Top Western Highlands Half-day Tours

Discover the Lake Atitlan area on this half-day ATV adventure. First, head to San Antonio Palopo via the road that runs around the lake. There, visit a local ceramic factory to learn about the production process and also stop by a chocolate factory. Following that, travel to the village of Santa Catarina Palopo where you'll be able to learn about and see the weaving of blankets, and other goods. Lastly, head to Playa Blanca en Barrio Jucanya for some photo opps by the water.

Take a sunrise hike up the Indian Nose, one of the most-visited mountains near Lake Atitlan, on this 7-hour day trip. This 9,300-foot (2,863-meter) mountain, also known as 'The Mayan Face,' offers a challenging climb as well as superb views of Lake Atitlan and the villages of San Juan and San Pedro la Laguna. Best of all, you get to take in this sublime sight at sunrise, just as the first rays of the morning light touch the landscape with rosy shades of orange and pink. This Indian Nose hike also includes entrance fees, a guide, bottled water and round-trip hotel transport.

The Lake Atitlan Sunset Tour is one of the best afternoon activities you can do while visiting Lake Atitlan, you were able to visit some villages around the lake and see amazing views of it.

Watch the sunrise light up Lake Atitlan and the Volcanic Ring of Fire from one of the highest points at Lake Atitlan: Indian Nose. After pickup from your Panajachel lodging and a 90-minute drive through the highlands, take an easy 30-minute hike to the summit of Indian Nose, followed by a trip to Sacred Hunters Cave. This tour includes round-trip transportation from your hotel as well as all entrance fees and a professional guide.

Step back in time to the ancient world of the Maya during this 6-hour exploration of the Iximche ruins near Lake Atitlan. Explore this 1,000-year-old city’s wealth of ball courts, pyramid-temples, royal palaces and the on-site museum. You’ll also learn about the history of this iconic archaeological site up through the Spanish colonial era, and discover details about the Mayan calendar, astrological studies and the attitudes of the present day Mayan people towards their ancestors. Your trip includes entrance fees, a guide and a choice between shared and private round-trip hotel transport.

Once famously described as "too much of a good thing," Lake Atitlan's stunning beauty and broad diversity of towns can make it difficult for visitors to decide how best to see its attractions. This tour lets you see it all while connecting with the landscape and the local people in ways that few visitors get to do. After taking a boat from Panajachel to the small Mayan village of Tzununa, hop on a bike for a ride through the countryside, stopping to visit weaving cooperatives, coffee plantations, art galleries, and some of the best viewpoints on the Lake.

If you are a motorcycle enthusiast this is a great way to visit many places around the lake in just half a day.

Visit three typical Mayan villages from around Lake Atitlan.Witness the lifestyle of the Mayan people, learn their natural techniques for making textiles and see the local way of life.

Explore the small town village life and gorgeous scenery of Lake Atitlan during this 5-hour hiking excursion from Santa Cruz la Laguna to San Marcos. During the course of your trip you’ll observe local villagers tending to coffee and corn crops in area farm fields and pass through small Mayan hamlets like San Marcos, Tzununná and Jaibalito. Best of all your hike offers a chance to enjoy the gorgeous scenery of Lake Atitlan and its nearby volcanoes. This Lake Atitlan hiking adventure also covers one-way transfer to the start point, hotel pickup, guide and entrance fees.

Under an hour from Quetzaltenango, the Fuentes Georginas Hot Springs are an evergreen destination: four vivid thermal pools infused with warm volcanic waters and surrounded by cloud forest. They are tricky to reach by public transport, while the winding mountain road can make self-driving challenging. This affordable half-day tour, with pickup and drop-off direct from many Quetzaltenango hotels, will save both time and stress.

 This Tour wants to tell us the history of chocolate worldwide, its origins here in Guatemala and especially the Mayan culture. The process is an experience and what to say about the tastings that will leave you asking for more. Quetzaltenango, is in Guatemala the place where you will find the best chocolate to drink and eat. These traditions of family drinks have been transformed into a way of life and subsistence for decades for many families already dedicated to the trade of the famous and world-famous cocoa!

Step inside the Maya community of Santa Cruz with this NGO visit. Check out a successful non-profit vocational training center with classes in cooking, beading, sewing, and carpentry. Visit a classroom, café, and store run by the organization. Explore the village of Santa Cruz, home to one of the oldest churches in Guatemala, and end your tour with lunch at the NGO-run rooftop café overlooking the waters of Lake Atitlan.

On this tour you will visit the municipality of Cantel, where there will be a small traditional embroidery workshop. The history of guipil is described, a traditional Guatemalan blouse, unique in the world. As well as living with the family of the instructor in her own home, a rural place full of nature and traditions.

We customize our tours to fit your interests and the depth you want to explore. Our decades of experience bring lots of information and insight. And we are great at bringing together the history, sacredness, art, stories, and ensuring we have fun while we do it!

Indian Nose is located in the northwestern corner of Lake Atitlan, one of Guatemala's top destinations The mountain divides the towns of San Juan La Laguna and Santa Clara La Laguna. it is one of the most epic sunrise viewpoints in Guatemala. The beauty of India's nose walk for those who aren't into it for a long haul is that the walk takes less than 30 minutes It's a short, inexpensive adventure with epic views and a great way to start your day of adventuring in the area.

Check out the famous hot springs at the Zunil Volcano on this tour of Fuentes Georginas from Quetzaltenango. Relax and indulge in thermal waters that were discovered back in 1902. These communal baths offer up the perfect escape for travelers who want to unwind after epic outdoor hikes or fun-filled city explorations. 

 The Guatemalan Guipil (Huipil) is a type of blouse worn by indigenous women and is unique in the world, made with cotton thread and woven by various techniques. Throughout Guatemala there are many weavers of the güipil who do it themselves with their looms. So weavers have also developed these beautiful traditional costumes with their loom standing. The importance of valuing the work of these artists is because each piece is unique, given its complexity, each weaver offers one design at a time. The meaning of each one can tell us different stories, from expressions of nature to religious or political symbolism.

With their costumes, music, and parades, Day of the Dead celebrations are some of the most iconic in Latin America. Take part in the cultural tradition of giant kites on this Day of the Dead festival tour from Sumpango, which shares with you the history of the holiday and teaches you about the kite making ritual. This tour presents a rare opportunity to learn directly from a local guide about a unique regional custom.

Enjoy and discover the colorful market days of Sololá on Tuesday and Thursday! This is a good spot and very important  colourful market close fo Panajachel. That will be a good experience for you will see how is the local people live and doing their activities in the market days

Sit alongside local women and learn the art of Maya beading with this hands-on workshop in Santa Cruz la Laguna. Not only is this socially responsible tour a great way to learn about the Maya cultures found on Lake Atitlan, but it also directly benefits local communities. Upgrade to include lunch at Lake Atitlan’s top restaurant—also run by a social enterprise—or a community-led tour of the village.

This is a community tour that starts from Panajachel we will take a private boat that will take us to the first town where you will meet women weavers that the guide will explain the whole process from cotton to clothing using natural plants to obtain different natural colors, then the guide will take you to a chocolate factory where you will be able to taste and see the elaboration of various products made from cocoa to chocolate and to continue learning with the local people you will visit a group of women who work with plants to treat different types of diseases Also on the tour you visit the vegetable market, colonial churches, parks among others. This tour is conducted by people from the community who speak Spanish, English and Mayan

Leaving from Panajachel to take a collective boat for our transfer to tzununa. When we get the tzununa village, from there we start the our adventure tour by bike to visit some mayan vilages. We are going to visit San Marcos, San Juan And San Pedro la Laguna. One of the most important things to do in San Juan la Laguna is to see the textile process, how they make it and using the natural dye. Also they use the natural medicine, they have midwifes in their co-op.

The art tours give us the magnificent historical panorama of the city of Quetzaltenango, we are a city of artists of different types. A great influence of different cultures is observed in its architecture, frescoes, etc. And currently there is a wide variety of emerging artists and it is felt throughout the city. It is necessary that the visitor has an experiential experience with art, and can delve into himself to externalize his own creativity. In this tour you will meet several of the best Quetzalteco artists as specialized guides with whom they can learn and even make with their own hands a personalized souvenir made by you. There is the possibility of participating in workshops or special classes according to the time as we continually visit and collaborate with international artists as well.

Enjoy a leisurely, laid-back, 3-hour cycling trip amidst the idyllic mountain villages near Panjachel. Spend most of your trip pedaling downhill, soaking up scenic views of Lake Atitlan, quiet rural roads and the tiny indigenous towns of Godinez and San Andres Semetabaj. With more than 98% of your cycling trip on downhill terrain, it’s a chill, easy, way to see a lot of scenery with minimal effort. Your ride includes a guide, bike and transport to the cycling start point.