Combining volunteer work with travel is a great way to see the world while also doing something impactful. On this 10-day trip, visitors have a chance to learn about Guatemalan culture while contributing time and talent to a local school.
In addition to exploring the colonial city of Antigua and small, Maya towns along the coast of Lake Atitlán, guests engage in volunteer work at a primary school. Visitors can read to the students, participate in workshops or organize cross-cultural exchanges.
Our itineraries are for your inspiration. Please contact a travel advisor to customize this itinerary to fit your needs.
Arrive in Guatemala City and travel 45 minutes west to your hotel in the colonial city of Antigua, which was Guatemala's capital from 1543 until 1773. Today the city is one of the cultural treasures of Latin America.
Spend the night at Posada del Angel, situated near the main plaza of the city.
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the colonial-era ruins of Antigua on a half-day tour of the city’s most stunning and significant landmarks. Visit churches and monasteries, the city’s central park, and a handful of other sites as you learn about the historic, cultural and social highlights that make Antigua unique.
After a lunch of traditional food, like chiles rellenos, transfer to volcano-rimmed Lake Atitlán, one of Guatemala’s signature sights. Stay at the famed Casa Palopó, with a stunning view of Lake Atitlán and the surrounding volcanoes.
Board a boat for the village of San Juan la Laguna, where you’ll visit the workshop of a naïf painter and a women’s cooperative where traditional back-strap looms and all-natural dyes are used to make some of Guatemala’s prettiest textiles. Afterward, head to the Tz’utujil Maya town of Santiago Atitlán. Explore Santiago’s church and market while learning about the town’s history, textiles and folk art. Track down Maximón, a celebrated Maya folk saint housed by a member of the local religious brotherhood. Shamans often perform rituals where Maximón resides.
Spend the next few days based out of Antigua. From here, you will explore the Mayan site of Iximché, volunteer with Niños de Guatemala and tour a coffee plantation run by the nonprofit organization De la Gente.
Travel to Iximché, an archaeological site that was once the capital of the Kaqchiquel Mayas. Comprising partially excavated temples, ceremonial plazas and ball courts, it is used today by modern Maya shamans for sacred rituals. Tour the site then return to Antigua, stopping by the Cerro de la Cruz overlook for beautiful city views.
Volunteer with Niños de Guatemala, a Guatemalan/Dutch nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to defeat poverty and support sustainable development.
Visitors spend time at Nuestro Futuro, a school for pre-K through sixth-grade students. In addition to providing classroom assistance, volunteers read to children, help organize sports and other games, partake in textile workshops and help make school improvements.
Visit the town of San Miguel Escobar to learn about the work of De la Gente, a nonprofit organization that helps support independent coffee producers. Explore the coffee fields, get a first-hand look at how beans are grown and processed, and help collect beans during harvest seasons. Afterward enjoy a traditional lunch in the house of a local.
Enjoy a free morning in Antigua before heading to the Guatemala City airport for your flight home.
Contact a travel advisor to book your custom itinerary. Fill out the form or call (630) 734-4610.
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