Morning
Fly NYC → San Salvador (SAL)
Avianca flies JFK–SAL nonstop with early departures that land by mid-morning — that is the flight that makes tonight's beach evening work. United's Newark nonstop lands about 9:35 PM, so only take it if you accept a late arrival. With nine people, book one flight; the coast shuttle leaves when everyone has cleared immigration.
Afternoon / Day
Airport → El Tunco
Boca Olas is about 36 km from the airport — roughly 45 minutes to an hour on the Carretera al Litoral. Pre-book two vans through the hotel rather than haggling taxis at arrivals.
Check in: Boca Olas Resort Villas
Carretera al Litoral km 42, 150 m from the sand at the Río Grande mouth. Two- and three-bedroom villas plus pool-front and ocean-view rooms, several pools and a swim-up bar — take a couple of villas and split the rest into doubles.
Confirm the Tuesday shuttle
El Salvador runs on US dollars, so no exchange needed. Reconfirm the Gekko shuttle booking for Tuesday and the Monday waterfall pickup with the hotel front desk.
Evening
Playa El Tunco and the rock
Walk the main lane down to the black-sand beach. The pig-shaped sea stack that names the town sits just offshore; sunset is around 5:40 in late December.
Dinner at the Boca Olas restaurant
On site at the resort, by the pools. Fresh seafood and grilled meats — the easy first night after a travel day, no reservations across town needed.
Morning
Breakfast at Dale Dale Café
Calle Principal, Playa El Tunco, on the walk-in lane to the beach. Riverside patio, breakfast plates, coffee and smoothies; registered with the national tourism registry.
Surf lesson with Bamboards
El Tunco beach. Group and private lessons run by José "Bamba" Díaz, an ISA-certified coach and president of the Salvadoran Surfing Federation; soft-tops and rentals on site. Book the group slot by WhatsApp a few days out.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at Café Sunzal
Km 43, CA-2, El Sunzal, inside the Casa de Mar hotel — a about a kilometre west along the sand from El Tunco. International menu on a terrace over the point.
Afternoon at Playa El Sunzal
The long right-hand point next door — beginners stay on the inside, the rest of the group can watch the lineup from the rocks or hammock at the hotel pool.
Evening
Sunset at the river mouth
Walk back to El Tunco along the beach for sunset at the bocana. Bring a beer from the lane; the whole town gathers on the sand.
Dinner at La Bocana
Km 42, Playa El Tunco, on the beach directly in front of the rock. Two floors of seafood, ceviche and Salvadoran plates; a 10% service charge goes on the bill. Reserve a long table for nine.
Morning
Tamanique waterfalls hike
Tuk-tuk or pickup 25 minutes uphill from El Tunco to Tamanique village, then a steep 45-minute trail down to four falls with swimming holes and jumps. A local guide is required and is hired at the trailhead in the village — wear shoes that grip and pack a dry bag. Operators' packaged tours mostly pick up in San Salvador, not the coast.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at Restaurante Erika
Km 42, Playa El Tunco, right on the beach with an upstairs deck. A long-running family seafood place — the jumbo garlic shrimp and the ceviche are what people come back for.
Ride east to La Libertad
About 15 minutes along the coast road by taxi or the hotel van. Ask to be dropped at the malecón.
Malecón and the fish pier
Puerto de La Libertad. Boats are winched up onto the old pier and the catch is sold off the deck; the promenade beside it has been rebuilt with benches, ice cream stands and open-air seafood kitchens.
Evening
Last coast dinner at Boca Olas
Back at the resort by the pool. Eat early — the shuttle to Guatemala leaves at 3 AM and the front desk will want everyone packed and at the gate.
Pack and settle up
Passports out for the border, $1 per person in cash for the immigration pre-check, and the hotel bill closed tonight. Set two alarms.
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Morning
Gekko shuttle to Antigua
Hotel pickup in El Tunco at 3 AM on the shared Gekko Explorer minibus; scheduled at about 5 hours, so plan on 6–7 with the border stop. Crosses into Guatemala on the CA-2 coast road (La Hachadura / Pedro de Alvarado) and drops door-to-door at hotels in central Antigua.
Afternoon / Day
Move into Casa San Bartolomé
Whole-house colonial villa via Antigua Rentals: 5 bedrooms (one with bunks) / 5 baths, U-shaped house around a courtyard with a fountain and a terrace, in a quiet neighbourhood on the west side of town. Confirm the nine-person configuration and check-in time with the agency, whose office is on 4a Avenida Norte.
Parque Central and the fountain
The main plaza between the Cathedral and the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales. An easy first loop after the 3 AM start: coffee on the square, then the four sides of the grid.
Evening
Dinner at Los Tres Tiempos
6a Avenida Sur No. 7, Antigua Guatemala. Guatemalan cooking with a modern edge in a colonial house; open daily until about 9–10 PM (the two official sites disagree, so confirm). Email eventos@lostrestiempos.com for a table of nine.
Morning
Santa Catalina Arch & Calle del Arco
5a Avenida Norte. The yellow arch with Volcán de Agua framed behind it — the classic photo, best before the street fills up mid-morning.
Iglesia de La Merced
1a Calle Poniente at 6a Avenida Norte, top of Calle del Arco. Baroque yellow church, free to enter; small fee for the convent ruins and the 27 m water-lily fountain, open daily.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at Los Tres Tiempos
6a Avenida Sur 7. Guatemalan classics with city views; open Wednesdays 8 AM–10 PM. Email eventos@lostrestiempos.com or WhatsApp to hold a table for nine.
Casa Santo Domingo museums
3a Calle Oriente 28. The Paseo de los Museos inside the ruined Dominican convent — archaeology, colonial and silver museums plus the crypts. Open Mon–Sat 9 AM–6 PM.
ChocoMuseo bean-to-bar workshop
4a Calle Poniente 8, just off the plaza. Roast, grind and mould your own bars in the ~2-hour bean-to-bar workshop, which runs at fixed times (11 AM, 1:30 PM, 4 PM). Book the group slot ahead.
Evening
Sunset dinner at Café Sky
1a Avenida Sur 15. Open-air rooftop with the three volcanoes; open daily 8 AM–10 PM, books groups via OpenTable or WhatsApp.
Confirm NYE at Aqua Antigua
Full prepayment, no refunds — make sure the dinner + terrace package for nine is paid and confirmed on WhatsApp +502 5164 6530 before tomorrow.
Morning
Breakfast at Fernando's Kaffee
7a Avenida Norte 43. Roaster-café with a típico breakfast (eggs, beans, plantain, tortillas); open Mon–Sat from 7 AM.
De la Gente coffee tour
Pickup at La Ermita de Santa Lucía (Calle del Espíritu Santo & Calzada Santa Lucía) 8:45 AM, back ~12:45 PM. A small-holder in San Miguel Escobar walks you through the plot, roasts on a comal and pours a cup at home; ~5 km on foot. Book 24 h ahead.
Afternoon / Day
Lunch at Rincón Típico
3a Avenida Sur 3, a block behind the cathedral. Wood-fired rotisserie chicken with potatoes and salad; cash only, open until 4 PM — go before 3 while there is still chicken.
Siesta & courtyard time at the villa
It is a late night. Nap, shower, and walk the six blocks to Aqua for a 7 PM door.
Evening
NYE dinner & terrace party at Aqua Antigua
4a Avenida Norte 16. Doors 7 PM: three-course dinner, live music, fire show, then the VIP terrace with champagne 11 PM–midnight and a view of the fireworks. Sold as per-person packages, prepaid.
Midnight at Parque Central
Two blocks from Aqua. Streets around the plaza close for the evening; the crowd gathers in front of the Palacio del Ayuntamiento and on Calle del Arco for the midnight fireworks, which run well past 12.
Morning
Late breakfast at the villa
Nothing opens early on Jan 1. Stock the kitchen on the 31st — eggs, fruit, Fernando's coffee — and eat in the courtyard.
Afternoon / Day
Walk up Cerro de la Cruz
Steps from the top of 1a Avenida Norte, ~15 min up to the stone cross with the whole town and Agua laid out below. Go as a group in daylight; the site is open 7 AM–6 PM.
Lunch at Caoba Farms (call first)
5a Avenida Sur Final 6, a 15-minute walk south. Farm-to-table restaurant and wood-fired pizza; normal Friday hours 8 AM–5 PM, but confirm Jan 1 with the events line (WhatsApp +502 3019 4310) before walking down.
Pack for Acatenango
Day pack only: 3 L water, layers, sunscreen, cash for gear rental. Wicho & Charlie's lends hat, buff, gloves, jackets, headlamp and bottles, with extras rented on the morning from 7 AM — sizes not guaranteed, so bring your own boots.
Evening
Early dinner at Café Sky
1a Avenida Sur 15. Open daily 8 AM–10 PM per their site; the safe bet on a night when many kitchens are dark. In bed by 10 — 6:30 AM meet tomorrow.
Acatenango: Up to Base Camp
Morning
Meet at Wicho & Charlie's 6:30 AM
2a Calle Oriente 22. Check-in, gear fitting and rentals from 7 AM, breakfast, then the shuttle leaves at 8 AM.
Shuttle to La Soledad trailhead
About an hour by van to the village of La Soledad on Acatenango's flank; hiking starts ~10:15 AM.
Afternoon / Day
Climb to base camp
Operator quotes ~3.5 hours up through farmland, cloud forest and alpine scrub, with a trail lunch at 12:30 and camp around 3 PM. Summit is 3,976 m; go slow and drink.
Evening
Base camp: A-frame cabins
Wicho & Charlie's camp faces Volcán de Fuego directly. Solid A-frame cabins instead of tents, a dining room and fire pit; plant-based dinner at 7:30 PM.
Fuego erupting after dark
Fuego throws lava and ash every few minutes; from camp you watch the glow across the saddle. Bring a headlamp and sleep early — 4:30 AM summit call.
Morning
Sunrise summit push (4:30 AM)
Headlamps up the scree to the 3,976 m crater rim for sunrise over Fuego, Agua and Pacaya; back to camp for breakfast at 7.
Descend to La Soledad
Leave camp 8 AM; ~2 hours down on loose volcanic soil — poles help. Shuttle pulls out around 10 AM.
Afternoon / Day
Shuttle back to Antigua
Operator drops you at 2a Calle Oriente 22 between noon and 1 PM. Return rented gear, then a real shower at the villa.
Recovery lunch at Caoba Farms
5a Avenida Sur Final 6. Sunday is their long day (8 AM–9 PM): wood-fired pizzas, farm salads and the garden to sprawl in.
Evening
Evening free
Legs will be gone. Courtyard, a bottle of something, and an early night at the villa.
Morning
Slow morning, pack for the lake
Legs will be wrecked from Acatenango. Coffee, pack, and book the 12:30 shuttle so nobody has to be up early.
Afternoon / Day
Atitrans shuttle Antigua → Panajachel
Hotel pickup in Antigua. Shared minivan, ~3 h to Panajachel; ask to be dropped at Muelle Tzanjuyú (the public dock). Departures 05:30 / 08:00 / 12:30 / 16:00 daily.
Lancha to Santa Cruz La Laguna
Muelle Tzanjuyú, Panajachel. Public boats run roughly every 20 min; ~10 min across to Santa Cruz. A private boat for 9 is worth it with luggage.
Check in: La Iguana Perdida
Waterfront, right beside the Santa Cruz public dock. Mix of private rooms and 4-person suites for the group; family-style dinners; kayaks and SUPs a short walk along the shore.
Swim off the dock
First jump in the lake. Afternoon wind (the Xocomil) picks up, so get in early.
Evening
Family dinner at La Iguana Perdida
Three-course communal dinner at the hotel; sign up on the board in the afternoon. Easiest possible night after the volcano.
Morning
Lancha west to San Juan La Laguna
Santa Cruz dock → San Juan (west-shore boats stop at Jaibalito, Tzununá, San Marcos on the way). Tuk-tuks wait at the San Juan dock for the uphill.
Casa Flor Ixcaco weaving cooperative
Casa Flor Ixcaco, San Juan La Laguna. Cooperative of Tz'utujil women weavers: organic cotton, plant and cochineal dyes, backstrap looms. A short dyeing-and-weaving demo, then the shop; message ahead for 9.
Asociación Lema' natural-dye textiles
Asociación Lema', San Juan La Laguna. Women's association founded 2001; watch the dye bath and looms, then buy direct. WhatsApp +502 5866 8446.
Afternoon / Day
Murals and galleries on the main street
San Juan is painted end to end — walk the umbrella street up from the dock past the naïf-art galleries and coffee co-ops.
Lunch at Alma de Colores
Café y Restaurante Alma de Colores, San Juan La Laguna. Social-inclusion café run with local staff with disabilities; garden vegetables, big lunch plates. Ask for a long table.
Tuk-tuk to San Pedro La Laguna
San Juan → San Pedro is ~10 min by tuk-tuk (or 20 min walk along the road). Backpacker town, more bars, lake-front cafés.
Evening
Early dinner at Sababa, San Pedro
Sababa Restaurante, San Pedro La Laguna. Mediterranean/Israeli plates with a terrace facing the lake and Rostro Maya. Sit down by 3:30 PM: the last public boats leave San Pedro around 5 PM, before sunset. Bakery next door for the boat.
Boat back to Santa Cruz
Be on the San Pedro dock by 4:30 PM — the last public lanchas go around 5–5:30 PM and the stopping route to Santa Cruz is roughly 40 minutes. To stay for sunset, pre-book a private lancha through the hotel instead; it is required, not a fallback.
Morning
Pre-dawn private lancha to San Juan
Public boats don't run this early — ask La Iguana Perdida the day before to arrange a private boat for 9 at about 2:45 AM to the San Juan dock, in time for Mayachik's 3:45 AM bus option.
Rostro Maya (Indian Nose) sunrise hike
Mayachik, 3 Avenida Zona 2, San Juan La Laguna. Private guide, transport and entrance fees; hike starts 3:00 AM, bus 3:45 AM. Their taxi option is capped at four people, so confirm ahead that they can run a party of nine. All three volcanoes plus Fuego on a clear morning; ~4–6 h door to door.
Breakfast back in San Juan
Grab breakfast near the dock in San Juan before the boat — the hike finishes mid-morning.
Afternoon / Day
Lancha San Pedro → Santiago Atitlán
Tuk-tuk to San Pedro, then the Santiago boat across the south bay (~30 min). Go before the afternoon wind.
Visit Maximón at the cofradía
Santiago Atitlán. Maximón moves house once a year, around Holy Week; hire a guide or tuk-tuk at the dock to find this year's cofradía. Small cash donation, extra for photos; hats off, quiet voices.
Iglesia Parroquial Santiago Apóstol
Parque Central, Santiago Atitlán. 16th-century Franciscan church on the main square; the memorial to Father Stanley Rother is inside. Market stalls on the plaza below.
Boats back: Santiago → San Pedro → Santa Cruz
After a 3 AM start this is the day's over-stuffed stretch: hire one private lancha for the whole Santiago excursion so nobody waits for boats to fill, and be on the water by 2 PM before it gets choppy (roughly 30 + 40 minutes on public boats).
Evening
Kayak / SUP off Santa Cruz (optional)
Los Elementos Adventure Center (Kayak Guatemala), Santa Cruz La Laguna — a short walk along the shore from the hotel. Guided kayak and paddleboard trips; ask about hourly rental.
Early dinner at La Iguana Perdida
Communal dinner again — everyone will be asleep by 9 after a 3 AM start.
Morning
Early lancha to Panajachel
Santa Cruz → Muelle Tzanjuyú, ~10 min. Be on the dock by 7:15 for the 8:00 shuttle pickup.
Atitrans shuttle Panajachel → Chichicastenango
Runs Thursdays and Sundays only (market days). 8:00 AM pickup at Muelle de Tzanjuyú, ~1.5 h each way, return at 2:00 PM. Book all 9 seats ahead.
Chichicastenango market
Plaza Central, Chichicastenango. Thursday is said to be the quieter of the two market days. Textiles, masks and huipiles in the centre; produce and everyday goods in the outer streets. Haggle gently, pay in quetzales.
Afternoon / Day
Iglesia de Santo Tomás
Plaza Central, Chichicastenango. 18 steps for the months of the Maya calendar, incense and candles on the stairs. Enter by the side door, not the front steps; no photos inside.
Chichicastenango cemetery
Cementerio General, west edge of town. Tombs painted in bright colours by family; a 10-min walk from the plaza. Go as a group and be back for the 2 PM shuttle.
Market lunch
Eat in the comedores around the plaza — pepián or caldo, tortillas, atol. Keep it quick; the shuttle leaves at 2.
Evening
Shuttle back + lancha to Santa Cruz
2:00 PM shuttle to Panajachel, then the boat across. Last swim of the trip off the dock.
Farewell dinner at La Iguana Perdida
The hotel's communal three-course dinner, booked for all nine as the farewell. Café Sabor Cruceño (CECAP, uphill in the village — the rooftop restaurant run by graduates of the Amigos de Santa Cruz culinary program) keeps daytime hours, about 8 AM–5/6 PM, so fit it in as a lunch on day 10 or 14 instead.
Lake to GUA, Fly Home
Morning
Breakfast and check out
Settle the bar tab at La Iguana Perdida; last coffee on the dock.
Lancha to Panajachel
Santa Cruz → Muelle Tzanjuyú with all the bags — book a private boat through the hotel so it lines up with the transfer.
Afternoon / Day
Atitrans private transfer Panajachel → GUA
Book Atitrans private transportation for 9 direct to La Aurora airport — ask for a 14-seat van for nine plus bags; allow 4–4.5 h. The shared shuttle stops an hour in Antigua and takes ~6.5 h, so avoid it. Leave the lake by 11 AM at the latest for an evening flight.
Late lunch near the airport
Aim to reach Zona 13 by mid-afternoon; eat before check-in — GUA landside options are thin.
Evening
Fly GUA → New York
La Aurora International Airport (GUA). Nonstops: United to Newark (daily, late-evening departure, about 5½ h) and Avianca to JFK (evening departure, not every day) — confirm Friday 8 Jan when booking.
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