Guatever Guatemala

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Trip start
February 18, 2017
Guatever Guatemala Kenza Alaoui
Flores
February 18, 2017 in Guatemala ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
---> Crossing the border to Guatemala from Belize.

I'm super excited about Guatemala. I'll be spending 9 days in this country, starting with Flores, an island on lake Petén Itza.
Soon after crossing the border we went visiting the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal, located in a rainforest in the North of Guatemala.
Tikal National Park is massive, 575 square km of jungle and temples dating back to 900 BC. You can't help but wonder how they built it all and how they lived, only to to see it fall into decline and abandon it like the rest of the great Mayan cities.
The afternoon was spent on a boat, cruising around lake Petén Itza and swinging into the water.Read more
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Rio Dulce
February 19, 2017 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
Driving to Rio Dulce, we stopped by the hot waterfall at Finca el Paraiso for a nice swim before arriving to Lake Izabal (largest lake in Guatemala) where I will be staying for two days.
The hotel, Hacienda Tijax looked like a jungle retreat by the river, with its cute little huts but don't be fooled, mosquitoes mean business.

I spent the next day visiting El Castillo, an old Spanish fort built during colonial times and used to keep pirates at bay before serving as a prison.

I booked a kayak on my last day and paddled away to watch the sunrise over Rio Dulce whilst listening to howler monkeys.

After two nights in Rio Dulce, my body felt more like a mosquito buffet, it was time to leave.Read more
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Antigua
February 23, 2017 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Such a pretty colonial town with loads of cute little cafés and boutiques.
I stayed at La Quinta Santa Lucia hotel right in front of the big market, overlooking Volcano de Agua.
There are 3 volcanoes around Antigua, all above 3,000m and I was pretty excited to start my volcano trail in Central America, so I booked a hike up the Acatenango volcano (3,976m) for the next day.

We drove to the village of La Soledad at 4am where we started our hike to the top of Acatenango. After a 30min climb up, the decrease in atmospheric pressure started to make my breathing difficult, followed by headache, nausea and dizziness. I seemed to have an acute mountain sickness which made it a nightmare to climb up the Acatenango volcano. The higher we would go, the more I would experience fainting episodes which was pretty scary but I had no choice but continue upwards. The volcano trail didn't seem as exciting anymore...

After surviving the Acatenango volcano, it was time to get back to Antigua for a long overdue shower and a hearty meal to lift my spirits.Read more
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Panajachel
February 24, 2017 in Guatemala ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Travelling to the shores of Lake Atitlán from Antigua.

Super fun night at Pana Rock bar in Panajachel.

I embarked on a boat ride across the lake and stopped at Ven Aca for a nice meal and a swim in their infinity pool overlooking the lake and the 3 volcanoes lining the shores of Atitlán.Read more
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Guatever Guatemala Kenza Alaoui
San Juan La Laguna
February 24, 2017 in Guatemala ⋅ 🌙 13 °C
Stunning scenery and great shopping for Mayan handicraft, colourful textiles and paintings.

I stayed at a homestay organised by Planeterra, a non-profit organisation. It was the most authentic experience I've had in Central America!Read more
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Trip end
February 25, 2017

Flores

Rio Dulce

Antigua

Panajachel

San Juan La Laguna