Always rewarding

Dear Advisor Partners,

This might be the strongest experience of travel sensory overload I have felt in a while. I write this literally a few hours after returning from an adventure in Guatemala during my latest visit there. I will go over the travel protocols at the bottom of this blog.

I loved being back in Guatemala. My last visit included my family. As a couple of Star Wars junkies were in the mix this time (myself included), I had to make sure to end up at magnificent Tikal, where the end of Empire Strikes Back was filmed. That same trip took us beyond the norm in Peten to the hidden ruins of El Mirador, accessible only by helicopter or a five-day hike. An added bonus of that trip was seeing that a year later the Discovery Channel copied our adventure, even using the same helicopter and pilot.

This time, we focused on Guatemala’s stunning volcanoes. The country has 37 volcanoes. This time we specifically dug deeper to explore how we can harness active volcanoes and make them part of the Big Five experience there. That started with us setting out on a strenuous hike to the top of Acatenango, a dormant volcano looking down over the very active Fuego Volcano. We took it to a new level from there with a pizza dinner under the moonlight and away from the city lights. We cooked over the lava river streaming down from the top of Pacaya Volcano. And day  was topped off with handmade chocolate, and avocado beer. Perfect!

Guatemala remains a delight and it cannot be summed up with any single highlight. After all my visits, it still hast the power to delight and surprise me.  It remains more than you ever expect. Check out the video to see what I mean!

To explore this fascinating country, visit Big Five’s Guatemala.

It’s in the details

Getting to Guatemala requires a negative PCR test 96 hours prior to arrival, which we recommend you keep a printed copy of the results with you. Though the health form is not asked for on arrival, it is asked for when checking in and can be filled out 24 hours prior. Make sure to complete it on your mobile device and take a screen shot of the QR code. On return, the Big Five team has all necessary protocol in place to have a medical professional visit your hotel in Antigua for a private PCR test, taken at 9am, with results to you by late afternoon. Print that out and show that at check in along with a short form you are given at check in attesting that you have everything you need to depart Guatemala. We have all the logistics in place so you don’t have to think about anything, just enjoy the sensory overload!