INTO THE RUINS: GUATEMALA YOGA ADVENTURE 

Eight days. Ancient ruins. Untouched jungle. 

February 21-28, 2027
starting at $4895 per traveler 
in partnership with The Travel Yogi

What You’ll Experience in Guatemala

Guatemala: the land of smiles. Whether a traveler or a local, a quick ‘buenas’ breaks down barriers and returns big, infectious grins. A Guatemala yoga retreat adventure promises new friends, photo-laden memories and remote adventure. Enjoy exploring a country where Mayan ruins are so numerous many are still unrecovered and an indigenous community that welcomes you into their world. Days in colonial Antigua will be complemented with time in the un-touristed north and, while you’ll spend time in the incredible complex of Tikal, you’ll also touch, climb and marvel at Mayan ruins hardly seen by most travelers. Strolling weekly markets, touching ancient marvels, an incredible shaman ceremony, monkey island, beautiful lagoons and a glamping night with a local community are all a part of discovering and immersing in the quiet, unseen and much beloved aspects of Guatemala. Take your wellness with you on a Guatemala yoga retreat adventure and let this beautiful country’s people, history and nature burst your heart wide open.

How You’ll Experience Guatemala

You’ll fly into Guatemala City and immediately retreat to the charming colonial town of Antigua. Explore this small and vibrant town with it’s beautiful architecture, colorful market and scenic volcanic views. A short drive out of town allows for a traditional village visit that most travelers miss. Stroll through a hyper local weekly market and the wonderfully colorful town cemetery. Guatemalans have a living relationship with loved ones lost and you’ll get a chance to learn about this tradition of celebration as you make your way to meet a Mayan shaman. From living traditions to ancient ruins you’ll head north and explore Tikal as well as the only remaining community of Mayan descendants living in the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Enjoy a night glamping with the community and dinner at the base of a candle lit ruin at Uaxactún. Your northern adventure includes a jungle lagoon and the excited inhabitants of Isla de Monos and afternoons supporting, and learning, the traditional and organic efforts of two women led co-ops. Culture, nature and history are alive and entwined on this yoga retreat adventure in Guatemala.

How You’ll Experience Guatemala

Smile infections are long-lasting and incurable so you can expect to return home with the new habit of saying ‘hello’ to everyone and smiling at strangers. You’ll find yourself pausing to remember extraordinary days climbing on temples and palaces that are thousands of years old and hearing echoes of howler and spider monkeys in your head. This Guatemala yoga retreat adventure will create a love affair with the people, the brilliant green jungles, the towns and the history and will have you wondering why it took you so long to visit in the first place.

Itinerary 

• DAY ONE
  Arrival into Guatemala City and transfer into colonial Antigua
• Transfers arranged from the Guatemala City airport (on arrival and departure days only)
• Check-in and enjoy the afternoon exploring the quaint, bustling and vibrant town
• Hit the rooftop deck for evening yoga
  Enjoy a lovely welcome-to-Guatemala dinner
  
  DAY TWO
• Morning yoga with a stunning view of one of three volcanoes
• Enjoy a morning walk through colonial Antigua’s historic center and markets
• The history of Antigua is on deck today along with all the color and vibrancy of daily town life
• Explore the market in town’s central square as well as the little-touristed market where locals shop
• Savor a street food lunch and some afternoon time to stroll and shop
  Come together for early evening yoga
• A delicious dinner follows and a good night’s sleep
  
  DAY THREE
• Early morning coffee and tea available
  Morning yoga class followed by breakfast
• Hop aboard a local chicken bus (yes, they call them that) for a ride to a local village
• Explore Santa María’s local market and town and the local women dressed in the traditional traje
• Walk up the hill to the local cemetery and shaman ceremony
• Guatemalan cemeteries are something to behold – they are colorful, living places where important dates of the dearly departed are still celebrated by friends and family
• Meet up with the local shaman in the cemetery as he explains and guides you through a beautiful offering ceremony
• Head to the nearby village of San Antonio Aguas Calientes and the women-owned weaving co-op
• Start your co-op time with a traditional and home cooked lunch
• Try your hand at the Guatemalan weaving technique of the back-strap loom that creates so many of the stunning pieces you see for sale in Antigua
• Learn how to spot a fake weave and enjoy the oh-so-warm smiles and hospitality of the weaving ladies
• Head back to town for yoga and dinner
  
  DAY FOUR
• Morning breakfast and a departure for the airport and beauty of northern Guatemala
• Deplane in Flores and head to the village of San Jose
• Learn how the women of San Jose keep traditional soap, lotion and medicinal plant making/growing alive and get hands-on with the project they are working on that day
• Enjoy lunch in San Jose before heading off to the lagoon
• Enjoy some time relaxing at the lagoon, by the pool or hop in a kayak and go exploring
• Come back together for evening yoga
  Enjoy dinner on the open patio with lagoon views and sumptuous meals
  
  DAY FIVE
• Morning yoga and breakfast
• Hop aboard the lagoon boat for a trip to Isla de Monos
• The spider monkeys all come out as they hear the daily boat arrive
• Removed from captivity and released on the island, the monkeys rely on the boat to bring them food and, sometimes, they hop on for a ride to a different point on the island. They are accustomed to people but enjoy their wildlife lives so enjoy the up-close-and-personal monkey time!
• Cruise the lagoon looking for the native crocodiles and avian populations while laying back and enjoying a chilled out lagoon ride
• Enjoy lunch back on property at your leisure
• This afternoon is yours to relax, book a massage, swim or head into Flores to explore
• Come together for evening yoga a delicious dinner
  
  DAY SIX
• Morning yoga session followed by breakfast
• Pack up and head into the Mayan Biosphere Reserve and the local village of Uaxactún
• Uaxactún is the only settlement in the biosphere since the locals, Mayan descendants, have lived there for hundreds of years
• Learn about the community’s amazing history and modern day natural contributions to everyday items in other parts of the world
• Aside from research teams you can expect to me among the only travelers wandering among the many stunning ruins of the original Mayan inhabitants of Uaxactún
• Enjoy a traditional and delicious lunch in the village
• Stroll to a local home and try your hand at making a traditional corn husk doll
• Enjoy sundowners before walking to the astrologically purposed ruins for an amazing outdoor dinner experience
  
  DAY SEVEN
• Morning breakfast and departure for the impressive archeological site of Tikal
• The huge complex of Tikal is an impressive example of the complexity, ingenuity and skill of the Mayan civilization
• Wander the ruins, climb temples and enjoy the coati sightings
• Head into Flores for lunch and time to stroll the island town
• Leave the beautiful calm of the north for the hustle of Guatemala City
• Enjoy a special goodbye dinner in town
  
  DAY EIGHT
• Morning breakfast, hugs and goodbyes to each other and amazing Guatemala
• Transfer to the Guatemala City airport for the start of the journey home

What's Included: 

• Yoga most mornings & evenings
• Local village market day
• Walking tour of Antigua
• Weaving day at a women-owned co-op
  • Get hands-on and traditional as you learn weaving techniques handed down over the generations (and how to spot fake woven goods!)
• Traditional shaman ceremony in small village of Santa Maria de Jesús
• Morning trip to Isla de Monos (Monkey Island) to interact with the spider monkeys and lagoon wildlife
• Join the ladies who keep traditional organic/natural skills alive at their co-op in San Jose
• Escape the crowds in the un-touristed biosphere community of Uaxactún 
  • Explore, climb, touch and marvel at the extraordinary Mayan ruins of Uaxactún
  • This community is one of the longest-occupied Mayan settlements with ruins dating back to 600 BCE
  • Leaving the crowds behind at Tikal, Uaxactún is an unparalleled way to immerse in the history and culture of the ancient Maya while living and learning from their modern day descendants 
• Evening star gazing and dining among the astrologically built ruins
• Try your hand at making a corn husk doll wit the ladies of Uaxactún
• Explore the ancient and magnificent ruins of Tikal
• Time to stroll and shop in the island town of Flores
• 3 nights lux hotel accommodation in Antigua
• 2 nights on a lagoon in a lux hotel
• 1 night glamping at Uaxactún
• 1 night lux hotel in Guatemala City
• Round trip flights from Guatemala City to Flores
• Transfers (on arrival and departure days only) from the Guatemala City (GUA) airport

What's Not Included

Your Adventure Leader

Jess Gumkowski is a mindset coach, yoga instructor, and retreat adventure leader who has been guiding people into the unknown since 2017 — and making sure they love every minute of it.

Guatemala has already called her once. In 2015 she went alone, did ceremony with a shaman, wrote, and went deep into one of the most powerful experiences of her life.

When it called her back, she answered yes without hesitation and immediately knew she had to bring her people with her.

If you've ever wanted to do something like this but talked yourself out of it, Jess is the reason you stop doing that. She has a gift for meeting people exactly where they are — nervous, excited, somewhere in between — and leading them into experiences that change how they see themselves and the world.

A 500-hour certified yoga instructor, mindset coach, and The Travel Yogi partner since 2023, Jess brings both the depth and the adventure. On the mat and off it, in stillness and in motion, she shows up fully — and she'll help you do the same.

Guatemala is calling. She already said yes.