pattyroth

Planning a trip to Guatemala for 10-14 days in Jan/Feb. Fodors Forum has been SO helpful to me in planning our trips to Myanmar, India,......, so here I am--looking for input. My hubby and I are 63-64--pretty adventuresome, but also like creature comforts without high costs. I'll be carrying expensive camera equipment in my backpack and/or around my neck and would like to stay safe. I am open to any and all suggestions! RE hotels, guides, restaurants, itinerary, safety precautions.......
So far, I am thinking of Antigua first (after arrival from LA into Gua City), then Lake Atitlan and Panajachel for maybe 3 nights, then Chici (love market colors), then Xela, before another day or two in Antigua. We have seen lots of ruins around the world and might skip Tikal for the safety?
What about the Ixil triangle area?
I have read and reread hopefulist's report over and over--very helpful. Any particular villages to recommend? Or anything? Best way to get between areas? Thanks in advance!

pattyroth

I do have the Rough Guide and Lonely Planet.

hopefulist

Thanks for the nice shout out! I think you've got too much on your list for 2 weeks, especially since photography is your thing; sometimes it takes a few days in an area to get the best ops figured out and the more time you spend on buses or shuttles the less time you have to explore and take photos. With 10 days I'd stick to Antigua (and surrounding villages), the villages around Lake Atitlán, and the Chichi market (overnight recommended). Keep in mind that weather can mess with your landscape photos anywhere but especially in the highlands. If you allow yourself only a couple of days at the lake you might not get the sunrises or lake views you want or have time enough to visit lots of villages - they're very different from each other.

With 14 days you could add something in. I'd swap out Xela for Tikal - it's incredibly photogenic and your best wildlife viewing without getting way off the beaten track; you could make a stop enroute in the Rio Dulce area and take a day trip to Livingston and back - the gorge and lake area are beautiful and very different from the rest of Guatemala. You could save a lot of time by flying at least one way. In the Petén there are other ruins that are rarely visited; if you decide to go there hire a good guide. Archaeologist/naturalist Roxy Ortiz is amazing: [email protected]

The Ixil triangle is an interesting area with a devastating history; the hiking is wonderful though at that altitude the air's a bit thin. Nebaj itself isn't very atmospheric (lots of cement and rebar) and the people are very shy and won't want their photos taken so spending hours and hours each way to get there for a day or 2 of photos wouldn't seem worth it to me.

I've pasted my safety guidelines below from a previous thread. Additionally, be extremely respectful and careful about taking photos of people, especially children. Unless it's a large group scene, always ask and honor their refusals. Rarely but frighteningly there have been lynch mob sort of events in the highlands when foreigners have paid attention to kids - rumors circulate that Americans steal Guatemala kids for adoption or organ donation. It would probably be a good idea to carry your equipment in a generic backpack as opposed to identified camera bag.

You have lots of transportation options for the main tourist track. The easiest to arrange are the share shuttles, though you can be pretty packed in. 2 agencies I've had good success with are here:
www.adrenalinatours.com
www.rainbowtravelcenter.com

If you've read and reread my reports then you know my recommendations for Antigua, Panajachel, and Chichi; if you decide to stay in Guatemala City (near the airport), Rio Dulce, Flores, Tikal, or other villages around the lake let me know.

Here's the link to my photo site - there's a new collection with blog and travelogue links (posted last week). Happy trails!
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Sometimes I travel alone, sometimes with one or more of my kids and/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

pattyroth

Thanks, hopefulist! I will read and reread your comments. They look fabulously helpful and respond here. (Granddaughter here for the night so am momentarily distracted).

pattyroth

An initial response to say that I do speak French and some Spanish and am taking to heart your admonition about language and will get to work on Spanish.

hopefulist

Aside from the additional margine of safety and ease of travel, the more conversant I am in Spanish the more rich and wonderful my travels are in that part of the world. It's the people that make traveling worthwhile, not simply looking at beautiful things - you can do that in a museum. Happy trails!

pattyroth

Does anyone know if it is too late to plan to go to Antigua for Holy Week? And are hotel prices astronomically higher then?

ttraveler

I went last year and left on the Wednesday before Easter. We were there for Palm Sunday and it was a wonderful experience.

I didn't have any trouble booking rooms and I booked only a couple of months before my trip.

Many of the hotels have minimum nights that you must stay and the prices are higher during this time. What I found interesting is that some of the websites didn't change the prices for Holy week and didn't have any minimum requirements. I actually booked my hotel through hotels.com and they were offering ten percent off at the time of my booking.

We stayed at Posada Don Rodriqo and it was such a great location. Many of the processions went right by our hotel.

We also visited Lake Atitlan during this time and experienced a Mayan procession which was amazing.

Enjoy

hopefulist

I'm sure it's not too late but the sooner you get on it the more options you'll have as far as lodging.

pattyroth

THanks ttraveler and hopefulist!!! I kind of need to convince my husband quickly and then hopefully check into this. Very encouraging.

hopefulist

Keep us posted!

ttraveler

Patty,
You are going to love Guatemala during Holy week. My friend took some awesome photos.
We stayed at Posada Santiago at the lake and we spent one morning with Dolores Ratzun. You can book a tour through the Posada. She is an incredible woman and you will learn so much from her..she has an amazing history and her story is worth the price of the tour.She is the one who took us to the Mayan procession.Santiago is a small town and she knows everyone.
Go and Enjoy!
We also hired Rhet from Mexcal tours while we were in Antigua. He is wonderful and it's great to have a local to take you around during the processions. It gets very busy.. On Palm Sunday we left the hotel before six so we could watch them make the floral carpets. It's great to be out before the crowds arrive.. and also to see the beauty before they are all destroyed.

pattyroth

So what was your time line, ttraveler? How long and which days were you in Antigua? I wouldn't want to miss the best--also want to be in Chichi on either Thursday or Sunday. How many days in Lake Atitlan? Thanks!!!

ttraveler

I was only able to travel for six nights so my schedule was packed tight.
We arrived late on Wednesday night and Rhet picked us up at the airport. I had been to Guatemala twice before and I have always used Rhet as my go-to person. He lives in Antigua but had lived in the states for a while and speaks perfect English. We got to our hotel late and he had a cell phone waiting for us to use which was very helpful. My friend and I both have small children and it was great for us to be able to call home..
We had a very early pickup and headed to Chichi stopping for breakfast on the way. I think it's great to stay the night before for great photos while they are setting up but we didn't have the time. We enjoyed Chichi ( don't miss the cemetary) and then headed to the lake. After a nice lunch we enjoyed the nature reserve and then headed to Hotel Santiago.
There seem to be processions everywhere even before Holy week and one went right by our hotel that night.
We had an early morning pickup on Thursday by Lee Beal from los Elementos. He's another great guy and full of much information . We went on a day hike with him to the Solola market. He took us everywhere..showed us everything and spent the whole day with us right up until the last water taxi was heading to Santiago.
Saturday am was our tour with Dolores and then we headed back to Antiuga. We had already scheduled a pickup with Rhet in Pana to take us back.
Palm Sunday.. Great, Wonderful.. all day long
Monday we enjoyed a bike trip with Don Quiote Cruisers.. and a cooking class which was a ton of fun.. spent the afternoon shopping at the market and left early Tuesday.
We used Rhet/Mexcal travel for most of transfers and pickups. It's a bit more but since we didn't have a lot of time and safety was very important to us we felt it was worth it.
Now I gave you probably more info then you needed.. but it was fun for me thinking back about our trip.

pattyroth

Thanks again, ttraveler!!! This post is very helpful. I know I would love photographing during and before Holy week--so it's a matter of figuring out the schedule so we get both Chichi and be at the right places for the activities in Antigua. How did you find your drivers/guides? WEre they all contacted through Mexcal? I'm still a bit new to the Central American forum and don 't know the recommended agencies yet. While I want to keep costs down, I also am happy to pay for ease of travel!! And safety is very important to us too.

ttraveler

Patty,
Here is some information.

I have used Mexcaltravel.com quite a few times and always have been happy with the service provided. Rhet is a very polite man and treats everyone with respect. He is very big on safety and will only use certain drivers for transfers. He insists on going the speed limit ect..

Donquijotecruisers.com is based in Antiuga and I have done two tours with them this past year. In April I did the bike/cooking class and in May we biked to an organic farm. They have cool bikes and great tours. The cooking class was in a locals home and the owner of the organic farm was great and an organic salad which is makes is included. Delicious. The prices are also very fair.

Kayakguatemala.com
We used Lee Beal for our all day hike and tour. Another great quide and I felt this trip was well worth what we paid. He was on time and never in a hurry. We also took a lot of photos.

Posada Santiago in Santiago is where we hired Dolores. You can also hire a quide to go hiking if you so desire. The mens pants in this town are amazing.. so beautiful. You can be surprised when you get there..

Hope this helped a bit.

pattyroth

Thanks again, ttraveler! I SO appreciate you input. So next week I need to get serious about scheduling some hotels, etc. I think I have also decided to now visit Tikal as well. I don't mind paying extra for the ease of pick-ups/transfers and guides where needed. Will check out Mexcaltravel.