Luxury Camping, Nature Fun Just Minutes from Guatemala City

The one thing my oldest son keeps asking me over and over again is to camp. This may sound like an easy thing to do, but when you’re living in Guatemala, safety and amenities are a huge component of good family camping.

After tons of research for a place that didn’t require long-distance driving or even remote nature spots. It was less than a one-hour drive from Antigua. One name kept on popping up over and over again:

Green Rush in Guatemala City will transport you to a different place without leaving the comforts and confines of the city.

Related Read: Travel Board Games You Need to Bring on Your Next Camping Trip

After talking to Henry, the owner, I knew we were going to visit a special place, but didn’t have any idea just what was awaiting us.

How to Experience Green Rush to the Fullest

Green Rush is located on the 24th Kilometer of Carretera El Salvador. When you first arrive you will go down a little hill and you will have to park your car. From here, it’s an adventure.

1. Jeep Pick-Up –

There is no way to take your car to the main area where you have hiking and activities and the camping. However, there are two jeeps that will pick you up and bring you to the main club house. It feels like you’re going on an expedition.

2. Hiking trails –

the whole park has over 10 kilometers of trails you can walk on. You will find lots of cool mini stops along the way:

Relax Deck –

here you can get amazing views and have a break on the hammocks

Deer Sanctuary –

the park has a huge enclosing where you can visit deer in their natural habitat. The deer are imprinted to humans so they don’t have any fear of us and continue to do their natural thing as you quietly walk past them.

Waterfalls –

this is a bit of a hike, but if you’re into exploring this is definitely a trip worth making.

3. Horseback riding –

Henry has a gift. This is beyond evident when you see him with his horses and also see how well the horses are treated. We’ve done lots of horseback riding all over Central America and have to say these are some of the best horses yet!

With so many trails it’s much easier to do them on a horse. And for kids it’s a huge fun factor.

4. Canopy –

This is the best canopy for younger kids. My four-year-old has found his favorite activity and wanted to go on it over and over and over again. It’s a huge zipline of over 350 meters long.

5. Archery –

Yes, that’s correct – Archery. Not really an activity I ever thought about, but once you are here it’s really fun. The actual shooting range is in a separate part from the park’s trails so you never have to worry about hitting anyone. It is in the middle of the jungle and truly well done.

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6. Camping –

The best part about this place is you can stay the night. But what really excited me, and I’m not at all into camping, is their luxury tents.  Yes, luxury camping, my kind of camping. The tents are similar to the luxury Africa safari tents with king sized bed and a private bathroom.

Since my son wasn’t up for that kind of camping there are designated areas for hitching up a tent. But for us it worked out even better. Our luxury tent had a large porch and it was big enough for my son to put his tent and sleep, safely, next to us yet still have the camping experience.

7. Bonfire fun –

This is what really makes your camping experience come to life. And this is a gorgeous ritual here. First of all, there is a private lounge area (outdoors) for people that are staying in the luxury tents. They started us off with hor d’oeuvres and beer and drinks for adults and for kids they have marshmallows and hot dogs.

The kids go and help gather the wood and the fire making starts. This was by far the highlight of our night. It was so well orchestrated and just plain fun.

However, the views of the sunset make this experience that much more memorable.

Video Fun

Recommendations for Your Visit to Green Rush 

1. Camping and Activities

One thing you will have in Green Rush is an action packed day full of nature and activities.

You’ll be surprised how tired you will be at the end of the day. It’s fantastic and refreshing.

My main recommendation if you’re planning on coming for the camping experience, come early the first day. Nothing beats a good night sleeping in a tent or the luxury tents than after a full day of nature fun.

This way, when you wake up the next day you’ll have breakfast and if you want to do a repeat with any of the activities you’ll be refreshed.

2. Food –

when we were there the restaurant wasn’t fully functioning yet, but I was told it will be a full restaurant open all the time by June. So in the meantime be prepared. The food options are limited and they take a very long time to prepare. So if you’re with kids they will get really hungry and very cranky. So bring your own food while you wait for the restaurant’s food to be ready.

Plus, being so close to the city has it’s huge benefits too. With our kids super hungry we just ordered a Domino’s Pizza (less than 30 minutes away) and bam it was there. Not exactly camping food, but since we barely eat this kind of stuff it was all part of the bonus fun.

If you are staying in Guatemala City or Antigua this is a MUST VISIT place, also there are a ton of things to do in Guatemala City and Antigua. You will never believe that you are so close to the chaos yet so transported into nature.