Absolutely incredible experience. The jungle was beautiful , the Mayan sites amazing and the community vibe of the group and the guides it was just perfect, one of the best travel experience I have ever had by far.

We had a fantastic 3 days hike to Atitlán. The trek starts some 20 km outside of Antigua and varies in its difficulty, can be challenging at some point, but from our perspective it is well manageable even if you're not hiking on a regular basis (like us). It definitely offered us a perspective into Guatemala we would have missed out on otherwise. We loved our accommodations as we were staying on a public ground in the first and on a private ground in the second night. It is a really nice and spacious tent and as a support vehicle is supplied everything is already fixed up once you arrive at the camp sites. There's even the opportunity to have a hot shower after the hike. The food is home cooked and was really nice too. Our guide, Willy, has been nothing but fantastic. A very kind and knowledgeable person and very easy to spend time with. He had a huge impact on this trip and we couldn't be happier to have had him as a guide. There is just one minor downside as we see it: while the 1st and third day were pretty long and largely up and down hill, the second day is very relaxed with approximately just 3 hours of walking. We felt that a bit more even distribution of the distance would make sense. We can highly recommend this trip if your looking to get an insight into bit more rural Guatemala whilst hiking.

An amazing trip. Made easy by the brilliant planning and management by Sofia and her team. Picked up from our hotel in Guatemala City, we started our trip in Antigua - a lovely little town deserving of its UNESCO title. The Hotel Los Pasos was great with a very good breakfast. But one night was enough for us - coming from London we love to get away to nature as much as possible. The transfer to The Hotel Regis in Panajachel and Lake Atitlan was efficient and easy, as all the transfers were. The hotel is quite basic but they made us breakfast for our birding trip. We felt Santiago was a nicer town than Panajachel and our guide - David - took us to a lovely restaurant there for lunch. Back to Guatemala City for one night in La Inmaculada Hotel - a really lovely boutique hotel. Then an early flight to Flores. Picked up by Cornelio and onto the Estación Biologica in Las Guacamayas. This was the highlight of our trip. Cornelio was an amazing guide, the staff were lovely and the food was good. Incredible location in the midst of the national park and surrounded by wildlife. As the only guests there - there’s a maximum of 6 even when full - it felt magical. We loved it. Then back to Flores. The Hotel Isla de Flores was pretty, but the staff were a bit less helpful than in the other places we stayed. To be honest, we didn’t like Flores that much. The buildings are pretty but it feels very much a tourist town. That said, it was our choice to stay there rather than in the park at Tikal. But the tour of Tikal was good, the Mayan ruins were amazing and Tito was a very knowledgeable guide. All the transfers were effortless and on time. The last driver in Guatemala helped us through immigration and even checked with our Belize driver that we were through ok! So thank you to Sofia and her team for helping plan this trip with us and for making everything effortless and efficient. The feed of places to go and eat that popped up on the Trip app for each destination was really helpful and we always felt that if there was a problem there was someone we could rely on to help.

From start to finish the tour was organized in full detail. Both our local guide René as our English interpreter Hector did an amazing job of showing us around the jungle, setting up camp and preparing food. I would highly recommend this tour!!!

I cannot recommend Etnica highly enough. Our partnership with them for a recent educational program in Mexico was exceptional from start to finish. Their team handled every detail of our on-the-ground logistics with professionalism, warmth, and incredible cultural insight. Every experience, from visiting Maya archaeological sites to learning traditional cooking and weaving, was thoughtfully curated and authentically local. Our guides were knowledgeable, patient, and deeply passionate about the country’s history and culture. Etnica’s organization made it possible for our students to fully immerse themselves in the learning experience without worrying about logistics. As a university faculty member and global studies director with over 15 years of experience coordinating study-abroad programs, I can honestly say that Etnica is one of the very best partners I’ve ever worked with. They balance safety, education, and cultural connection perfectly. We’re already planning our next program with them - and we can't wait!!!