If you’re planning 10 days in Guatemala, you’ve probably already realised there’s a lot to see, and that distances can be surprisingly misleading.

Guatemala looks like a small country on the map, but between traffic, road conditions and long shuttle journeys, getting from one place to another can easily take most of a day.

So, if you only have 10 days, I think the key is choosing what you really want to see and putting together a route that actually makes sense. We travelled through Flores, Tikal, Semuc Champey, Antigua, Acatenango and Lake Atitlán, travelling independently and trying to keep a mid-range budget.

And most importantly, I’m going to tell you what I’d do exactly the same and what I’d change after actually doing this route. Shall we?

Are 10 Days Enough to Travel Around Guatemala?

I get it, I wondered the same thing. Is it really worth travelling halfway around the world for just 10 days in Guatemala? Yes! Ten days are enough to see several of the country’s most incredible places, although you’ll definitely have to prioritise.

In our case, 10 days were enough to visit Flores, Tikal, Semuc Champey, Antigua, Acatenango and Lake Atitlan, but the pace was pretty intense and there were still places we had to leave for another trip. Lake Atitlan in particular left me wishing we had more time.

The important thing to keep in mind is that getting around Guatemala can take a lot of time. For example, our journey from Flores to Lanquín ended up taking around 10 hours.

So, if you only have 10 days in Guatemala, don’t plan your itinerary by looking at distances on the map alone. Allow several extra hours for traffic and unexpected delays, and think about how much time you’re actually going to lose to each transfer.

How to Get to Guatemala?

Most travellers fly into La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City, which is also where this route begins.

✈️ I always search for flights on SkyScanner, but it may also be worth checking flights directly to Flores and comparing the connections.

You can also enter Guatemala overland from one of its neighbouring countries. This can be particularly useful if you’re travelling around Central America or, like us, want to combine Guatemala with Mexico or continue your trip into Belize.

We ended up leaving Guatemala overland for Mexico from Lake Atitlán, so this itinerary works really well if Guatemala is just one part of a longer trip.

How to Get Around Guatemala During These 10 Days?

For this route, we mainly used the minivans that connect the country’s main tourist destinations. They’re usually booked directly at your destination or through your accommodation. It’s a pretty practical and straightforward way to travel, but the journeys are long and not necessarily the most comfortable.

We only took one domestic flight, from Guatemala City to Flores, on the same day we landed in the country. Local transport is also available, including the famous chicken buses. They can be cheaper, but their routes aren’t designed around tourists, so you’ll often need to change buses several times.

If you want to know how much each route costs, what transport options are available and how to book them, I explain everything in my complete guide to How to Get Around Guatemala.

10-Day Guatemala Itinerary | Our Route Without Tours

Day 1 | Guatemala City → Flores

Our Guatemala trip started in Guatemala City. We had planned to spend around five hours exploring the city during our layover, since our flight to Flores was at night, but my flight was delayed and that plan quickly went out the window.

To get to Flores, you can either take a minivan or fly. Since we were already working with a tight itinerary and wanted to make the most of our 10 days in Guatemala, flying was absolutely worth it for us. The flight took just one hour and we found tickets for 60 EUR (without checked luggage). You can check flights here.

When we arrived in Flores, we stayed in the San Miguel area and booked this really affordable room with river views. I’d also heard great things about Hostel Cenobrio, which has both shared and private rooms, but there was no availability when we were there.

Flores Island is small, colourful and super easy to explore on foot. It’s also one of the main bases for visiting Tikal.

Day 2 | Tikal and Flores

Tikal was the main reason for our visit to the Petean region. t’s one of the most important archaeological sites of the Maya civilisation, incredibly well preserved and surrounded by jungle. And if you’re putting together a 10-day Guatemala itinerary, this is one of those places you need to decide on from the start, because adding Tikal has a pretty big impact on the rest of your route.

Still not sure? We made a YouTube video about Flores and Tikal (in English), and you can watch it here.

If you’re a regular reader (thank you!), you’ll know I’m a big fan of doing everything independently. Tours that pick you up, take you around and show you everything aren’t usually my thing. I like planning things myself, discovering places on my own and then coming back here to tell you how to hack the system haha. But Tikal was one time when doing it independently didn’t really work in my favour.

The tours have different departure times, cost roughly the same as doing it independently and save you from wasting hours waiting around between one transport connection and the next. The easiest option is to book one through your accommodation. If you’d rather have everything organised beforehand, you can check availability and book here.

We headed back to Flores for another night in our room overlooking the river.

🧚🏽 If you’re really into nature and the possibility of spotting wildlife, there are hotels inside Tikal National Park. They’re a little more expensive, but they give you a completely different experience. One example is the Hotel Jungle Lodge.

Day 3 | Flores → Lanquín → Semuc Champey

This was the day that really showed us just how deceptive distances in Guatemala can be.

All shared shuttles (run by different operators) leave at the same time, usually at 8 am. There is a one hour lunch stop and a few additional breaks for bathroom stops along the way. It can be quite uncomfortable, but it’s often the only way to reach more remote or rural destinations. If you’re lucky enough to board early, try to choose a seat at the front, as it’s less prone to motion sickness and offers more legroom.

Once in Lanquín; you have the possibility to stay overnight in the same town (where most of the hostels are located); or make a short trip further and enjoy a more rural lodging; close to Semuc Champey.

We went for the second option and stayed in this little eco-cabin, which was a great price and right on the river. If you’re travelling solo, we met quite a few people who stayed at Greengos, and they all seemed to really enjoy it.

The extra ride to the Semuc Champey area cost us 30 GTQ, around 3.50 EUR per person, and took about 20 minutes. It’s basically a pickup truck where you can sit or stand in the back, luggage and all.

Day 4 | Semuc Champey

All the hours spent traveling make total sense the moment you see Semuc Champey from the viewpoint; you can check out our full experience at both the pools and the cave on YouTube (and if you leave a comment over there letting me know you came from my blog, you’ll make me the happiest person in the world!).

Kanba Cave wasn’t even high on my list of things I was looking forward to, and it ended up being one of those experiences I still remember so clearly. Fun, adventurous and completely different.

We spent another night in the little cabins (the ones you can see in the photo above), and they’ve since added a swimming pool.

Day 5 | Semuc Champey → Lanquín → Antigua

Back on the shuttle, this time heading towards Antigua. If you’re staying around Semuc Champey, it’s worth booking your transport from there and making sure the journey to Lanquín is included. The minivan passes through Guatemala City, and depending on traffic, that final stretch can take anywhere from 1 to 5 hours.

This was where the Guatemalan landscape completely changed in front of us: jungle and muddy roads gave way to cobbled streets, colonial buildings, volcanoes and gorgeous little cafés.

Once we arrived in Antigua, we settled into this comfortable and affordable room with views of Volcán de Agua. Antigua is honestly one of the most beautiful and photogenic places I’ve ever visited.
And if you’re thinking about treating yourself to a nicer stay during your trip, I’d look at somewhere like Posada del Angel or San Sebastian.

Day 6 | Antigua Guatemala

Antigua is gorgeous, and we dedicated this whole day to exploring it. We joined a free walking tour, wandered through the streets, visited the handicraft market and checked out some of the city’s historic ruins and buildings. We drank plenty of coffee and tried lots of local food.

I really wanted to take a cooking class but didn’t have enough time. I’ll leave it here in case you do. Apparently, it’s affordable and well worth it.

Day 7 | Antigua → Acatenango Volcano

Finally, one of the days I’d been looking forward to most on this Guatemala itinerary. Our alarm went off at 5 am so we could meet our group and start the rather intense hike up Volcán Acatenango. Doing this towards the end of our 10 days in Guatemala worked really well because by the time we reached San José Calderas, the little village before the volcano, we were already pretty well acclimatised.

It was a long and pretty tough day, but I absolutely loved it. I wrote a dedicated article about Acatenango, which you can read here. Oh, and we also made a YouTube video (in English) with lots of useful information and our full experience.

Day 8 | Acatenango → Antigua (Ideally, Lake Atitlan)

The brave ones start the day with a 3 am climb to watch Volcán de Fuego erupt in the dark. I still can’t work out whether mine was laziness, altitude sickness or pure exhaustion… but my day started at 6 am with a little coffee and a descent.

The plan was to make it to Lake Atitlán that day, but we had a bit of a mishap with the laundry and had to go back to Antigua. I remember it was a Sunday, day eight of the trip, and all I wanted was a warm meal and a shower. Casa Quatzalli, which we booked at the last minute, felt like absolute heaven.

This is also one of the reasons why, looking back at the route, I’d try to reorganise this day so we could reach Lake Atitlán earlier.

Day 9 | Antigua → Panajachel → San Pedro La Laguna

Finally: Lake Atitlán day! The journey should have taken around 3 hours, but somehow turned into 6, including a 5-minute transfer between the port in Panajachel and our final boat.

Choosing San Pedro as our base wasn’t easy. Apparently, every little village around Lake Atitlán has its own personality, and we would have loved to visit all of them. But considering where we were heading next and the connections we needed, San Pedro ended up making the most sense for us.

We chose Gran Colibrí for our final two nights. Great price and loads of free amenities.

Day 10 | San Pedro La Laguna

There was a lot to fit into just one day, so I decided to explore the lake itself. And then I went diving! I’d never dived in freshwater before, and it felt even more special because Lake Atitlán is one of the highest lakes in the world.

We spent the rest of the day kayaking and checking out several scenic spots around San Pedro.

Day 11 | San Pedro La Laguna → San Cristobal de las Casas, Mexico

Our 10-day Guatemala itinerary ends here. We decided to leave Guatemala from Lake Atitlán because it was the closest point to Mexico geographically. But if you’re planning to fly back from Guatemala City, you’ll need to allow at least half a day to get back to the airport.

Crossing the border from Lake Atitlán into Chiapas was quite an experience. When we travelled, there wasn’t much information available about how to do it, which is why I’m preparing a separate guide with the full route and our experience to make it easier for you to plan. And if you’re about to make this border crossing and have questions, feel free to email me or message me on Instagram.

Would I Change Anything About This Guatemala Itinerary?

Overall, I’m really happy with the route we chose, especially considering how little time we had. But I would definitely spend more time around Lake Atitlán.
I’d also try to organise the journey from Acatenango to the lake better because between being exhausted after the hike, going back to collect our laundry and dealing with transport, we ended up losing quite a bit of time.

On the other hand, I’d keep Tikal, Semuc Champey and Antigua exactly as they are. And while some of the long transfers can be tiring, I think this combination works really well when you have around 10 days in Guatemala and want to experience several completely different sides of the country.

What Did We Leave Out of Our Guatemala Itinerary?

Ten days are enough to put together a pretty comprehensive Guatemala itinerary, but the country has so much more to offer and, simply because of time, we had to leave quite a few places out. Honestly, choosing what to skip was difficult.

Río Dulce, El Paredón, Quetzaltenango and Huehuetenango are all still on my list for a future trip. There are also areas of the country that really deserve several days if you want to experience them without constantly checking the time.

So, if you have more than 10 days in Guatemala, you don’t necessarily need to just add more destinations to this same route. You could give places like Lake Atitlán more time, or use the extra days to explore completely different regions of the country.

💁🏽‍♀️ I’ll be sharing a longer Guatemala itinerary soon, with more stops and a much more relaxed pace.

Shall We Keep Travelling?

Si todavía no lo leíste; en este artículo te cuento 10 cositas de Guatemala que me hubiese gustado saber antes de organizar el viaje, es literal lo que le diría a una amiga que sé que está por ir.

It was an intense trip, but we managed to see a huge part of the country and, as usually happens after every trip, I left wanting to come back and discover everything we didn’t have time for. For reference, our whole trip took place during the last week of October, when it wasn’t peak season yet.

Nosotros seguimos camino hacia México, así que, si también estás armando un viaje por este lado del mundo, podés seguir leyendo mis artículos de México y continuar la ruta desde acá.

And if you want to follow along on my upcoming travels, find more recommendations and see a little bit of what happens behind the scenes, I’ll see you over on Instagram.

And finally, if this guide genuinely helped you organise your trip and saved you a few hours of research, you can buy me a coffee ☕. It’s one of the loveliest ways to support me in keeping this blog going and sharing everything I learn along the way.

See you in the next destination!

Guadi.