• Know where you are going. A lot of the cities and towns in Guatemala have narrow side paths, side walks, and different twists and turns where you can quickly become lost. If you have a local guide you won’t become lost however if you are on your own, have a map, and know where you are.
• Travel with friends of groups of people when possible. The larger your group the less likely you are to encounter any problems.
• Be vigilant against pick-pockets on market day. If someone ‘bumps’ into you, no matter how harmless, check your pockets, wallet, purse to make sure it is still there.
• If you feel like you are in a bad area and suddenly feel safe, find a hotel, walk in and ask them to get you a cab/tuk-tuk. Then you can quickly travel to another area where you feel more safe.
• If you become lost look for the town church. Since they are several stories tall they are easy to spot and then follow to the main entrance.

Enjoy your trip to Guatemala! If you follow these rules of thumb you’ll be great!

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Once home to around 100,000 Maya, the UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises more than 3,000 structures including temples and palaces as well as many species of wildlife, among them monkeys, anteaters and tapirs.

Known more commonly as Xela, the town of Quetzaltenango (Guatemala’s 2nd largest) is ringed by three towering volcanoes and shelters a primarily Mayan people. Utilize it as a foundation to detect Mayan hamlets that are nearby as well as for hikes to sacred lakes, sulphur pools and cloud forests.

Guatemala’s outside are easily reachable at Ixpanpajul Character Park. This pocket of subtropical rainforest that is secure is ideal for horseback riding, hiking, biking and maybe even canopy touring. You may even strike some of the park’s several feathered inhabitants or a cheeky monkey or 2 cavorting in the canopy alongside you.

Livingston exudes the charm of its Garifuna citizens and is a colourful, lively town on the Caribbean coast. It can only be attained by boat offering it an isolated, island feel. Hammocks, thatched cottages and rustic beachside bars and restaurants serve traditional, hearty cuisine and belt out music with a hip-rocking beat.
Investigate the highlands

Mountain passes and un-spoilt beauty strengthen the region’s appeal.

Most travellers don’t linger in Guatemala’s sprawling, visitors-clogged capital. But if you can resist the fumes and madness, there are some enticing hidden gems to uncover, including Parque Central (bordered by the National Palace and the Cathedral), the enormous relief map in Minerva Park, and the town’s wonderful art and archaeology museums, specifically the Nationwide Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

Despite a number of eruptions that are recent, the highly active Volcan Pacaya is nonetheless among the most trekked volcanoes in the nation. Red hot molten lava slowly pours down the peak and tremendous dust and lava fields create a remarkable landscape. The volcano can be trekked from nearby Antigua in a day with the organised tour.

Place sea turtles nesting on the sand that is volcanic and arrange to become involved with launch programmes organized by conservation organisations. Horse riding along the shore, seeing the mangrove swamps and learning Spanish are other popular activities in this area.
Purchase local handicrafts

Survey superb craftsmanship all through Guatemala at townships like Jocotenango (famous because of its ceramics) and San-Antonio Aguascalientes (feted for fabrics). Salamá is a good place to buy silver, clay and leather handicrafts, while Momostenango (Metropolis of Communion Tables) is the spot to go for conventional handwoven ponchos.

One of the world’s most ancient lakes, the glistening surface of Lake Atitlán is framed by three volcanoes: Tolimán, Atitlán and San-Pedro. Go water-skiing, swimming, boating or scuba diving and see with some of hamlets and the small towns that dot the shore, such as the bohemian San-Pedro de la Laguna and the Mayan Panajachel.
Shop at Chichicastenango Market for memorabilia
This mountaintop Mayan town is most famous because of its colourful marketplace. On Thursdays and Sundays, native sellers pile in to the main plaza and adjoining roads to sell pottery, fabrics, food, flowers, handicrafts, medicinal crops, creatures and farming and home items. It provides an excellent insight into the local culture.
‘Chichi’ Chichicastenango, or merely, as it truly is generally called, is most famous for its colourful market, held on Sundays and Thursdays. As it’s the showcase market in a state of amazing marketplaces, a visit to the marketplace should not be missed. Get amazing bargains on souvenirs, typical garments and jewelry.

The marketplace is not only considered the finest for vacationers, as the indigenous Mayans come from all up to sell (in areas off the main square) every-thing from fruit and veg to live chickens, turkeys, blooms and possibly even kittens.

Just be sure to stay the extra day or 2 as the township itself is an entirely different spot on non-market times, in Chichi. Take the opportunity to talk to locals, see the brilliantly-coloured cemetery looking out on the township, or take a hike out of town to Pascual Abaj, a shrine on a hill above town. Meaning sacrificial rock” in a language that is Mayan that is local, Pascual Abaj is a shrine to Huyup Tak’ah, the earth god. Visitors are welcome here, and the nearby native make the short trek often to create excellent luck or good health. ‘Sacrifices’ are made also; every-thing from corn to Coca Cola, or if you’re blessed to capture the realdeal a rooster may possibly be sacrificed.

Semuc Champey Normal Park is among Guatemala’s beauty spots that are most pristine.

Guatemala’s waterways are perfect for adventurers: Lakes Izabal and Río Dulce and Atitlán are a windsurfer’s paradise, with the also well-liked for altitude diving. Fast-moving rivers, like El Motagua, El Chiquibul, El Cahabón, La Pasión and El Usamacinta, are perfect for yachting and capturing rapids, while the Cahabón River near Semuc Champey is tubing territory. 6-Lake-Atitlan-Mayans-in-Sanpedro

Lake Atitlan, as ‘the most beautiful lake in the world’ famously described by Aldous Huxley,, should be to Guatemala on the listing of every visitor. When the lid of a volcano was blown off throughout an explosion formed, Lake Atitlan is situated in the picturesque Highlands of Guatemala and, like Antigua, sits neatly nestled between three volcanoes. As can Indian’s Nose mountain, these three can be scaled.

For steep hikes that are less, try walking between the dozen small villages spread out along the shorelines of Atitlan. The three most popular hamlets for vacationers each have a feel that is distinctive: San Pedro has a tendency to be for back Packers searching to have a time that is good, with plenty of eateries, taverns, and means to relax including saunas, heated pools and swimming pools. Nearby San Marcos is understood to focus on those in the marketplace for meditation and yoga re-treats, and several of the small hamlet’s eateries cater into a vegan/vegetarian diet. Panajachel functions as the ‘ big city when seeing the place where travellers arrive as it’s ’, despite having a population of only 11000. It h-AS the most hotels, restaurants, pubs, and the roads are lined with handicrafts and common Guatemalan trinkets. Boats leave from ‘Pana’ including these that most tourists never see, to most of the other villages around the lake.

Despite rising tourism, Lake Atitlan is nevertheless home into a substantial Maya inhabitants who go about their conventional lives, along side selling handicrafts. Catch a glimpse of the women making tortillas and weaving the traditional costumes or washing clothing in the lake. Pick java, while the men take wood on their backs strapped to their heads and promote their produce at nearby village markets.

Its waterways pass-through mangroves, lagoons and the organic hot springs of the Chocón Machacas Biosphere. Keep an eye out for manatees as you float along.

The miniature town is well worth seeing in its own proper, although Flores, situated on an island in the centre of Lake Peten Itza, is employed as the primary entrance to Tikal. A jumble of red-roofed structures, which houses bountiful craft shops and cafés, it is the right place to enjoy sunset over the lake.

Take a trip to the former capital, Antigua, with its colonial buildings, central square that is enormous and dynamic festivals. Despite the damage wrought by countless earthquakes, floods and fires, Antigua stays one of the nation’s most amazing cities where multi-coloured, single-storey fountains , tropical gardens, plazas, buildings and cobbled streets create a postcard-perfect image.
Set in a magnificent valley of three looming volcanoes (one of which, Fuego, releases puffs of smoke daily), Antigua is one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Central America. With no doubt it’s an absolute must on any Guatemala itinerary and, being only an hour from the airport in Guatemala Town, it’s a perfect first-stop for visitors to acclimatise to li Fe.

Antigua’s brilliant one-storey pale- are not ugly to behold and collared properties could be some thing straight out of a Van Gough painting. Its grid strategy streets with the Parque Central at its center make Antigua one among the most easy cities in Guatemala to investigate on foot. Old colonial ruins are ’sed by the city, shook to bits by the San Marta earthquakes in 1773, act as reminder that Antigua was held to function as capital Central America as a complete, but although of Guatemala.

Despite of its relatively modest size, Antigua h-AS much more to offer visitors than cobblestone streets and fairly colonial buildings with lawns filled up with fountains and flowers. While Antigua may be your first stop in Guatemala, it’s also an excellent spot to rest and curl up after time on the road as the range of budget hotels and hostels in Antigua is undoubtedly the greatest in the country. Attentive, though, as many of the long-lasting ex-pats were additionally once only visitors, until Antigua gradually became dwelling!

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