Guatemala, located in Central America, is a country known for its volcanoes, ancient Mayan ruins and welcoming people. If you are looking for a destination that is more adventurous, Guatemala should be added to your bucket list! Lots of activities will be pushing you out of your comfort zone, such as hiking an active volcano, cliff jumping, and surfing!

I travelled to Guatemala back in December of 2024. There are so many things to do in Guatemala that this blog post would get a bit too long. Therefore, I have cumulated the 6 best experiences to do in Guatemala in this post. You can also find all the various things to do in each region that we visited (Antigua, Lake Atitlan, El Paredón) in my other blog posts.

Table of Contents

• 1. Cliff jumping in San Marcos La Laguna
• 2. Hiking overnight the Acatenango Volcano to watch Fuego Volcano erupt
• 3. Surfing in El Paredón
• 4. Spending a day relaxing at la Casa del Mundo
• 5. Taking a yoga class in Lake Atitlan
• 6. Watching the sea turtles being released on El Paredón Beach

1. Cliff jumping in San Marcos La Laguna

If you are on social media, you will see that many people in Guatemala will be cliff jumping at this specific place. This place is located in San Marcos, a town around the famous Lake Atitlan. The cliff jumping located is located inside a park, called the Cerro Tzankujil Nature Reserve.

To access the Cerro Tzankujil Nature Reserve, there is an entry fee of 20Q (4cad) for tourists and 15Q (3cad) for locals. The park isn’t that big, so you could spend only a few hours here if you are tight on time. If you have more time, you could even stay here the whole, taking in the sun and the calmest vibes.

My favourite experience at the Cerro Tzankujil Nature Reserve was the cliff jumping. When you enter, you can follow their sign of “Trampoline,” which will bring you to the cliff jumping platform. Many people on social media say that the platform is approximately 12 meters high, although I don’t know if there are any source that confirms the truth of the height.

If 12 meters is too high for you, there are also rocks that are located at a lower height that many people jump from right next to the main platform.

2. Hiking overnight the Acatenango Volcano to watch Fuego Volcano erupt

When I thought about Guatemala, the first thing that popped up in my mind were these volcanoes, the Acatenango and the Fuego Volcanoes. In all honestly, if there is one thing to do in Guatemala from this whole list, this is the experience that I recommend.

I will not lie, this hike was HARD. This experience consists of hiking the Acatenango Volcano, which is a great located to watch Fuego Volcano erupt every 20 minutes. During this experience, you can also choose to hike the Fuego Volcano, which is the active volcano. You ascend almost a 2000m elevation gain in one day if you decide to do both hikes. These hikes are part of the same package but the Fuego Hike is an extra add-on to your Acatenango Hike.

This experience lasts for 2 days, starting typically in the morning Antigua, where you will be picked up from your accommodation, and ending on the second day, where you will be dropped back in Antigua. I have a detailed blog post about our whole experience with the Acatenango Hike, so I recommend you to check it out if you are interested!

Nevertheless, this experience was simply magical. Watching a volcano erupt right next to you every 20 minutes, seeing lava for the first time, sleeping at 3000m of altitude: things that I will never regret doing.

3. Surfing in El Paredón

If you are in El Paredón, surfing is a must, whether you are a beginner or a pro. The waves are not too strong, so it is not too challenging if it is your first time.

If you are a beginner, I do recommend going for a surf class or two! There are lots of companies along the coast of the beach that offer classes. The rates range from 80 to 100 Q per hour per person. If you want to rent a board, it is approximately 50 Q. You just need to reserve the day before, and I recommend simply going to the booths in person to book.

El Paredón is known for being a surf town, so you will see a lot of other people surfing, and you will also see a lot of beginners taking classes at the same place in the mornings.

4. Spending a day relaxing at la Casa del Mundo

La Casa del Mundo, meaning “the house of the world” in English, is a hotel located around Lake Atitlan. It is known for its gorgeous garden and its location right next to the lake, giving similar vibes to the famous Lake Como in Italy.

If you want to stay for the night, prices start at approximately 500Q per night (100 cad), which honestly isn’t that bad for such an amazing property in my opinion. Instead of staying the night, you can also purchase a day pass at the hotel, where you can take advantage of their facilities during the day. It costs 50Q (10 cad) per person for a day pass.

The lanchas (ferries on Lake Atitlan) can take you directly to la Casa del Mundo. At la Casa del Mundo, there is a cafe, a restaurant, restrooms, water activities that you can rent, and hammocks where you can relax.

5. Taking a yoga class in Lake Atitlan

San Marcos, a town around Lake Atitlan, is the hippie town in Guatemala, filled with loads of yoga retreats. You can attend a yoga class or even stay overnight a some locations.

We decided to take a morning “Meditation and Yoga” class at Eagle’s Nest Atitlan. The class cost us 20 usd. The facility is gorgeous, and the platform where everyone does yoga is open and overlooks Lake Atitlan. The instructor was super knowledgeable and it was such a great activity to start off our morning. Even if you are a beginner at yoga, don’t be afraid to try it out!

At Eagle’s Nest Atitlan, you can even decide to stay overnight if you would like. As a guest, you also have access to yoga classes during the day.

6. Watching the sea turtles being released on El Paredón Beach

Sea turtle season in Guatemala is between August to December. In El Paredón, there is a company that takes care of the hatching process of the turtles, and they release them during the morning.

You can book a tour, or you can simply show up at the El Paredón Beach, in front of “Tortugario el Paredon” on Google Maps, which is what we did. At approximately 6:00 am, there will be a guide that will come with a bucket of sea turtles that were safely hatched at their shelter. The guide will then release them into the ocean, and you can be around to watch them go.

When we travelled to El Paredón, we did not expect for there to be sea turtles being released because we travelled to Guatemala during the end of December. However, we were surprised to find from a lovely traveller at our accommodation that the turtles were still being released, so we went after their recommendation.