Day 1: Guatemala City - Antigua
Arrival at La Aurora International Airport. You will be met at the airport in order to transfer to Antigua. Overnight at Hotel Villa Colonial.
Day 2: Chichicastenango - Atitlan Lake (Thursday or Sunday) (Breakfast)
Today we will go to the largest highland Mayan Market, Chichicastenango (only Thursday or Sunday). Surrounded by valleys and mountains that cover the horizons, Chichicastenango may seem isolated in time and space from the rest of Guatemala. When its narrow, cobbled streets and red tiled roofs are covered with fog, and this happens often, it may seem like you're in some kind of fairy tale. Crowds of sellers and tourist groups flock on Thursday and Sunday to the country's largest alpine market. The Catholic patron of the city is St. Thomas, in his honor the city of Santo Thomas was built in 1540 in the city. When the Catholic missionaries arrived, they destroyed the Mayan temple and built a white church in its place. The only thing left of the temple is 18 steep steps leading to the church by the number of months in the Mayan solar calendar Haab. Therefore, this church is probably the most unique Catholic church in Guatemala due to religious symbiosis within the church. On the steps of the church they sell flowers, candles and fragrances. Like in the front of the pyramids, an altar is installed in front of the stairs - a round flat stone, from which smoke rises from the smoldering pomp in clubs. And what a market without shopping, so bring enough money with you to buy souvenirs. The Chichicastenango market is famous mainly for its textiles and masks. After we drive to Panajachel, situated at the edge of Lake Atitlán. During the final descend from Solola to Panajachel, experience amazing views of Lake Atitlán. Overnight at Hotel Villa Santa Catarina.
Day 3: Atitlán Lake - Antigua (Breakfast)
Today we will see the most interesting cities where Maya Tzutujil still live on Lake Atitlan. And we will start with San Juan. Boat trip to San Juan takes about 30 minutes. San Juan is the cleanest and tidiest town on the lake. There are many art galleries, whose artists paint in the style of Naive or primitivism. After, we will transfer by boat to the other side of the lake in the city of Santiago Atitlan. Santiago Atitlan, founded in 1547 at the foot of the Atitlan volcano, is the largest city with a population of 32 thousand people, 95% of which are Maya Tzutujil. The local population lives of fishing, farming, and making kayukos (local canoes). Artisans specialize in painting, woodwork and weaving. Santiago is the city of worship of Maximon - a pagan deity or god of the Mayan people, who are offering donations in the form of alcohol and cigars. We will also visit the local Catholic church, where two religions merged - Catholicism and Mayan beliefs and take a walk past the local city hall, where the elders of the city are sitting, dressed in white striped shorts and birds embroidered at the bottom. Back to Antigua. Overnight at Hotel Villa Colonial.
Day 4: Antigua - Guatemala City (Breakfast)
Antigua City Tour: Antigua lies in the wide mountain valley of Panchoy, sandwiched between the cones of the volcanoes of Agua, Acatenango and Fuego. The city was founded in 1543 as the third capital of Guatemala, and was called Santiago de Guatemala. And only after the strong earthquake occurred in 1773, the capital had to be moved to a new place in Guatemala City. The city reached its peak by the middle of the 18th century, when an unprecedented construction boom tripled and its population grew to fifty thousand people. By 1773, this city had about 25 churches, 5 women's, 8 men's monasteries and a cathedral built in 1680 and was compared only with the cathedral in Mexico City and Lima, Peru for its beauty and majesty of construction. In 1773 there were 3 very strong earthquakes: the very first that destroyed almost the entire city, all the churches and monasteries happened on July 29, 1773 on St. Martha's Day, so it was called the Santa Marta earthquake. But the most important museum in Antigua is the city itself, its streets, where you can study its history just by walking it.
Transfer to La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City.