Guatemala and Belize Itinerary & Map (14 Days)
TL;DR
2 countries, 1 trip. Spend 10 days backpacking Guatemala and 4 days backpacking Belize on this roundtrip. See the highlights of both countries like the Acatenango volcano, Tikal, and Lake Atitlan in Guatemala as well as the ATM Cave and the Caribbean beaches of Belize.
Let’s be honest: Guatemala does a lot of things great. The Acatenango Volcano is truly the highlight of any Central America trip and the Tikal ruins are amongst the most impressive we’ve visited. Other things it does not do that great. The Caribbean beaches of Livingston and co pale against their Belizean counterparts. So why not combine both countries in one itinerary to get the best of both worlds?
Our two week Guatemala and Belize itinerary provides you with the bare minimum of time you’ll need to explore the two countries.
- 2 Week Guatemala and Belize Itinerary
- Guatemala and Belize Backpacking Itinerary Map
- Day 1 – Guatemala: Explore Antigua
- Day 2 & 3 – Guatemala: Hike Acatenango Volcano
- Day 4 – Guatemala: Antigua to Rio Dulce
- Day 5 – Guatemala: Rio Dulce to Livingston
- Day 6 – Guatemala to Belize
- Day 7 – Belize: Relax in Hopkins
- Day 8 – Belize: Hopkins to San Ignacio
- Day 9 – Belize: ATM Cave Day Trip
- Day 10: Belize to Guatemala
- Day 11 – Guatemala: Tikal Day Trip
- Day 12 – Guatemala: Flores to Lake Atitlan
- Day 13 & 14 – Guatemala: Relax at Lake Atitlan
2 Week Guatemala and Belize Itinerary
Guatemala and Belize Backpacking Itinerary Map
Day 1 – Guatemala: Explore Antigua
Antigua is a great first stop to arrive in Guatemala. It offers great food and drinks - from craft beer and artisanal coffee to traditional cuisine and street food. Wonder the streets, if you have time take a walking tour, settle in and relax after a potentially long travel day.
Here are some of our favourite food and drinks options:
- Best coffee: Fat Cat
- Best local food: The market
- Best bar: Antigua Brewing Company
We have written a complete Antigua travel guide:
How to Get from Guatemala Airport to Antigua
The closest airport to Antigua is La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. The easiest way to get from the airport to Antigua is by taking
- an Uber, ~1h, ~40$
- a shared shuttle, ~1.5h, ~15$
Day 2 & 3 – Guatemala: Hike Acatenango Volcano
This will be one of the highlights of your trip! The hike up takes around 6 hours (depending on your fitness) with an extra 5-hour hike to Fuego (only go there if you’re incredibly fit). It’s a 1500 m (1 mi) elevation gain on very gravelly, slippery ground. The reward of your struggles? An amazing view from Acatenango to Fuego, which normally erupts around every 15 minutes. At night, you can see lava flowing if you’re lucky.
How to get from Antigua to the Acatenango Volcano
Easy. Take a tour. We have written a blogpost about the best Acatenango tours:
Day 4 – Guatemala: Antigua to Rio Dulce
To get to Belize, you first have to head to Rio Dulce. This is a great place to stay at a relaxing river lodge like Tortugal Boutique River Lodge or El Hotelito Perdido – a perfect activity after the strenuous Acatenango hike.
We have written a complete Rio Dulce travel guide:
Travel Guides
Quick Rio Dulce Guatemala Travel Guide (+ Map)
No fluff travel guide to Rio Dulce Guatemala.
Carina
How to Get from Antigua to Rio Dulce
Easy and straightforward: Take a shuttle 😉
- Shuttle Antigua to Rio Dulce, ~6h, ~45$
Day 5 – Guatemala: Rio Dulce to Livingston
Boats from Guatemala to Belize leave from Livingston at the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. Currently, there’s only one boat in the morning so we suggest to base yourself in Livingston for the night.
How to Get from Rio Dulce to Livingston
The nicest way to get from Rio Dulce to Livingston is by boat tour. You can see most quintessential sights in the area on this boat tour:
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Agua Caliente hot springs
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Lagoon Gardens
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Isla de Pájaros
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Castillo de San Felipe de Lara
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Livingston
This private tour gives you a good overview but you can also book shared tours once you’re there:
Day 6 – Guatemala to Belize
Today, you cross the border from Livingston, Guatemala to Punta Gorda Belize and travel on to Hopkins.
How to Get from Livingston, Guatemala to Punta Gorda, Belize
Adrenalina tours offers one daily shuttle from Livingston to Punta Gorda:
- Water taxi Punta Gorda to Puerto Barrios, ~5h, ~70$
How to Get from Punta Gorda to Hopkins
You can easily catch a northbound bus from Punta Gorda to Dangriga. Jump out at Hopkins section and take a shared taxi (10 BZD) into town.
Day 7 – Belize: Relax in Hopkins
Hopkins is our favourite place in all of Belize. The beach is long, clean and beautiful. You can also experience Garifuna culture - how about a drum circle or a cooking class? For us, it’s the better alternative to just visiting Livingston in Guatemala. In our opinion, it’s also the better alternative to Caye Caulker as the beach is actually sandy and there are more things to do - how about an off-the-beaten-path bioluminescent lagoon or the world’s only jaguar reserve?
The food options here are delightful as well. From Garifuna dishes at Queen Bean to Western cuisine at Peer’s Place, there’s everything your stomach could desire - including coconuts on the beach.
Day 8 – Belize: Hopkins to San Ignacio
San Ignacio is the adventure hub in western Belize. Here, you can visit waterfalls, Belize’s biggest Mayan ruin Caracol, and caves. If you ask us, the ATM cave is a must on your Belize trip!
San Ignacio is also the town in Belize where we found the cheapest and most abundant street food. If you’re there on a Saturday, don’t miss the market! Burns Avenue offers a lot of nice bars and restaurants.
How to Get from Hopkins to San Ignacio
Hop back on the northbound bus to Dangriga and further to the capital Belmopan. Here, change to a westbound bus to San Ignacio. You might have to wait a bit if the next bus is already fully booked.
Day 9 – Belize: ATM Cave Day Trip
This might be controversial but we recommend going to San Ignacio / the ATM cave instead of Semuc Champey and the Kanba Caves, Guatemala. The way to Semuc Champey is very long and windy. Although in another country, San Ignacio can be much easier reached from Flores.
Additionally, we have learned that walking through the Kanba Caves in Guatemala with candles is really detrimental to the ecosystem. In contrast, the tours in Belize are very environmentally conscious. They can only enter with socks so you don’t contaminate the cave floor. You’ll get all the same adventure but with some additional Mayan artefacts as a bonus.
If you are also craving the pools of Semuc Champey, San Ignacio has the Rio On Pools to offer. You can bathe and slide in picturesque pools with small waterfalls - completely without the crowds! On our visit, we were the only tourists - almost unheard of in Semuc Champey. You just have to budget another day, but in San Ignacio, that’s easily possible.
Here’s our critical travel guide to Lanquin and Semuc Champey:
How to Get from San Ignacio to the ATM Cave
You need a guide to enter the cave so it’s easiest to book a tour. The experience is totally worth it. We loved our guide JC from Mayawalk Tours.
We have written an ATM Cave tour review:
Travel Guides
ATM Cave Tour Review – The Best Tour We Did in Belize
Should you book the ATM Cave Tour in San Ignacio, Belize? Yes!
Carina
Day 10: Belize to Guatemala
Today, travel from San Ignacio, Belize, to Flores, Guatemala.
If you leave early in the morning, you’ll have half a day enjoying Flores. You can swim in Lake Peten, take a lancha out, or feast in one of the amazing restaurants.
We have written a complete Flores travel guide:
How to Get from San Ignacio to Flores
You can easily get a shuttle to Flores!
- Shuttle San Ignacio to Flores, 3h, 16$
Day 11 – Guatemala: Tikal Day Trip
The Tikal Mayan ruins are amazing. You can easily spend a whole day or even more there. The city covered an area greater than 16 square kilometres (6.2 sq mi) and included about 3,000 structures. Even if You’re not the biggest history buff, the Great Plaza with its two great pyramids as well as the North and Central Acropolis will impress you. Don’t miss the Star Wars Temple: Temple IV was featured in (you guessed it) Star Wars Episode IV. And the view is impressive even if you’re not a Star Wars nerd. Our second favourite viewpoint is the pyramid in the Mundo Perdido. This is also the second area we recommend you not to miss.
How to Get from Flores to Tikal
The easiest way is taking a shuttle or a tour.
We have written a blogpost about the best Tikal tours from Flores:
Day 12 – Guatemala: Flores to Lake Atitlan
Even when you leave super early, you’ll lose a whole day in the shuttle. Most shuttles will drop you off in Panajachel which is easily nice enough to spend one night. The morning views of the lake are spectacular here.
How to Get from Flores to Lake Atitlan
We recommend a shuttle again. The trip takes at least 15 hours (also depending on where you want to go on the lake) so it will not be possible to do it in one go during the daylight hours.
- Shuttle Flores to Lake Atitlan, 13h, 67$
Day 13 & 14 – Guatemala: Relax at Lake Atitlan
You need at least two days to appreciate the beauty of Lake Atitlan.
We strongly recommend you to set up your base somewhere nice. We have explored several towns and can personally recommend:
- San Pedro for a backpacker scene, parties, and language schools.
- San Marcos for spirituality, yoga, vegan food, and rock climbing.
- Santa Cruz for great views, nice hostels, and scuba diving.
We have written a complete Lake Atitlan travel guide:
How to Move Around Lake Atitlan
Easy - you move around Laka Atitlan by boat or Lancha. Just go to the dock we marked on our map in Panajachel and hop on the next boat to the destination of your choice. They leave very frequently during the daylight hours.
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