Air-con in Guatemala

aslukas, we are definitely planning to visit Yaxha and hopefully several others in the Peten lake area. We also want to take the water taxi to Livingston. We may do it in the opposite direction depending on how our itinerary goes. Is there any reason one way is better logistically?

hopefulist, Nebaj sounds very attractive. As to whether we will make it there will remain to be seen. Already our 5-6 weeks allotted to Guatemala is filling up and I am severely editing what my partner and I want to see. We are the slow travel types and don't like to rush through trips to tick off every site. We always end up just hanging out in an atmospheric town for a few days longer than planned more than once per trip. That is why we tend to not plan out every step of a trip.

Thanks again for the great information.

We stayed at Posada de Santiago for 3 nights over New Years, which was a rather festive place, the cottages are very cozy, fireplaces, and patios/hammocks, and the owner David and his mother are a hoot to say least, excellent kitchen and organic food, jazz band and 5 course meal on NY Eve, then rented a boat for all the guest to go out on the lake for the fireworks at 10PM. it was a treat to say least...they had a huge outdoor BBQ by the pool on NY Day.

We rented a nice home Jiabilito after that for 4 nights which was bliss.

I think this area of Guatemala is one the nicest areas in Central America, and I have been going to CR for over a decade...

Pana was fun too, as was San Pedro...its all good around there...

Antigua we stayed 2 nights for Xmas Eve and Xmas Day and one more night before flying out to home from GC...the food/cuisine scene is excellent there, and the atmosphere, while a tad touristy, is very romantic and rich in culture...

Have fun. Guatemala is a treasure, no matter your interest, a month there would be great!

Is there any reason one way is better logistically?

Not that I can think of. If you're interested in visiting Belize at all, you can use Livingston as a jumping-off-point for water taxis to and from Punta Gorda, which might be relevant to your itinerary. But since the trip down the Rio Dulce gorge is a spur off the main route anyway, it shouldn't matter where you place it chronologically. It's an out-and-back trip that you could theoretically squeeze into a two-day-one-night detour, although the area has its charms so I wouldn't be in too much of a rush.

We have been to Guatemala several times but our first time (in 2011) we went for 5 weeks as well. Our itinerary : Guatemala City-Biotopo del Quetzal-Coban-Lanquin/Semuc-Raxhuja-Flores-Tikal-Yaxha-Chisec-Coban-Uspantan-Nebaj-Todos Santos-Xela-San Pedro La Laguna-Panajachel-Antigua.

We try to stay in budget hostels ($15-20 for a double) but stayed in some nicer but still affordable hotels as well when we traveled there again with friends. Never had AC and never really needed it (in Tikal we slept in a tent and in other warmer places there was a fan which we did not always need). Todos Santos was freezing, luckily they gave us extra blankets. Xela was very cold too at night.

The Biotopo del Quetzal is great if you like the cloud forest and you could see quetzals ! We liked Lanquin (the village and the bat caves) and Semuc as well. We visited more caves near Raxhuja and Chisec. Tikal and Yaxha are amazing. Nebaj was a highlight with walks to Acul and Cocop. Todos Santos was very different and interesting. Amazing scenery and community. As you like markets the ones we like best are San Francisco El Alto near Xela (Fridays) and Solola (near Pana, Tuesdays and Fridays). Laguna Chicabal near Xela is beautiful and there are often Maya ceremonies going on. Volcano Santa Maria is a hard hike but the hike to the Santiaguito viewpoint is easier (and seeing Santiaguito erupt is amazing). We also like the hot springs near Xela and the road leading up to them. At the lake don't miss the weaving museum, church and Maximon in Santiago. And yes, Casa del Mundo is great as is the walk from Jaibalito to Santa Cruz. We also like walking from Pana to Santa Catarina Palopo (or take a pick-up truck). Walk up into the village, maybe all the way to the onion fields. In Antigua not everyone visits La Recoleccion, we find it very impressive. We also discovered the Valhalla macadamia nut farm in San Miguel Duenas near Antigua (a short bus ride).

Our favourite hotel in Antigua is El Jardin de Lolita, 31 1a Calle Poniente (opposite Yellow House). Nice owner, great courtyard, quiet rooms, very clean and cheap (double shared bath $16, private bath $21).

In Panajachel we stayed at a very cheap hostel but our friends liked Sueno Real, Calle Ramos. The rooms on the second floor are great with a nice patio and the view from the roof is amazing ($33 for a double, private bath).

In Chisec Hotel Estancia de la Virgen surprised us... It has okay double rooms with private bath for $21 but a great landscaped pool with dinosaurs !

In Nebaj we stayed at Llebal Tenam. $15 for a double room, private bath, quiet. Nice courtyard. Friendly. In Todos Santos we stayed at Casa Familiar ($26 for a large neat room with a small fireplace and a private patio). Hotelito Todos Santos looked good too and was cheaper.

In Xela we like Kiktem-Ja. Very friendly people, lovely rooms, quiet. $23 for a double.

Enjoy !

aslukas We don't really have time for Belize. But, we are thinking of doing a counter-clockwise itinerary. Going from Antigua over in the Copan direction, then up through Los Amates/Quirigua, Puerto Barrios and ferry to Livingston. Then take the Rio Dulce trip from Livingston westward. After that go up to Lago Peten Itza/Tikal etc. and down to Lago de Atitlan via Coban, Chichicastenanga, Quetzaltenanga, Huehuetenango and then exit to Mexico at Ciudad Cuahtemoc,/La Mesilla. Through out all of this taking side trips or stops as we go. These are just preliminary thoughts. It could change as I look, think about it further and actually put down a timeline. I know we are already trying for more than we should for 5 weeks and given our penchant for going slow. Any thoughts or suggestions, anyone?

mrmoto, thanks for the suggestions.

soniaberode, Thanks for the detailed information. It is very helpful and all going into my notes.

I should mention that we are planning a further 4-5 weeks in Mexico, primarily in Chiapas and Oaxaca. Eventually finishing in Puerto Vallarta to visit old friends (I lived in PV for 2 years) and catch our flight home from there. This means we need to finish off Guatemala somewhere near to a border crossing.

I think that's a smart way to go about it.

Bear in mind that getting between Coban and Chichicastenango will probably be easiest if you go by way of Antigua or Guatemala City, otherwise it's lots of local transportation connections which might be a bit rough unless you're pretty confident in your Spanish. You may find it most straightforward to go from Coban to Antigua and then head from Antigua to Los Encuentros, which is the intersection on the Panamerican highway where shuttles turn off for Panajachel. You can hop off there and take a local colectivo to Chichicastenango, then double back and go to Panajachel from there.

(It's sort of hard to write out, but it makes sense on a map).

aslukas I see what you mean about going back through Antigua or GC. We will do it that way if the basic itinerary holds. After living in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for 2 years, I think my Spanish is pretty decent, not exactly perfect, but good. However, I was hoping we like Antigua enough that a 2nd visit will be a good break coming down from Coban.

I actually liked Coban more than Antigua. Antigua is very pretty, however was a huge disappointment to me.

Los Encuentros is also the stop for chicken buses, there are plenty there all the time and that is how we got to Chichicastenango from Panajachel. In a bad decision I took a tourist shuttle from Xela to Panajachel and sat at that spot for almost one hour (very chilly day) while the shuttle waited for another one to take some of the passengers on to Antigua (one of my worst memories of my trip, those obnoxious tourists from France). With chicken buses we never had any waiting.

You will love Chiapas. Comitan is lovely, non-touristy (as in none), not so cold at night and very inexpensive. Be sure to visit el Chiflon.

Antigua, for me, is always a welcome place to break up a trip. Then again, I have different feelings about "tourist towns" than do a lot of people on this forum--I grew up in one, so I don't really see them as "less authentic" or as lacking local character. Although tourists themselves can be annoying wherever you go, so I do understand the desire to get away from large numbers of them.

The trick for enjoying Antigua for me is to hang out in restaurants and coffee shops and chat with the owners, staff, and local/foreign patrons. It's a great clearing-house for information about all parts of the country, since people come there from all over.