michelledorland9457

Hi. My husband, 15 yr old and I are interested in spending Spring Break in Guatemala (March 30-April 6). We are interested in going to Antigua and Lake Alitan. We’ve already been to Tikal. We are an active family interested in hiking a volcano, zip lining, etc. Can you all give me some suggestions? Thanks!

Faedus

I was in Guatemala last September, but I’m more of a history-and-culture traveller, and not much into active stuff; and I’m responding only because so far no one else has. I happen to know that three popular volcanoes for hiking are Agua, Acatenango and Pacaya, all in the Antigua area, with Acatenango considered to be the more difficult hike. You can type “Acatenango [or Agua or Pacaya] hike” into Google and turn up masses of stuff. You can also check the website of Adrenalina Tours (sounds like your sort of thing), a reputable Guatemalan tour agency, and see what they have to say about those volcanoes — the information may be useful, even if you don’t intend to use their tours. (They also provide shuttle services among the international airport, Antigua, and Panajachel.)

Also, if 30 March and 6 April are the days you fly in, and then out, you have only six full days in the country, and several hours of that will be devoted to getting out to Lake Atitlan, and then back to the airport at the end. Guatemala has lots of great natural sites for active people, but if you are tempted to add a third destination to Antigua and the Lake, check distances and travel times on Adrenalina and other internet sites to make sure you can really squeeze it in.

hopefulist

Sorry - I'm late to the show but will chime in to say I'd split your time about evenly and consider the Acatenango overnight hike, but near the end of your trip to give yourselves a bit of time to acclimate to the altitude. Lots of hiking options around Lake Atitlán, too. I'm fond of the walk between Santa Cruz and Jaibailito or San Marcos. The Panjachel Reserve has a nice loop and Pana has arguably the best shopping in Guatemala if you're looking for gifts or souvenirs. The Volcán San Pedro and Indian Nose (from San Juan) hikes are options, too; I like the latter better because it offers views nearly all the way up where as on VSP you can only see the lake from a view miradors in addition to the top. I like San Pedro best but for just a few nights, Pana is a good choice; they're both transport hubs which makes getting around easier. I'd prioritize visits to San Juan (5 minutes from San Pedro) and Santiago Atitlán (google Maximón and Father Stanley Rother).

Here's a link to my photos with blog links on the main page of each collection - all my recommendations are embedded there.Happy planning!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections