Guatemala
An active volcano throwing ash across a saddle, a caldera lake with three cones, and Tikal above the canopy.
3 expeditions across mesoamerica. Windows on offer: Nov–Apr · Nov–May · Dec–Apr.
- Expeditions
- 3
- Open to plan
- 3
- Inquire only
- 0
- Days
- 8–10
What Guatemala is actually good at
Acatenango tops out at 3,976 m and its whole reason for existing as a trek is what sits across the saddle: Volcán de Fuego, one of the most consistently active volcanoes in the Americas, throwing ash and incandescent material on a cycle you can time with a watch. From a 3,600 m camp you are looking down on it, and the camp is cold — near or below freezing, often inside cloud until it clears after dark.
Lake Atitlán is a caldera about 340 m deep, the deepest in Central America, with Atitlán at 3,537 m, Tolimán at 3,158 m, and San Pedro at 3,020 m on its southern rim. A dozen Kaqchikel and Tz'utujil towns ring the shore and the trails between them are working paths. In Petén, the flat lowland means the only high ground is what the Maya built — Tikal's Temple IV rises about 65 m out of unbroken canopy inside the largest remaining forest tract in Mesoamerica.
Access and permits
Country-level constraints that decide whether a date is possible.
- Fuego's activity is monitored by CONRED and INSIVUMEH, and access to the closer ridge is restricted when it rises. We follow that without negotiation.
- Atitlán volcano ascents run with local guides from the town at the base, both for safety and because access crosses community land. Afternoon Xocomil wind makes lake crossings morning business.
- Tikal charges separate quota-limited supplements for sunrise and sunset entry, which we book rather than hope for.
- The mass-market Acatenango overnight sells for around $100 with shared tents and no porters. Same mountain, very different night.
The Guatemala catalog
Guatemala
Antigua Volcano Circuit
Antigua & Western Highlands
Ash underfoot on Acatenango as Fuego throws orange into the night. Dawn reveals a ring of cones above coffee slopes and colonial rooftops.
- Duration
- 9 days
- Effort
- Challenging
- Window
- Nov–Apr
$5,500–$8,200
Detail →
Guatemala
Atitlán Highland Traverse
Lake Atitlán & Sololá
Maya trails stitch lakeside towns beneath three volcanoes. Morning mist lifts off deep water while markets fill with color and smoke.
- Duration
- 8 days
- Effort
- Moderate
- Window
- Nov–May
$4,900–$7,400
Detail →
Guatemala
Petén Jungle River Circuit
Petén & Tikal Corridor
Paddle blackwater rivers toward temples rising through canopy. Howler calls roll across plazas where roots pry limestone apart.
- Duration
- 10 days
- Effort
- Moderate
- Window
- Dec–Apr
$6,200–$9,100
Detail →Something else
Combine Guatemala with a neighbour
Most private journeys cross a border — the Atacama to Uyuni crossing, Copán into Guatemala, Iguazú from both sides. Tell us the shape you want and we will say whether the logistics hold together.
Private & custom