24th Birthday in Guatemala

I discovered Guatemala’s beauty when my friend, Cortnee, decided to go there on her honeymoon. When I also found out it was a relatively cheap flight from New York, I pitched the idea to my older sister, Pooja.

We had only gone on one trip before, just the two of us, and that was just two nights in Dublin. Guatemala was a 5 day trip over Memorial Day Weekend, and the longest time the both of us would travel together! Little did we know that my birthday trip in 2018 was kickstarting the tradition of an annual sisters trip.

Below is a quick snapshot of our 5 day trip to one of Central America’s most beautiful countries -

Day 1: Antigua

Day 2: Antigua + Pacaya Volcano

Day 3: Travel to Semuc Champey

Day 4: Semuc Champey

Day 5: Travel back to Antigua/Antigua

Day 1: Arrive & Explore Antigua (My Birthday!)

We both had early flights out of NYC and DC that got us into Guatemala City by noon. I wasn’t able to find any direct flights, as most optoins had a layover in either Atlanta or Miami. We arranged for our hotel to pick us up from the airport, as we didn’t want to mess around with public transportation. This was a 1 hour 15 min drive, give or take a few with traffic.

Antigua’s cobblestoned streets are absolutely charming. It’s so easy to wander around aimlessly, stepping into stores, cafes and bars.

Accommodations: Hotel Posado de San Carlos

We spent the later part of the afternoon taking a Coffee Planation Tour. You can’t tell from the pictures, but I was actually nursing a raging cold and fever on my birthday. But, still smiling because I was in Guatemala with my sister.

Day 2: Pacaya Volcano + Marshmallows

We woke up bright & early for our Pacaya Volcano tour which we booked through Viator. They picked us up right by our hotel and took us to the volcano park entrance. It was a half day hike, so not incredibly strenuous. It did prove to be a good workout and it was awesome being on top of an active volcano! It felt like we were on a completely different planet seeing the fumes seep through the ground.

After the tour, we continued to roam around Antigua and signed up for a chocolate making class! Cocoa beans are a big thing throughout Central America, so I encourage everyone to take a class to learn more about the proces and the hard work gone into making the chocolate we eat.

Day 3: Travel Day to Semuc Champey

While Pooja & I were planning for Guatemla, we were debating whether we should kill one whole day just to travel from A to B. However, I had heard from multiple people that Semuc Champey was one of Guatemela’s best gems, so we decided to go for it. Some logistics/details below -

• Trip duration: 7.5 hours

• We booked the shuttle through Big Foot Hotsel (they arrange transportation all over Guatemala). To get to Semuc Champey, you will want shuttles to Lanquin.

• Our experience: Interesting. It somehow took 4 buses to get there. Each bus would essentially drive a certain amount of time, drop us off, and then somehow, another bus knew to come take over. Either way, you eventually get there.

• The last 1 hour was BUMPY. If you suffer from car sickness, beware (and buckle your seatbelts).

• When you get to downtown Lanquin, there will be big jeeps for all the hostels in the area that will be there to take you to your lodging. Our buses were delayed due to traffic so I was nervous the lodge wouldn’t be able to pick us up from the town center, but I think the bus driver was in communication with the lodges, since everything went seamlessly.

Accomodations in Lanquin: Zephyr Lodge. It has an infinity pool. Nuff said.

Day 4: Guatemalan Jungle

Since we got into Lanquin late at night, we couldn’t really take in our surroundings. When we woke up (after asking the hostel bartender to kill a flying cockroach in the bathroom), we discovered we were in the middle of the jungle (which also helps explain the bumpy roads).

We decided to do the full day tour through the hostel to Semuc Champey. This adventure was something I’d never experienced before. We sat in the back of a pick-up truck as the driver whirled through mountainous jungle streets (my arms were sore after holding on for dear life). We eventually got to this cave where we held legit candles with flames as we wade through the water, using ropes to climb up rocks (In America, we would have gotten headlamps…) Afterwards, we walked along waterfalls, and finally trekked to the Mirador (viewpoint) of Semuc Champey. The pictures below don’t do it justice, but it was one of the funnest tours I’ve ever done in my lifetime. Doing tours through the hostel is also a great way to meet other people, so highly recommend it!

Day 5: Epic Antiguan Sunset

The last day in Guatemala was spent commuting back from Semuc Champey to Antigua. However, my sister found this really unique lodge a little outside of Antigua called Earth Lodge with treehouse lodging! It was in a small village called El Hato. We arranged for a shuttle to pick us up from downtown Antigua at around 5pm.

I couldn’t speak highly enough about this lodge. The owners told us we were having the first clear night in a while in Antigua, so we had full visibility of the three volcanoes surrounding Antigua. Our room was essentially a treehouse overlooking the entire city and the lodge had a communal style dinner where we were able to get to know the other guests. It was a perfect last night in Guatemala.

Guatemala is definitely one of those places I’d visit again. Two attractions I would love to do are Lake Atitlan and Volcan de Acatenango. For the Acatenango Volcano, I had read about overnight treks to the top of the volcano where you can see the volcano spewing lava overnight & at sunrise. That being said, Guatemala is calling my name for Round 2.