Exclusive Trip for Donors and Friends to Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
Five incredible days in Lake Atitlán, Guatamala March 30 – April 3, 2025
Dear friends of ViviendasLeón,
Join us on a trip to Guatemala and experience the impact of our work. I have spoken to many of you over the last months about our plan to host a trip to the Lake Atitlán region of Guatemala. We now have the dates, March 30 to April 3, and this post will fill you in on the details.
We are really excited about having you join us to get a first hand look at our work. You will meet the communities and women in our program and learn about their culture and history. You will understand the challenges they face and successes we are having there.
The itinerary will include arrival on Sunday morning, March 30 followed by three full days in the Lake Atitlán region.
Day 1: Sunday, March 30
Arrive at Aurora Airport, Guatemala City in the morning. Travel together by van to Antigua, Guatemala for breakfast and a brief walking tour of this historic colonial capital city. Continue by van to Panajachel, the lakeside jumping off point for travelers to explore the Lake Atitlán region. We will board a ferry to take us across the lake to San Pedro la Laguna, where we will stay in lakeside hotels, relax and enjoy the sunset and dinner with our director, Maybeline Chavajay on the roof terrace restaurant.
Day 2: Monday, March 31
Starting early this morning we will have breakfast at the hotel, then board our van to drive up the mountain to the rural communities of Los Planes and Paxub’. There we will meet with the women and their families who are our first group of women farmers, tour their farms with our agronomist, Yamileth Alonzo, and hear about their experiences farming their land in new ways.
After lunch in the community, we will meet with the school parent committee and learn more about their community, its history and the issues that affect them. Later that afternoon we will return to San Pedro for some relaxation, then a walking tour of the town with our director Maybeline. We will stop along the way to have dinner in a local restaurant, then return to the hotel.
Day 3: Tuesday, April 1
After breakfast, we will meet with a local historian and lake resident who will talk with us about the history of the Mayan people from pre-Columbian culture, through the colonial period, independence in the 1820’s to the end of the 20th Century. After lunch we will board a ferry to Santiago la Laguna and take a tour of the town with some important historical and cultural stops, and the central market. If there is time we will take a moderate hike through a nearby bird sanctuary, Rey Tepepul Reserva Natural de Atitlán.
Day 4: Wednesday, April 2
On our final day at the lake we will again take a ferry, this time to visit some organizations working in communities in the lake region. Our first stop is IMAP, a permaculture training organization that has a demonstration farm and related infrastructure to teach sustainable farming and environmental alternatives to local communities.
From there we will head to Tolimán for lunch, then to visit the town of Santa Catarina Palopó, where Pintando Santa Catarina, an organization there, has been promoting Mayan arts for decades. We can head up the mountain from there to a mirador overlooking the lake in the late afternoon, and enjoy cocktails while watching the sunset over Lake Atitlán. Our final dinner will take place in Panajachel, culminating with an evening ferry ride back to San Pedro.
Day 5: Thursday, April 3
We leave the Lake Atitlán region early this morning on our way back to Guatemala City and the airport.
Trip fee and what is included:
The trip fee of $500 per person is all inclusive in Guatemala. Hotel stays, transportation within Guatemala, breakfast and lunch are included. Dinners are not included with the exception of the last evening meal.
Travelers must book and pay for their own flights separately. All trip members must arrive at Aurora International Airport, Guatemala City the morning of March 30, and depart the afternoon of April 3.
Reserving your place on the trip:
Please let me know as soon as possible if you are considering joining us. The group will be just 10-12 people. To reserve your place on the trip please send a $100 non-refundable deposit by February 28 to our donation page.
I look forward to hearing from you!