Guatemala Antigua and the highlands

  • Antigua
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The pretty colonial city of Antigua bustles with boutiques, galleries, arty cafés and restaurants.

Overview

Antigua was once one of Spanish America’s greatest cities, its prosperity and importance interrupted by earthquakes. Nowadays it is a peaceful, multi-national place retaining the best aspects of its Guatemalan heritage. Lovely to look at, it hosts lanes and shady plazas where flowering plants spill over crumbly walls, and pastel-painted colonial façades are punctuated with heavy wooden doors.

Boutiques, galleries, arty cafés and restaurants thrive here. The city is encircled by three volcanic peaks, along the fertile skirts of which flourish orchards and kitchen gardens. Beyond in the western highlands are traditional villages with flourishing markets. Chichicastenango, 1,965m, is the best known but others such as Zunil are also a riot of colour.

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Holidays Antigua and the highlands

From expertly designed Private Journeys to trail-blazing Group Tours, browse our range of carefully crafted holidays.

Tents set up on a grassy hill on a trek

Private Journeys

Guatemala

Active Guatemala: Trekking in style

10 days from £2,600pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

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Private Journeys

Guatemala

Easter in Guatemala: Semana Santa

8 days from £2,050pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

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Guatemala / Belize

Family Guatemala and Belize: Ancient temples and Caribbean isles

14 days from £4,050pp

(based on two people sharing & excluding flights)

Things to do

We proudly offer the widest range of activities, excursions and one-of-a-kind experiences across all our destinations, tried and tested personally by our travel experts.

Accommodation

Browse our unrivalled portfolio of accommodation . Every option has been carefully chosen by our team of travel experts, so you can rest assured that you’ll relax in utter comfort.

Casa Santo Domingo
La Inmaculada
Meson de Maria
Posada de Don Rodrigo Antigua

Where to go when - our guide to Antigua and the highlands

Antigua Guatemala

The weather in Antigua and the highlands is wide and varied

Once one of Spanish America’s greatest cities, Antigua nowadays is a picturesque place retaining the best aspects of its Guatemalan heritage. Encircled by three volcanic peaks, the city hosts boutiques, galleries, arty cafés and restaurants interspersed amongst cobbled lanes and shady plazas. Beyond in the western highlands are traditional villages with flourishing markets such as Chichicastenango which is a riot of colour.

View our Antigua and the highlands weather guide

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Meet our team

Real Latin american experts

  • Juliet
    Juliet Ellwood - Travel Expert

    After graduating with a degree in Anthropology and History and having been fascinated by Latin America since childhood by the book featuring photos of Nazca, Juliet first visited the region in 2003. Since then, Juliet has visited the majority of countries in Latin America but has particularly extensive experience with Peru, a country she loves for many reasons but not least, its incredible archaeological richness and delicious food!

  • Charlotte
    Charlotte Daubeney - Travel Expert

    Charlotte's fascination with Latin America began with a family holiday to Belize. She went on to study Spanish in school and at university before spending a year living in Santiago, Chile.

  • Kathryn
    Kathryn Rhodes - Travel Expert

    Kathryn backpacked across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru before joining us. She has a degree in Philosophy and French and is a keen netball player.

  • Lina
    Lina Fuller - Travel Expert

    Lina's passion for the continent where she was born really took off when she moved to Córdoba (Argentina) to study, spending the holidays travelling between Argentina and her native Colombia.

  • Carrie
    Carrie Gallagher - Travel Expert

    A former JLA tour leader, Carrie brings a wealth of on-the-ground experience to our London-based Tailor-made and Group Tours department.

  • Sallly
    Sally Dodge - Travel Expert

    A former Journey Latin America tour leader, Sally spent 7 years working, travelling and living throughout Latin America before returning to the UK to help people arrange their own adventures to this wonderful destination.

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