Meet at the group hotel in Antigua. A single timed transfer from Guatemala City Airport is provided. The journey takes around 1hr.

Designated a 'World Heritage' site in 1979, Antigua is one of the most attractive cities in the Americas and has a rich and colourful history. Founded in 1543, the city became the Spanish colonial capital from which most of Central and South America was once ruled. A wealth of impressive 17th and 18th century buildings, picturesque streets and a friendly population together with excellent restaurants and a variety of cafes and bars, makes Antigua the logical choice as a starting point for travel in Guatemala. The city's setting is stupendous, surrounded as it is by the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. After a leisurely breakfast in our hotel, we have a 'familiarisation' walking tour of the city. In the afternoon we depart for Pacaya Volcano (2552 m). Set in its own national park, Pacaya is a storybook volcano with a continuous plume of smoke drifting from its summit. It is approx a 1½ hour drive to the trailhead. The trek starts out steep but quicky backs off and becomes less steep, traversing through agricultural fields and forest. The ascent culminates in a final, steeper section of trail climbing the cinder cone. The ascent is not too difficult nor long, only taking around 2 hours, but does provide an easy acclimatisation walk for our coming climbs. Pacaya's volcanic activity will dictate how close we can get to the edge of the lava streams or cone. We will most likely reach a high point of around 2100m, where we will have excellent views back over Guatemala city and across to Volcanes de Agua, Acatenango and Fuego. We camp tonight on the slopes of Pacaya.

After breakfast, our group will break camp and have a relaxed descent of Pacaya's slopes as we move down to the trailhead. We transfer to the town of San Pedro de Laguna on the shores of Lake Atitlan. This small town has become a popular tourist destination due to its spectacular location set between lakes and volcanoes. We will stop along the way at a local restaurant to eat lunch and stretch our legs. The journey will take about four hours, after which we will check into our hotel and have some time to explore the town.

Today we will hike the shapely San Pedro, which can be seen very prominently from our hotel. After breakfast, we make the 20 minute drive to the start of the trail at 1800. The path is steep in places as it winds its way, firstly through a large plantation of coffee and then between cornfields, before entering thick cloud forest. The rock stack on the summit of San Pedro is the perfect picnic spot at approximately 3040 meters and provides a superb view of the truly beautiful lake and towns below.' After lunch we descend back down the volcanic slopes to our San Pedro hotel where we can enjoy some well-earned relaxation time.

This morning we will travel by boat (approx. 30 minutes) across Lake Atitlan to Santiago Atitlan. From the dock, we will go to the main plaza at, where we will meet the locals who will help us with the necessary equipment for tonight's camp. Today's hike winds through Santiago's colorful streets until you reach the edge of town and beginning of the trail surrounded by fruit trees, vegetable crops, and cornfields. We will walk for 2 hours on this woody and rocky trail before travelling deeper into the forest. The route through the dense forest takes us to the point where we will camp tonight (3000m). As we enter the humid forest, listen to the sounds of local animals such as deer, Pavo de Cacho hummingbirds, and a variety of other local birds. After 3 hours, we will arrive at our campsite located aside a spectacular rock-shaped cave and setup for the evening. We will rest after a long day of walking with coffee and a rich dinner prepared by the team of guides and support crew.

Don't miss the opportunity this morning to witness the perfect setting for a majestic postcard. For those that will wake up, we will leave camp at 4:00AM to summit one of Toliman's 3 peaks with a rewarding sunrise view of Lake Atitlan and the surrounding volcanoes. We will return to the campsite for breakfast and then be ready for the descent back to the scenic town of Santiago. At the end of the today's hike, we will drive back to Panajachel on Lake Atitlan.

Today you will have time to relax by the lake, paddle a kayak or visit surrounding villages. San Juan is a tranquil little town with many little cooperatives and artisan shops and Santiago Atitlan is the home of sacred spirits. Both are great places to explore local markets, plazas and historical buildings.

After breakfast we leave Lake Atitlan and drive for 2 hours towards the capital of the Western Highlands, across the high sierra, Quetzaltenango (also known by its Mayan name of Xela). Travelling along the Pan American Highway, we pass its highest point at a place known locally as 'Alaska.' Xela sits at an altitude of 2335m, making it Guatemala's second largest city and the centre of the Quiche Mayan people. From Xela we continue 1 hour to Laguna Seca, the start of today's walk and our next volcanic objective, Chicibal (2858m). Sacred in Mayan beliefs the Chicibal Volcano is seen as a symbol of the power of nature and religious ceremonies and offerings made to the gods to ask for protection against natural disasters. The lagoon at its crater is considered the centre of Mayan 'Cosmovision' and Mayan traditionalist still use altars along the lakeshore. Red corrugated roofs dot the farms below as we make our way up, at first, an unpaved road before it forks into two trails. These trails form a loop taking in the summit mirador at descending into the crater to Chicibal Lagoon. After exploring these trails we return to our vehicle and drive on to Lake Atitlan and our hotel for the night.

Today we embark on a stunning climb to Central America's highest point, Volcan Tajumulco. After breakfast we drive from Quetzaltenango to the small village of San Sebastian in San Marcos (approx. 4 hours), which lies close to the border of Mexico and is the starting point for our climb on Tajumulco, the highest of Guatemala's Volcanoes. Starting at 2800 a cobbled street climbs out of the village towards the forest. This initial section can be completed either on foot or by 4x4, you will decide with your guide the best option for your group, and leads up to 3560m and the entrance to the cloud forest. From here it will take around 2 hours to walk through the lush pine forest to our camp for the night, situated at 3900 on the volcano side. Depending on timings we may choose to walk on for another 1.5 hours to reach the highest possible point on this volcano, at 4142m, for a special sunset over the surrounding countryside and breathtaking views eastward along the volcanic chain. We then descend back to the campsite where we will enjoy a delicious dinner prepared by our local chef.

This morning we rise early to climb to Tajumulco's summit for a spectacular sunrise from Central America's highest point. After this incredible experience, we will have breakfast back at the campsite before packing our things and walking back down to the trailhead and Sebastian. The descent will take about 2 hours. We drive for around 4 hours back towards Xela, before continuing to the hot springs at Fuentes Georginas. Fed from the nearby Zunil Volcano the waters are both warm and rich in minerals, with many locals attributing healing powers to this special place. Here we enjoy lunch and use of the hot pools before returning to our hotel in Xela.

In the morning we drive back to Antigua. The journey to Antigua takes about 3 hours. Along the way we will stop in the town of San Andres Itzapa to visit the shrine of San Simon or El Maximon, as the locals call him. There are many versions of the history of San Simon, but the one most believed is that during the time the Spanish conquest, San Simon was the human reincarnation of Judas, sent back down to Earth to forever beg forgiveness. It is tradition to bear offerings to San Simon, along with wishes; a new car, a hex on a neighbour or even a win on the lottery. The various plaques decorating the walls of the shrine pay tribute to the miracles received by the many who worship him. The temple is a place of great ceremony with ritual fires and sacrifices led by the shamans. San Simon is also said to be the protector of vices, meaning that his holy water is liquor and incense is cigarette or cigar smoke. We arrive into Antigua with a bit of time to get our gear ready for the last two volcanoes.

Today we enjoy slightly more leisurely start to the morning. The ascent of Guatemala's third highest volcano, Acatenango (3976m), begins with a bumpy ride for 1 hour to La Soledad (2390m). We will camp in the mountains tonight and will once again be supported by a team of porters. The climb is quite steep, but varied and interesting, as we pass through various zones of vegetation; beginning in the cornfields of La Soledad and traversing bamboo clad slopes, then cloud forest and finally pine forest, before finally reaching the summit cone. This is a 5 to 6 hour ascent, with lunch taken on the way. The view from the summit is very impressive, with all of our 'Magnificent Seven' volcanoes visible; from distant Tajumulco to the nearby and spectacularly active Fuego. Our camping place for the next 2 nights is slightly down from the summit, on the tree covered area between Acatenango and Fuego at approximately 3500 metres. This promises to be one of the more remarkable campsites you will ever have stayed at, with the sight of Fuego blowing rocks and dense black clouds into the stratosphere being particularly unforgettable.

Most people will want to rise early to catch the sunrise and we then set of for Fuego after breakfast in camp. Fuego, also known as Chigag (which in the Cakchiquel language means 'where the fire is') has been active since records began in 1524 and is, in fact, the world's most continuously active volcano. We walk across the saddle, and up a curving ridge, rising in a series of crests toward the summit cone. We will ascend this ridge as far as possible towards the summit: our maximum altitude here will be governed by the level of volcanic activity. We then return to our campsite where we spend another night high in the mountains.

We are treated to another sunrise in this truly spectacular location, before beginning the long descent of the western slopes of Fuego. The trail begins with an easy traverse through the forest, which in places is quite sparse, permitting us views of both Volcans Fuego and Agua. We plunge down into the denser sub-tropical vegetation of the lower slopes. This will be a tough morning's work and hard on the knees as we follow a twisting, dusty trail down through the forest for 3 to 4 hours to return to the village of La Soledad. Here we are met by our transport and make the short transfer back to our hotel in Antigua. We should be back in time for a late lunch and the rest of the day is free to relax and buy souvenirs from this colonial centre of Antigua.

Your holiday ends after breakfast. A single timed transfer to Guatemala City Airport is provided. Flight time allowing there may be additional time to explore this charming city. Should you wish to extend your stay additional hotel nights in Antigua are available, or you may want to extend your stay with a extension to see the Mayan ruins at Tikal. We can even arrange an incredible once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Galapagos Islands! Please contact the KE office for further information.