Welcome to Guatemala! – Please schedule your flight to arrive today at the latest. Want us to pick you up at the airport?  We will assemble our bikes today in preparation for our first day of riding tomorrow. At our welcome dinner tonight you will get a chance to meet and talk with your guides about the upcoming epicness that is to come later in the week.

True to its name, “La Antigua” is a UNESCO world heritage site with loads of history to explore.

Today we will become more acquainted with the valley – by shredding a couple of the epic downhills above town! We will shuttle up to the flanks of the Acatenango Volcano to 2500m for our first descent. Which will take us down through avocado and coffee plantations along steep and eroded agricultural trails. Shuttle number two will  set us up for a screaming descent to Antigua for the afternoon. 

Today begins with a shuttle up to 2500m in an isolated area below the towering Acatenango volcano (3976m). Starting from a remote  Mayan town we will climb steep dirt roads, 4×4 tracks to gain an alpine ridge.

Traversing the ridge will afford views all the way to the ocean as well as the active Fuego volcano. All climbing will be rewarded by a 7k downhill which follows one of the stages of the country’s enduro series.

The second half of the day will bring steep single track descents through the canyons of Patzún before finishing in Tecpán at a 19th century flower mill. We will be crossing the country and it’s various ecosystems by bike in this varied point-to point day.

Our largest day of the tour, this legendary trail follows the route of the Kaqchiquel Maya from the mountains of Tecpán to the shores of Lake Atitlán. The route is isolated and unique!

In the morning we will visit the Ruins of Iximché. You will see Mayan pyramids and learn a little history before we head out by bike on the trails of the Kaqchikel Maya crossing a patchwork of canyons and technical trails.

Our route follows the exodus of the Kaqchiquel to Lake Atitlán after the spanish conquest. The lake is still alive with their culture and language to this day. We will descend an ancient and eroded trail to the Madre Vieja River. “sendero de las vacas” named after encounters with cows ascending the deep, switchbacking trail – with nowhere to go, bikers had to climb up to let the herd pass!

After a quick shuttle we will get our first views of Lake Atitlán: an enormous volcanic caldera so rounded by 3 volcanoes. We will have a picnic lunch at a viewpoint before descending “La Culebra” a legendary 5 star downhill following an aqueduct along cliffs above the lake. Our day will finish with an urban downhill through the town of Santa Catarina Palopó – famous for its rich colors and textiles.

Shuttle to the rim of the Lake Atitlán caldera at 2900m. From here, we climb 3mi on serene jeep roads to an alpine plateau with unmatched views of the lake and its environs. Canyons and volcanoes abound. Will will pass through an area known as “El Corazon de las Nubes” a Mayan Ceremonial site.

At this altitude the ecology in Guatemala is a unique mix of alpine grass, grazing sheep, and agave plants. We will follow rocky, oftentimes technical singletrack through pine forests passing through small Mayan communities and canyons.

After a picnic lunch and short shuttle we will continue our descent to Lake Atitlán in a 1000m DH – the most technical of all the tour. At the shore of the Lake enjoy a beverage with a view as you await your private boat to La Casa de Mundo – a unique cliff-side hotel.

Yes, this is a mountain bike tour, but who says you can’t get a little R&R? Today we will be offering two options – lounge the day away at Casa del Mundo – with kayak and standup paddle board rentals – or join our guide for one of the most epic downhills of the trip: La infinita.

For this big day we will leave early with a private boat to the western side of the lake – we will meet our pilot and shuttle up to 3352m (11,000ft) above the city of Quetzaltenango. From this high point known as the Cumbre Alaska our descent will take us down through multiple climates from the frosty alpine to coffee, banana and fruit plantations. Our low point will be San Miguelito at 1000m.

We will shuttle back up to to the rim of Lake Atitlán – and make our final 800m descent to the shore, where we will stumble back into the hotel and ask our friends how their day of sunbathing went. 😀

Tired and satisfied we will take in our last views of Lake Atitlán and begin the 4-5hr transfer back to Antigua – passing through the area that we have crossed the last couple of days.

We will say our goodbyes at a final dinner in Antigua before returning to our respective real lives!

~fin.