Day 1:

6:30 am: Meet at Chico Mendes to distribute gear and make final preparations

7:00 am: Take a pickup to the trailhead in Xecam

7:30 am: Arrive at trailhead and begin two hour climb through forest, with breaks along the way

10:30 am: Begin gradual descent through Xexecam, a small indigenous community

12:30 pm: Eat lunch in the mountains

1:30 pm: Begin steep descent into the forest until finally reaching the dirt road where we catch a pickup to Santa Catarina Ixtahucán

5:00 pm: Arrive in Santa Catarina Ixtahucán, the rural indigenous community where we spend the night with a local family

5:30 pm: Split into groups of three to take turns relaxing in the family's temazcal, a wood-heated Mayan sauna

7:00 pm: Eat a delicious, traditionally-prepared dinner and sip on natural tea or coffee

7:45 pm: Sit around a campfire telling stories, toasting malvaviscos (marshmallows), and reflecting on the day

8:30 pm: Go to sleep

Day 2:

6:00 am: Wake up early and pack our bags

6:45 am: Eat a traditionally-prepared Guatemalan breakfast with tortillas, natural tea, and coffee

7:30 am: Say goodbye to our generous homestay family in Santa Catarina Ixtahucán as we begin another day of hiking

9:30 am: Rest near a beautiful river

9:45 am: Begin two hour ascent through mountains

11:45 am: Pass through Tzucubal, an indigenous community where the local kids greet us

1:00 pm: Eat lunch in the mountains

2:00 pm: Descend through a forest until reaching the river that we cross at least eight times

4:30 pm: Push up the last climb

4:45 pm: Arrive at the main road near Santa Clara La Laguna and catch a pickup to where we spend the night

5:00 pm: Arrive at a local family's house where we unpack, relax, and take a shower

6:30 pm: Eat a delicious, traditionally-prepared dinner and sip on natural tea or coffee

7:30 pm: Fun group bonding activity (get excited!)

8:30 pm: Go to sleep

Day 3:

4:00 am: Wake up early and pack our bags

5:00 am: Hike 30 min up to a mirador on the Nariz del Indio Mountain to watch the sun rise over Lago Atitlán and its surrounding volcanoes, all while sipping on natural tea or locally-grown coffee

6:45 am: Eat a traditionally-prepared Guatemalan breakfast

7:45 am: Begin two hour descent through forests and local coffee farms, with time to rest and admire views along the way

9:45 am: Arrive in San Juan La Laguna and take tuk-tuks to the beach called Cristalines de San Juan La Laguna

10:00 am: Swim in Lago Atitlán and relax on the beach

11:30 am: Hop on tuk-tuks to San Pedro La Laguna, where we eat a delicious lunch on an outdoor deck with views of Lago Atitlán

1:30 pm: Trek ends: either take a bus back to Xela or continue traveling from San Pedro La Laguna