Please do yourself a favor and do this ! - This was definitely a highlight of my vacay. What a great way to start off the trip! I mean c’mon how often do you get to hike up an active... read more volcano, eat pizza cooked by its heat & warm up marshmallows up there too? Everything about this experience was just awesome! We wanted to do it for sunset and there were no issues; they were very accommodating!
We were picked up by JJ from our bnb at the exact time we were told; extremely punctual. The entire ride there was very educational; JJ was really good at sharing his knowledge of certain areas/ towns we drove by which we really appreciated. Once there, we were met by our LOCAL guide, Yimer, which in my opinion is absolutely awesome! Not only are we getting a locals insight but also contributing to the local families there. It’s a win win! The trail itself isn’t too bad; I’d say it’s more of an elevation issue that makes it hard. Yimer was super funny and friendly which made the hike harder because it was nonstop talking and laughter. Additionally , he is a great photographer! He will take however many pictures you’d like and some of his own, which turn out to be better than yours. Lol
We were up at the top in no time and had tons of time to enjoy our pizza, marshmallows & beverages . The views from up there are just stunning! We made it back down safely and met up JJ to drive us back to town. There were 0 issues/ hiccups during the tour everything from booking all the way to ending was so seamless. I also got the chance to chat with Caty and Milind regarding my travels in Guatemala and they were both very nice and had great recommendations. It really does not matter who you interact with , the entire team is great ! Thank you all! Definitely 11/10

  Nice to have a change of scenery - Nice to get out of the main bit of Antigua and see some different things. Estephan our guide was friendly and knowledgable. The driver (sorry I forgot his name) was... read more super friendly and knowledgable too! A lot of the tour was focussed around visiting family run places that sell things more than seeing what Guatemalan village life is like. The macadamia farm was good and they gave a lovely face massage. Overall it was enjoyable.

  One of their drivers, J.J. was the best. Very positive, yet very knowledgeable of this entire area and its history. Highly recommend this tour if you are interested in more... read more than the city of Antique. This tour takes you to places very unlike the city.

  Esteban was a wonderful guide! I was lucky enough to get a private tour after other guests didn’t turn up. And the whole 4 hours was great. I was lucky... read more enough to see a volcanic eruption, the procession of Holy Week, and learn about everything from architecture to birds to the history of Antigua. I really recommend this walking tour for a brilliant snapshot of Antigua!

  The entire staff went out of their way to make sure everything went smoothly for me.

The booking was smooth, the guide was super knowledgeable and interesting, the picnic... read more was delicious, the entire Pacaya experience was amazing.

I have dealt with other agencies before and I’ll just say that I highly recommend booking a tour with these guys!

  I had a wonderful time walking around Antigua with Esteban. He was very knowledgeable of the history and culture that laid the foundation of Antigua. We visited many churches... read more and neighbors and he answered all my questions!! Very patient tour guide too. I highly recommend this tour company!!

  great time - Amazing experience , the tour guide Gabriel was very experienced and great guy . we enjoy the places we visit in a safe environment. will recommend and do again.

  JJ was such a knowledgeable and interesting guide. It was definitely obvious that he was passionate about his country and his people. I loved the Macadamia farm tour... read more it was super interesting. A fun half day thing to do while in Antigua. I recommend it highly!

  We stumbled upon Columbus Guatemala Travel while we were walking the streets of Antigua. How fortunate for us! We walked into the office as strangers and walked out... read more feeling like we had reconnected with long-time friends. The ladies in the office were very friendly and super helpful. Our guide Esteban was awesome! His knowledge of everything Guatemalan, his courteous service and safe driving, and most of all his friendly companionship made each of our excursions exceptional. Our whole family loved him! He was our driver for 3 weekend trips: Lake Atitlan, Tikal-Peten and Semuc Champey. We highly recommend Columbus Guatemala Travel!

  Columbus Guatemala Travel was amazing! We booked our travel itinerary with them just a month before traveling to Guatemala and they were able to book great accommodations and adventures for... read more my husband and I. The tour guides were great, especially Esteban. He was full of knowledge and has a very friendly and fun personality. We enjoyed our time in Guatemala. It is beautiful with so many things to do and see! We loved the culture and the opportunity to see Mayan ruins and the land. We will definitely be coming back!

  This was a great tour to see more of the surrounding towns of antigua! I especially loved how much explanation and history our tour guide gave us. He was very... read more friendly and helpful with our questions- I highly recommend!

  Amazing Guide of Antigua  - One of the best tour experiences I’ve had. Our guide took us over all of Antigua and he was so truly knowledgeable that it really enhanced every story he told.... read more I highly recommend this guide

  Culturally Rich Tour - Had a fantastic tour around the villages south of Antigua - Catherina from Columbus Travel was able to make it happen in the end even when the date I picked... read more originally didn't seem to be available. The tour was incredibly in-depth, and we visited the villages to the south of Antigua, visiting many of the local small farms, artisan shops, and local landmarks in the area.

Everywhere we stopped by didn't feel touristy, it just felt a part of the local neighbourhood. (For those interested, just note that the tour does encompass a few local small businesses showcasing quality Guatemalan products, but that's fairly expected - it's always good to support the local community.) As an added bonus, the personalized "Columbus Chicken Bus" was a funky concept 😉

Carlos the guide was stellar, and he dedicated hours to explaining sites in the villages and everything along the route in such great detail, making sure nothing was lost in translation to help me get the most of the afternoon. The tour never felt rushed, and Carlos bent over backwards to reflect the best of Guatemalan life!

Thanks very much to the entire Columbus Team!

  The Chicken bus tour was awesome!
Stephen was an excellent guide - very knowledgeable, comprehensive, informative and fun to spend 4 hours with. The Chicken Bus experience was cool.... read more Driver and son were prompt, professional and a pleasure to be with. We covered alot with multiple personal tours of boutique, family run small business' where everyone takes great pride in their work. I learned a ton. Chocolate (cacao) tour and tasting seeing how the process works - all by hand. Wine tour and tasting was nice. The macadamia nut farm was enlightening. The indigenous townspeople were all very friendly, personable and humble. Overall, a great experience!

  JJ toured us in Antigua and from there we went to Lake Atitlan with him with an excursion via boat to San Juan where we hiked to the view point,... read more took a tuk tuk. He pointed out a delicious coffee shop and we enjoyed the Women’s cooperative. Throughout our journey, he was amazing; was sensitive to the pace we wanted, recommended great places to eat and had tremendous knowledge. He drove us back to guatamela city with a stop in chichi market. When he done us back to the airport, he took us in and explained everything.

The best part of this company was the help Catherina gave me in planning the trip and assisting me when our flight from to Tikal to Guatemala City was over 4 hours late causing us to miss our flight back home to NY. From the moment I said our flight was delayed until after 1am, she helped arrange a hotel, a car and looked into my trip insurance. AMAZING! HIGHLY recommend!

  The Chicken Bus tour is my all time favorite tour in Antigua! From the moment we were picked up by the chicken bus to the last stop having an amazing... read more lunch of pepian with an indigenous family, each stop was filled with discovery, culture, locals, and amazing views of the volcanoes. We were treated to a cacao demonstration and sampled the chocolates, then the nispero honey and onto Fredy’s café for some fabulous dark roasted coffee grown locally by his family and served in his home. Onto the macadamia farm, the only one in Central America, where we experienced a relaxing macadamia facial! We were all smiles for our lunch with a local indigenous family who spent most of the morning preparing the Papillion. We are also treated to a weaving demonstration by the ladies of the house. All in all it was a fun filled day with smiles all around. Our guide Estephen. was knowledgeable and personable, we learned so much from him. Our driver Antonio and his son Fernando managed to get us in and out of some of the small villages on the chicken bus. A skilled driver indeed! I live part time in Antigua and this is the third time I have taken my visitors on the chicken bus tour and I highly recommend it for everyone of all ages!

  100% Recommend - Excellent tour and very knowledgable guide. We did a walking tour of antigua and this tour was different information specially about the interesting facts of the chickens buses that you... read more see around Guatemala. Highly recommend!

  I had a great time on the tour. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. We had a good amount of time at each stop. Highly recommend!

  Great Tour! - It would be hard to say what my favorite part of the tour was as every place we went to I really enjoyed.
I have been to... read more Antigua several times in the past but I have never gone on chicken bus tour before. I also have been to the villages we went to before but I enjoyed them even more because of our wonderful guide,Estephen, who was so delightfulhe was very knowledgable in all the places we went to . This is a tour that deepens your understanding of the local cultures in a very fun way.
I was thinking we would be riding around on the local chicken busses but what you actually ride in is a small private chicken bus which of course made it easier to get to the places we were going in a timely manner.
This was a tour I would highly recommend for a very fun half day.

  Villages Tour in the Highlands. - This was a great tour. The guide spent extra time because the chocolate factory stop was crowded. Each stop was unique. I highly recommend this tour.