A Memorable Trip to Guatemala and Belize

Combining Guatemala and Belize in one trip is the perfect combination of culture and adventure. Memorable Travel Group knows how to blend these destinations and create an exciting, profound, and well, yes, memorable trip.

Guatemala’s rich Mayan culture dates back 4000 years. One of my favorite experiences of my trip to Guatemala was witnessing a Mayan Ceremony at Iximche. The ceremony was a celebration of the Mayan Lunar New Year and a blessing for planting corn. Iximche I was told translates to “corn tree”. This was an authentic ceremony and not a performance for tourists. In fact, there were very few tourists at the Iximche ruins. The ceremony took place on and around 550-year-old ruins by the present-day K’iche’ Mayans. Our guide for the day was a Guatemalan archaeologist with great curiosity and a quick wit. She introduced us to one of the spiritual leaders she knew at the site. We were given insight to the ceremony that helped me understand what I was witnessing. Seeing this ceremony will go down as one of my all-time favorite travel experiences.I also enjoyed Lake Atitlán, which is the deepest lake in Central America and is known for the beautiful views of the volcanoes reflected in the lake. Staying in Panajachel, I traveled to San Juan La Laguna, which is 30 minutes by boat. There I was able to visit a women’s cooperative that supports single women by selling their woven goods. I enjoyed a demonstration of the dying and weaving that creates the goods they sell, and each item in their shop has a picture of the woman who made it and how many days work went into the garment. I also visited a chocolatier and sampled chocolate rum and had the best coffee of my trip. To work off some of these indulgences, I hiked up to Cerro Kiaq’Aiswaan for the amazing views. After this hike in the heat, I was ready for my tuk tuk ride to take me back into town and finish exploring this unique lakeside village. Mayan culture is alive and well in this part of Guatemala, and I enjoyed seeing their traditional clothes and handmade crafts.

After a couple of nights at Lake Atitlán, it was time to go on and see more of this captivating country. Antigua is a beautiful colonial city and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1979. It was founded in the early 16th century and was Guatemala’s capital for almost 250 years. This city has character. It is a blend of Spanish colonial buildings; trendy and delicious restaurants; opportunities to get into nature and hike the surrounding volcanoes; and it is a feast for your eyes. Antigua is a colorful city, and some of the color is provided by the city’s “chicken” buses, which are converted US school buses providing local transportation. I enjoyed seeing the bus lot where many were assembled waiting for passengers. No one could tell us why they are called chicken buses. I had my favorite dessert of the trip in Antigua, which was a plantain chocolate mole.

After a few days of culture in Guatemala, it was on to some adventure in Belize. I stayed at Ka’ana Resort in San Ignacio, which is a Signature Travel Network property. Ka’ana is located in a lush, tropical jungle, and yes, you need bug spray. The resort can arrange adventure activities, and I got to go cave-kayaking and ziplining. The caves were dark and required flashlights, which were used to see where we were going and to see the ancient Mayan artifacts in the caves. I lost count of how many platforms there were ziplining, but it was more than 10. It was enough to give me an adrenaline rush, and I enjoyed some pool time and cooling off when I got back to Ka’ana.A couple days of adventure is best followed by beach time, and I was ready for Ambergris Caye. I highly recommend arriving by air, so you can get there quickly from Belize City – just 15 minutes, and from the air you can see all the shades of the turquoise waters. The Tropic Air plane holds just 14 passengers, and the airline is very efficient. You don’t have a pre-assigned seat; rather you are sized up as you board and instructed where to sit. I got to sit next to the pilot, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Traveling under Memorable Travel Group’s arrangements means as soon as you land, you walk out of the small airport and your driver is waiting. He expertly dodged the locals’ transportation, golf carts, and dropped me off at my home for my last two nights, Victoria House Resort and Spa, another Signature Travel Network property. I rested comfortably in my Luxury Villa, and the next morning I caught a boat from the Victoria House dock to go snorkeling.

I soon realized my adventure part of the trip was not over. When the boat stopped, I looked in the water and there were dozens of nurse sharks and stingrays. We were in Shark Ray Alley. I put on my snorkel gear and jumped in. After snorkeling I had one more activity, and it was the cherry on top of a memorable trip. I headed back to the airport for a 30-minute flight to the Great Blue Hole. If you aren’t a scuba diver, a flyover of the Great Blue Hole should be on your bucket list. It truly is a sight I won’t forget.

The lesser-known destinations of Guatemala and Belize should be on everyone’s radar. I’d love to help you plan your own memorable trip.