Western Highlands Tours

Watch the sunrise light up Lake Atitlan and the Volcanic Ring of Fire from one of the highest points at Lake Atitlan: Indian Nose. After pickup from your Panajachel lodging and a 90-minute drive through the highlands, take an easy 30-minute hike to the summit of Indian Nose, followed by a trip to Sacred Hunters Cave. This tour includes round-trip transportation from your hotel as well as all entrance fees and a professional guide.

Check out the famous hot springs at the Zunil Volcano on this tour of Fuentes Georginas from Quetzaltenango. Relax and indulge in thermal waters that were discovered back in 1902. These communal baths offer up the perfect escape for travelers who want to unwind after epic outdoor hikes or fun-filled city explorations. 

Find out what’s bubbling in the typical Guatemalan kitchen during this 4-hour cooking class near Lake Atitlan. Spend your session gaining a hands-on understanding of three Guatemalan dishes, discovering the blend of Mayan and Spanish colonial flavors that give this Central American cuisine its unique taste. You’ll finish class by enjoying a tasty lunch of the dishes you prepared, and recipe book to recreate the dishes in the future. Optional upgrades featuring private lessons and visits to the market are also available.

Equal parts natural wonder and cultural landmark, Lake Chicabal is a top attraction for Quetzaltenango (Xela) area visitors. Hiking with a guide is not only the safest way to visit the crater lake—also a Mam Mayan ceremonial site—but also makes for the easiest transportation logistics straight from your Xela hotel.

Go kayaking on Lake Atitlan on a half-day tour from San Pedro la Laguna led by an experienced guide. Paddle across the pristine lake to Las Cristalinas, then have time to relax at the white-sand beach and swim, all within view of a stunning volcanic landscape. Make the most of your morning by starting early, with the convenience of hotel pickup and drop-off.

Sail through the lush vegetation surrounding Lake Atitlan on a 6-hour zipline excursion. After your guide collects you from your San Pedro la Laguna hotel, take an exciting ride on a colorful chicken bus. At the park, suit up in provided equipment, then get ready to fly. As you zoom through the forest, don’t forget to take in the surrounding volcanic chain and scenery of Lake Atitlan.

Tread where few tourists ever set foot on this 4-hour hiking tour amidst the stunning scenery and idyllic Mayan villages of the Lower Mayan Trail. Trace the same paths followed by the ancient Kaqchikel Mayans for centuries, passing by coffee and corn fields and the rugged, volcano-laden shoreline of Lake Atitlan. As you go, you’ll also immerse yourself in Mayan village life during stops in the hamlets of Tzununa, Jaibalito and Santa Cruz. This hiking trip also includes round-trip hotel transport from Panjachel.

Enjoy a leisurely, laid-back, 3-hour cycling trip amidst the idyllic mountain villages near Panjachel. Spend most of your trip pedaling downhill, soaking up scenic views of Lake Atitlan, quiet rural roads and the tiny indigenous towns of Godinez and San Andres Semetabaj. With more than 98% of your cycling trip on downhill terrain, it’s a chill, easy, way to see a lot of scenery with minimal effort. Your ride includes a guide, bike and transport to the cycling start point.

Take in the magical sights of Lake Atitlan with this 3-hour horseback ride. Ride from San Pedro La Laguna up to a lookout point with stunning views of the lake, volcanoes, cornfields, and coffee farms. No prior experience needed for this enjoyable ride. After riding you’ll have time to lunch and explore San Pedro la Laguna on foot.

Enjoy a true Guatemalan adventure during this full-day or half-day trip hiking and kayaking along the shores of Lake Atitlan. Explore the rich indigenous traditions of local villages on hikes to observe farmers tending to their coffee crops. You’ll also paddle the waters of the lake, watching fishermen ply the waters on hand-hewn boats, and spot the exotic array of plant and animal life that calls Lake Atitlan home. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can even go for a cliff jump. Your Guatemala adventure covers all activities, a guide and round-trip hotel transport from Panjachel and Santa Cruz.

One of the most beautiful locations in all of Guatemala, Lake Atitlan is best explored outdoors. Start your day with a kayak or paddle board tour around the lake before hiking to a ziplining location on the lake’s rugged north shore. Choose from a scenic or extreme adventure as you soar past vistas of the lake, waterfalls, and volcanoes, completing your tour at the Nature Reserve.

Immerse yourself in the fascinating culture of Quetzaltenango, and then the soothing hot waters of Fuentes Georginas Hot Springs, on this 10-hour day trip. Start with an exploration of the historic architecture and top attractions of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala’s second-largest city. Then soak away your aches and cares in the therapeutic geothermal waters of Fuentes Georginas, where you can relax and rejuvenate in a series of outdoor pools of varying temperatures. Your trip also includes a guide and round-trip hotel transport.

Explore the countryside from San Pedro la Laguna to San Juan la Laguna on a half-day horseback ride with your own private guide. By horse you can access places that most visitors miss, and get another perspective on the landscape of Guatemala. You’ll also visit a textile cooperative and a coffee plantation, and learn about local customs for dying the fabrics and harvesting crops.

Once famously described as "too much of a good thing," Lake Atitlan's stunning beauty and broad diversity of towns can make it difficult for visitors to decide how best to see its attractions. This tour lets you see it all while connecting with the landscape and the local people in ways that few visitors get to do. After taking a boat from Panajachel to the small Mayan village of Tzununa, hop on a bike for a ride through the countryside, stopping to visit weaving cooperatives, coffee plantations, art galleries, and some of the best viewpoints on the Lake.

Enjoy and discover the colorful market day of Chichicastenango! This is an unique experience that you will see how is the local people live and doing their activities in the market days. The real Mayan culture is still live. Also since their typical dress till the Mayan language that they speak.

Leaving from Panajachel to take a collective boat for our transfer to tzununa. When we get the tzununa village, from there we start the our adventure tour by bike to visit some mayan vilages. We are going to visit San Marcos, San Juan And San Pedro la Laguna. One of the most important things to do in San Juan la Laguna is to see the textile process, how they make it and using the natural dye. Also they use the natural medicine, they have midwifes in their co-op.

It is the highest volcano in Central America, reaching an elevation of 4,220meters and has 2 peaks. It is one of the best places to climb and camp. The highest peak is placed at the East and has a crater of 75 meters, the smaller peak is known as Cerro Concepción and it has an altitude of 4,100 meters. Its slopes cultivate potatoes, vegetables and other edible products. As you traverse along the mountain, you’ll find that the vegetation is unique and includes temperate and cold forests of pine-oak, junipers and conifers that make the ascent exceptionally beautiful.

Take a trip to the depths of the tropical rain forest of Santiago Atitlán and experience its beautiful trails along the lower ridges of Atitlán Volcano and witness one of the most impressive processes on the planet. Water, the engine of life, burst out of these mountains giving life to the region. A perfect hike to enjoy beautiful forest and wildlife, come and see Atitlan’s great diversity of birds and much more.

Take a journey through the traditions of Mayan spirituality as you experience a 2-hour traditional fire-cleansing ceremony with a guide in the Sacred Caves of Lake Atitlan. Step inside these mystical caves, used by local Mayans for many centuries, to observe the performance of this holy and powerful ritual by a local shaman. Listen as your guide explains the history and traditions behind the ritual and provides insight into the Mayan calendar system. Before you leave, you’ll have time to admire the gorgeous views of the lake down below.

Through the funds from this workshop you are providing fair pay to your artisan teacher and helping our artisan-owned association continue to pay for our storefront location. Our storefront location gives us an outlet to share our tradition with others while providing for our families!

Take a sunrise hike up the Indian Nose, one of the most-visited mountains near Lake Atitlan, on this 7-hour day trip. This 9,300-foot (2,863-meter) mountain, also known as 'The Mayan Face,' offers a challenging climb as well as superb views of Lake Atitlan and the villages of San Juan and San Pedro la Laguna. Best of all, you get to take in this sublime sight at sunrise, just as the first rays of the morning light touch the landscape with rosy shades of orange and pink. This Indian Nose hike also includes entrance fees, a guide, bottled water and round-trip hotel transport.

Step back in time to the ancient world of the Maya during this 6-hour exploration of the Iximche ruins near Lake Atitlan. Explore this 1,000-year-old city’s wealth of ball courts, pyramid-temples, royal palaces and the on-site museum. You’ll also learn about the history of this iconic archaeological site up through the Spanish colonial era, and discover details about the Mayan calendar, astrological studies and the attitudes of the present day Mayan people towards their ancestors. Your trip includes entrance fees, a guide and a choice between shared and private round-trip hotel transport.

With its two majestic peaks, Toliman offers incredible vistas, lush forests and an incredible imploded crater. A beautiful hike that starts at the local Santiago Atitlán market and up through the maize plantations and into the tropical rain forest, Toliman offers a complete and challenging experience. Perfect place to learn about the ecosystems of the region and the services these provide for the subsistence of the region. A good hike for big groups of family or friends

This bird watching tour takes place in Santiago Atitlan if you are in Panajachel you can send us your hotel where one of our specialized guide will go for you and will take you by boat to Santiago where we will take a track that will take us at the entrance of the reserve. The rey Tepepul trail is located in the mountains that connects the Pacific of Guatemala, the type of forest is cloudy and you walk for about 3 kilometers that will take about 3 hours approximately it is recommended to have a good condition. Also a place that connects with nature. There are river, mostly time of the year is humid. olso you can see local people warking in farm. the birds that we can find we have resplendet quetzal, azure-rumped tanager, norhern emerald tucanet, crested guan, black thrush, brown backed solitare and more.