Explore Antigua on a locally-hosted Guatemala culinary tour. Spend 6 days in the former colonial capital of the Kingdom of Guatemala, whose architecture combines 17th and 18th century buildings and ruins with modern conveniences. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, Antigua exudes a unique atmosphere of history, intrigue, and local custom. Enjoy street eats and Antigua tours tasting local Guatemalan cuisine. Choose from amongst a wide array of international restaurants for dinner each evening.
Highlights
Wander the cobblestone streets of colonial Antigua
Visit Antigua's bustling market to explore fresh ingredients
Learn about various types of cacao and make your own chocolate treats
Take a coffee tour and learn about the production process
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
Arrive at the airport in Guatemala City and transfer to La Antigua, your home, during your Guatemala culinary tour. Enjoy a stay at Posada del Angel, a small boutique hotel that has recently been awarded the Andrew Harper's Hide Away award.
The famous Meson Panza Verde is recommended for dinner this evening. Located around the corner from your hotel, the restaurant offers an array of international cuisine options.
Enjoy the morning. Feel free to stroll the cobblestone streets of Antigua. Please acquaint yourself with this colonial city and its breathtaking ruins. The day starts with a visit to the bustling Antigua market. People come from surrounding villages daily to sell and buy produce, fish, meats, flowers, and more. You can also find traditional textiles, handicrafts, pots, electronics and clothes here. Guatemala boasts a long and proud food culture and history and welcomes the opportunity to share its most beloved dishes with its visitors. Patas a la vinagretta, Pepian Revolcado (Brain stew), and Tamales are all well-known choices in Guatemala.
Every weekend, Guatemalans go to the streets to eat. Since many traditional Guatemalan dishes have a long preparation time, they are typically only made on special occasions. Later in the day, your guide will take you on a tour of Antigua's street food hot spots, where you will get to taste some of Guatemala's most authentic cuisine. These are the places where long lines of locals are a fixture, and for good reason: the food served is delicious and well-prepared. Learn the cultural and historical significance of the offers and visit Antigua's bustling market to explore the colorful array of ingredients used in Guatemalan cuisine. (Please note that this tour is for more adventurous eaters.)
If you still have room for dinner, your recommended Guatemalan cuisine tonight is at the Fonda de la Calle Real restaurant.
Today, venture one hour outside of Antigua with your driver and guide to the small town of Comalapa. Comalapa is home to many local painters who continue the tradition of naïve paintings. See the famous mural painted by school children in 1996 depicting Guatemala's recent civil war events. Explore the market today, a main shopping hub for many locals, and witness those still wearing the traditional Maya dress. Visit the small museum dedicated to the composer of Guatemala's national anthem and enjoy lunch before returning this afternoon to Antigua.
Today, explore the indulgent art of chocolate making with a hands-on workshop of your own at Choco Museo. Learn first about the history of the Maya discovery of the cacao bean and how it led to the mass production of chocolate worldwide. Learn about various types of cacao and its health benefits before taking on the challenge of making your chocolate treats. Start with the bean and work it into cacao tea, Maya hot chocolate, and European hot chocolate. Next use your creativity by adding ingredients such as almonds, coffee beans, ginger, sea salt, and more to create your chocolate bar invention. Enjoy some time in the early afternoon when you are free in Antigua.
After rest, you are transferred from your hotel to La Fonda de la Calle Real, a local restaurant well-known for its unique flavors of Guatemalan foods. This activity is fully participatory and after a brief introduction, your local chef starts by teaching you about the interesting mixture of Spanish and Mayan influences on Guatemalan flavors using the best quality of meats, vegetables, herbs, and spices handpicked from La Antigua’s local market. Experience cooking in an old-fashioned kitchen while enjoying the unique flavors of a complete Guatemalan meal you have prepared. When ready you are transferred back to your hotel.
Guatemala's biggest contribution to the worldwide cuisine market is its coffee. Today you can explore the production process on a coffee tour in the local town of San Miguel Escobar, just outside of Antigua. As Green, as it Gets (AGAIG), is a charity working to support small independent coffee producers and promote sustainable agriculture practices in Guatemala. Visit some of the families supported by the organization during the tour, and during the coffee season (Nov-Mar) you may even work alongside the coffee farmers and help with various steps in the production process. See how the coffee is roasted over an open fire and ground by hand before sampling the handiwork. End the tour by enjoying a traditional lunch at the home of a community member. The tour includes a small donation to AGAIG as well.
Return to Antigua this afternoon and enjoy the rest of the day. Feel free to explore at your leisure. Tonight you can test out Hector's restaurant, located opposite La Merced Church. Expect a wait, as it is packed almost every night of the week!
Day 6: Antigua | Guatemala City Airport
1 Breakfast
You are transferred back to Guatemala City on time for your return flight home.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Prices for not yet published. Below per person rate based on previous season. Contact us to confirm upcoming season pricing.
Prices for are estimated based on inflation. Contact us to confirm pricing and availability for your desired departure date.
Initial deposit is $400 plus cost of internal airfare, and most travelers will call our office and pay the deposit with a credit card.
Final payment is due 70 days (10 weeks) prior to departure by bank transfer, check or credit card. All final payments by credit card may be subject to a surcharge and maximum of $20,000 charge
Kate was great to work with in the planning stage. She was prompt, helpful, and efficient. Our tour guide, Edwin, was knowledgeable and passionate. We were very happy to have traveled with Adventure Life, it made the trip easy and a true pleasure. We could concentrate on enjoying the experience rather than the details of travel.
Lisa Bridge
TrustScore 4.8 | 175 reviews
TrustScore 4.8 of 5
Based on 175 reviews on
1 day ago
The response from Adventure Life to my first inquiry was prompt and promising. I worked with Jamie Broeckel, Trip Planner, via text, email, and phone calls- always extremely responsive and thorough with information and explaining the process to arrange a private tour for me to Malaysia Borneo. Within about week, the booking was complete and I made decisions because of Jamie's great customer service , friendly manner, and overall competence on behalf of the company's travel expertise. Now I have an itinerary, additional Trip Planner Assistants, several links for vital information for traveling to Maylasia, etc. Still many details for Sept. trip, but now the heavy lifting is done and I can enjoy the rest of the anticipation and research!! Thanks Jamie- you are amazing!!!!
Susan Campo
3 days ago
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
4 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.