On my second day in Antigua, Guatemala, I decided to take a half-day trip out to a macadamia nut farm located just a little ways outside of Antigua in the beautiful and serene countryside and it was such a wonderful and unique experience!

Valhalla Macadamia Farm is an organic, family-run macadamia nut farm that is committed to sustainable practices and assisting indigenous communities through education about the environment and developing slef-sustaining agricultures. The farm is located a short ten minute drive outside of Antigua via taxi or local chicken bus. You can learn more about the farm’s owners and history by clicking here.

A visit to this macadamia nut farm is a perfect way to spend a few hours while staying in nearby Antigua!

It was mid-morning on my second day in Antigua, Guatemala when I visited this farm. I wanted to take one of the colourfully painted local chicken buses to the farm, but I was worried about how I would know where to get off the bus and feared missing my stop. So instead, I found a taxi parked in a small lot on the same street as the local market in Antigua (Calzada Santa Lucia) who was willing to take me to the farm, located outside of Antigua.

After a little more than ten minutes in the taxi, we pulled into the gravel driveway of the farm. The surroundings were gorgeous with tall trees along the sides of the highway and lots of vegetation as we drove into the farm. We drove past fields of corn and coffee with the beautiful volcano landscape as the backdrop. It was breathtaking!

I walked along a narrow, wood chip covered pathway that was lined with tropical plants to the main building at the farm as I passed through the gorgeous grounds of the farm with such an abundance of lush and gorgeous vegetation. The natural beauty was incredible. I had never seen macadamia trees before and they were scattered everywhere along the path leading up to the farm’s main building. There were lots of the nuts on the ground and they were huge! The property was so lovely and I couldn’t believe how quiet and tranquil the atmosphere was. This farm was such a peaceful paradise. The only sound that I could hear were a variety of chirping birds singing in the trees.

What Are Macadamia Nuts?

Macadamia nuts grow on a species of evergreen tree that is large and full and has dark green leaves. The nuts originated from Australia but the trees are also grown in Hawaii, Latin America, some countries in Africa and Asia, and in the states of California and Florida. The trees produce nuts year round. The nuts are round in the shape and brown in colour.

Click here to learn more about the macadamia tree and nuts.

The Farm Tour

Upon arriving to the rustic main building which was covered in plants and surrounded by such lovely and beautifully landscaped vegetation that you almost couldn’t see the building itself, I was greeted by a friendly female staff member. The farm provides short tours of the property and the woman offered to show me around. She spoke perfect English and took me around the farm, explaining the various steps that were involved in harvesting and processing the macadamia nuts. First, the nuts were gathered by hand from the trees around the property. They were then shelled and sorted by two different and very unique machines which were created by the farm’s owner. Next, the nuts were laid out on large wooden tables where they sat and dried for a total of seven weeks underneath black tarps! And finally, the nuts were sorted by size with another unique and completely original homemade contraption. I loved that the whole process was so low-tech. It was fascinating to learn about how these macadamia nuts were processed and the tour was very interested! The tour lasted around fifteen minutes and it was concluded with a sample of some of the farm’s macadamia products including a few different types of nut chocolates! The white chocolate one was my personal favourite.

The nuts are grown organically and the farm is committed to using sustainable practices (learn more by clicking here). One of the goals of the farm is to work towards ending the slash and burn agricultural practice which is common throughout Guatemala. This practice results in the devastation of abundant forests and a diversity of animal and plant life. The farm believes that planting macadamia trees can help to provide indigenous communities with a source of income, nutrient-dense food source and firewood. So far, they have planted around 350,000 macadamia trees all over Guatemala to help combat global warming and provide jobs to local Guatemalans.

The Facial

I was then treated to a relaxing five minute complimentary mini-facial by a local woman. Sitting in a cushy chair, the woman rubbed a variety of oils and creams on my face, including natural macadamia oil produced at the farm. The oil was so smooth and my skin looked and felt amazing after she was finished and had such a nice glow! Although the facial was free, it was recommended to leave a small donation to the woman to show your appreciation for her services. I didn’t end up purchasing anything, but there was a small shop where you could find all of the macadamia nut products produced by the farm including nut butters, chocolates, oils and more, which were all 100% natural.

The Restaurant

The farm also has a beautiful restaurant where you can eat a variety of foods made using the macadamia nuts. They are famous for their pancakes made using macadamia nut flour, but unfortunately there weren’t many gluten-free options, so I didn’t actually eat at the restaurant. There were rustic wooden tables situated throughout the property with little pathways connecting them all. The tables were surrounded by beautiful trees, tropical plants and flowers and it was such a beautiful and peaceful setting! It looked like such perfect, relaxing and serene place to enjoy a homemade and delicious meal.

The Beautiful Bathroom

Located next to the main building at the farm, was what looked like a small bamboo hut from the outside, but inside I discovered the most beautiful outdoor washroom that I had ever seen! I stepped inside and definitely wanted to take my time there. The ground consisted of wood chips and there were beautiful plants and flowers everywhere, along the walls and on the ground. Vines and other plants covered the exterior of the hut and crept along the walls from the roof. I loved the natural setting and it was such a unique bathroom experience! You definitely have to check this out when you visit the farm.

After my facial and tour, I spent some time just wandering around the farm and checking things out for myself while photographing the surroundings. There were lots of friendly and playful dogs living on the farm and I enjoyed petting them. The grounds were so beautiful to just explore, walk around and just admire the quiet natural surroundings.

I spent a couple of hours at the farm before heading back to Antigua. On the way back, I decided to try taking a local chicken bus because this was something that I definitely wanted to do while in Guatemala! There was a wooden bench at the end of the farm’s driveway where it met up with the highway and I sat and waited for a bus to pass by. After about ten minutes of waiting, I could see a colourfully painted old school bus approaching and I stood up and waved. It stopped and I hopped on. Thankfully the bus wasn’t filled and I was able to enjoy an entire seat to myself. I was the only foreigner on the bus among the locals and it was a really cool experience taking one of these local buses. The one-way trip only cost me 4 quetzales, compared to Q50 for the taxi getting there! It was a great deal and I felt very safe and comfortable on the bus for this short ride.

If you are looking for something unique and interesting to do while staying in Antigua, I would definitely recommend spending a few hours at the beautiful Valhalla Macadamia Nut Farm! I had an amazing experience there and the natural setting of the farm in the serene countryside was so beautiful with lots of gorgeous plants and trees. It was a wonderful morning! The staff were very friendly, warm and welcoming and I really loved the informative tour of the property! It was such a pleasure to visit here and this farm is definitely a hidden little gem outside of Antigua that is worth visiting! Enjoy the natural beauty of this farm paradise and soak in your surroundings.

Getting There and Away

The farm is located about a ten to fifteen minute drive outside of Antigua, near the town of San Miguel Duenas. There are two main ways in which you can get from Antigua to Valhalla Macadamia Farm.

The first transport option is taking a taxi. The taxis can be found along Alameda de Santa Lucia around 3a Calle Poniente, parked in a small lot right beside the local market on the same side of the street. A taxi to the farm costs Q50 one-way. You also have the option to pay the driver to wait at the farm until you are finished and then take you back to Antigua.

Alternatively, if you feeling more adventurous and want a local experience, you can take one of the colourfully painted chicken buses to the farm. These can be found in a large parking lot behind the local market, all lined up. Catch a bus heading to the town of San Miguel Duenas (which is located just part the farm) and ask the driver to drop you off at the macadamia farm. The buses leave whenever they have enough passengers which is usually around every 30 minutes. When you are coming back to Antigua from the farm, simply wait along the side of the highway for a bus to pass by going towards Antigua (the same side of the highway as the driveway to the farm), wave to the driver and hop on. You will pay Q4 for a one-way journey on the chicken bus (the driver’s assistant collects the cash from each passenger after you board).

Whichever method of transport you choose to take, the trip will take around 10-15 minutes to get there from Antigua. The farm is well-signed from the highway and the short driveway leads into the farm’s beautiful lush green property.

Practical Information

Location – Km 52.5 a San Miguel Duenas, Guatemala. Approximately a ten to fifteen minute drive outside of Antigua.

Email – exvalhalla@gmail.com.

Phone Number – 502-7831-5799 and 502-5889-4925 and 502-5671-9530 (English number).

Hours – They are open from 8 am to 4:30 pm every day.

Check out their website at www.exvalhalla.net and like them on Facebook to learn more about the farm and stay connected with updates!

Planning Your Next Adventure?

Here are some helpful links if you are currently planning your next travel adventure!

Compare prices and book your flights using Momondo. I love the user-friendly design of this website and how easy it is to filter your flights by price, duration, etc. It’s a great place to find the best flight deals!

Use Hostelworld to book a private room or dorm bed at a budget-friendly hostel and browse through listings across the globe. Use Booking.com to find a huge inventory of independent hotels, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, hostels and chain hotels around the world and for every budget. And if you’re looking for a more authentic and unique experience of staying in a local’s home at your destination, then book your stay using Airbnb (sign-up using my link and get a discount off your first stay).

Click here to read more of my posts about Guatemala to help with your trip planning!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a travel booking on any of the websites I have recommended, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I use all of these websites for booking my own travels and would never recommend something that I don’t already love.



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