Guatemala

This weekly series focuses on budget accommodation gems we discover while on the road. This week: Hotel El Amanecer Sak’cari in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala.

Lake Atitlán has been described as the most beautiful lake in the world. No matter where you visit, the views are stunning – the sprawling lake, the green mountains and the looming giant of San Pedro Volcano.

It’s not like I woke up one morning with the burning desire to climb an active volcano, but in a country like Guatemala, with more than 30 volcanoes (many of them active), volcano climbing is the norm.

We had no idea about our three hour layover in Guatemala last Monday, but this incredible landscape made us realize that we need to come back for another visit.

When we heard about Finca Filadelfia, a coffee farm near Antigua that apparently makes some of the best coffee in all of Guatemala, we decided to take a tour of the farm and learn how high quality coffee is grown and processed, plus how to serve it up right.

Todos Santos Cuchumatan is a village in the Western Highlands of Guatemala, and the Mam Mayans make up by far the largest part of its population.

In 300 days of travel, we have had some amazing ups and disappointing downs, and share with you here our top & flop moments, travel mishaps, favorite experiences and travel recommendations.

300 days on the road… almost exactly 10 months of backpacking! Looking back on Day 1 arriving in Las Vegas back in April to where we are now, we still can not believe how much life, experience, adventure – and work! – we have been able to squeeze into these 300 days.

Semuc Champey is a series of natural ponds 300m (985ft) above the Cahabon river in the region of Verapaz in Guatemala. The natural limestone bridge above the rushing rapids below houses cascading pools connected by several mini-waterfalls.

Located in the Central Highlands of Guatemala is the beautiful Lake Atitlán. At 320m, Lake Atitlán, formedby the collapse of a volcano cone, is the deepest lake in Central America. The lake is surrounded by mountains and three volcanoes, and several villages dot its shores. The villages are inhabited by Maya, mainly Tz’utujil and Kaqchikel, who still dress in their traditional costumes and share their villages with the tourists who come for the stunning scenery and atmosphere of the lake.