Top Central Highlands Unique Experiences

You will put to work your creativity by designing, cutting and carving your own jewel of Jade. You will be guided by one of our expert jade carvers so you can take home a unique creation, made with your hands. You will take with you a piece of our land and our culture. An incredible and unique experience, you can not miss! We await for you.

Get up close and personal with a Guatemalan volcano during this 7-hour Pacaya Volcano hike, one of the country’s most active. Travel through volcanic vegetation and surreal landscapes on your way to the top, enjoying impressive views of three nearby volcanic peaks, including Agua, Fuego and Acatenango at the summit. Your trip from Antigua to the volcano also includes round-trip transportation from your hotel and a guide.

Learn how to prepare chocolate desserts in the country that does it best during a 2-hour workshop at the ChocoMuseum in Antigua. Learn all about the chocolate making process from cacao bean to candy bar. Afterwards, with the help of an instructor, prepare your own creations. Take home 120g of your handmade desserts to share with friends or, more likely, devour all on your own.

This popular Pacaya Volcano day trip from Guatemala City is the perfect way to experience the beauty of the country’s most active volcano. Follow your expert local guide to the top of this fiery mountain and look out over stunning views of Guatemala countryside. It’s a memorable way to experience the natural beauty of this incredible country and is perfect for novice hikers.

Visit four traditional villages in one day with this day trip from Antigua to San Juan del Obispo, San Pedro las Huertas, Ciudad Vieja, and San Antonio Aguas Calientes. This tour packs in sightseeing at every stop: see churches, plazas, markets, and even a chocolate workshop, all while learning about the area’s Spanish and Mayan history from your guide as you go.

Embark on an exotic culinary adventure with this 5-hour small-group cooking class in Antigua, including hotel pick-up. Master expert techniques and local ingredients to create typical Guatemalan dishes like ‘hilachas’, tamales and ‘camote en dulce’, under the watchful eye of a professional chef. After tasting your creations over lunch, leave armed with recipes and cooking tips to help you recreate your favorite dishes back home.

Get a taste for Antigua’s unique food scene during this fun-filled 7-hour cooking and shopping excursion. Learn the fundamentals of Guatemalan cuisine, and its Spanish and Mayan roots, while shopping for raw ingredients at the Antigua Market. Then bring your haul to the kitchen, where an expert chef helps you prepare a main course, two sides and dessert. After enjoying your handiwork for lunch, visit the Chocolate Museum to learn about the production of this tasty foodstuff, followed by a chocolate-making session. A guide and all entrance fees are included.

Explore Antiguan history, culture, and cuisine on this half-day chicken bus tour, ideal for travelers tight on time. Cover more ground than you could on foot and visit unusual places many travelers overlook, such as the San Juan del Obispo Museum and Valhalla Experimental Station. Plus, enjoy access to communities that you likely couldn’t get if exploring independently.

We want to begin our Crawl by going to the south of Antigua to visit a traditional coffee farm with breathtaking views of the volcanoes. At the farm we want to be recived by an expert in coffee planting and process. Here we want to learn the journey that takes coffee from plant to cup. As we finish our walk through the farm we will drive back to Antigua, where we will visit two coffee shops to take two workshops where we will play with your senses and teach you all about coffee from our coffee experts, all this while learning the best-kept secrets of the streets of Antigua. Finally, we will go to a craft brewery, to enjoy a refreshing beer with notes of coffee and learn about the use of coffee beans in other products. By the end of the Coffee Crawl, not only will you meet new people and take your knowledge of coffee to the next level, but we will have lots of fun!

Explore the traditional markets of Antigua and learn about regional cuisine on this popular tour from Guatemala City. Spend the day learning how to cook some of the nation's most iconic dishes, including beans, tortillas and more. Take home printed recipes to share with friends! You can even participate in a chocolate making workshop and learn how bitter beans are made into one of the world's sweetest treats!

This tour aims to preserve the art of weaving in Guatemala, the highest expression of the Mayan worldview. The tour starts in Guatemala City or from La Antigua Guatemala. After pick up time you will transfer to the community of Santo Domingo Xenacoj, located 37km from Guatemala City. Upon arrival in the community we will meet with an Association of weavers of Santo Domingo Xenacoj and start our weaving workshop (duration 3 hours). During the weaving workshop we will share local stories, the meaning of textiles and the importance to transmit to new generations the weaving techniques and art. After our workshop we will continue for a traditional Guatemalan lunch prepared by a member of the community. Before heading back to Guatemala City we will do a walking tour around the community of Santo Domingo Xenacoj.

Learn how to make traditional Mayan dishes during a culinary tour in Antigua. Pick up fresh ingredients and see how the locals shop at the vibrant Central Market, then head to your instructor’s home. Be sure to come hungry, as you prepare - and devour - pepian (meat stew), hilachas (beef with tomato sauce), jocon (green chicken stew), and more over the course of the class.