What It's Like: Hobbitenango Antigua Guatemala
Intro
If you are a lover of Lord Of The Rings like myself, this is the place for you. While the shire in Antigua doesn't compare to the one in New Zealand, it is still a great activity to check out if you are visiting Guatemala.
How To Get There
Hobbitenango is located about 30 minutes from Antigua, or about an hour from Guatemala City (depending on the traffic). I used Uber which cost me around 80 Guatemalan Quetzal, or 10$ each way. Don't worry it works when coming back from Hobbitenango, you might just have to wait a little bit though. Once you arrive you will see signs for Hobbitenenago.
You head up to the entrance where the cost of a day ticket is 50 Guatemalan Quetzal (6-7$). From there you have two choices, take the transport that is offered, or walk in nature by yourself. Anytime I get the chance to walk I do, I would recommend doing the walk, it's only 600 meters.
You'll miss out on this view if you take the transport!
The Setting
After finishing the hike or taking the transport, you will arrive with some breathtaking views. Welcome to the Shire!
Let's take a look at the map, so everyone can get an idea.
There are multiple places to dine or grab a coffee. I chose to have a cappuccino with this view. Side note, this volcano erupts every 15 minutes, 365 days a year.
Back to the Shire. It's not overwhelmingly large and doesn't feel a tad commercialized. For example, every hobbit hole features a reason for being there, such as a gift shop, photo location, restaurant, etc.
Yeah, there was a line to take a photo in front of the blue hobbit hole.
While the shire area isn't that large, let's get into why I liked visiting Hobbitenango so much!
Activities
The activities are plentiful here. My favorite was the archery which was included in the entrance ticket. While you might see only archery here, I also partook in axe throwing and machete throwing. Throwing a machete is no joke 😂 and scared the life out of me.
The archery station is easy to find, if you follow your way to the giant hand for a picture, you will see it on the right. Speaking of the giant hand, this place is surreal.
If you are a solo traveler, I noticed how friendly people were, so don't worry about asking someone else for a picture! Even though I saw this view all day, it never once got old.
While I didn't have time to play, I noticed a DIY mini golf course spread out across the Shire. It doesn't look like it consists of the best greens in the world. However, playing mini golf in the Shire, with a volcano erupting the background! That sounds like a Sunday well spent!
At the top of the hill lies a place I would love to take my wedding photo one day. This might be one of the most picturesque settings I've ever seen. Just a heads up, there was a line most of the day to snap a photo.
For those wondering about dining, it's about 1.5X the price of food in Antigua. However, there are multiple locations and you can get pretty much anything you desire from a burger to tacos, etc.
Once you are ready to leave, you can either hike back down or take the transport.
Final Thoughts
The reason I decided to write about this, is that it struck me how special the Shire is in Antigua. Not because it's large and not because it's quiet but the views are why I recommend going. Also, how else are you going to practice throwing machetes? 😂
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