Welcome to Guatemala! We are available to a organize private car to pick you up at the airport – delivering you to our guesthouse in Antigua. Our bike shop can assist you with assembly of your bike / last minute repairs before the big week.

We will be doing a optional cultural ride in the afternoon for those that arrive early –  sharing a few local trails allowing you to become acquainted with our beautiful city. In the evening there will be welcome dinner where we will go over all the awesomeness to come.

Connecting a spidery network of deeply erroded 1000 year old trails we will make our way to Tecpán crossing the canyons of Patzún and finishing at an eco lodge for the night.

On the bikes we will start with a long climb to over 10,000ft on rough 4×4 roads through pine forests traversing Cerro Tecpán with grand views of Lake Atitlán and its 4 volcanoes. Today’s Route is a remote one that connects several mountains and lakes and includes a picnic lunch. We will finish the day at a small log cabin chalet and restaurant in the mountains.

The longest and highest day of the tour – today will climb to a unique alpine plateau with grand views of the Cuchumatánes mountains to the north. Near 11,000 ft you will see some of the rare alpine grassland environment in Guatemala with 360 degree views across the entire country.

Parcialidad Velasquez is the largest protected coniferous (pine) forests in Central America. The forest is home to thousands of small natural springs – an important water supply to the villages below. .The indigenous cantones of Totonicapán have banded together to protect the forest as a water source and the area is full of aqueducts and trails.

We will descend “la Culebra Quichélense” an ancient and technical trail that follows an aquaduct and slices through cliffs before dropping into the dry pine canyons of Quiché. In the forest are several Mayan religous sites and caves used to this day for fire ceremonies. We will finish in Santa Cruz del Quiché – a city the heart of the modern Mayan world.

Today is an optional rest day. We will begin today with a short ride to the ruins of Q’umarkaj. Q’umarkaj was one of the most powerful Maya cities when the Spanish arrived in the region in the early 16th century. It was the capital of the K’iche’ Maya in the Late Postclassic Period. From the ruins we will follow “el ruta de los escarabajos” – a local mountain bike club a.k.a “the beetles” – named after the ridiculously steep climbs in the region. We will follow active Mayan footpathsthrough steep canyons and ravines to the market town of Chichicastenango.

Today we will ride to two volcanoes and see one of Guatemala’s newest and active volcanic creations: Volcán Santiaguito. In 1920 an enormous eruption rocked Santa Maria blowing off the southern side of the muntain, and a volcanic cone has been growing ever since.

Heading out of Xela in the morning climb EL Baul Park with a beautiful views of the city – descending from the cross we will connect some of the many mountain bike trails in the park.

A 4km climb will bring us to the town of Cantón CHICUÁ home of Cerro Quemado: our first volcano of the day. This extinct volcanic cone is home to an enormous lava field and many religious sites. Pilgrims come from all over to worship on the burned mountain. We will cross colorful fields of flowers grown for the offerings before descending a rough and loose singletrack.

Our seventh day on the bike we cut out the climbing with a shuttle high above Lake Atitlán. We will follow soft, pine forested logging roads down to the town of Santa Clara on the western side of the lake. For the hearty we will make the technical descent the final 800m down rough mayan trails finishing at Mayachik an eco resort and yoga retreat for the night.

It is no coincidence that we finish the tour at one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. You earned it! Today you will have the chance to swim, visit local markets, kayak or simply hang out in the hammock and take in the view!