SERVICE TRIPS FOR DENTISTS, FAMILY, FRIENDS & OTHERS
If you are a Dentist or someone who would like to jump in and serve in another capacity, you are invited to join one of our pre-arranged service trips to our Xela AID Campus and Community Clinic near Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Our 6-night, turn-key service packages are offered five times per year and include transportation from Guatemala City with many local activities to choose from AND return transportation to Guatemala City, Antigua, or Lake Atitlán. Read on for details!
2025 OFFERINGS (Saturday-Friday, with options to extend your stay)
• Saturday, March 29-Friday, April 4
• Saturday, May 24-Friday, May 30
• Saturday, July 19-Friday, July 25
• Saturday, Sept 27-Friday, Oct 3
• Saturday, Nov 29-Friday, Dec 5
Service Trip Overview
INCLUDED
• Your first night's stay at the elegant Barcelo Hotel in Guatemala City, and breakfast the next morning
• Private transportation to our top-rated Eco Guest House, and a 5-night stay including all meals
• A community welcome and village walking tour, and an in-home experience
• Staffing and logistics support for your service work, including translation
• Return transportation to Guatemala City, Antigua, or Lake Atitlán
Saturday, DAY 1
• Arrive a La Aurora Airport where the shuttle to the Barcelo Hotel will be waiting. Check-in and enjoy dinner and an evening on your own or with other trip participants.
Sunday, DAY 2
• Breakfast - Enjoy the Barcelo's extensive buffet for breakfast. Your private transportation will arrive at 8 AM.
• Travel - Stop for lunch or a snack, and arrive at our Campus around 3 PM to check in and rest.
• Village Walk - Enjoy a guided village walking tour along streets lined with fields of fresh corn, potatoes and other local crops. Our guide will take you behind the scenes to learn about the daily life of the Mam-Maya people, including visiting a local home.
• Dinner, Set-Up - After a delicious course dinner (6-6:30), set up for the next day's service activities.
Monday-Thursday, DAYS 3-6
Note: For family, friends and others not participating in the dental clinic, we have plenty of options to choose from! See them at right.
• Stroll - Early risers may start the day off with a gentle village hike with our receptionist who is resident during your stay
• Breakfast is at 7 AM each day
• Set-Up - Around 8 AM, complete any set-up needed
• Serve! - Our Dental Clinic will begin welcoming patients at 8:30 AM each morning, all pre-arranged by our staff
• Lunch is from noon to 1 PM each day
• Afternoon Clinic - You'll see patients from 2-4:30 PM.
• R&R/Happy Hour - Join family, friends, colleagues and other guests in our Hearth Room from 5:30-6:30 P.M.
• Dinner - Our delicious 3-course dinner is served at 6:30 PM each evening.
Notes: One day during lunch, enjoy a presentation and demonstration of the ancient art of backstrap weaving. Thursday night's dinner will include a special farewell ceremony.
Friday, DAY 7
• Stroll - If you like, enjoy a last early morning stroll through the village before breakfast.
• Breakfast and Farewell! - After breakfast stop by our Fair Trade Weaving Cooperative for a last opportunity to spend your Gift Card and take a little bit of San Martín with you! We'll take you to your next destination, be it Guatemala City, Antigua or Lake Atitlán. (Hotel recommendations appear on our Registration Form)
You'll leave with a deepened understanding of Guatemala and the Mam-Maya people of the region, the satisfaction of serving, and memories to last a lifetime. We invite you to join us!
COST: $1,689 pp (Double Occupancy)
Single Supplement: $390 pp
ADD-ON OPTIONS: There are a number of optional activities available for family and friends, and trip participants who want to diversify their experience. Find them on this page and on our registration form.
ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME - Take a steaming hot shower in your spacious ensuite bathroom, and enjoy all the amenities of our rooms including fluffy towels, a hair dryer, shampoo, conditioner, body wash, free WIFI, ample and convenient electrical plug-ins and USB charging bedside, reading lights, desk, space heaters, extra blankets, window shades and space for your clothing and luggage. Our guests report sweet dreams!
Activities and Options for Participants, Family, Friends
Wants to bring your spouse or children on a service trip but you're not sure what they would do? Here are some options (continued below in the green block), with more options to serve in our health, education, special needs programs and others. We will match participant talent and interest with local need. There will be plenty of meaningful work for all participants!
VILLAGE TOUR - All guests are invited on a guided tour of San Martín Chiquito to learn about the village and the Mam-Maya way of life. Guests are invited to stroll through the village each morning to enjoy all the sites and sounds of life as the town wakes up.
VISIT A MAYAN HOME - Your tour will continue around 3:30 when you'll visit a local home where you'll get an up-close and personal view of family life, including learning a new skill (it's a surprise!).
More Service and Activity Options:
PRACTICE YOUR SPANISH
PREPARE/DELIVER WATER FILTERS
BUILD/DELIVER A CHICKEN COOP
TAKE A WEAVING LESSON
LEARN A MAYAN RECIPE
MAYAN "NAGUAL" CEREMONY
VISIT QUETZALTENANGO
GUIDED TOUR TO A CRATER LAKE
SOAK IN VOLCANIC HOT BATHS
OUR FAIR-TRADE COOPERATIVE - You'll be so inspired by our weavers, we wouldn't want you to leave without an authentic keepsake from our community! You can use a complimentary Gift Card included with this experience to pick out a hand-woven treasure from our Fair-Trade Weaving Cooperative — something special to remember your visit!
P.S. - NEW LIFE FOR OLDER SHOES - Tennis shoes and sturdy sandals can protect the feet of our village children! Should you wish to donate a pair or two, we'll put gently used or new shoes for children 13 and younger to excellent use!
Looking for 2-Week All-Inclusive, Build-Your-Own Service Trip, or Guided Group Experiences? Return to check those out HERE.
