theresadumais

Hi Everyone!

I have loved reading through all the various threads -- thanks everyone for your posts! My husband and I are planning our trip to Guatemala -- and here's what we've tentatively come up with:

May 7: Arrive in GUA at 1pm, travel to Antigua
May 8: Antigua
May 9: Antigua (day trip to one of the volcanoes)
May 10: Travel to Lake Atitlan (Panajachel)
May 11: Explore Lake Atitlan and surrounding villages
May 12: Make our way back towards Antiqua and Guatemala, and plan to take an overnight bus to Tikal
May 13: Arrive AM in Flores area, take a bus to Tikal and stay in the park at one of the 3 hotels; take nap and start exploring Tikal after 3pm
May 14: Tikal
May 15: Zip line outside of Tikal in morning; travel to Flores afternoon; stay in Flores
May 16: Early flight back to GUA from Flores (stay near airport at luv2globetrot's recommended hotel); take transportation back to Antigua, spend the day and night in Antigua:
May 17: Leave early in the morning for GUA Airport from Antigua, catch flight back home at 11:45am

How does this itinerary look? To save some $$ we thought we could do the return flight to GUA from Flores and take an overnight bus up there. Does anyone have any recommendations for getting from Lake Atitlan to Tikal? We are trying to figure out how to get from Lake Atitlan to the overnight bus to Tikal. I wonder if there is an overnight shuttle/bus to Tikal leaving from Panajachel?

Any advise would be great. Thank you so much!

Theresa

Jeff_Costa_Rica

It looks good and it will give a nice view of Guatemala's highlights.

Other than the public bus overnight to Flores, I take it you are taking minivan shuttles? They offer a convenience and comfort that the buses don't offer. If that's the case, that shuttle on May 12 from Panajachel to Guatemala City might be able to take you right to the bus terminal from where your bus to Tikal departs. No, there is not transport directly from Panajachel to Tikal.

hopefulist

I think I'd spend a bit more time around the lake and maybe take in Chichicastenango as a day visit or an overnight (market days are Thursday and Sunday). Depending on when your flight leaves GUA for home, you could end your trip in Flores and fly from there to GUA for your international flight. I realize there's some risk involved but it's worked slick for me and for friends and relatives and saves shuttling back and forth to Antigua and breaking up the trip.

My photos and travelogues are below if you're interested. Please post a trip report when you get home!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

hopefulist

Oh - I just processed the dates. You could leave Antigua in the morning on the 10th and visit the Chichi market and church festivities enroute to Pana if you wanted.

theresadumais

Hi Friends,

Thank you so much for your suggestions, Jeff and hopefulist! We are taking them in and here’s our revised itinerary:

May 7: Arrive in GUA at 1pm, travel to Antigua
May 8: Antigua
May 9: Antigua (day trip to one of the volcanoes)
May 10: Travel to Lake Atitlan – ChiChi (will we arrive in time for market?)
May 11: Explore Lake Atitlan and surrounding villages (station in Panajachel)
May 12: Explore Lake Atitlan and surrounding villages
May 13: Make our way back towards Guatemala, take Taca flight that leaves at 5:45pm – can we take a taxi or shuttle directly to our hotel in Tikal, or do we need to stay in Flores?
May 14: Tikal
May 15: Tikal
May 16: Zip line outside of Tikal in morning; travel to Flores afternoon; stay in Flores 5 minutes away from airport
May 17: Early 8:25am flight back to GUA from Flores; catch flight back to USA at 11:45am

So, we are thinking now we want to spend the extra money on flying up to Tikal to allow for an extra day around the lake. We are fuzzy on whether we’ll be able to go directly to our hotel in Tikal on the 13th, or if we have to stay somewhere in Flores. Is the park actually closed after a certain time to anyone coming in?

Hopefulist – do you think a little over two hours before our international flight back home on the 17th is enough time? We will be carrying very little, will not need to check…so I am thinking we should be fine.

Jeff – your advice on shuttle mini vans is great. Should we book those in advance and what company did you use/recommend? Thank you!!

I will definitely post a trip report – thank you both so much for your willingness to help!

P.S. your pics are beautiful, hopefulist! I love your photos of Chichi!

hopefulist

I like that better, though I think it still might be weighted a little heavily to Tikal unless you're very into ruins and want to hire someone to take you to some of the other ruins in the area like Yaxha. I'd do 1 more day at the lake, I think, and cut back to 3 nights between Flores and Tikal.

I'm not sure about heading to Tikal in the dark; I think I'd err on the side of caution and spend that night in Flores. The road isn't too bad but I just don't like being on any road in CA after dark for a variety of reasons. The park officially closes at sunset, I think (around 6pm). You could still get to Tikal for early morning exploring, though not as early as you would the next morning from inside the park. I realize that won't really buy you more time in the park than the night bus, though.

You can arrange a shuttle from Antigua to Chichi and onto Panajachel at the lake. You'll get there in time to enjoy a bit of the market. The shopping is actually better in Pana but it's interesting to see the market and to visit the churches. Out of respect, enter the churches through a side door and don't take photos inside. The steps of the church are a fascinating scene. The commercial building is north of the square; find an entrance and stairs (you may have to look a bit) and you'll be able to watch and take pictures of the produce market you see in my photos - most visitors miss that and it's my favorite part.

My favorite hotel in Flores is Casona de La Isla, but you know that already if you read my 2007 travelogue since all my recommnedations are linked in there.

Be sure to pay for and not just reserve your flight from FRS to GUA. You should have plenty of time before your international flight unless there's a cancellation due to weather or something. As I said, there's some risk there but it's worked for us in the past and I'm sending the members of the group I'm leading this summer that way.

Hope you love Guatemala as much as I do - happy trails!

friendlys

Guys, those who already traveled to Guatemala, is it safe to go there?

hopefulist

I'm heading back for my 6th visit to Guatemala this summer, with 14 educators in tow. I read the scary press and take the precautions posted below. I read about plane crashes, too, but I'm still motivated to get on planes year after year, typically heading to Guatemala or someplace else the State Department considers frightening, like Honduras or Belize.

I think unsafe things happen in Guatemala but my experiences there have been very positive and I'm excited to share them this summer with another group. I live in a safe, quiet little town in northern Oregon where a deranged man just shot and killed 2 of his neighbors - I guess no place is strictly safe but I still love my little town and I still love visiting Guatemala.

Compare your own risk tolerance and your desire to see one of the true cultural gems of this world and make your own decision - no one else can make it for you. Check out my photos and travelogues if you're interested: http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections Happy trails!

This is from a previous post:

I'm heading back to Central America for my 8th visit this summer, splitting 5-6 weeks between Guatemala and Belize.

Sometimes I travel alone, sometimes with one of my kids or my husband, sometimes with a group in tow. I don't feel overly paranoid but have never had a problem and would like to keep it that way.

Here are my concessions to safety when I travel in Central America:
:: I avoid the big cities as much as possible
:: I don't "party"
:: Where recommended I take specific transportation (Hedman Alas in Honduras, for example, or avoiding chicken buses on the mountain runs in Guatemala, taxis after dark)
:: I know where I am and where I'm headed
:: I don't wear jewelry (not even my wedding band) and try not to flash camera equipment or money around
:: Some trips I carry a “throw down wallet” with an expired card or 2 and the day’s cash in it
:: I keep important documents and cash under my clothes (except what I need for shopping, buses, etc. for that time period)
:: I ask locals about safety in an area - evenings, hiking, etc.
:: I travel really light so I don't feel vulnerable getting my bag off and on buses, shuttles, etc.
:: I continue to build skills in Spanish

theresadumais

stacey -- thanks so much for your posts! i just got to read your entire trip report and i so appreciate all the information you provided on various hotels, etc. so helpful! i will be sure to post a detailed report like yours when we return.
you are absolutely right about safety -- we've traveled to south america and your safety "concessions" are right on. just be smart about your travel, and you'll be a lot less likely to be caught in a unsafe situation.
how funny -- i live in michigan now but i grew up in portland, or. oh how i miss the pacific northwest.

Stairgod

Just a thought. Travel from Pana to Guatemala City is a real problem. We took the last shuttle out of Pana and stayed overnight in Antigua. We caught a shuttle at 3:30 a.m. Guatemalan time which picked us up at 4 a.m. We loved Tikal and spent 3 days and one night exploring there in 2007. A 100 Q got a night tour under a full moon. This time we skipped Tikal and went to Uaxactun. We wished we had went to this site last time. It is not as impressive as Yaxha but it was interesting for us. Yaxha is more bang for your buck. It has some very high vistas and many ruins in a easily walkable area. Ceibal is also a good day trip but again it does not have a lot of uncovered ruins. We were fortunate enough to be there at the beginning of this month when the archaeologists had just uncovered a skeleton of a women. It was very interesting as there were several excavations going on. However by the end of the month they will cover there digs in plastic and rebury them. All except a very deep hole located at the foot of mound. When we left it was about 15 feet deep and they said they had 2 metres to go. Do a little bit of research before you go about the site of Tikal and bring a good map. If you learn about the Stellas before hand it is very intersting when you can pick out when someone is standing on a prisoner with bound feet or the different weapons and snakes. Compare the different sizes of the Kings and their foot wear. Have fun.

hopefulist

Lots of companies in Pana provide shuttles to Guatemala City but you have to pay extra to get one that doesn't stop in Antigua on the way to drop off/pick up which adds considerably to the time. I suspect that even the "direct" ones will side trip to Antigua if they learn there are additional fares there.

Stairgod - Thanks for posting about your Petén experiences! I have enjoyed the area but not explored as many places - more to add to my list!

theresadumais

if we left early in the morning from Pana on the 13th do you think it will be a problem to catch our 5:45 flight to Tikal? We can spend the extra $$ to get a shuttle that doesn't stop in Antigua, if necessary.

hopefulist

You won't need to spend the extra bucks or even leave very early - it's only a 3 hour or so trip from Pana to GC even with the stop in Antigua. When you get to Pana you can check with local tour agencies like Turansa or you could set it up in advance through an Antigua agency. There are lots of Pullmans and shuttles between Panajachel and Antigua and it's easy to get a shuttle or taxi from Antigua to the airport. Be sure to purchase your flight tickets well in advance and be to the airport however early the agency you buy through suggests, often 2 hours even though it's a domestic flight. We've used Rainbow travel with good success, they're a respected agency with bilingual folks and respond quickly to emails: www.rainbowtravelcenter.com Keep us posted!

friendlys

Thank you so much, hopefulist, for describing Guatemala and safety tips. I totally loved your pictures on Flickr! Thanks!

hopefulist

No problem - all I ask in return is a travelogue. ;-)