Central America Explorer — Self-Launched

Land at La Aurora International Airport (GUA) in Guatemala City — note this is NOT the Caribbean island of Antigua. Skip the private transfer and take an official airport taxi or pre-booked shared shuttle to Antigua (~45-60 min, £12-20 for a taxi, ~£8 shared). Antigua's grid of cobbled streets and pastel colonial facades is walkable and safe in the evening — find a hostel or guesthouse near the Parque Central. Grab dinner at a comedor for £4-6 and get an early night.

🚌Airport taxi/shared shuttle GUA → Antigua, ~£8-15

🛏Hostel/guesthouse dorm or private room in Antigua (£12-18)

• →Settle in around Parque Central
• →Evening stroll of Antigua's colonial streets

Book the ChocoMuseo 'bean to bar' workshop directly (ChocoMuseo Antigua, 4a Calle Oriente) or via GetYourGuide — about 2 hours, £20-25, and you take your own chocolate home. In the afternoon do your own self-guided cultural walk: La Merced church, the Santa Catalina Arch, the ruined cathedral and the Jade Museum. Optional extras you can arrange on the spot: salsa lesson (~£8 at a local school such as Salsa Antigua) or the half-day Pacaya volcano hike (~£45 with a shuttle-operator tour).

🚌Walking — Antigua is flat and compact

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Antigua (£12-18)

• →ChocoMuseo bean-to-bar workshop (~£22)
• →Self-guided colonial Antigua walk
• →Optional: salsa lesson (~£8) or Pacaya volcano hike (~£45)

A full travel day. The easiest independent option is a direct tourist shuttle Antigua → Copán Ruinas, which handles the El Florido border crossing for you (~7-8 hrs, ~£30-38 booked the day before through any Antigua hostel). Cheaper and more adventurous: chicken bus Antigua → Guatemala City → Chiquimula → El Florido border → colectivo to Copán Ruinas (~£12-15, 9-10 hrs). Bring quetzales for the border and small change for the buses. Stay in the pleasant, low-key town of Copán Ruinas itself, not the ruins.

🚌Direct tourist shuttle Antigua → Copán Ruinas ~£32 (or chicken buses ~£14)

🛏Family guesthouse in Copán Ruinas (£10-16)

• →Border crossing at El Florido
• →Evening in Copán Ruinas town square

Walk 20 minutes (or take a £1 tuk-tuk) from town to the Copán archaeological site and buy your ticket at the gate (foreigner entry ~£15, extra for the tunnels). Licensed local guides wait at the entrance and charge roughly £20-25 for a 2-3 hour tour — share it with other travellers to halve the cost. The Hieroglyphic Stairway and the sculpted stelae are the highlights. Afternoon options: Las Sepulturas section (included), horseback riding to nearby villages (~£20), or the Luna Jaguar hot springs (~£40 with transport).

🚌Walking / tuk-tuk (~£1)

🛏Family guesthouse in Copán Ruinas (£10-16)

• →Copán UNESCO site entry (~£15)
• →Local guide at the ruins (~£22 shared)
• →Optional: horseback riding (~£20) or Luna Jaguar hot springs (~£40)

Head back over the El Florido border to Guatemala and break the journey at Quiriguá — the UNESCO site with the tallest carved stone stelae in the Maya world, right beside the road. Independent routing: shuttle/colectivo Copán → border → buses toward Morales/Izabal, asking the driver to drop you at Quiriguá (entry ~£10). From Quiriguá continue by bus to Río Dulce/Fronteras (~2 hrs, ~£4). Total day cost roughly £25-30 if you self-route; a through tourist shuttle is ~£35-45. Sleep in Fronteras on the water.

🚌Buses via El Florido & Quiriguá, ~£20-28

🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse in Río Dulce (£12-18)

• →Quiriguá ruins and stelae (~£10)

Free day on the river. Pick from: a sunrise monkey kayak tour through the mangroves (~£18 booked locally), a boat trip to San Felipe de Lara fort (~£3 entry, ~£15 return boat), a walk to the hot waterfall, or a half-day hike in the Chocón-Machacas reserve with a local guide (~£25). Swimming in the river and watching the sunset from a waterfront bar costs nothing. Book tomorrow's boat and onward transfer today.

🚌Local lanchas and walking

🛏Budget hotel/guesthouse in Río Dulce (£12-18)

• →Sunrise monkey kayak (~£18)
• →San Felipe fort (~£18 incl. boat)
• →Chocón-Machacas hike (~£25, optional)

Take a public lancha from Fronteras down the Río Dulce gorge to the Garífuna town of Livingston (~2 hrs, ~£15-20). Wander the Caribbean-flavoured streets, then have a tapado (coconut seafood stew) in a local comedor for £5-7. Cross by boat to Puerto Barrios (~£3) and take a first-class bus to Flores/Santa Elena (~5 hrs, ~£10-13, e.g. Litegua or Fuente del Norte). Flores' island old town is gorgeous at sunset — climb the church hill and eat by the lake.

🚌Lancha Fronteras → Livingston ~£17; boat to Puerto Barrios ~£3; bus to Flores ~£12

🛏Guesthouse/hostel on Flores island (£12-18)

• →Río Dulce gorge boat ride
• →Garífuna Livingston walk
• →Sunset over Lake Petén Itzá

The big one. Pre-book a shared sunrise tour or standard day tour from any Flores agency (~£25-35 incl. transport and a licensed English-speaking guide; entry ticket ~£20 extra, paid at the gate). Alternatively take the public colectivo to the park entrance (~£3) and hire a guide at the visitors' centre. Climb Temple IV for the canopy view, then explore the Gran Plaza, Temple I and the ballcourts. Full day — bring water, snacks and insect repellent. Back in Flores by late afternoon.

🚌Shared tour minibus/colectivo to Tikal, ~£4-30 depending on option

🛏Guesthouse/hostel on Flores island (£12-18)

• →Tikal UNESCO park entry (~£20)
• →Guided Tikal tour (~£30)
• →Temple IV climb

Fly Flores (FRS, Mundo Maya airport) to Guatemala City with TAG or Avianca — book early for fares around £45-70 and note the strict 25 lb luggage limit on these small aircraft. From the city, take a tourist shuttle to Panajachel (~3 hrs, ~£15), then a public lancha across the lake to Jaibalito (~£3, 20 min). Jaibalito is a tiny road-less village tucked under cliffs — rustic guesthouses, no ATMs, bring cash. Long travel day; arrive in time for sunset over the volcanoes.

🚌Flight FRS → GUA ~£55; shuttle GUA → Panajachel ~£15; lancha ~£3

🛏Rustic lakeside guesthouse in Jaibalito (£12-20)

• →Lake Atitlán lancha crossing
• →Sunset over the volcanoes

Do the community day independently: take a lancha to San Juan la Laguna (~£2) and walk the village — the women's weaving and natural-dye co-ops (Casa Flor Ixcaco, Asociación Ixoq Ajkem), the organic coffee co-operative and the murals along the main street. Lunch at Konojel, the community restaurant that funds nutrition programmes for local children (~£5, supports the same project G Adventures guests visit). If you'd like the tree-planting ceremony, message Konojel/San Juan community tourism contacts in advance — they often arrange it for small independent groups for a donation of £10-15. Lancha back to Jaibalito by late afternoon.

🚌Public lanchas ~£4-6 return

🛏Rustic lakeside guesthouse in Jaibalito (£12-20)

• →San Juan la Laguna village walk
• →Weaving and coffee co-operatives (~£5-10)
• →Konojel community lunch (~£6)
• →Optional tree-planting ceremony (~£12 donation)

Lake day on your own schedule. Hike the cliff trail from Jaibalito to Santa Cruz la Laguna (~1 hr, free, brilliant views — go with another traveller as parts are exposed), swim off the rocks, or rent a kayak (~£6/hr) to paddle between the villages. Birdwatchers should head out early along the shore; Atitlán grebes are endemic. Fishing trips can be arranged with local fishermen for ~£15. Dinner back at your guesthouse or a Santa Cruz lakeside restaurant.

🚌Walking; optional lancha £1-2

🛏Rustic lakeside guesthouse in Jaibalito (£12-20)

• →Jaibalito–Santa Cruz cliff hike
• →Swimming and kayaking (~£6)
• →Optional fishing trip (~£15)

Lancha from Jaibalito to Panajachel (~£3), then a direct tourist shuttle Panajachel → Antigua (~2.5-3 hrs, ~£13-18). Check into a hostel in Antigua and spend the afternoon at ease — the rooftop bars, the Caoba Farms market (Saturdays) or a coffee tour at Finca Filidelfia (~£22, book ahead). Evening: live music and reasonably priced set dinners around 5a Avenida.

🚌Lancha ~£3; shuttle Panajachel → Antigua ~£15

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Antigua (£12-18)

• →Free afternoon in Antigua
• →Optional Finca Filadelfia coffee tour (~£22)

Use the last full day however suits you. Options: bargain-hunt at the Mercado de Artesanías, take a local bus to the Chichicastenango market on Thursday/Sunday (~£4 return, incredible), hike Pacaya for sunset if you skipped it earlier (~£45), or take a £5-10 finca visit (Finca Valhalla). Worth doing: a Guatemalan cooking class in a hostel kitchen or at a local school (~£30) if you want the foodie angle. Tonight, splash out on a proper Antigua dinner (~£12) and pack.

🚌Local buses / walking, ~£5-10

🛏Hostel/guesthouse in Antigua (£12-18)

• →Chichicastenango market (~£4 return, Thu/Sun)
• →Artesanías market
• →Optional Pacaya sunset hike (~£45) or cooking class (~£30)

Book a shared shuttle Antigua → Guatemala City airport (~£8-12, 1 hr) or a local bus to the city bus terminal and a taxi from there (~£4). Allow 3 hours before an international flight — traffic into the capital is notorious. If your flight is late, the Museo Ixchel (textiles) or the Popol Vuh museum near the Zona 10 are good ways to fill time.

🚌Shared shuttle Antigua → GUA ~£10

🛏—

• →Optional: Museo Ixchel or Popol Vuh museum (~£5)