Guatemala & Honduras

A 14-day trip to Guatemala and Honduras

Definetely one of my favourite trips ever, Guatemala and Honduras are still relatively untouched by
mass tourism, allowing for a pure and authentic experience of these two amazing Central American
countries.

We arrived in Guatemala City, where we slept our first night before driving to Honduras (Copan
Ruinas, 240 km-4h40). We stayed here 2 nights where we visited the amazing Mayan ruins (there was no tourist
with us), and then we drove to Santa Rosa de Copan (106 km-2h15) to get a glimpse of the lifestyle in small villages,
and it was worth it. The following day, we took a relaxing trip to Luna Jaguar Hot Spring (20 km-45 min), in the
middle of the jungle. It was unreal!
After this, we drove back to Guatemala, where our first stop was the old Capital, Antigua (281 km-6h). We were
left speechless by the atmosphere and the ruins created by the multiple earthquakes.

Next stop: Lake
Atitlan. We stayed in Santiago Atitlan (92 km-2h30), but during the day we took a boat trip to sightsee the towns
on the other side of the lake (San Juan la Laguna, Panajachel). In San Juan, you can visit cooperatives
were indigenous women work. After that, we went to Chichicastenango (79 km-2h) to visit the market (be
careful, it is open only on Thursdays and Sundays); the town is elevated so it is a little colder than the
rest of the country.

On our way to Tikal, we stopped one night in Semuc Champey, another hidden gem in the jungle. The night before reaching this oasis, though, we decided to rest in a city in between, Santa Cruz Verapaz (167km-4h20). Be
careful, do not attempt to go to Semuc Champey by car, leave it in a town near-by and take a jeep in Lanquin (78 km-2h). You
will get stuck! Enjoy even one relaxing night in the amazing Hostel! We then drove to Tikal (307 km-7h10), and the
following day we just wandered around the pyramids and ruins; just like in Copan Ruinas, we were
almost the only ones there. Tikal was our last stop in Guatemala, which we left for Tela (489 km-9h) (Honduras),
where we stayed for the last 3 days to relax. From Tela, we drove back to Guatemala City (460 km-8h30), and after one day of sightseeing, we left the country.