Welcome to the 2026 October Photography and Birdwatching Bambu Family hub! An 8-night program that will introduce your family to Lake Atitlan, local Mayan Culture, and incredible food!
Situated right on the shores of Lake Atitlan, our Santiago Bambu campus offers direct access for kayaking, swimming, boat tours and visits to other towns.
This hub focuses on daily photography skills taught by local professionals and includes regular guided hikes in nature to practice getting that perfect shot!
Enjoy the beautiful swimming pool, hot tub, temazcal, cultural activities, art and crafts time, organized games, and tours.
October Photography Hub 2026
BAMBU edition.
The Santiago Bambu campus features direct access to Lake Atitlan, stunning views, jaw-dropping, vast green spaces for play, a swimming pool, temazcal, hot tub, koi pond, kayaks, a greenhouse for our tropical botany course, and so much more.
The Bambu world-class restaurant (breakfast and lunch are included in the package) will not disappoint!
Culture Chalk programs are about connecting with and learning from the local community in genuine ways.
PROGRAM DATES:
October 21-29, 2026
What is included:
Delicious 'a la carte' restaurant breakfasts and lunches.
Hotel accommodations with plenty of common areas, green space, and direct lake access.
A private boat tour to different villages around Lake Atitlan
An English-speaking host and leader will be available to the group during your stay.
Daily photography classes for your children
-Photography with a camera
-Photography using your phone
-Editing
POOL - HOT TUB TIME - TEMAZCAL
Shuttles to and from the Airport on start and finish dates.
Arts and crafts room stocked with supplies, games, and books, with scheduled childcare and daily activities.
Professional artist on staff for instruction and slotted one-on-one time teaching your child during the week.
Guided bird watching tour through the jungle!
Walk through town for a guided market tour.
What is not included:
Flights
Personal Travel Insurance
(Required, recommendations available)
Gratuity for guides/hotel staff
Suppers
Share and bring a friend!
Group discounts apply for families coming with others!
Join us for an 8-Night stay for this amazing program
Program Schedule
Day 1
OCTOBER 21
10:00 am
Shuttle pick up in Guatemala City
2:00 pm
Arrivals and settling into rooms
3:00 pm
The program officially starts with a welcome spread of delicious food. Meet and greet attending families and orientation/schedule review.
Evening to relax and explore the campus
Day 2
OCTOBER 22
7 am
Sun is up, coffee is on.
7 - 9
Breakfast served
9 - 11:30
Morning Activities:
Intro to Photography with an instructor
Guidelines, rules of thumb, and dimensions
12-1:30 pm
Lunch hours.
1:45 -3:00 pm
Afternoon Activities:
Tropical Botany
5 -7
Supper time (Enjoy walking into town or order at the Bambu restaurant)
7- 8
Games
Day 3
OCTOBER 23
7 am
Sun is up, coffee is on.
7 - 9
Breakfast served
9 - 11:30
Morning Activity:
Photography Hike
12-1:30 pm
Lunch hours.
1:45 -3:00 pm
Afternoon Activities:
Students review their best pictures with the teacher and get constructive feedback / Swim time
5 -7
Supper time (Enjoy walking into town or order at the Bambu restaurant)
7- 8
Hide and go seek on campus!
Day 4
OCTOBER 24
5 am
Early morning bird watching tour and hike through the jungle
9-10
Breakfast served
10 - 12:30
Morning Activity:
Pool time, hot tub, rest.
12-1:30 pm
Lunch hours.
1:45 -3:30 pm
Photography class:
Technical instruction
5 -7
Free time
8-9
Family circle on the lawn to talk about highlights!
Day 5
OCTOBER 25
7 - 8 am
Breakfast served
8:30 - 3:00 pm
Lake Atitlan Boat tour:
Visit other villages
San Marcos Nature Reserve
San Antonio Ceramics factories
Picnic Lunch
Practice Landscape Photography
Return to Bambu Campus
Free time
Day 6
OCTOBER 26
7 am
Sun is up, coffee is on.
7 - 9
Breakfast served
9 - 2
Morning Activity:
Pickup truck or shuttle ride to the swings lookout point.
A beautiful view for lots of photos and a session with the instructor at the viewpoint.
Lunch in San Juan
Afternoon Activities:
Visit San Juan Apiary, cotton dying demonstrations, textiles and weaving, artisan market shopping
5 -7
Supper time
Day 7
OCTOBER 27
7 am
Sun is up, coffee is on.
7 - 9
Breakfast served
9 - 11
Editing session and selecting favourite photos for print. Photos will be printed for the final exposition and artists' gala, where students will showcase the photos they are most proud of.
Noon
Lunch
2-8
Free time to shop, walk to Santiago, swim or Kayak.
Day 8
OCTOBER 28
7 am
Sun is up, coffee is on.
7 - 9
Breakfast served
9 - 11
Kids pick!
Traditional weaving class / Final photography / Leadership training:
How to be assertive, confident and in control when taking group photos. Reviewing lighting, poses and things to avoid.
(Kids taking this last class will be in charge of taking the group photos in the afternoon)
12-1:30
Lunch
2 - 4
Rest, free time
4 - 5
Group photos
6 pm
Artists' Exhibit!
(Bring formal attire, the more formal, the more fun the kids will have!)
Day 9
OCTOBER 29
7 am
Sun is up, coffee is on.
Breakfast served
FINAL GOODBYES
8 - 11
SHUTTLES LEAVE FOR GUATEMALA CITY AND SAN JUAN LA LAGUNA
Where you'll be staying while in Santiago, Atitlan, Guatemala:
(PRICING INCLUDES 8 NIGHTS ACCOMMODATIONS, PROGRAMMED ITINERARY, SHUTTLES, 2 RESTAURANT MEALS DAILY!)
The rooms in this package have 2-3 double beds and a garden or lake view so that you can enjoy the daily sunrise during your time at Lake Atitlan!
Beautiful views, local decor.
Double Bedroom
All in: including up to 3 kids' program tuition
5 Person Max
$2780
Deluxe home package with private kitchen, deck, garden, and five double beds
6 person Max
(Only one available)
Includes up to 4 kids' tuition
$3265
Premium Package
Luxury Suite Cabanas with two double beds, a private infinity pool, and a stunning lake view.
4 person Max
(Only two available)
$3750
All prices in USD
Easy, simple payment plans available!
Experience a trial run of community living during your stay. With everything included in this program, we have designed it to be a budget-friendly holiday option for families who wish to settle in for a week and experience Guatemalan Culture on a different level.
We encourage scheduled community dinners, campfires in the garden, and reading circles in our shared spaces. Daily space and "time off" are given to parents during our supervised arts time in the crafts room. Board games, cards, and toys are also available! Bambu offers Wifi and Starlink internet, and private workspaces for those of you who video call regularly.
This program suitable for all ages
Feel good about your involvement!
Your participation supports:
Our local community centre
Pacucha Women's Health Project
Culture Chalk's homes for single mothers initiative
Accommodation Options
Want to see more? Here's our promo video that tells our story in under 5 minutes.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Join us for an incredible 9 days of play-hard fun! We are so proud to offer this experience! Once registered, you will be invited to the Hub WhatsApp group party line, where registered guests post ideas, preparation tips, and general info.
Lake Atitlan remains extremely traditional and conservative. Please remember that we are guests and behave respectfully towards our hosts.
Bringing small gifts is 100% recommended for the families we support that we will be pairing you with in our community. (Quality socks, non-lingual games (like UNO, a quality deck of playing cards, Blockus), children's art supplies, toys or a quality kitchen utensil/gadget.)
As our name, Culture Chalk, implies, we specialize in Cultural Education. We genuinely want you to experience the best of Guatemalan culture while representing your own culture with class, sensitivity and objectivity. And trust us, we know it's not always easy when experiencing new things, as good as they may be, they are still different and different can be challenging. We encourage visitors to come with an attitude of loving Guatemala for what it is and not judging it for what it is not.
Guatemala is a vibrant place, and roosters crow, dogs bark, music plays, and fireworks go off at all times of the day, all considered normal. Come ready to laugh, dance, sing, and see yourself in a brand new light.
Our goal as your hosts is for you to leave our place BETTER, in so many ways.
Cultural Immersion Retreats