ttraveler

I am planning on taking another trip in February and it looks like it may be Guatemala again. We went last February and had such an amazing time. With such great airfares to Guatemala City and so much food in Antigua that I didn't get a chance to try and the fact that I can't get the traditional soup out of my mind it just seems like it's the right place to go.
Last year we visited Antigua, Lake Atitilan and Chichi. I would love to revisit Antigua and we didn't get to to everything we wanted at the lake so that is someplace I would also like to go back to but where else? I have thought about going to Coban and visiting the sights around that area but I am not sure. I want to make the most of our time which will only be one week. We are a group of four or five who are very active and love hiking, swimming ect. Thanks for any suggestions.

hopefulist

Lucky you! Flores and Tikal?

ttraveler

I guess I should have said my third trip. I visited Tikal about six years ago. The others haven't been but I would love to go someplace new for myself. Any other suggestions?

hopefulist

Really, if you're planning to return to Antigua and the lake, you won't have time for much else. Maybe you should keep it simple and explore out from those 2 bases. I've been to Antigua many times but this summer was the 1st time I'd visited the little indigenous villages surrounding it - lots of amazing museums, coffee farms, churches, convents, and cultural activities in places like Jocotenango, San Juan del Obispo, and Sann Antonion Aguas Calientes. Around the lake, too - lots of options.

If you're interested in ruins, Iximché is a small but important one enroute to the lake (about 20 minutes off the road) and Copán is within striking distance if you want to prioritize it (5 hours each way from Antigua but deserves a full trip of its own imo). Keep us posted!

koala

I've visited Iximche twice en route to Lake Atitlan from Antigua and both times there was a ceremony going on in the back. Very interesting to see. Ruins themselves aren't overly spectacular compared to Tikal, but it's still pretty.

hopefulist

When we stopped there in August there was (SURPRISE!) a huge Maya music festival; we were the only gringas in sight. We had brought lunches with us and picnicked with Maya families from all over Guatemala, then watched traditional music and dancing - incredible!

ttraveler

Thanks for your replies. Hopeful, we also went to Honduras in April and we had a very enjoyable time in Copan. Have you ever visited Finca Cisne while in the area? What a wonderful experience. Carlo's is a wonderful host at his families farm. The food is all from the farm and delicious and the cardamom coffee is wonderful. Yet another place I would love to return to.
I will do a bit more research and I am sure I will have many more questions. If I do make it back to the lake I must check out Iximche as it sounds like an interesting town.

hopefulist

No, I haven't been to Finca Cisne, though I've read good reviews. Iximché isn't a town, just a minor ruins site and a common place (apparently) for festivals and concerts.

ttraveler

Thanks Hopeful. I am going to try to look up a little information about Ixmche. It sounds like an interesting place and maybe we will be lucky too by seeing a concert or festival. We went to a couple of towns outside of Antigua on our last trip. One with Elizabeth Bell tours to a weaving area and one with Old Town Outfitters which was a hike and ended up in a small town. Both very enjoyable. Old Town has a bike ride to a coffee farm called Sip and Cycle which sounds like a fun ride and I would like to take a cooking class but I haven't heard back from them. They were closed last year while we were there and our trip is going to be the same time this year so it may not work out again.