The Ultimate Antigua Guatemala Coffee Tour: Coffee, Chocolates and ATVs
No matter where I travel, the local coffee scene shapes at least part of my itinerary. But in Guatemala, coffee felt particularly top of mind. Before my trip, I’d created a long list of must-try coffee shops, eager to discover my favorites. Which beans would be worth bringing home as souvenirs?
The ATV coffee tour was a natural addition to my own research, and it ended up being one of my favorite highlights of the entire trip. I’ll outline exactly what to expect, and help you understand why this is a must-do in Antigua.
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First, my favorite Antigua Guatemala Coffee to buy:
While I loved this tour for the overall experience, the coffee I absolutely fell in love with and brought home was an award-winner from Coffea Cafés Especiales.
Even if you don’t plan to buy beans from there, I recommend stopping by for a taste. Especially because it’s recently been added to the World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops list.
The best Antigua Guatemala Coffee tour: What to expect
Adventure, learning, socializing and tastings all add up to make this Antigua Guatemala coffee tour one of the best things to do there.
Aboard the ATVs
Have you ever driven an ATV? I have to be honest, I was as nervous as I was intrigued by this element of the tour. Would it be safe? Would I be able to drive it or end up looking like a fool? Would I hurt myself?
All my worries flew away once we got started. The meeting point for this tour was at the tour agency’s shop, where we were fitted for our helmets, signed our waivers and received some initial instructions.
Then, we all walked over to the ATV lot today and were each assigned our ride. Once we hopped on, the tour team came around to check on each of us to ensure we were set up for safety and that we understood the workings of our ATVs.
It didn’t feel like time was dragging during all this, because they were pretty swift yet efficient. It was just enough time for each of us to really feel comfortable and ready to get going.
We left on our ATVs, driving in a single-file line with our guide leading the way. It wasn’t long until I realized how much fun I was having!
I really surprised myself, and as we parked at our first destination I caught myself wondering what it would be like to drive a motorcycle next… That nervousness really didn’t survive for long.
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Panoramic Views of Antigua from Above
Our first stop was the iconic viewpoint, Cerro de la Cruz. And driving an ATV to get there was much more comfortable than walking up would have been.
Beyond getting panoramic views and photos while we were up there, our guide took the opportunity to share a bit about Antigua’s history.
He explained how the city had been organized, and helped us to understand what we were looking at as we looked out over the city.
We were in Guatemala in January, which meant clear blue skies and a truly beautiful view. After we took our time getting photos and videos, it was back to the ATVs to drive to our next destination.
An Unexpected Chocolate Tasting
When we arrived at the coffee plantation, it felt like its own little village and the first stop we made when we entered was not coffee-related.
It was chocolate! This was an unexpected surprise which made it even sweeter. Our group got to taste a variety of chocolates, including sipping on some hot chocolate. They also had a space inside for chocolate workshops, but we didn’t participate in that.
The In-Depth Coffee Tour
The name of the plantation we visited is La Azotea.
It’s been around for 150 years, and is family-owned. In addition to hosting tour groups like ours, they have a variety of other activities like a coffee museum to explore, the chocolate workshops I mentioned, a fabric workshop and several restaurants.
You could certainly visit La Azotea on your own, but I’m glad we took the tour approach for the overall experience, dedicated guide and people we were able to meet.
Our guide led us through the plantation for an in-depth coffee tour. We saw every part of the process, beginning with seeing the plants and learning about how coffee beans are harvested.
It felt super interactive and interesting, and of course the best part was that it ended in a tasting room.
More tastings
In addition to the chocolate and coffee-tasting, we got to taste several jams. I ended up buying a couple jars of the guava jam for my mom and my sister because it was so delicious.
We ended in a cafe/shop hybrid where we could buy everything from food items (like the coffees we’d tried) to children’s toys and other hand-crafted items.
And the fun didn’t stop there. As we left the shop, our guide asked our group if we wanted to all grab a bite to eat.
We sat at a beautiful, casual restaurant right on the property, ordered some food and drinks and spent some time just chatting with our fellow travelers.
It was the perfect way to end our tour before our final ATV drive back into town.
Is it worth it?
This specific Antigua Guatemala coffee tour is absolutely worth it and deserving of a spot on your Guatemala itinerary.
You get the experience of driving around on an ATV, history with a view at the can’-t miss panoramic viewpoint, an in-depth coffee plantation tour, chocolate and coffee tasting alongside a group of great people.
It’s the perfect way to spend a half day in Antigua.
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