2025 PEG Guatemala Trip Itinerary
Here is a proposed itinerary. It may need to shift as we get closer to the actual dates and get more information from our partners. Things in Guatemala change based on weather, road conditions, national current events, and local factors. This is our plan, and we ask for your flexibility as we adapt to whatever is happening on the ground each day.
Day 1 Sunday, July 20
This is our arrival day. Group will be shuttled to Casa San Benito in Guatemala City. We will have group introductions and dinner. Afterwards, we will have evening reflections.
Day 2 Monday, July 21
We will have breakfast at Casa San Benito and then have guest speakers present about the Mayan history as well as the colonial history of Guatemala which, together, give us a perspective of Guatemala in current context. After lunch, we will visit the Casa de la Memoria museum to experience the history of Guatemala through rooms of art installations.
Day 3 Tuesday, July 22
After breakfast at Casa San Benito, we will visit a school in Guatemala City that serves the families that live around the city dump. After lunch, we will travel to Lake Atitlan and spend the night at the Posada de Santiago.
Day 4 Wednesday, July 23
This morning, we will hop in the back of a pick-up and visit Escuelita David LaMotte in Tzanchaj, (about 15 minutes away). You’ll get to see some of the homes, learn about the local Maya language, Tzu’tujil, and meet the students who will be excited to greet you at Escuelita David LaMotte. In the afternoon, we will have demonstrations of weaving, embroidery, and beading.
Day 5 Thursday, July 24
Today we will walk over to La Puerta Abierta school and library to learn about their work and spend some time in the classrooms. In the afternoon, we will have a tour of Santiago with well-known tour guide Dolores Ratzan.
Day 6 Friday, July 25
We say goodbye to beautiful Santiago and take a boat to cross Lake Atitlan to Panajachel. We will visit the Nature Reserve in Panajachel where you can walk the trails which include swinging bridges and beautiful views of waterfalls. Then we will travel 2.5 hours to El Tejar to stay with homestays.
Day 7 Saturday, July 26
Breakfast will be served with the family, then we will walk about 10 minutes to the music school. We will spend some time with the kids and enjoy a concert and lunch. In the afternoon, there may be a project that we might help with. We will have dinner with our host families.
Day 8 Sunday, July 27
We will meet with the young women who are part of the scholarship program called BrillaGuate. We will have a time of exchange with icebreakers, games, and other activities and enjoy lunch together. In the afternoon, we will have free time and dinner with host families.
Day 9 Monday, July 28
We will have breakfast and say goodbye to our house families, then we will visit a Macadamia farm outside of Antigua before spending the night in Antigua
Day 10 Tuesday, July 29
We will have a day to explore Antigua, in the morning we will tour with Elizabeth Bell and the afternoon will be free.
Day 11 Wednesday, July 30
This is return day. We will have shuttles from Antigua to the airport (about an hour-long drive) according to departure times.
Overall Time at Locations for the ten-day trip:
2 night in Guatemala City
3 nights in Santiago, Atitlan
3 nights at homestay in El Tejar
2 nights in Antigua
