Chicken Bus Tour: Explore Mayan Culture and Traditional Guatemalan Villages
5.0
67 Ratings
Antigua Guatemala
Immerse yourself in the vibrant Mayan culture and experience the traditional way of life in Guatemala's picturesque villages. Explore churches, plazas, and markets, and indulge in local food and crafts on an authentic Chicken Bus tour.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- San Juan del Obispo - We will visit Chocolate Artisanal Workshop where five generations have worked hand-by-hand to make the wonderful chocolate that every single Guatemalan families prefer to drink hot and with a local sweet bread. We will discover the chocolate production process. We will also have a tasting of hot chocolate. Thereafter, we will continue to Museum of Loquat, San Juan del Obispo. It is famous for its production of giant loquats from which they produce fermented drink, jam, etc. The best part is the tasting we will participate in at the end!
- San Pedro Las Huertas - There is no other village as this one, tiny and named as Las Huertas due to the farming of orchards such as tomatoes, lettuce, beans, corn, etc. We will have time to take pictures of one of the most popular communal laundry area and the baroque Spanish Colonial church. You will get to experience what a pueblo life is like in Guatemala. Thru the main drag of the village you will also have the perfect view of two volcanoes - Fuego and Agua.
- Ciudad Vieja - Experience Guatemala’s “old city”. What was once Guatemala’s capital, Ciudad VIeja, its a beautiful village with a unique story to discover from our Chicken Bus.
We will have a unique experience at the Coffee Farmers Home, from now on the coffee will not taste the same; the artisan process of roasting and grinding will remain in our hearts.
The town is known for flower and vegetable crops for local consumption and export production. Depending on the seasonality, we will make a stop to meet the farmers and talk about their crops when driving to our next stop.
- Valhalla Experimental Station - This project will be of great interest to you. Valhalla is a family-run farm that is dedicated to supporting and helping local indigenous communities and promoting sustainable agriculture practices. We will showcase why Macadamia tress are good for sustainable development and its nutritional benefits. They also have a restaurant at the farm and they are known for darn good pancakes and fried pickles in macadamia flour.
What's Included
- Bottled water included
- Complimentary snacks
- All fees and taxes covered
Additional Information
Enjoy a unique perspective of Guatemala`s traditional way of life and culture by visiting several popular and picturesque villages around Antigua on an authentic Chicken Bus.
You will get to explore the Mayan culture by visiting churches, plazas and markets where you can purchase textiles and other Guatemalan crafts as well as enjoy the tasting of local food.
Location
2a Calle Poniente 2
2a Calle Poniente
Located inside Casa Mandarina office #8 accesible from street next to the Cafe Estudio.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(67 Ratings)
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Sue
Apr 1, 2024
Don’t miss the chicken bus tour of villages around Antigua!! - We LOVED Esteban!!!!!! He is probably the best guide I have ever had in all my years in Antigua!!
His enthusiasm and sincerity in making the tour successful are excellent!! He is so knowledgeable and really enjoys imparting this with his clients!! He went out of his way to make our day one to remember always!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mattbilyard91
Mar 28, 2024
Very good tour, top guide - This was a very good tour, made into an absolutely great one by the quality of our guide, JJ - easily one of the best tour guides we can remember on any trip. Antigua itself is lovely but can feel a bit in its own world, so it was really nice to get out and see some of the surroundings. The stops were all interesting and different (for us, the first - weaving - stop was probably the best, closely followed by San Pedro). We learnt a lot from JJ and from the people at the stops. Totally recommend!
Of course, it is cool to go in one of the buses... :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Eric_c
Feb 22, 2024
Antigua support communities. - Totally enjoyed the entire excursion! Estafan was an incredible guide. His English and Spanish were perfect. He was full of information about the Guatemalan culture and history. He and his driver Antonio were so kind, courteous and perfect gentleman. We so much enjoyed the time spend and learnings associated with this trip. Gave us a great perspective on the villages surrounding Antigua that support the former capital.
Review provided by Viator
Rosemaryrowntree
Feb 17, 2024
More than we expected - Estovan, our driver/historian made the trip so worthwhile. He gave a great history of the area. Even for those of us in the small group considered old hands, learned a lot! We visited villages surrounding Antigua, sampled artisan weaving, tasty food and great sights.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nancyweisseicher
Feb 13, 2024
Definitely worth it — don’t miss it! - We loved this tour! Esteban was a delightful and knowledgeable guide. He shared a lot of insights into the culture and history of small towns around Antigua. Each stop was unique and introduced us to a place and experience we never would have found on our own. We loved the visits to the families that made chocolate, grew fruit and made wine & honey, and the macadamia farm. We got to meet families at each place and enjoyed delicious tastes. The place where jade jewelry was made was another highlight. Esteban then helped us to find a great restaurant and dropped us there at the end of the tour. A truly worthwhile tour to see a bit more of this beautiful country!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Justinbp133na
Feb 6, 2024
Chicken Bus Tour Guatemala - JJ was a great guide, well informed and knowledgeable of the country and its rich heritage. Would definitely recommend to anyone 10/10.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debravilla2022
Feb 4, 2024
Fun Chicken Bus Tour - What a fun day on the Chicken Bus. We visited three different villages which were charming. We went to the chocolate workshop and tasted the delicious hot chocolate. Tasted wine made from local fruits and local honey. We visited the local laundry area and finally the Macadamia Nut farm where we had a delicious lunch and visit. Our guide throughout our visit to Gautemala was JJ. He is fantastic. He is very knowledgeable, fun and helpful. The entire crew at Columbus Guatemala Travel are wonderful.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Patricia_d
Jan 25, 2024
Amazing and informative tour - We had the honour of touring with Felix. He was so knowledgeable, informative, engaging and fun. He shared the history of the towns we visited, local fun facts, information regarding things unique to the villages, tours of a coffee house with samples, a chocolate factory with samples and an area where textiles were hand made and sold. We have been on many tours, I don’t think anyone could top the professionalism and knowledge of Felix.
Review provided by Viator
Nctravelz
Oct 31, 2023
Fantastic tour - We thoroughly enjoyed our half day tour of the surrounding villages. Esteban was an excellent driver and a fountain of information. I thought this might be cheesy, but it was very educational. We stopped at a chocolate factory, nispero (loquat) wine maker, jade factory and macadamia farm. They each offered their own tour with samples and things to buy (but no pressure). We visited the bus terminal in Antigua which would have been a great photo op but it was raining so we snapped out the window. We loved the experience of riding a chicken bus and our guide Esteban.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolinaso7155xb
Oct 31, 2023
Chicken Bus Fans for life ! - We visited the most beautiful towns on the outskirts of Antigua , learned how cocoa was made and about nísperos , visited a macadamia farm and el cerro de la cruz , and then even did a mini tour in Antigua all from the comfort of the super fun chicken bus ….but the best part was JJ who made it so special , he was filled with so much knowledge and his love for what he does is evident ! We could not have asked for a more perfect day or guide ! Definitely do it!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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