hopefulist

Hi, all -
This summer my husband and I plan to do a guided bike trip and are looking into the village trips offered by 2 outfitters, Old Town Outfitters and Guatemala Ventures (Mayan Bikes). The trips are 20-25 miles and take about 4 hours.
http://www.adventureguatemala.com/biking.html
http://guatemalaventures.com/mountain_biking.htm

Both trips go through San Cristóbal Abajo, San Pedro Las Huertas, San Juan del Obispo, Cuidad Vieja, San Miguel Dueño (and Valhalla), and San Antonio Aguas Calientes (most of which I've visited in the past).

The Guat Ventures trip also goes through Santa Ana. The OT Outfitters tour also goes through Santa Teresa, San Gaspar Vivar, and San Miguel Escobar (and costs a bit more).

Does anyone have an opinion for me based on experience with these outfitters or insider knowledge about the additional towns we'd pass through? Also, does anyone know if these are local or foreign-owned outfits?

¡Gracias!

ttraveler

Hopeful,
We used Old Town Outfitters for our guided bike tour to the lake. It was three years ago but I imagine it's probably the same trip.
The ride was a lot of fun, mostly downhill, and we stopped for lunch along the way that our guide had brought along. We did not stop in any of the towns along the way. I did fall off my bike ( while getting on it) and I had a pretty good gash in my knee. Our guides had a first aid kit and took good care.
I would just make sure my bike was in good condition and watch for the speed bumps.
I am quite sure that Old Town is not owned by a local.
I have used them for quite a few tours in the past but am not so sure how they are about safety.. Our hike to the Earth Lodge was fun but our guide was visably scared of bandits and I would have never ever gone on that trip if I would have known..the thing is it is hard to know which areas have had recent problems and Old Town didn't let us know before we left.
Enjoy

hopefulist

Thanks for the input! I've visited many of the villages by chicken bus in the past but my husband hasn't. I figure bikes would be a good way to get around but prefer a guided trip as I've found that can open doors in local villages.

You say guided bike tour to the lake. Which lake?

ttraveler

Hopeful,
I misread your first post. We rode our bikes to Lake Atitlan and spent the night at Casa Del Mundo. Our guide stayed with us and we went on a hike the next day.
I think having a guide for things like this is great.

hopefulist

I decided to come back and post what we decided to do. We went with Don Quijote Cruisers. On big balloon-tired bikes (awesome on cobblestones) we stopped at a few places in Antigua, then headed out through Jocotenango to the Filadelfia Coffee Finca where we rode around the fields and stopped for a nice coffee drink in their beautiful restaurant. Back in town we went to the home of Claudia, a local mother, where we learned to make dobladas, rellenos, a cabbage salad, fried plantains, and atole. With a bit of time left we headed to one of my favorite ruins in town, Las Capuchinas. Time was 8:00 to nearly 3:00, cost was $35/pp. We really enjoyed our guide, Luis. A day well spent!

This wasn't a stock tour but one they created at our request. You can see some photos in the Antigua set of the 2011 collection below. Happy trails!
http://donquijotecruisers.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections/

Cattail

Thanks, hope, for the further details. I love following your adventures! I'm adding your bike tour to our lengthening must-do list!