Wow what a wonderful way to spend the day exploring Antigua’s surrounding villages/towns!! My partner and I decided to book this tour instead of climbing the volcano and we were... read more worried we would regret it, but we honestly could not be happier! Our tour guide JJ was absolutely incredible - so warm, friendly and easy to talk to (also spoke perfect English which was bonus). He shared openly so much wonderful knowledge and history about his local area, the people and surrounding villages, culture and their way of life. JJ’s passion and love for his country and community truly shone and he was also so kind, patient and giving with his time and knowledge. If you are looking for an authentic experience in which you want to learn more about the locals and their everyday life whilst visiting some amazing family run businesses (with great wine and chocolate) then do not hesitate to book this tour! Thank you so much JJ and Columbus Guatemala Travel for the amazing experience!!!

  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.

  Excellent walking tour with our guide Juan. From basic history to little nuances and interesting tidbits about the city, a very enjoyable walk. We did our tour in Spanish,... read more and Juan says his English is "so so" but it's very good! Very nice and engaging guy, highly recommended!

  Great sights, and energetic and funny tour guide. Unfortunately, the tour took 8 hours when it was supposed to take 4 hours

  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!

  Unique trip, really delivered. Had a fun half day travelling around the surrounding villages with Stephano (who created the tour) and JJ in the Chicken Bus. Learnt a lot... read more about the area and visited some genuine local enterprises, each with a good sustainability credentials. Thoroughly recommend, it's got to one of the best short trips in Antigua. Columbus staff all really friendly and helpful.

  "Awesome experience"

The Chicken bus tour! " 4 hour tour"

We had the opportunity to visit some towns around La Antigua. The coffee farm... read more and shop; where we met a beautiful local family who shared the making of their own delicious coffee. The chocolate factory and all its products and the textile towns.

We visit towns and mingle with the locals. Seeing the daily life of its people was a fun experience. We also visited the common laundries; their church and a story behind each one.

The countryside is beautiful as well as the coffee plantations. The view in general is spectacular!!

Our tour guide was very kind and knowledgeable about the area.

We highly recommended this tour! Top!1 100%

  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!

  Great time! JJ was an awesome guide. We live here and got to see a lot of hidden treasures. A lot of nice villages.

  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!

  Incredible & Unforgettable Journey with Columbus Guatemala Travel - Words cannot adequately express the incredible experience our families had with Columbus Guatemala Travel. From the moment we booked our trip to the bittersweet farewell, every aspect of our Guatemalan... read more adventure was meticulously planned and executed to perfection. This tour company, led by the dynamic duo of JJ and Catherina, redefines the concept of world-class travel planning, and they delivered a vacation for our father's 60th birthdays that will forever remain in our hearts and minds.

JJ and Catherina's were with us in every step from the very beginning. Their commitment to ensuring our comfort and satisfaction went above and beyond anything I have experienced in my travels. Their genuine warmth and kindness, coupled with extensive knowledge of the country's history, culture, and natural wonders, allowed us feel immersed in a cultural experience .

The Columbus Guatemala Travel team left no stone unturned in making our journey as comfortable and seamless as possible. They anticipated our every need, be it accommodations, transportation, or dietary requirements, and catered to them with remarkable attention to detail. We felt genuinely cared for and supported, allowing us to fully immerse ourselves in the beauty of Guatemala without any distractions or concerns.

As we traversed the breathtaking landscapes of Guatemala, we were in awe of the team's ability to introduce us to the very essence of this magnificent country. Their carefully curated itinerary took us on a captivating exploration of ancient Mayan ruins, vibrant markets, serene lakes, and lush rainforests. We encountered warm-hearted locals, tasted delectable cuisine, and discovered hidden gems, all the while feeling the guiding presence of JJ and Catherina.

It's rare to find a company that surpasses all expectations, but Columbus Guatemala Travel did precisely that. If you're considering a trip to this magical land, do yourself a favor and book with them – it will undoubtedly be one of the best decisions you'll ever make.

To JJ, Catherina, and the entire Columbus Guatemala Travel team, thank you for giving us the gift of an unforgettable, life-enriching adventure. Your passion, dedication, and exceptional service have left an indelible mark on our lives. We cannot recommend you highly enough and eagerly look forward to our next journey with you.

  My experience with Esteban was exceptional. He's very knowledgeable, passionate about what he does, and very personable. It was a day well spent and I can't thank him enough. He... read more went above and beyond (provide names of some great restaurants, and tailor the tour so I can see a few places I wanted to visit) to make sure my experience was a good one. I would recommend this tour to everyone, but especially for solo travelers like myself!! Don't hesitate to book and request Esteban!!!!

PS- He's a great photographer!!!

  Amazing guide - JJ was an incredible guide. So friendly, personable, knowledgeable, and kind. He really made this tour amazing and unique for us both :D. The fresh chicharron & tacos was a... read more real highlight! Highly recommend!

  Best Tour Guides Ever - Columbus Guatemala Tours is hands down the best travel tour operator I have ever worked with. I’ve booked through tour groups in countries like Brazil, India, Italy, Germany, and the... read more UK, but have never worked with such an organized group of individuals who truly care about crafting an all around experience for you.

Catherina was responsive, thoughtful, and dedicated to crafting a full trip itinerary that met our travel needs, and did so in a short timeline. She made sure we felt like our needs and ideas were incorporated into the plan, but ultimately, we learned to trust her expert local opinion on what to do and where to eat, and it worked out better than we could have imagined. Not only did she handle the itinerary, she also took care of all of our bookings, making trip planning simple.

JJ, our tour guide for the entirety of the trip, is one of the most friendly guides I’ve ever met. He was extremely thorough about making sure we knew what the plan was, where we were going, and translating all things shared by local guides or merchants - he never made us feel like the language barrier was a limiting factor in our experience. JJ was generous with his time and energy, allowing us to make adjustments to schedule and make detours as needed - he was always on time and never missed a beat. He even came on all of our hikes to make sure we felt safe and taken care of, and brought us a lot of laughs on the way. One thing that also stood out was how generous he was to all of their suppliers and local guides, the folks that drove the tuk tuks, the boats, and even showed us around the volcano. He treated everyone with the utmost respect, and made them feel included and welcome to experience the journey with us.

Overall Guatemala is a wonderful country, full of rich cultural experiences and tremendous nature. We hiked to watch the sunrise at Tikal, the volcano of San Pedro, and Acatenango to see Volcan de Fuego erupt. Each of these activities were magnificent in their own way, and were awe inspiring views to say the least. We also had the luxury to stay at Casa Palopo in Lake Atitlan, which was the perfect hotel to soak in the majesty of Lake Atitlan. In Antigua, we were lucky enough to spend time with the extended Columbus Guatemala tour team, and they made the city feel like home. They hosted a surprise birthday party for my dad and I during a cooking class, and we got to celebrate as if we had been family forever. I will forever cherish the experiences and memories I created in Guatemala, and I’m grateful for the Columbus Guatemala team for making it happen!

  Wow. Esteban is an amazing tour guide and his English is perfect. I really love that he is actually FROM Antigua as well. When others didn't show up, I ended... read more up having a private tour! He tailored the tour to my interests and provided so much detail about Antigua, he is a book of knowledge! We walked the streets and he pointed out many subtle details about the city which I thought was absolutely perfect. We also ended the tour with a complementary beer from one of the establishments, I'm not a beer drinker but it was tasty! He also gave me pointers about his favorite coffee shops and restaurants in Antigua. The tour lasted about 3 1/2 hours. I HIGHLY recommend this tour!

  We took this tour with our two toddlers and all of us had a blast. All staff was very friendly and knowledgeable. We visited spots we would have never visited... read more by our own. We learned about coffee, chocolate, textiles, and lots of history . It was a unique/authentic experience Definitely recommend this tour for all ages.

  This was the most breathtaking experience of my life. Yimer was an excellent guide & the horses were lifesavers (Champion and Pancho we miss you!) My friend and I had... read more a picnic in the craters of an active volcano and we shared with our guides and learned about cheese leaves and rode the horses up and down (I am from the American south so the altitude killed me during the hike.) The pictures our guide took of us are going to be framed in my home. I am so happy. They were THAT good.

  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!!

  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!

  Chicken bus and local walking tour!  - We took a half day bus tour and a half day walking tour and found it extremely informative and entertaining. We covered a lot of ground and learned history we... read more hadn't gotten on our own just walking around. JJ and ET are local Antiguains and had great energy and pride for their home and country. I highly recommend this company and experience!!!