The three main stops you should plan into your Guatemalan adventure are Tikal, Lake Atitlan and Antigua. The impressive Mayan ruins of Tikal are some of the best preserved Mayan ruins in the world and still stand tall, protruding above the jungle canopy. Lake Atitlan, bordered by three volcanoes, is one of the most picturesque places and if you believe in such a thing, it is said to be one of the World’s three positive energy vortexes. And finally the colourful cobbled streets of Antigua, the old colonial capital of Guatemala, are a great place to experience some more of the country’s rich culture. If you are interested in reading more about these destinations, take a look at our two week Guatemalan itinerary. This short blog is designed to help you join up these three extraordinary places.

The most common way to get around Guatemala is by road and, in particular, by Chicken bus (or “camionettas”). With no rail network, Chicken buses are a well known and very well used form of transport around Guatemala and they have an extremely comprehensive coverage of the country. It’s not clear why they are called Chicken buses, perhaps it is because people are crammed into them like chickens in a battery farm or because locals sometimes bring their chickens with them on the bus.

Chicken buses are old American school buses decked out with vibrant paint jobs, some glitzy chrome trim and a funky sounding horn (which gets plenty of use). With the lurid decoration, the loud revs of the engine and the strong smell of the exhaust, Chicken buses truly are an assault on the senses. And for this reason they are on many travellers’ must-do list for a trip to Guatemala. Tickets for Chicken Buses are purchased on the bus itself and you catch them from the main bus stations in each town.

The buses are generally safe; having been designed for school children in the United States, safety was the number one criteria. Having said that, even a safe tool in the wrong hands can be a little sketchy at times. The drivers generally have an exuberant driving style, overtaking on bends and driving at break neck speed and there is the odd chance you won’t be re-united with your suitcase which is strapped to the roof of the bus for the duration of journey. The occasional robbery has been reported as well. For these reasons there are often mixed opinions on whether catching the Chicken bus is a good idea, is it worth the risk for an authentic Guatemalan experience? We didn’t think it was, because the alternatives aren’t outrageously expensive and are often much safer and more convenient. This blog looks at the non-Chicken bus options for getting around.

Tikal (Flores) To Guatemala City

Located up near Flores, Tikal is considerably further north than Lake Atitlan and Antigua, which gives you the option of an extremely long bus ride, or a short flight. We opted for the latter, a short flight from the tiny airport in Flores to Guatemala City. It did mean that we had to put all our trust into an aeroplane the size of a coke can. There are a few flights a day for £100 or less (some with TAG Airlines and some with Avianca) and the journey time is almost exactly an hour.

If you can’t justify putting yourself several thousand feet into the air in such a tiny aircraft, or if you fancy saving a few bucks, the bus is a viable option. It is cheaper (prices range from £17-50) but the journey from Flores to Guatemala City takes around 8 hours. For travellers who are concerned about wasting a crucial day on a bus, there is the option to catch it in the evening and spend the night on it. The buses are quite plush coaches and the route is non-stop, so this can be quite a popular option.

There are two reliable shuttle bus operators which make the direct journey from Flores Santa Elena bus station to Guatemala City bus station; Linea Dorada and Autobuses FDN. Linea Dorada runs 4 times a day and Autobuses FDN runs every 3 hours, so there is essentially a bus every hour. Rome2Rio provide useful information and a bus schedule for this journey. It isn’t possible to buy the bus tickets online, so we would recommend asking a travel agency to book them over the phone for you, or to book them at the bus station itself ahead of your journey.

Guatemala City To Antigua

The drive from Guatemala City to Antigua which takes between 1 and 2 hours depending on traffic in GC.

We booked a shuttle bus ahead of time with Atitrans, a Guatemalan travel agency recommended by our accommodation, who drove us from La Aurora international airport in Guatemala City to the Atitrans headquarters in Antigua (we then went straight on to Lake Atitlan as we planned to visit the lake first – but all shuttles – unless it is a private one – stop in Antigua first as it is more economical for the drivers to take visitors bound for both destinations). This part of the leg cost around £13.

There is also a public shuttle bus which runs from the airport to Antigua all day until about 8pm. As you exit the airport, there should be someone holding a sign with Antigua scrawled on it. This is by far the most cost effective method of transport if you are travelling alone, as the price is only $10 – but make sure to pay the driver directly to avoid paying twice! The shuttle should drop you off at your accommodation or at an address you provide, just tell the driver clearly where you want to go when you pay him. The main downside of the shuttle is that it doesn’t really stick to a timetable– it simply goes when it is full, and if it isn’t full, it will sit there until it is.

There are also official taxis which run from La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City. These are the most convenient way of travelling, but they will set you back about $40 for the 40 mile journey. The key here is to make sure you get into an official taxi, rather than a normal taxi where you could be scammed. Uber is also available in Guatemala City and this can be quite economical if you are travelling as part of a group as you can split the $20-$30 fare between a few of you.

Antigua to lake Atitlan

As mentioned above, if you’re travelling from Guatemela City to Lake Atitlan, all public shuttles will stop at Antigua on the way. We spent an hour or so here, while we waited for another bus to take us the rest of the way. The drive from Antigua to Atitlan takes about 2 and a half hours by shuttle bus which runs approximately every 3 hours or so, and cost us around £13. Again, we used the travel agency Atitrans for this journey.

The public shuttles and buses will generally drop you at Panajachel dock, the gateway to the lake and the main transport hub. If you are not staying here, then you will need to embark on the fourth leg of the journey, by boat across the lake. Please see our blog Getting Around Lake Atitlan for more information on this.

Some hotels offer private shuttles themselves from Antigua or from Guatemala City, rather than outsourcing them to travel agencies. Prices will vary significantly but are generally likely to be quite expensive. One hotel we stayed in offered a price of $120 all the way from GC and $110 from Antigua. Of course, this is much more convenient because the shuttle will not make any stopes (e.g. in Antigua) on the way and should be able to take you all the way to your hotel, rather than dropping you in Panajachel.

Two further websites which might help with planning this journey are transportguatemala.com and shuttleguatemala.com.