Top Central Highlands Classes & Workshops

About 20-minutes from Antigua, the peaceful town of Parramos is a world away from the bustling streets of Guatemala’s tourist capital, which makes it the perfect place for a family-led cooking class in a local home. A great way to immerse yourself in the rich flavors of Guatemalan cuisine, this small-group cooking class also gives you the chance to learn more about Guatemalan culture and stories.

Go beyond just sampling Guatemalan cuisine at Antigua’s restaurants and learn to cook it for yourself at a cooking class. Visit a cooking school in Jocotenango village, and learn to make typical Guatemalan food, choosing from assorted dishes and picking up local cooking tips as you work. Then, savor your creations with your hosts on a rooftop terrace overlooking the Agua Volcano or in a colonial-style dining room.

Turn your cooking class in Antigua into an authentic cultural experience with a visit to the market. Learn about local ingredients, everyday life, and the different flavors that make up Guatamalan cuisine. In addition to practicing new cooking techniques under the guidance of your instructor and making 5 dishes, sample a variety of local fruits-including some you may have never seen before.

Immerse yourself in Guatemalan culture and cuisine with a small-group cooking class at Cuscun Cooking School in Antigua. First, visit the local market to shop for fresh ingredients, herbs, and spices, then get hands-on in the kitchen under the guidance of a local chef. Create a variety of typical Guatemalan dishes, such as ‘tamales, ‘pepián’ (meat stew), or chiles rellenos (stuffed chilies).

Antigua is known for its jade, and while you can pick up everything from earrings to jade sculptures in the local market, it's much more fun to carve your own special piece to take home. With the help of a jade-carver instructor, learn how to fabricate your own piece that you can display as a necklace or bracelet charm or on a keychain.

It will be 3 hours of Guatemalan magic, you will live a stately experience, where I will show you the cuisine of Guatemala. I will take you to my house that is located in one of the most exclusive areas of the city, you enjoy beautiful avenues from a 21st floor, and I will invite you to cook in my kitchen, I will take you back to the past with a demonstration of a Mayan ceremony, and we will be tasting the dish that you choose, I will explain step by step and where your dish comes from. Includes 3 times where I choose your entry and posts I am is a surprise to you. I use fresh and seasonal ingredients, traveling more than 200 km to bring the best of Guatemala and include it in your food. Depending on the season we can make hot cocoa, a surprise gift from our culture, I will take home a special ingredient, a photo with a typical Guatemalan costume. The hours of 11 am are the only ones where we will visit the Traditional Market

Guatemalan Cooking School Mamma Yama is a cooking school located in Antigua Guatemala, offering authentic culinary experiences focused on traditional Guatemalan cuisine. Indulge in the flavors of Guatemala as you prepare traditional dishes. Discover the cultural stories behind each dish with Chef David Farfán; cook using local ingredients and traditional recipes in a hands-on class, and then enjoy your homemade meal in a pleasant and welcoming atmosphere. Fuego Heaven class - we choose the best 7 Guatemalan dishes + wine + Guatemalan snacks, Acatenango Master Class where you learn to make 1 main dish, 4 side dishes and a dessert. All the food is 100% Guatemalan cuisine, Pacaya Student class – 3 dishes. This of cooking where you learn to make 1 main dish, 2 side dishes. We have vegetarian and vegan options. Clases every day at 10:30, 12:30 and 4:30

What makes this activity special At Casa San Miguel, participants not only watch a cooking demonstration, but become part of the experience. Guided by local chef David Farfán, travelers prepare authentic Guatemalan dishes using traditional techniques handed down from generation to generation. Small groups guarantee personalized attention, hands-on learning and a warm, familiar and welcoming atmosphere. Participants also enjoy Guatemalan coffee, local drinks and printed take-home recipes. The optional market tour adds an immersive cultural touch, connecting travelers directly to local ingredients and traditions.

Learn how to make traditional Mayan dishes during a culinary tour in Antigua. Pick up fresh ingredients and see how the locals shop at the vibrant Central Market, then head to your instructor’s home. Be sure to come hungry, as you prepare - and devour - pepian (meat stew), hilachas (beef with tomato sauce), jocon (green chicken stew), and more over the course of the class.

Take a morning to learn the Maya art of backstrap weaving in a beautiful central Antigua courtyard, surrounded by plants. Sit alongside a master weaver and learn her story. Guatemala is a country rich in its textile tradition, with lots of colors everywhere. But do you know what it really takes to create a weaving? Beginners can gain appreciation of this tradition, and advanced weavers can dive into the nitty gritty details of single-sided or even double-sided brocade. Stitch by stitch, learn to weave a traditional motif.

What sets this experience apart is its quiet intimacy and authenticity. Rather than a group-led ritual, this is a self-guided cacao ceremony, allowing each guest to move at their own pace and connect in a personal, unforced way. The ceremony centers on Guatemalan ceremonial cacao, honoring its cultural roots and heart-centered tradition. Every element—sage cleansing, intention-setting, ritual release, and gratitude—is intentionally simple, creating space for reflection rather than instruction. The result is a grounded, memorable experience—one that feels both sacred and approachable, and lingers well beyond the cup itself.

Cacaos ceremonies are usually offered at Antigua or Lake Atitlán. There are few options for these kinds of activities in Guatemala City. If you missed it but still want to experience this magical activity, this is your shot! Cacao ceremonies ignite your sense of gratitude and joy. Perfect for any moment of celebration or even moments where joy is needed the most because we are lacking it in our current situation. We are joyous to receive you.

Did you know that the ancient Mayan culturist developed the art of clay sculpture? Know some of the symbology of art in the collective imagination, and immerse yourself in the method of Jungian therapy and imagine your own fantasy of mud and make possible with the artisan mud

If you’re looking for a full day trip that will deepen your knowledge of Guatemala and expose you to interacting with local communities off-the-beaten-path, this is for you. The activities take place in the community of San Miguel Escobar on the outskirts of Antigua (20 or 30 minutes), where the coffee-growing families welcome you into their homes to start the experience in a rural Guatemalan kitchen to learn to cook Guatemalan traditional dishes: Pepian, plantain mole, and tortillas on a wood-burning stove. After lunch, a coffee farmer will lead you through their fields, explain the work behind cultivating coffee, walk you through each processing step from bean to brew, and finish the tour by joining you for a coffee in their home. Along the way, you’ll learn more than just the process behind coffee-you’ll have authentic and transparent conversations with small-scale producers and their families.

Experience a unique adventure where our visitors enjoy an authentic Guatemalan cooking class alongside locals, learning traditional recipes in a real kitchen steeped in history, flavor, and culture. You can also enhance your visit with a special option: a jade carving class, where you'll create your own piece while discovering the ancestral significance of this precious material in Guatemala.

Discover the magic of San Antonio Aguascalientes by visiting the home of Milvia, a talented weaver who inherited the ancient art of the waist loom. During this tour, you will learn about the rich tradition of Guatemalan fabric, immersing yourself in a unique cultural experience. In addition, you will participate in the preparation of the delicious cucumber, a typical dish full of flavor and history. This tour is ideal for seekers of cultural experiences, families with children and those who want to connect with authentic local traditions. Live unforgettable moments, get up close and personal with the life and work of a family dedicated to traditional art, and take memories for a lifetime.

This isn't just a cocktail tasting — it's an immersive experience inside a magic-and-fantasy-inspired café in the beautiful colonial Antigua Guatemala. Every potion is crafted from scratch using house-made syrups and creative technique, turning each sip into a small piece of theater you won't find anywhere else in Guatemala.

What makes this experience unique is that it goes beyond a typical cooking class. Guests will begin by visiting a local market to select fresh ingredients, gaining insight into everyday life and food culture in Guatemala. Together, we’ll prepare a complete traditional meal—from Chiles Rellenos to Jocón and the beloved dessert Molletes—while learning the stories, traditions, and techniques behind each dish. This is a hands-on, small-group experience hosted in a home kitchen, offering an authentic opportunity to connect with Guatemalan culture, cuisine, and hospitality. By the end of the class, guests will not only enjoy a delicious homemade meal but also leave with recipes, new skills, and a deeper appreciation for Guatemala’s culinary heritage.

Within this open car tour to better live the experience, you will know the coffee processes in a different way since the experience is directly with a local coffee farmer , it is an incredible activity which you must live, you will know both planting processes, as well as you will drink artisan coffee, in one of the most iconic communities in the coffee world by the area of Antigua Guatemala

Antigua Sole offers the only artisan leather craft experience in Guatemala. Here, you will be able to not only see the process, but get involved! Have a design you've dreamed of? We can make it! Want to play around with new materials and just have fun? This is a perfect place for you. We offer laid-back and fun classes with no pressure.

Sip three handcrafted cocktails in a candle-lit, magical space in Antigua, with a Potion Master to guide you through this enchanted tasting. Storytelling and lore create an immersive alternative to traditional gourmet experiences—with flair such as color-changing drinks, smoke, and flaming garnishes.

More than just coffee, this is an immersive tasting journey where fantasy meets specialty brewing in the heart of Antigua Guatemala. Each experience includes 3 carefully crafted signature lattes, designed with unique flavors, artistic presentation, and magical storytelling that transforms every drink into its own adventure. This activity is special because it combines creativity, ambiance, and high-quality coffee into a memorable ritual unlike a traditional café visit. Perfect for travelers, couples, and anyone seeking a distinctive experience, guests can explore imaginative beverages inspired by wonder and alchemy while enjoying one of Antigua’s most unique themed café settings. Optional dessert pairings elevate the journey even further, making it a truly enchanting escape.

Join a local family in a traditional village near Antigua and learn how to prepare authentic Guatemalan dishes using age-old techniques and locally sourced ingredients. Grind corn, seeds, and spices by hand using the ancient pedernal stone. Learn traditional Mayan cooking techniques and use heritage utensils. Enjoy dishes like Pepián, Jocón, Kak'ik, or a vegetarian option. Take the recipes and skills home to recreate the flavors yourself.