Tag Archives: Guatemala

Registration is now open: January 22-February 2, 2026, 11 nights and 12 days. A $750 non-refundable deposit will reserve your space.

We begin first in Guatemala City, with an overnight stay at one of the best Zona 10 luxury hotels. The next morning, we will visit the Museo Ixchel, which features a comprehensive collection of traditional woven textiles representing all the country’s regions, from vintage to contemporary. Here, we understand the complexity of design and how the stories in the cloth can identify each village. We depart directly then to Coban, a five-plus hour van journey where we will meet up with famed pikbil weaver Amalia Gue and her family. During this stay, we will be in the rainforest, visit an orchid sanctuary, a coffee plantation, and meet other weaving groups. Then we set off for Antigua, the colonial capitol founded by the Spanish.

Antigua, founded in 1524, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We will spend several days in Antigua to dig deeper into this 16^th-century colonial city filled with galleries, restaurants, coffee shops, museums, and archeological sites. A special highlight is lunch at an organic farm-to-table restaurant and visits to surrounding weaving villages under the volcano.

While in Antigua, we will participate in a natural indigo dye workshop with master dyer Olga Reiche in her studio. She participates in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market, and has an outstanding textile gallery, Indigo, in the historic center of Antigua.

We also visit master weaver Lidia Lopez in nearby San Antonio Agua Calientes, Sacatepequez,  whom Norma met at the Santa Fe Folk Art Market. Lidia also attended and exhibited at the 2023 WARP annual conference. Her rendition of flower gardens in her weaving is nothing short of extraordinary.

Of course, we travel to Panajachel, take a boat launch across Lake Atitlan, and visit weaving cooperatives there with whom Olga has relationships. We also meet the weavers and embroiderers of Multicolores, a cooperative that supports women and families. Panajachel is a paradise of handcrafted and homemade, selling everything from yardage to fashion, jewelry, and leather goods.

While in Panajachel we make a day trip to nearby Chichicastenango to experience market day. This is a blow-your-mind immersion into the depths of all things Guatemalan, from new to vintage, from textiles to pottery to paintings to jewelry. When I was there in the mid-2000s, I was amazed by the indigenous Maya culture, the mysticism practiced in the church — a testimony to syncretism that blends ancient beliefs with Catholicism.  As we meander, we will have expert guidance on textile iconography, region, quality, and rarity.

From Chichi, we travel back to Panajachel and check into our luxury hotel. The next day, we leave for Antigua, where we will enjoy a day and a half at your leisure before meeting up for our Grand Finale Dinner.

Preliminary Itinerary

Day 1, Thursday, February 22: Arrive to Guatemala City, overnight in GC. Travel to the Hyatt Centric Hotel where we meet for a welcome dinner. Please arrive before 4 p.m. by airport shuttle (at your own expense) to avoid traffic. Dinner included. 

Day 2, Friday, February 23: After breakfast, visit the Museo Ixchel for a comprehensive look at Guatemala’s diverse Maya textile traditions. Then we travel some distance by luxury van to Coban, Alta Verapaz, where we settle into our hotel. Overnight in Coban. Breakfast is included. Lunch and dinner are on your own. Park Hotel

Day 3, Saturday, February 24: After breakfast, we meet with famed weaver Amalia Gue, and her family cooperative of pikbil weavers on the patio of her home that overlooks the rainforest and coffee plantations. We meet and see both women and men weaving, an innovation in the culture. After a box lunch, we tour an organic coffee plantation and then return to our hotel. Overnight in Coban. Breakfast and lunch are included. Dinner on your own. Park Hotel

Day 4, Sunday, February 25: After breakfast, we meet several weaving cooperatives that Olga works with for an expoventa, enjoy a home-cooked local meal at X’Kape, then visit Oruigonia, a family project that researches and grows local orchids on their private reserve. Overnight in Coban. Breakfast and lunch are included. Park Hotel

Day 5, Monday, February 26: After an early breakfast, we make another long drive to Antigua, where we have the late afternoon free and then meet for a group dinner. Overnight in Antigua. Breakfast and dinner are included.  Lunch is on your own. Hotel Don Rodrigo

Day 6, Tuesday, February 27: Today, we participate in a natural dyeing indigo workshop with Olga, who is a dye master and owner of the amazing textile shop Indigo. We will also visit master weaver Lidia Lopez de Lopez, who creates tapestry of flowers and wildlife on huipiles — a visual feast in her nearby village of San Antonio Aguascalientes. Overnight in Antigua. Breakfast and lunch are included. Dinner is on your own. 

Day 7, Wednesday, January 28: Today, we will go to Panajachel and Lake Atitlan, where we visit Multicolores cooperative. They have participated in the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market for years! Their story is incredible. There is time afterward to explore Santander Street, replete with artisan shops and market stalls. Breakfast included. Lunch and dinner on your own.

Day 8, Thursday, January 29:  After breakfast, we make a day trip to the famed Chichicastenango Market where the vast maze of alleyways is filled with artisans and food stalls showcasing everything from vintage to new: textiles, pottery, woven baskets and bags in a riot of color, jewelry, and more. Return to and overnight in Panajachel. Breakfast and lunch included. Dinner on your own.

Day 9, Friday, January 30: We spend the morning on the other side of Lake Atitlan, taking a boat launch to visit weaving cooperatives in San Juan de Laguna. Afternoon in Panajachel on your own. We return to Antigua in late afternoon and arrive in time to check in and have dinner. Overnight in Antigua. Breakfast is included. Lunch and dinner are on your own.

Day 10: Saturday, January 31: After breakfast, we will spend the morning exploring weaving villages under the volcano within a short drive of Antigua. Lunch is at the organic farm-to-table restaurant, Caoba Farms. Afternoon on your own. Breakfast and lunch are included. Dinner is on your own.

Day 11: Sunday, February 1: This is our last day together in Antigua. After breakfast you are free to continue exploring the city. We will have a self-guided list of not-to-be-missed places to see and suggestions for neighborhoods to explore on your own. It’s a good time to gather up last-minute gifts and do your final packing. Gather for our Grand Finale Dinner and goodbyes.  Breakfast and dinner are included. Lunch is on your own.

Day 12: Monday, February 2: Departure to Guatemala City airport. Please schedule flights to depart after 1 p.m.  It will take 1-1/2 to 2 hours to get there, and you need to be there two hours ahead of time to check in for international flights.

Price $4,795 for a shared room. $5,595 single room. Deposit to reserve $750 (non-refundable). Please complete this Registration Form and return it to Norma Schafer at norma.schafer@icloud.com to participate. Please read Registration Policies and Procedures. Thank you.

Space is limited to 15 travelers.

About the Tour Leaders

Olga Reiche is a Guatemala textile artisan, dye master, and social justice advocate who has worked with local artisans and indigenous groups for over 30 years to train them to use natural dyes. Her concern for environmental and artisan sustainability is a driving force in her work around Lake Atitlan and in the northern Coban region of Guatemala.

She has been an invited participant at the Santa Fe International Folk Art Market for many years, teaches natural dyeing and weaving, has written numerous articles about natural dyes and sustainability, indigenous culture, and continuity.

She mentors weavers, developing new designs and products, teaching them how to manage a business, and how to competitively market products in the international arena.

Olga heads the sustainable eco-fashion brand Indigo that works with craftspeople from different regions to create clothing from recycled and reused materials. The name of her brand is inspired by the rich blue pigment which comes from the native Guatemalan indigo plant.

Olga is the lead designer and produces naturally-dyed threads that are used by a team of weavers with whom she collaborates—mostly women working out of their homes. They make pieces according to Olga’s instructions, weaving almost exclusively on backstrap looms, incorporating patterns and symbols inspired by their shared Mayan heritage. Once the pieces are fabricated, they are returned to Olga for assembly into comfortable and luxurious handmade garments that have been featured in Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Mexico. 

Eric Chavez Santiago is a fourth-generation weaver and natural dyer from Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca. He is fluent in Spanish and English, and is managing partner of Oaxaca Cultural Navigator. He joined OCN in 2021. Eric was founding director of education at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, where he organized artisan-led programs for eight years. After that, he was asked by the Alfred Harp Helu Foundation to open and direct the Oaxaca folk art gallery Andares del Arte Popular, which he did for six years. Eric is knowledgeable about all aspects of weaving and naturally dyeing, having developed over 100 different shades of cochineal before the age of 21, and is deeply embedded in the folk art and craft culture of Mexico.

Norma Schafer founded Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC in 2007, and has been offering educational programs, workshops and tours since then. She served for thirty years in university leadership roles, and has a keen personal interest in artisan economic development, all things textiles and folk art.

Reservations and Cancellations.  A $750 non-refundable deposit (first payment) is required to guarantee your place. The balance is due in two equal payments. The second payment of 50% of the balance is due on or before August 1, 2025. The third payment, 50% balance, is due on or before November 1, 2025. We accept payment using Zelle cash transfer or a credit card with Square. For a Zelle transfer, there is no service fee.  We add a 4% service fee to use Square. We will send you a request for funds to make your reservation deposit when you tell us you are ready to register. Please tell us how your account is registered (email or phone number).

After November 1, 2025, there are no refunds. If you cancel on or before November 1, 2025, we will refund 50% of your deposit received to date (less the $750 non-refundable deposit). After that, there are no refunds UNLESS we cancel for any reason. If we cancel, you will receive a full 100% refund.

Required–Travel Health/Accident Insurance: We require that you carry international accident/health insurance that includes $50,000+ of emergency medical evacuation insurance. Check out Forbes Magazine for best travel insurance options. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/travel-insurance/best-travel-insurance/

Proof of insurance must be received at least 45 days before the tour start date.

About COVID. Covid is still with us and new variants continue to arise. As of this writing (December 2023), we request proof of latest COVID-19 vaccination and all boosters to be sent to us 30 days before departure. We suggest that you test two days before traveling to the tour. Please bring Covid test kits with you in the event you feel sick during the tour. Face masks are strongly suggested for airport and air travel, van travel, densely populated market visits, and artisan visits that are held indoors. We ask this to keep all travelers safe, and to protect indigenous populations who are at higher risk.