We start in Antigua, a pastel colonial town sitting under three volcanoes. Cobbled streets, ruined churches, rooftop bars, and a coffee farm that will ruin supermarket coffee for you forever. Two nights here to find your legs, meet the crew and get sorted for the mountain.
Then the big one. We hike up Acatenango and sleep on it. It tops out just under 13,000 feet, the climb takes four to six hours through farmland and cloud forest, and basecamp sits on the ridge facing Volcan de Fuego. Fuego erupts every twenty minutes or so, all night, close enough that you feel it. You watch lava from your sleeping bag, then summit at dawn above a sea of cloud.
After that the whole trip flips. Three nights on Lake Atitlan, a flooded volcanic crater ringed by Mayan villages. Boat days, a sunrise hike, cliff jumping, morning workouts over the water, hammocks, long dinners and a theme night.
Hard first half, soft second half. You earn the lake, then you enjoy it.
Fly into and out of La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City (GUA). It is the only major international airport in the country, so arrivals and departures are both from the same place.
Try to land before 2pm on day one so you can ride our shuttle to Antigua, which is about 90 minutes from the airport. On the final day, book anything after 11am.
All ground transport during the week is covered: airport transfers within our window, Antigua to the volcano trailhead, the trailhead to Lake Atitlan, and boats between the lake villages.
Plans change, we get it. Cancel more than 45 days before the trip starts and 100% of what you've paid, deposit included, becomes trip credit you can use toward any SYB trip within 12 months.
To reserve your spot, a 20% deposit is required. It goes toward your total, and the remaining balance is due six weeks before the trip starts.
If you cancel within 45 days of departure, your payment is non-refundable and non-transferable. No exceptions, and we do not offer cash refunds for any reason.
Travel and medical insurance is required, and you must secure it before joining the program. It's the best way to protect your investment if life happens. Worth it.
Three places, and they could not be more different from each other.
Antigua is the colonial one. UNESCO listed, ringed by Agua, Fuego and Acatenango, full of courtyards, markets, ruined churches and rooftops. This is where the trip starts and where we base before the climb.
Acatenango is the hard one. One night on the side of an active volcano at basecamp, watching its neighbour erupt.
Lake Atitlan is the beautiful one. A 340 metre deep crater lake with three volcanoes on the southern shore and a dozen Mayan villages around the water, each with its own personality. San Juan for the weavers and murals, San Marcos for the cliff jump, Santa Cruz for the quiet. The only sensible way between them is by boat.
Start: Antigua, Guatemala on Tuesday, February 9, 2027.
End: Guatemala City on Monday, February 15, 2027, which is Presidents Day, so most of the crew only burns four vacation days for the whole trip.
This trip starts and ends at the same airport (GUA), which makes flights simple.
Plan to arrive before 2pm on February 9 for our shuttle, and book your flight home after 11am on February 15.
Breakfast every morning is included, plus the welcome dinner in Antigua, the farewell dinner on the lake, and every meal on the volcano: dinner at basecamp, snacks on the climb and breakfast up top after the summit.
The other dinners and all lunches are on you, which is the fun part. Comedores, street food, lakeside cafes and rooftop spots in Antigua, and the crew always ends up eating together anyway.
Guatemalan food is underrated. Expect black beans, fresh tortillas, plantains, pepian, grilled meats, and some of the best coffee on the planet.
Alcohol is not included, but there is no shortage of chances to drink it.
Two properties, both Socialtel, both built for exactly this kind of group.
Socialtel Antigua for the first half. It sits three minutes from the Santa Catalina Arch in the middle of the old town, with a pool, a restaurant and bar, wellness space and a serious social scene.
Socialtel Atitlan for the second half, right on the lake, with volcano views and the same easygoing crowd.
Room options: Shared Spot puts you in a twin room with another traveller on the trip, two single beds and a private bathroom. Private Spot is a standard queen room with a private bathroom, to yourself, at both properties.
In between the two, you spend one night at basecamp on Acatenango. That is a mountain camp, not a hotel, and it is the best night of the trip.
We are not going to undersell this one. Acatenango is genuinely hard.
The summit is 3,976 metres, just under 13,000 feet. The climb is four to six hours with over 1,500 metres of elevation gain, starting through farmland, then cloud forest, then a black volcanic ridge where the trees stop and the air gets thin. The altitude is the part that surprises people, not the distance.
You do not need to be an athlete, and you do not need any technical experience. You do need to be able to walk uphill for several hours and be genuinely up for it. Most of our crew have never been at that altitude before and they all make it.
You will be with experienced local guides and your SYB leaders the whole way, moving at a group pace with plenty of breaks. Porters are available if you want help with your pack.
The two easy days in Antigua beforehand are deliberate. They let you acclimatise a bit before we go up.
It is genuinely cold at basecamp. You are at altitude, at night, on an exposed ridge, so it can drop near freezing even though you were in a t-shirt in Antigua that morning.
Bring proper broken-in hiking shoes or boots, warm layers including a hat and gloves, a rain shell, a headtorch, and a small daypack.
Sleeping gear, tents and warm outer layers at camp are provided by our mountain operator, so you are not hauling a sleeping bag around Central America.
You will leave your main luggage at the hotel and only carry what you need for the one night. Bring more water than you think and some snacks you actually like.
The only sensible way around Lake Atitlan is on the water, so we do it properly with private boats rather than cramming onto the public lanchas.
We hop between villages across the week. San Juan La Laguna for the weaving co-operatives and the painted streets, San Marcos for the cliff jump and the swimming, San Pedro for the noise, and quieter stops in between.
Expect long lunches on the water, a lot of swimming, and at least one afternoon where the plan quietly dissolves and nobody minds.
After a late night you may not want to wake up and join us for a workout, but we highly suggest it. Included in your trip, the bootcamps and yoga sessions keep us energized and ready for the day.
On this trip you are doing them on a deck over a volcanic crater lake, which is frankly showing off.
There is nothing better than waking up and sweating with your new friends. Our world-class trip leaders know how to start the day right with a workout that primes us for a full day of adventuring.
Rest days are also fine. Nobody is counting.
Absolutely, and we actually recommend it. This trip is your chance to show up as your truest, most adventurous self. No baggage, no expectations, no old routines. When you come solo, you open yourself up to deeper connections, new experiences, and a crew that becomes instant family.
This one bonds people faster than most. Nothing accelerates a friendship like suffering up a mountain together and then watching lava with them at midnight.
We totally get that it can feel intimidating at first, but trust us, this is the best way to do it. Most of our guests come solo, and by day one, you will not feel that way anymore.
Yes. You can leave your phone in your bag and stay present while a professional photographer captures every moment.
Eli is leading this trip and he is one of the best shooters we have, so you are in good hands. Sunrise on the summit, lava at midnight, boat days on the lake, all of it.
And yes, it is all included in your trip. Your post-trip photo dump is going to break the group chat.
The local currency is the Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ). US dollars are accepted in some larger hotels and shops but you will get a worse rate, so use quetzales.
Cash is king in markets, village shops, comedores and for tipping. ATMs are easy to find in Antigua and Panajachel, less so in the smaller lake villages, so pull out what you need before you head across the water.
We suggest budgeting $250 to $350 for lunches, bars and a few meals out. Otherwise we have got you covered.
Major credit cards work at most hotels and larger restaurants but assume small places are cash only.
Tap water in Guatemala is not recommended for drinking, so we stick to filtered or bottled water throughout the trip. Safe drinking water is always available at both hotels and on the mountain.
Bring a reusable bottle. You will get through a lot of water on the Acatenango climb, and altitude dehydrates you faster than you expect.
We travel with experienced SYB leaders and trusted local guides who know these areas inside out. Our routes are well travelled, our activities vetted, our accommodation handpicked, and the volcano is run with a professional mountain operator.
Guatemala is very manageable for travellers who use common sense. Keep valuables secure, stay aware in busy markets, do not wander alone late at night, and follow the guidance of our team.
On the mountain, listen to the guides. They know the weather and the terrain, and if conditions change they make the call.
This trip is for people who want more than just a vacation.
It is for the people who say yes to random adventures, stay out longer than planned with the group, accidentally make best friends on day two, and come home with way too many stories.
Guatemala is not a soft trip. There is a hard hike in the middle of it and you will be cold and tired for about twelve hours. That is the price of admission for the single best night we put in any itinerary.
But it is also not a boot camp. The back half is hammocks, boats, swimming and long dinners. Do every workout or sleep in. Climb hard or take it slow on the lake.
Come for the volcano. Leave with a group chat that never shuts up afterwards.
Yes, at both hotels. Our team comes through to keep your space fresh so you can just focus on the fun.
On the volcano, obviously not. That is one night of roughing it and it is worth every minute.
February is the heart of Guatemala's dry season, which is why we picked it. Warm sunny days, cool evenings, and the best odds of the year for clear skies over the volcanoes.
Antigua and Lake Atitlan sit at altitude, so days are pleasant rather than sweltering and nights get properly cool. Bring a layer for the evenings.
Acatenango is a different story. At basecamp you are near 4,000 metres and it can drop below freezing overnight in February. Pack accordingly.
Guatemala uses the same plugs as the US (types A and B, 110v), so American chargers work without an adapter.
Wifi is solid at both Socialtel properties. On the lake it can be slower in the smaller villages, and on the volcano there is nothing at all, which is rather the point.
A local eSIM is cheap and easy if you want data. Coverage is decent in Antigua and around the lake.
We do a theme night on every SYB trip and it never once gets old. Costumes, questionable choices, photos you will be explaining for years.
We tell you the theme before the trip so you can pack for it. Effort is strongly encouraged and always rewarded.
There are also the nights nobody planned, which are usually the ones people talk about most.
