| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | |
Last minute Itinerary questionsCountry forums / Central America / Guatemala | ||
Hi everyone, I have some questions for the best itinerary. We would like to visit: Antigua, Atitlan, Quetzal, Chichi, Semuc Champey, Lanquin, Rio Dulce, Flores then Belice. About Rio Dulce, we want to do the boat cruise, not stay in Livingstone. The lonely says to go to Puerto Barrios and Livingstone and go through the river up to Rio Dulce. What do you advise for this part? Finally, it could be: What’s about the road between Lanquin to El Estor? Is it better to go by Guatemala Ciudad?Which is the best itinerary? According to the time we have, we can add stops at Copan ruinas or Sayache…. I heard there was some trouble at Semuc Champey a few weeks ago. Is it OK now? Thanks for your advise. | ||
I went one time by pullman bus from Guat city to Puerto Barrios. There I got a boat over to Livingston. After a couple of days in Livingston I then got boat down the Rio Dulce . It was a great trip. I enjoyed the river very much. When we landed we had a shuttle take us to Antigua. | 1 | |
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I am not sure if Semuc Champey is open again. It is a long trip to Lanquin and Semuc so find out first if the road is still being blocked (shuttle operators and hotels in the area should be able to tell you). Are you getting around by bus/shuttle ? I would go to Lake Atitlan first. Explore the villages, markets, go hiking... The Chichi market is on Thursdays and Sundays. You can get there by bus or shuttle from the lake. If you go by bus you can leave early and get there earlier than most tourists which is nice. An alternative is the Solola market, 15 minutes from Panajachel by bus, Tuesdays and Fridays. Not a touristy market at all. Very colourful. Then Antigua. Two days is great. From Antigua there are 8 hour shuttles to Lanquin in case Semuc is open. You talk about Quetzal. Not sure what you mean. The Biotopo del Quetzal ? If so, you could do this: Antigua 2 days, the lake 3 days and then the Monja Blanca bus from Guatemala City to Coban but get off at the Biotopo. There is a hotel called Ranchitos del Quetzal and you have a good chance of seeing a quetzal there early in the morning. The hotel has a trail as well and the trails in the Biotopo are great (beautiful cloud forest, birds...) so stay a day to explore it all. Flag down a minibus to Coban and take a minibus to Lanquin. Visit the bat caves at dusk (sit at the entrance in the cave). The next morning take a pick-up truck to Semuc. A full day is enough unless you want a day to relax (great if you have a hotel on the river). Ask in your hotel about a shuttle to Rio Dulce. There are buses but not many. In Rio Dulce you can take the boat trip to Livingston as a day trip or stay overnight. Fuente del Norte has buses from Rio Dulce to Flores for Tikal. I highly recommend staying overnight in Tikal. If Semuc is not open or instead of Semuc you can add Copan. We took a Rutas Orientales bus from Guatemala City to Chiquimula, then a bus to El Florido (the border) and a minibus to Copan. There are also shuttles from Antigua or the Hedman Alas bus. | 3 | |
Apparently the entrance to Semuc Champey has been occupied by local protestors who have specific demands of the government. The park is still open, and I don't think this should discourage you from going, since there does not appear to be violence going on. I would choose your itinerary: 1) Atitlan – Coban – Lanquin – Rio Dulce – Flores. | 4 | |
With just 20 days I'd leave out Semuc Champey and if by Quetzal you mean Quetzaltenango (Xela), I'd leave that out, too. That leaves Lake Atitlán/Chichi and Antigua, a few nights in Rio Dulce town and the boat trip to Livingston and back (or bus to Puerto Barrios and boat back to Rio Dulce town, then 2 nights for Tikal; I'd spend at least 1 night in the park but Flores is a good base if you budget more than 1 night. That's plenty for 2 weeks in my opinion. When you head into Belize, consider staying a few nights in western Belize for the ATM cave trip and to visit the Belize Zoo, very unique. Then finish up on Caye Caulker as planned. My photos with blog, travelogue, and review links on the main page of each collection are below in case you're interested - all my recommendations are embedded there. | 5 | |
It would be great to hear from anyone who has been able to visit Semuc Champey recently. At one point I read reports (a month ago or so) that people were being prevented from entering Semuc. Here is a recent article (apparently Semuc is open and free right now and it is best to visit on your own as tour operators are not allowed but there is no regular security and maintenance, the community is providing that service): | 6 | |
Quetzal... now I am curious! Did you mean Xela (Quetzaltenango) or the Biotopo del Quetzal ? | 7 | |
Hi, Thanks for you answers. "Why not stay in Livingston?" Because of the time we have, I was thinking to skip it to have more time By Quetzal, I meant Quetzaltenango. If I chose the first itineray (1 Atitlan – Coban – Lanquin – Rio Dulce – Flores), from Lanquin to Rio Dulce, How long is it? I can do it by the unpaved roads, by El Estor? Bastien | 8 | |
Are you renting a car ? I can't help with that as we travel by bus and the odd shuttle. These two threads may be of help: Xela is great if you like to climb a volcano or two, for hiking, hot springs and nearby Maya villages/markets. | 9 | |
We didn't plan to rent a car (we are 6, and for safety reasons).... Thanks for the threads. This is my question : ....someone know if there is some(public) transportation between Lanquin and El Estor? No real answers... | 10 | |
Nine destinations, two countries, 20 days... are you competing in a game show? There is a daily shuttle from Lanquin to El Estor, but really, the whole plan needs rethinking | 11 | |
Concur with brax, that's a lot of places and moving around for 20 days, especially if you want to enjoy yourself vs. looking out the bus. Are you flying into Guatemala City and then out of Belize City? | 12 | |
Yeahhh, we come back from Belize city to Paris.Maybe we will skip Xela. We would like to do a volcano. Which one is the best? Have you heard of some recent eruption? The itinerary to discuss could be... But we will see there and adapt the itineray 24-oct Antigua | 13 | |
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If you have not been close to an active volcano and you are looking for an easy (medium) hike Pacaya is a good choice. You can't go to the top any more and you won't see lava but the views are great and you will walk on old lava flows. Fuego and Santiaguito are very active and you can see Fuego if you climb Acatenango (from Antigua) and you can see Santiaguito by hiking to the Santiaguito viewpoint or if you climb volcano Santa Maria (from Xela). The viewpoint is a moderate hike, the other two are really tough. Make sure you are acclimatized. For Acatenango I recommend the overnight trip. Santa Maria can be done as a day trip (convince your guide to leave as early as possible as clouds roll in quickly). We climbed Acatenango with OX. They want a minimum of 4 people but you have 6. You can also go with Old Town Outfitters. In Xela we climbed Santa Maria with Kaqchikel Tours, a local tour operator. You can also look at Quetzaltrekkers. In Xela there is also the hike to Laguna Chicabal and the scenic hot springs Fuentes Georginas. You can take a shuttle from the lake to Lanquin but that is a long day. At least 11 hours (the shuttle goes to Antigua first). You can go by bus as well (Pana, Los Encuentros, Chichi, Santa Cruz del Quiche, Uspantan, Coban, Lanquin. That will take a long time too. I like Lanquin, the village and the scenery, and Semuc but again, make sure you can actually visit Semuc Champey (it might be open but the road could be blocked... see earlier posts). Spend more time in Tikal (stay overnight in the park) than in Flores. If you are going to San Ignacio you can go straight from Tikal without backtracking to Flores. Take any minibus going to Santa Elena but ask to be let off at the crossroads (called El Cruce Ixlu) just south of El Remate. There flag down any bus going to the border. We were picked up by an empty tourist shuttle. It takes an hour or so to the border. Once you have crossed the border you can take a taxi or colectivo to Benque (2 km) and there a bus to San Ignacio. If you want to go straight to Belize City, take a Fuente del Norte bus from Santa Elena/Flores at 5 am or a Linea Dorada bus at 7 am. | 15 | |
Semuc is open. They will let you in the park for free, but you can't go with a guide. But it's such a small park that you don't need one anyway. There were a lot of locals hanging around but they were peaceful and friendly and some are walking around in the park making sure nothing happends. One tip; don't go in the park by yourself, but with a little group. Some girls who went alone got robbed. | 16 | |
It's 10 hours with a shuttle from Antigua and 1 hour in a pick-up truck from Lanquin to semuc. It's not that bad. Most people spend there 2 nights only. | 17 | |
Hi Sonia - you seem to know the area - Do you know anything about getting to Lanquin from Rio Dulce, via El Estor? Is it possible? How Long? conditions? Mode of transport. Where to catch etc....We will be there mid January. | 18 | |
I have been to Lanquin and Semuc Champey several times. And I have been to Rio Dulce. But I have not traveled between the two. When I was in Lanquin a couple we met was traveling on to Rio Dulce and they took a shuttle. They just asked at their hotel. I think it was $20 and was supposed to be 5-6 hours. Like I said before, there are buses but not many. I would just ask around when you are in Rio Dulce. I think you will either be able to piece it together by bus (several buses) or there will be a shuttle. | 19 | |
If you have a group traveling in Guatemala you might want to hire a driver who knows his way around and can help you with knowledge of the great places to stay and where things have changed recently. I call my friend Ruben, he has a shuttle van, and with 6 people it costs about the same as a public shuttle, but you get personal knowledge of the area where you travel. Google "Ruben Travels", he is nice, sometimes his wife and children may ride along with your group. A great way to connect with the local culture as you travel. (I don't have any connection to Ruben Travels except great experiences) | 20 | |
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