Lake Atitlan: Mayan Ceremony at the Sacred Caves

We scheduled our tour for Easter weekend, which little did we know would be insane. Our shuttle from Antigua caused us to be late but Humberto was only concerned with our well-being. When we arrived at Xocomil Tour office they were not particularly polite but thankfully Humberto was in contact with us. Be prepared once you hit the road that leads to the boats for multiple men to approach you trying to take you to your ferry. We happily hopped in Humberto's van to first arrive at the house of Marcelo, the Mayan shaman. Humberto's passion for sharing knowledge about his culture was obvious. We gave a small donation to the alter and were blessed by the shaman. Then we walked by some locals preparing lunch and stopped to purchase a water. We then hiked down a mountainside and this is when I realized we probably should've worn hiking shoes. There were some quite precarious moments Humberto just graced through as we grasped on and made sure each other weren't going to fall. If you are scared of heights this isn't for you. Due to time constraints we were only able to see one cave but Humberto made our tour absolutely worthwhile. Leaving the incredible view of the cave we climbed back up the mountainside and hopped in the "pick-up" Humberto arranged for us last minute. He was determined to get us across the lake for our next tour on time and we even managed to be early. After the most authentic Guatemalan travel I can think of, only 2nd to a chicken bus, we hopped out of the back of the pick-up at the beach full of festivities. Not only had Humberto arranged a pick up to get us down the mountain, he also arranged a boat ride for us across the lake. It was like being James Bond and just contacting Humberto for help. Even after the boat ride he walked us to our next tour. I would HIGHLY recommend purchasing this tour and soaking up the opportunity to learn directly from Mayans. Bring decent shoes for hiking and if you're from the flat lands like me get a little incline cardio in before you go.

This was an enjoyable tour. Lee was very informative and ensured you had the local historical and cultural context for each ceremony location. It is very likely you will have a chance to catch a ceremony, so do not miss this experience.

Our guide was incredible. We really enjoyed learning the history of the town and the way a lot of the local people intertwine aspects of Catholicism and Mayan traditions. This was a realistic, interesting, learning experience. Thanks so much!

Time I spend during the tour was amazing!You will learn about real Mayan culture.Alex is a great person who explain to you everything.You will visit sacred places and you can become a part of it.You will energy and you can have your own ceremony.Go for it ! View is amazing :

This was a great experience! Our guide Alex understood the ceremonies and the different sites for certain ceremonies very well. We learned much more than we ever expected about the Mayan culture. We got a personal insight from a Mayan person who has practiced these very ceremonies. We were given the opportunity to have our own ceremony as well. This really made us feel as though we were a part of this beautiful culture.