Guatemala mountain bike tours

Enjoy the excellent trails in and around the beautiful colonial town of Antigua, Guatemala. There is plenty of singletrack surrounding the city, through coffee fields and down the sides of volcanoes.

Ride the exclusive downhill mountain bike trails at El Zur, some of the only purpose built mountain bike trails in Guatemala.

Travel to Lake Atitlán for more riding, big views, and a stay at Casa del Mundo, where you’ll enjoy a wood-fired hot tub right on the lake!

Get in Touch With Questions or Book Now

Guatemala mountain biking trip dates in 2024

• October 20–26, 2024
• November 10–16, 2024
• December 8–14, 2024

Don’t see a date that works for you? Contact us for custom trip dates!

Skill and fitness level requirements

Fitness level: ● ● ● ○ ○
Skill level: ● ● ● ○ ○

What do these ratings mean?

What to expect after you’ve booked your trip

• Once you’ve booked your trip, you will get a confirmation email through our booking system and a trip information sheet for your trip.
• Please hold off booking your flights until we confirm that the trip has enough participants to run. We will send out an email to let you know.
• Once the trip is confirmed, please go ahead and book your flight and upload your flight information into your WeTravel account (this is the account you will have booked your trip through).
• If you plan to extend your visit on either end of the trip, please let us know and we can help arrange for extra nights at the hotel if needed.
• Make sure to read through your trip information sheet, and always feel free to reach out with any questions to Julie!

Day 1

Arrive in Guatemala City and take on one of our shuttles (two offered on this day) to the colorful city of Antigua, about an hour away. Relax at our hotel or take in the sites and sounds of the city. Today is a good day to visit the artisan markets or visit the Santa Catalina Arch. The local mechanics can also help you get your bike built up and ready to ride.

Day 2

After breakfast, we will get picked up to drive to El Zur, one of Guatemala’s only purpose built trail systems, which we have exclusive access to. Take in the sites along the way and see if you can spot Fuego volcano erupting in the distance. Once we arrive at El Zur, we will load up in our 4×4 shuttles to take us to the top of the trails. We will then enjoy miles of flowing singletrack through tropical forests, sure to make you grin the entire way down.

Day 3

Today will showcase local trails in the Panchoy valley with big descents and even bigger volcano views! After a quick shuttle ride out of Antigua to a nearby ridge, we’ll begin our first descent from Hobbitenango. This ride has big views back over the valley as the trail winds its way through a couple cool ravines and old growth forests and traverses above town. A fun rowdy descent flows its way all the way back down to the valley floor. The next ride starts with a few kms of climbing on horse trail which then turns to ridgeline trail with big views back to Antigua and the valley’s 3 volcanoes. The trail will drop us back in Antigua with an evening to enjoy the town.

Day 4

On our third day of riding, we drive from Antigua to the Mayan ruins of Iximche near Tecpan to start the day’s ride. This ride includes some enduro trails around the Tecpan area. We will then shuttle to a viewpoint above Lake Atitlan where we have lunch and take in the views.

After lunch we hit the famous Santa Cat trail that drops on amazing contouring trail to the Santa Catarina village staircase run. We’ll finish off the day in Panajachel and you’ll have the night free to enjoy town.

Day 5

Today we have two options for the group. For those that want to keep pedalling we have plenty more trails ready to go! If you prefer to stay back to relax on Lake Atitlan and visit a local women’s weaving co-op, that works too. We will all enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then the riding group will meet the shuttle to ride back up the mountain to Las Trampas. For those that decide to take a break from the bikes, the hotel has pool access which you can enjoy and then in the afternoon go for a visit to the weaving co-op and then finish up at Hotel Casa del Mundo (or similar hotel).

Riding: We will arrive at the trailhead of Slickrock, a wicked point-to-point ride that will take us to a picnic lunch rest stop. This is one of our favorite rides out at Lake Atitlan! It is a technical beast but well worth the effort. We’ll start with a few kms of climbing on a mix of singletrack, jeep track and dirt road to the highspot at about 3000 mts. From there the trail starts to drop fast and steep to the upper madre vieja river valley. Working our way along the lush river valley bottom we get to our next long climb. This one is a rough jeep track climb up and out of the river valley to our awaiting support vehicle and lunch.

After a delicious, healthy and fresh lunch we’ll hop back on the bikes and finish up the descent down into town on a stretch of tight steep trail that switchbacks its way to the road just above Panajachel. This is a unique ride with lots of variation to keep you happy! Then we hop in a boat and transfer to our lakeside hotel which is accessed by boat only, Hotel Casa Del Mundo. Enjoy sunset while relaxing in the wood fired hot tub right next to the lake.

Day 6

We will enjoy breakfast and a relaxing morning at the lake with plenty of time for a swim or hammock time. Around 11AM, we’ll catch the boat back to Panjachel. From here will jump in the the private shuttle back to Antigua. Once arriving to Antigua, we’ll meet up with a local farm from De La Gente coffee for an insider look into local production and a full tasting.

We’ll finish up in Antigua for a farewell dinner and drinks to cap off a great week!

Day 7

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel and then your departure shuttle to the airport will depend on your flight time. We will leave Antigua approximately 3 hours prior to your departure to allow for travel and check-in.

Note: Itinerary is subject to change.

Download our Guatemala Trip Information Sheet for all of the details about this trip.

• Beautiful and comfortable accommodations in the heart of Antigua—walk to the main square and all of the sites.
• Two nights on the beautiful Lake Atitlan: one at La Casa del Mundo or similar.
• All breakfasts, lunches and dinners at restaurants hand picked by our local crew to get the best meals and experiences.
• Airport pickup (two shuttle times available). Our crew will transport you from Guatemala City and drive you to Antigua to start your adventure.
• Professional local guides that know the trails and have an excellent knowledge of the local culture and traditions.
• Support on the trails with a vehicle, trailside lunches, snacks, and clean drinking water.

Price – $1,895

Book more than 90 days in advance and get a pair of World Ride Guatemala socks and a hat! A $300 non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot.

Deposits are non-refundable and can be put toward any other World Ride trip in the future.

The remainder of the cost of the trip is due 60 days prior to the start of the trip and can be made in payments. Trips require a minimum of four people in order to run. Please check with us to confirm your trip before you book your flight.

Fundraise for your trip

Fundraise for your trip! We can set up a personalized fundraising page for you. We offer $100 off your trip costs for every $1000 that you raise, up to the cost of the trip.

The money you raise supports World Ride in building bike and gear libraries and offering guide training and certification in the countries we work with.

Get in touch with us for more details on the fundraising process.

Christa had been curious about mountain biking while working as a volcano hiking guide for Antigua, Guatemala based Old Town Outfitters.

After World Ride started their program in Guatemala, she got asked to be the first female mountain bike guide. She immediately fell in love with the bike and now works guiding mountain biking and hiking. She also organizes a weekly group ride of local Guatemalan women with her group Aventurandose con la Christa. Some of the rides now have 25-30 women!

She loves the way she can connect with herself and nature through mountain biking. She has also climbed 21 volcanoes throughout Guatemala and loves poetry, reading, jazz, Ayurveda and any type of adventure.

Guatemala is a warm and welcoming country, but like any place in the world, you will need to be cautious of your valuables during the trip. The bikes will be securely stored throughout the trip.

Please see the US State Department website for any other travel safety information.

For any travel related vaccines and health questions, be sure to check the CDC website and consult your doctor.

Wondering what clothes to pack, how many pairs of underwear to bring (you do you!), or what charger you’ll need for Guatemala? We’ve got you covered! Check out the lists below and take a look at the Guatemala information guide for more details.

More insights into your Guatemala mountain biking tour

• Hike a volcano in Guatemala
• Why going on a World Ride mountain biking trip is the best way to support our mission

Other things to explore in Guatemala

There are many sights to see in Guatemala! Depending on when you arrive and depart for your trip, here are some suggestions.

The Santa Catalina Arch and Antigua Cathedral

Both are within a short walk of the hotel and you will enjoy exploring the vibrant city of Antigua. Make sure to stop into some local shops and cafes.

Acatenango Volcano Hike

This is an overnight hike that can be added on to the trip if you are staying a few extra days. This hike will take you to the top of Guatemala’s 3rd highest volcano, right next to Volcan de Fuego- a still active volcano. Stay up late or wake up early to see Fuego erupting from a safe distance away.

Pacaya Volcano Hike

This is a great half day hike to see Pacaya Volcano. The hike itself is a couple of hours and moderately strenuous. This hike includes roasting marshmallows over steam vents coming out of the volcano, as well as a picnic lunch overlooking Acatenango and Fuego volcanoes.

If you are interested in a volcano hike, check out our blog to see more about each!