Top 10 things to do in Antigua Guatemala

Written by The Ed! Monday, 31 August 2009 02:04

Ok so you have survived the chicken bus ride, enjoyed the Guatemalan version of the "Rumble in the Tum", started to learn the lingo - but the most crucial thing remains - What the heck should I do now I am in Antigua?

Well this is my take on it - not sure entirely that it will sell as an up and coming tour but hey whatever, I am the Ed!

1. Take a walk! Surprising I know, Antigua is chock full of history and the best way you can see it is on your feet. The cobblestone streets are charming (though may put you in plaster cast) and will lead you past various ruins and interesting historical buildings.
   
   
2. Meet the locals on a coffee tour, find out what the coffee industry is really like and how fair that fair trade coffee really is!  Ok, I am a bit biased here as I volunteer for this organisation, but check out As Green As It Gets, they offer great coffe tours which will show you all of the aspects of the coffee business and the reasons that they took the direct trade(all monies go to the farmer) rather than the fair trade route.
   
   
3. Ok, I know its corny but until you have broken your back and rattled your teeth in a horse drawn carriage in Antigua you will never really have lived! So jump in one, make sure your insurance policy covers you for dangerous activities and let a local show you the real Antigua.
   
   
4. Take firm hold of your purse and get ready for some of the hardest, ruthless salespeople you have ever met - no not the NY stock exchange, the Antigua Artisans market. There have only been a few that have made it through the entire market without buying at least 1 hammock and a colourfully decorated machete.
   
   
5. Take your life in your hands, roast some marshmallows and hike an active volcano!  There is something strangely liberating about standing a few centimeters from hot gushing lava which happily carves white hot tunnels beneath your feet with a good chance causing you and your party to fall it to the gates of hades in a fiery end(ok probably not but i liked the imagery and got carried away)!
   
   
6. Get your hiking boots on and walk up to Cerro de la Cruz, a stunning patch of mother earth with a large cross loomin over you which offers a fantastic birds-eye view of the city.
   
   
7. Watch women do some washing! Grab a box of Closa wine(not wine but close - you get the pun right), grab some tortillas and amazingly spicy vegetables and head on to the park called Tanque union, off the corner of 6th calle and 3rd avenue and watch the locals wash clothes in the pila better than any dyson washing machine.
   
   
8. Ok this one is a bit touristy but worth it! Head on down to Cafe Sky on corner of 1st and 6th, order a smoothie and head for the roof! You can see all three volcanoes, Agua, Fuego and Acatenango.  If your luck you can watch lost hikers get toasted on Fuego as it erupts regularly.  Best time to get there is around 6:30 -7pm for sunset.
   
   
9. Act like a monkey and do a zip line tour! I don't really do commercial stuff on Antigua Daily at the moment(never say never) but ask around - maybe in the forums and you will find the company that lets you do a Tarzan impression and zip around the canopy of the forest in the mountains. Ok I give up its Finca Filadelfia - thought i should really say the company!
   
   
10. Ok another plug for As Green As It Gets, but what the hell - It's my website!  Did I mention try a coffee tour?

Ok that's my creative juices squeezed out of me for another night, I bid your farewell for the moment and really do hope you have a fantastic and safe time during your time in Antigua, Guatemala.