Need some help with a 2 week Guatemala-Managua itinerary :)
 

Hi Everyone!

I’m off to Central American at the end of the month. I’ve left things a little late to sort I think, so am keen to get my itinerary confirmed ASAP! I know that travelling over the Easter weekend will be busy, so need to book my accommodation for then very soon.

I’m flying into Guatemala City on the evening of 2 April, then flying out of Managua on 15th April – not much time to cover quite a lot of ground. I would like to visit both El Salvador and Honduras on my way down. I know I won’t be able to do all the “must sees”, but hopefully I’ll have time to do something nice in each country, giving me a general taste for the region.

I’ve not been to any of these countries before, but have been to Mexico/Belize/Panama, and speak ok Spanish.

Can anyone critique my itinerary?! :) Thanks

2: Land in Guatemala City at ~8pm. Get taxi (or shuttle bus) to Antigua
3: Good Friday. Check out Antigua (not sure what will be open on Good Friday to do. Would a trek up Acatenango be good? What’s the volcano doing at the moment?)
4: Get a bus/shuttle of Lake Atitlan.
5: Easter Sunday. Lake Atitlan
6: Afternoon bus back to Antigua. Stay the night
7: Early morning bus to El Tunco (0800-1230 $35 with adrenalinatours.com). Beach time
8: Beach
9: Use public transport to get to Copan. If time on arrival, visit Macaw Mountain Bird Park
10: Visit the Copan site. Is it still L 300 (~US14?) entry? How many hours do you need for a decent visit? If possible take last Hedman Alas bus to Tegucigalpa @ 2pm. Spend night in Tegucigalpa.
11: Morning bus to Managua (King Quality or Tica Bus, 8 hours). Connect to Granada
12: Go down to Isla de Ometepe
13: Isla de Ometepe
14: Back to Granada
15: Taxi to Managua Airport (flight departs ~11am, or possibly the Paxeos shuttle)

My overall impression is that this looks exhausting. I think you're trying to pack way too much into two weeks.

I have a bad feeling about your first weekend. The time to book hotels in Antigua for that weekend was months ago. Thousands of people come to Antigua for the famous Good Friday processions. I doubt there is a place to stay at this late date. I'm sure most everything is booked for Easter weekend at Lake Atitlan too.

Another company that might be useful for your travels later in your trip is Gekko Explorer:

www.gekkotrailsexplorer.com

They operate shuttles to several places, including El Tunco. They might be able to get you from El Tunco to Copan.

I think Copan deserves more than 24 hours. There's a lot to do there besides the ruins, and the town has a fun vibe and some great restaurants. (Copan refers to the ruins. Copan Ruinas is the name of the town.)

I'd also give Granada a couple of days. (I might leave out Ometepe.) Same thing with Granada as Copan: a lot to see and do, a lot of great restaurants, fun vibe.

That's wayyyyy too much to pack in for the length of time you have. And semana Santa? Good luck with hotels. I would cut way back here. eliminate at least one destination or even two, slow down, and enjoy the places you're visiting a bit.

OK, thanks guys. I'll do some cutting! I hadn't realised it was Easter when I booked :( I've found some places on Airbnb, so there will be somewhere to stay!

Good. Don't wait another day. It's getting very late.

Thanks for the comments and help everyone.

I’ve redone the itinerary, concentrating more on Guatemala, and cutting out El Salvador.

2: Land in Guatemala City at 8pm. Get taxi (or shuttle bus) to Antigua
3: Good Friday. Check out Antigua
4: Antigua
5: Easter Sunday. Get a bus/shuttle to Lake Atitlan
6: Lake Atitlan
7: Lake Atitlan
8: Bus to Quetzaltenango (Xela)
9: Quetzaltenango
10: Afternoon bus back to Guatemala City. Spend the night
11: Early morning bus to Copan (arr 10am). Visit the Copan site.
12: Take last bus to Tegucigalpa @ 2pm. Spend night in Tegucigalpa
13: Morning bus from Tegucigalpa to Granada via Managua
14: Granada
15: Taxi to Managua Airport (flight departs 11am, or possibly the Paxeos shuttle)

Does this seem like a more logical itinerary?

Is there something particular you'd like to see in Quetzaltenango/Xela? I think it is a bit out of the way...

I would recommend adding a day in Guatemala City, and/or a day in Granada.

In Guatemala City you could spend the morning at the museums at the Francisco Marroquin University, lunch at Fontabella, afternoon at the zoo, and the evening at Paseo Cayalá District which has lots of dining options. It also has a walkable historic center (Paseo La Sexta). There used to be a place called Zona Viva, but it's not popular anymore. In the city moving from one place to the other can be done conveniently by metered taxi (Just dial 1766 for Taxi Amarillo Express).

Google Monkey Hut in the Laguna de Apoyo, near Granada. It's a relaxing place.

If you are travelling in Tica Bus, don't forget to bring snacks and something to drink for the trip ;)

Do you know if the musuems etc you reccommend are open on Good Friday?

Lake Atitlan is stunning, but I don't know whether I'd spend more than 2 nights there.

However, the rest of the itinerary looks very manageable - since you've taken the Acatenango climb out (somewhat challenging - but manageable in a day/overnight).