So close...yet a world away! It’s easy to leave home in the morning and be strolling along cobblestone streets by late afternoon. From Guatemala City, it’s a quick one hour private shuttle ride to Antigua. After settling into the hotel, the group will enjoy a welcome dinner while the trip leader provides an introduction to the week’s activities. Overnight: Antigua Hotel

Meals:  D

Following breakfast, the group will learn about the city through an immersive two hour “outdoor escape room”. This action-packed city adventure is designed for young adults in who learn about Antigua! Some stops are puzzles to solve, while others present unique challenges that celebrate Guatemala’s traditions. Each stop also features interesting facts that make the tour a fun learning experience as well. From there, the group will sit down for a one-hour introductory Spanish class where students will learn some basic words and greetings that will allow them to better connect with the locals they’ll meet. Antigua is home to more than 50 Spanish Schools, and is a global destination for new Spanish speakers! In the afternoon, the group will visit the Casa Jackson Malnutrition Center that provides improved healthcare and housing to Mayan communities throughout Guatemala. The group will learn about the challenges of malnutrition in Guatemala and the solutions being implemented by the NGO. The group will also visit the Casa Jackson nursery to see the beautiful Guatemalan children recovering from malnutrition. Overnight: Antigua Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

Following breakfast, the group will take a one-hour shuttle ride to Pacaya Volcano. Pacaya (8,370 ft/2,552 m) is one of the most impressive volcanic landscapes in all of Central America. Set in its own National Park, Pacaya is a storybook volcano with a continuous plume of smoke drifting from its summit and a massive dried lava field where you can even roast marshmallows! We’ll have a picnic lunch on the volcano. Following the hike, we’ll head to a nearby thermal spa whose natural springs are heated by the linked underground activity generated by the very volcano we just climbed. The spa experience begins with a ‘Thermal Circuit’, consisting of immersing the body for short periods in natural thermal pools of varying temperatures, moving from hot to cold. Afterward, you will have plenty of time to return to the natural swimming pools and water slides and enjoy a fruit smoothie. Our group returns to Antigua by private transport to arrive in the early evening. Trekking difficulty: moderate Trekking time: 3 - 4 hours Overnight: Antigua Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

The next day begins with a visit to a “De La Gente” coffee-growing community just outside of Antigua to learn about Guatemala’s rich history of coffee production. The De La Gente project helps small-scale coffee farmers by establishing fair trade relationships between coffee producers and buyers. The group will tour a nearby coffee farm to learn about coffee planting and harvesting, then return to a coffee farming family’s home to roast and taste small batch coffee, before sitting down to a home-cooked meal with the family. In the afternoon, the group will visit the “Niños de Guatemala” NGO, one of the oldest educational programs in Antigua. The group will learn about the NGO’s holistic approach to education at their K-12 school and a vocational program for high school graduates that enables them to join the hospitality industry that employs 80% of Antigua’s workforce. During their visit, the student group may assist during meal and recreational periods, playing and interacting with the “niños de Guatemala”! Overnight: Antigua Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

Today the group itinerary takes us out of Antigua and into the mesmerizing Guatemalan countryside for the first day of the Antigua to Atitlán Trek! The trek immerses guests in the finest natural scenery that Guatemala has to offer. After arriving at the trailhead, a morning push takes us to the highest point of the trek, just over 9,040 ft/2,755 m. We follow a pristine ridge line for the rest of the day with panoramic views of six volcanoes and cloud forests before arriving at Agua Camp. After relaxing a bit, we venture into the local Mayan community of Chuinimachicaj to visit a women’s cooperative that specializes in traditional back strap weaving, an ancient art practiced for centuries in Guatemala and still used to weave fabric for clothing and other textiles. Overnight: Agua Camp

Meals:  B,L,D

The second day of the trek begins with a descent into the Madre Vieja River valley, where we visit a quaint coffee plantation. After, we begin a short ascent that takes us up to the rim of Lake Atitlán, which offers expansive views of the water below and the three massive volcanoes that surround it. From there, a final descent takes us to the lakeside village of San Antonio Palopó to conclude the trek. Congratulations, you made it! You’ll board a private boat for the short trip to San Juan La Laguna, a picturesque Mayan town located right on the shores of Lake Atitlán, and our hotel for the night. Overnight: Lake Atitlán Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

After breakfast, the group will take a walking tour of San Juan La Laguna, visiting a beautiful overlook providing panoramic views of the lake below before visiting several local Mayan community, “cooperatives” that specialize in indigenous products such as honey, chocolate, weaving, handicrafts and paintings. In the afternoon, we’ll have a Mayan Shaman visit the group to share Mayan spiritual customs & traditions and conduct a Mayan astrological reading that reveals everyone’s “nawal”. Your nawal is the energy associated with your day of birth, which determines your path & essence, according to the Mayan Calendar. It’s a beautiful Mayan way to explore our nature, path, and purpose, gifting us with a sort of a spirit guide to help us along the way and a new lens through which to view the world & our place in it. Overnight: Lake Atitlán Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

Santiago Atitlán is the largest of the lake communities, famous for its arts and crafts scene as well as its strong indigenous identity, seen in the traditional dress worn there and the Mayan dialect spoken. The group’s experience begins when you meet your guide, Lola, an indigenous Mayan woman and graduate of the MAIA school. After a welcome, you will tour the central part of the city which includes a picturesque Central Park and the formidable catholic church, built in the 16th century by Franciscans. Santiago was also a focal point of indigenous resistance to right-wing government forces during Guatemala’s civil war in the 1980s. Next, the group will visit one of Guatemala’s most fascinating cultural attractions, Maximón, a deity revered through the country’s highlands. Thought to be a combination of Mayan gods and the biblical Judas, Maximón is an effigy to which worshippers make offerings and ask for blessings. Every year, Maximón is paraded through town and ends up in a new house, where visitors are welcomed to pay their respects. The next stop is Santiago’s bustling market where a cornucopia of fresh fruits, vegetables, and fish are sold. As your guide Lola walks you through the market you’ll sniff, feel, and buy the ingredients needed for your next stop, a visit to Lola’s house for a home-cooked meal. But it’s all hands on deck, as Lola gives a culinary workshop and enlists everyone to help prepare the meal! After lunch, we return to the hotel to relax and enjoy the refreshing waters of Lake Atitlán. Overnight: Lake Atitlán Hotel

Meals:  B,L,D

Following a quiet morning at the Lake, you'll return by boat to the town of Panajachel where we’ll get on our private shuttle for a 30- minute ride to the town of Sololá, the home to the MAIA high school. The MAIA school specializes in education for young Mayan women (Lola is a graduate!) and empowers them with the knowledge and skills to establish themselves as leaders in Guatemala. Following the one hour visit to the school, we’ll return to Antigua by mid-afternoon with time for last-minute souvenir buying and a final stroll around town on the way to our celebratory farewell dinner!

Meals:  B,L,D

All good things must come to an end. Following breakfast, you'll depart Antigua by private shuttle for Guatemala City's international airport and your return flight home.

Meals:  B