Guatemala Tours | Lake Atitlan, Antigua, Livingston, Monterrico
Guatemala Tours | Lake Atitlan, Antigua, Livingston, Monterrico, are an exciting way to enjoy your vacation in Guatemala, when ever we receive an inquiry about Guatemala Day Tours we always direct the quest to read information we provide on Lake Atitlan Boat Schedule and Lake Attilan Shuttle Schedules because transportation schedules and times for traveling around Guatemala will have an effect on your Day Tour Plans and the success of having a great adventure in Guatemala.
Antigua Guatemala Tours
Arriving in Antigua Guatemala we see most Travelers like to make Antigua the base camp they use to travel to other parts of Guatemala like Lake Atitlan, Monterrico, Livingston and the Chichi Market. If you plan to head out to any of the locations I have listed above by private or group Shuttle service allow at least 3 hours travel time each direction if you plan to make visiting these other Guatemala location a Day Tour.
Livingston is the exception plan for a 7 hour trip from Antigua via Guatemala City to reach Livingston by Bus. Few Shuttle services offer group Shuttle services to Livingston only private shuttles.
My choice Antigua Guatemala Day Tour is with Elizabeth Bell Tours of Antigua. Elizabeth takes guests on Day Tours of Antigua that few ever have the opportunity to learn the real Antigua through the eyes of Elizabeth Bell.
Elizabeth Bell, a resident of Antigua since 1969, born in Burlingame, California, grew up in Palo Alto and moved to Antigua at the age of 14. She is a graduate of the University of San Carlos in Guatemala, holding a degree in Teaching English as a Second Language.
She completed her Master of Arts (ABT) at the University of Washington, majoring in Latin American history and historiography.
She received the Guatemalan government’s highest award for her preservation efforts in Antigua – the Gold Award “Diego de Porres” by the National Council for the Protection of La Antigua Guatemala on December 1st, 2011 for “her tireless efforts during 42 years in providing useful information about La Antigua Guatemala through her multiple books and lectures and her constant efforts in the preservation of the City and its Cultural Heritage”.
Guatemala Tours Panajachel Lake Atitlan Guatemala
If you are based in Antigua Guatemala and plan to make a day tour adventure to Panajachel and visit the Villages of Lake Atitlan, San Juan for Art, San Pedro for the Volcano, Pana for Street Food, Solola for the Market, San Antonio Palopo for Ceramics and Santiago for Maximón, at best you might be able to visit two villages on a Day Tour.
Volcano Tours and Hiking Indian Nose are also great Day Tour options, however, you need to be in San Pedro for the Volcano hike to see the sunrise at 4:30 in the morning. The same is true for Indian Nose Hike. You can enjoy either hike during the day remember you have to get to Pana and then take a 30-minute boat ride across the lake to San Pedro.
First, you will have to leave Antigua at 5:00 in the morning to reach Panajachel by 8:00 in the morning.
After arriving in Pana then you have to use a boat to reach the villages around Lake Atitlan and the boats in the morning wait till they have 15 persons before the boats leave the docks in Pana. Time across the Lake is 30 minutes meaning at best you might reach the villages across from Pana at 9:00.
Shuttles leaving Panajachel back to Antigua leave at 4:00 in the afternoon. This leaves you with the fact you need to leave Villages across the lake from Pana at 3:00 and hope you do not have to wait for 15 persons to load your boat. These facts leave you with only about 6 hours of enjoying your Day Tour.
My recommendations for Lake Atitlan Guatemala Tours
Keep it down to two villages, my choices would be San Juan La Laguna if you are interested in Art, Weaving workshops, Chocolate, Coffee, and Leather Crafts. Finish the afternoon in San Pedro La Laguna which is also one of the main Boat ports on Lake Atitlan.
If you are seeking the hiking adventure around Lake Atitlan I would take the amazing Upper Rim Hike with views across lake Atitlan from the Panajachel side of Lake Atitlan. Consider Lake Atitlan is this Volcanic bowl formed some 3 million years ago a rim surrounds Lake Atitlan called the Upper Rim which places you about 2000 feet above the shore line of Lake Atitlan, looking across the Lake looking at the majestic Volcanoes of Lake Atitlan.
Santiago is a popular tourist destination on Lake Atitlan I would consider this Tour the last option for a Day Tour. My reasoning is not to place a lower value of interest on Santiago in about 4 hours you can see all that can offer interest to a Traveler to Guatemala.
Guatemala Tours, Panajachel to Chichi Market Thursday Sunday
Chichi Market is without question Guatemala’s biggest Tourist Day Tour Market attraction. For me the Chichi Market has become over promoted and crowded on Thursday and Sunday Market days beyond being enjoyable. We prefer to Tour on none Chichi Tourist market days.
If you are coming to Chichi Market from Antigua plan for a very early start to your day like 4:00 in the morning to wake and have that morning shower before departing on the hundreds of Shuttles that leave Antigua on Chichi Market Days. Leaving Antigua at 7:00 in the morning you will arrive at Chichi Market at 10:00 in the morning.
Panajachel to Chichi Market Thursday Sunday Guatemala Tours
Panajachel to Chichi Market Day Tour Shuttle time to Chichi market from Panajachel is about one hour and thirty minute ride to Chichi market. We prefer Chicken Buses on our Chichi tours it adds to the guests experiences of Guatemala. No matter Pana is the closest option to enjoy a day at the Chichi Market be it very crowded on Market Days.
Guatemala City – Guatemala Day Tours Schedule Price and Times
Guatemala City, we can assure those that read the State Department reports on the dangers of Guatemala City you need to ignore these Government stated opinions.
Guatemala city yes has some bad areas to avoid, however overall a Day Tour in Guatemala city will leave one with a very enjoyable experience of a city with Culture, Universities, Museums and Great Food. As an example of Guatemala City when I stand in front of the Intercontinental Hotel in Guatemala city after feeding on amazing Sushi at Tamarii Sushi bar you would think you are in downtown Manhattan.
Guatemala Day Tours Schedule Price and Times
SHUTTLE FROM ANTIGUA GUATEMALA
Shuttle Antigua Guatemala to Guatemala City/GUA Airport
Shuttle – 04:00am – Antigua to Guatemala City/Airport $15 p/p
Shuttle – 07:30am – Antigua to Guatemala City/Airport $12 p/p
Shuttle – 09:00am – Antigua to Guatemala City/Airport $12 p/p
Shuttle – 12:30pm – Antigua to Guatemala City/Airport $12 p/p
Shuttle – 03:00pm – Antigua to Guatemala City/Airport $12 p/p
Shuttle – 06:30pm – Antigua to Guatemala City/Airport $12 p/p
Please be aware this shuttle service only covers Zones 9,10,13 any other destination, please ask in advance
Private Service – can be scheduled at any time according to your needs, please specify time and number of persons for details
Shuttle Antigua Guatemala to Panajachel
Shuttle – 05:30am – Antigua to Panajachel $15 p/p
Shuttle – 08:00am – Antigua to Panajachel $12 p/p (Thu&Sun at 7am)
Shuttle – 12:30pm – Antigua to Panajachel $12 p/p
Shuttle – 04:00pm – Antigua to Panajachel $12 p/p
Shuttle Thu and Sunday – 7:00am – Antigua to Chichicastenango Market Day, at 02:00pm to Panajachel $24 p/p
Private Service – can be scheduled at any time according to your needs, please specify time and number of persons for details
SHUTTLE FROM PANAJACHEL
Shuttle Panajachel to Guatemala City/GUA Airport
Shuttle – 05:00am – Panajachel to Guatemala City/Airport $25 p/p (via Antigua)
Shuttle – 09:30am – Panajachel to Guatemala City/Airport $25 p/p (via Antigua)
Shuttle – 12:00 noon – Panajachel to Guatemala City/Airport $25 p/p (via Antigua)
Shuttle – 04:00pm – Panajachel to Guatemala City/Airport $25 p/p (via Antigua)
Shuttle Thu and Sunday – 08:00am – Panajachel – Chichicastenango Market, then at 2:00pm to Guatemala City/Airport (via Antigua) $35 p/p
Shuttle DIRECT 05:00am – Panajachel to Guatemala City/Airport $35 p/p (min 3pax)
Private Service – can be scheduled at any time according to your needs, please specify time and number of persons for details
Shuttle Panajachel to Antigua Guatemala
Shuttle – 05:00am – Panajachel to Antigua $12 p/p
Shuttle – 09:30am – Panajachel to Antigua $12 p/p
Shuttle – 12:00 noon – Panajachel to Antigua $12 p/p
Shuttle – 04:00pm – Panajachel to Antigua $12 p/p
Shuttle Thu and Sunday – 08:00am – Panajachel – Chichicastenango Market, then at 2:00pm to Antigua $20 p/p
Private Service – can be scheduled at any time according to your needs, please specify time and number of persons for details.
Lake Atitlan Boat Schedule
Guatemala Tours | Lake Atitlan, Antigua, Livingston, Monterrico,
Lake Atitlan Boat Schedule, while there are no roads that circle the lake, villages can be reached by shuttle boats called lanchas that provide transportation from village to village in and around the lake.
Panajachel located three hours from Guatemala City and 2.5 hours from Antigua is considered the gateway to Lake Atitlan. Panajachel sits on the northeast shore of the Lake and is the transport hub for the whole area, you can literally travel anywhere from Pana.
Boat services start around 6:30 am with the last boat departing Panajachel around 7:30 pm.
The last boat departing San Pedro is 5:00 pm. Boats depart approximately every 20 – 30 minutes. Private lanchas are available from most villages around Lake Atitlán to just about any other lake destination.
Pana to/from Santa Cruz/Jaibalito – Q10
Pana to/from San Marcos/San Pablo/San Juan/San Pedro – Q25
Pana to/from Santiago Atitlan – Q25
San Marcos to/from Santa Cruz – Q10
San Pedro to/from Santiago – Q10
San Pedro to/from Santa Cruz – Q20
San Pedro to/from San Marcos – Q10
