Guatemala City Courtyard
Hotel
Day 1
Eastern Guatemala — 8 days (Guatemala City, Coban, Lanquin, Semuc Champey & Rio Dulce)
Eight days from the cloud forest to the Caribbean. Eight days with Semuc, the cave, the gorge boat and two nights in Livingston.
Pumice & Pine
Runs this trip
Trekking
Eight days from the cloud forest to the Caribbean
Group Tour
Join a fixed-date departure with other travellers
Top Highlights
Zona 1Eight days east — limestone pools, a river gorge and the Caribbean coast, none of which the Acatenango trip goes near. CobánThe quetzal is the national bird and gives the currency its name. Semuc ChampeyThe Cahabón disappears under a three-hundred-metre limestone bridge and the pools sit on top of it.
Itinerary
Eight days east — limestone pools, a river gorge and the Caribbean coast, none of which the Acatenango trip goes near.
Guatemala CityHow the day runs
- 1 hrsTransfer to Zona 10
- MealsDinner
- AccommodationGuatemala City Courtyard
Included Activities
- Airport transfer
- Hotel night
LANDMARKS Zona 1 Museo Popol Vuh Start point Guatemala City, La Aurora International Airport (GUA) 00:00 - 23:59The quetzal is the national bird and gives the currency its name. Seeing one takes luck and a dawn start.
Guatemala City, CobanHow the day runs
- 5 hrs8:00 AM — five hours north into Alta Verapaz
- 2 hrs3:00 PM — the Biotopo del Quetzal boardwalks
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationCoban Lodge
Included Activities
- Reserve entry
- Guesthouse
LANDMARKS Cobán Biotopo del Quetzal Cloud forest The Cahabón disappears under a three-hundred-metre limestone bridge and the pools sit on top of it. The viewpoint climb is steep and worth it.
Coban, Lanquin, Semuc ChampeyHow the day runs
- 3 hrs7:00 AM — the rough road east
- 4 hrs11:00 AM — the El Mirador climb, then the pools
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationLanquin Inn
Included Activities
- Park entry and guide
- Riverside hostel
LANDMARKS Semuc Champey El Mirador Cahabón river Limestone bridge The cave is entered swimming with a candle in one hand, and there are sections where you climb a rope ladder in the dark. It is not for everyone and nobody is pushed.
Lanquin, Semuc ChampeyHow the day runs
- 8:30 AM — the K'an Ba cave by candlelight, in the water
- 2 hrs1:00 PM — tubing the Cahabón back to the bridge
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationLanquin Inn
Included Activities
- Cave and tubing with guides
- Riverside hostel
LANDMARKS K'an Ba cave Cahabón river Lanquín bat cave San Felipe was built in 1652 to stop Caribbean pirates coming up the river to raid the lake, and they came anyway.
Lanquin, Rio DulceHow the day runs
- 6 hrs7:30 AM — east towards the Caribbean
- 2:00 PM — Castillo de San Felipe on the lake mouth
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationRio Dulce Residency
Included Activities
- Castle entry
- Riverside lodge
LANDMARKS Río Dulce Castillo de San Felipe Lago de Izabal Livingston is Garífuna — Afro-Indigenous, Caribbean-facing, and reachable only by boat. It does not feel like the rest of Guatemala and it is not meant to.
Rio Dulce, LivingstonHow the day runs
- 3 hrs9:00 AM — the boat down the gorge
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationLivingston Inn
Included Activities
- Boat
- Guesthouse in Livingston
LANDMARKS Río Dulce gorge Livingston Garífuna Siete Altares The Garífuna descend from shipwrecked West Africans and Carib islanders, and their language, music and food are all UNESCO-listed as intangible heritage.
LivingstonHow the day runs
- 3 hrs9:00 AM — the coastal walk to the Siete Altares falls
- MealsBreakfast, Dinner
- AccommodationLivingston Inn
Included Activities
- Guesthouse night
Optional Activities
- A boat to Playa Blanca
LANDMARKS Siete Altares Playa Blanca Garífuna drumming A long last day. An overnight in the city before an early flight is the safer plan.
Livingston, Rio Dulce, Guatemala CityHow the day runs
- 3 hrs6:30 AM — back up the gorge
- 5 hrs10:00 AM — south-west to the capital
- MealsBreakfast
- AccommodationNot included — onward travel
Included Activities
- Boat, bus and transfer
- Day 1Airport transfer
- Day 1Hotel night
- Day 2Reserve entry
- Day 2Guesthouse
- Day 3Park entry and guide
- Day 3Riverside hostel
- Day 4Cave and tubing with guides
- Day 5Castle entry
- Day 5Riverside lodge
- Day 6Boat
- Day 6Guesthouse in Livingston
- Day 7Guesthouse night
- Day 7A boat to Playa BlancaCosts extra
- Day 8Boat, bus and transfer
- Day 1 · 1 nightGuatemala City Courtyard
- Day 2 · 1 nightCoban Lodge
- Day 3 · 2 nightsLanquin Inn
- Day 5 · 1 nightRio Dulce Residency
- Day 6 · 2 nightsLivingston Inn
- Day 1Guatemala City to Guatemala CityTransfer to Zona 10
Where you'll stay
All accommodations are subject to change
Coban Lodge
Lodge
Day 2
Lanquin Inn
Hotel
Days 3, 4
Rio Dulce Residency
Hotel
Day 5
Livingston Inn
Hotel
Days 6, 7
What you'll eat
7 breakfasts and 7 dinners across 8 days, at camp. It opens with dinner on day 1 and closes with breakfast on day 8.
- DinnerServed on days 1–7
- BreakfastServed on days 2–8
14 meal services named in the itinerary. Vegetarian and vegan covered; Jain, gluten-free and allergies on notice at booking
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Customer reviews
Overall rating
4.5/5
Based on 17 reviews
Review summary
Food4.6/5
Guide4.1/5
Itinerary4.2/5
Transport4.2/5
Accommodation4.2/5
Tour operator4.4/5
Sort by:Recommended
5
S
Sameer Khan – Chandigarh2025-11-25 · Verified booking
Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Accommodation was a notch better than the price suggested. Plenty to eat and they were happy to work around a gluten allergy. Good value for what's included.
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4
E
Elena Petrova – Melbourne2025-11-25 · Verified booking
Did this over 8 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Solid operator.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Thank you for travelling with us — glad the route worked out.
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3
M
Manav Sethi – Chandigarh2025-11-25 · Verified booking
Pace was set for the fastest people in the group and it made the middle days hard. Guides answered every question, including the daft ones.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Thanks for writing this up. We've passed your note to the team.
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4
R
Rohit Verma – Bengaluru2025-11-25 · Verified booking
Well organised from the pickup onwards. The daily distances were honest about what they'd be. Good value for what's included.
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5
D
Divya Reddy – Nagpur2025-10-29 · Verified booking
Second trek with this operator and they've kept the standard up. The lead was calm and knew when to slow the group down. Recommended.
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4
D
Daniel Okafor – Dublin2025-10-29 · Verified booking
Alta Verapaz and Izabal in the right season is something else, and the team knew exactly where to camp. Solid operator.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Thank you. We've taken the point about the transfer and are reviewing it.
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5
A
Aditi Rao – Hyderabad2025-10-29 · Verified booking
Did this over 8 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. No complaints about any of the hotels — all of them well placed. Food was plentiful and hot, which counts for a lot at altitude. Recommended.
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5
A
Aditi Rao – Chandigarh2025-10-29 · Verified booking
Did this over 8 days and it was the best walking I've done in years. Rooms were comfortable and the locations meant we could walk most evenings. The team read the group well and adjusted without making a thing of it. Good value for what's included.
Reply from Pumice & Pine
Glad you enjoyed it. Hope to see you on another trip.
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Questions people ask
One other operator runs this trail. See all 2 side by side →