Travelogues Guatemala
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Vacation in Guatemala : Highlights & Travel Tips
Guatemala is a compact but remarkably diverse destination where travelers can experience ancient Maya history, dramatic volcanic landscapes, colorful highland culture, and lush rainforests in one trip. What makes the country especially compelling is how much variety it offers over relatively short distances: you can wander the cobbled streets of Antigua beneath volcano views, cruise across the villages of Lake Atitlán, explore the great Maya ruins of Tikal, and browse vibrant Indigenous markets such as Chichicastenango. For travelers seeking authenticity, Guatemala stands out for its living Maya traditions, distinctive textiles, and rich local cuisine, from pepián to fresh tortillas and coffee grown on volcanic slopes.
Key experiences include climbing or viewing active volcanoes like Pacaya and Fuego, watching sunrise over Lake Atitlán’s volcano-ringed shores, and venturing into the Petén jungle to discover Tikal’s towering temples above the canopy. Antigua is ideal for architecture, food, and an easy cultural base, while the highlands offer village visits, weaving cooperatives, and market culture. Practical tips: Spanish is widely spoken, though many communities also speak Indigenous languages; shuttle networks make tourist routes manageable, but road travel can be slow, so build in extra time. Pack layers for cool highland mornings and warmer lowland afternoons, carry cash for markets and small towns, and use common-sense safety precautions, especially at night and in major transit areas.
Best time to travel Guatemala
Based on the popularity data, the best time to visit Guatemala is from February through March, with March being the strongest month and February close behind. These months likely offer the best balance of favorable travel conditions and traveler interest, while December is also a good option for a lively but slightly less busy trip.
Best travel reports from Guatemala
27/09/2019 to 30/09/2019 - Antigua / Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala is located in the central highlands of Guatemala. We immediately noticed the difference in temperatures. It had been a long time since we had taken out our...
Antigua and the Volcanoes
My first destination after Xela was Antigua in Guatemala. The city is located west of Guatemala City and is the place for anyone who lands in the capital but doesn't want to...
Lake Atitlán
As mentioned before, I visited Lake Atitlán twice: the first time in Panajachel, and the second time in San Pedro la Laguna. In Panajachel, there wasn't much to do. However, you...
Guatemala: Black Sheep House
We had booked our crash course in Spanish while still in Germany, with accommodation in a Guatemalan host family (Thilo thought one week was definitely enough ;-)). With the...
Guatemala - Antigua
We are currently staying at Jungle Party Hostal. At first, I thought 'Oh, this could be sleepless nights if they're partying all the time.' But no. We slept so well and it was...
Guatemala - Flores
Had no time to write a post in the past days, so here's a little update on Flores: (now we are in Guatemala City) This time, crossing the border to Guatemala was a bit less...
Antigua at night
There were hostels and hostels, despite thorough research and personal recommendations, each hostel had its surprises. The large popular accommodations were usually...
Antigua Guatemala
Antigua Guatemala, short form: Antigua, not to be confused with the Caribbean island Antigua, was undoubtedly one of the top tourist destinations in Guatemala. Like everywhere...
Traditional Maya Dances in Antigua
After our weekend at Lake Atitlan, we return to Antigua. On Tuesday, the children of Nuevo Amanacer perform their traditional Maya dances at the Rainbow Café. Vicky asked us to...
Volunteering and Living with an Indigenous Family
After discarding the plan to do Workaway because most volunteers are looking for a minimum of 1 month, we accidentally come across an advertisement in a café in Antigua from a...
Surfing in El Paredon
So, for once it's going to be very boring 😄 After all the exciting adventures in beautiful Guatemala, I had five days at the beach to end my trip. I had been told to go surfing...
Guatemala: The journey begins...
... in Guatemala, more specifically in Antigua, a quaint, historic town surrounded by volcanoes. After our relaxed arrival (surprisingly fit after 28 hours of travel time) and...
Unternehmungen am See Atitlan (Guatemala)
There are many Maya villages around Lake Atitlán, so you also have the opportunity to learn about their culture. We participated in a Maya Cacao & Fire Ceremony, where we...
San Marcos La Laguna (Guatemala)
The Airbnb and San Marcos
El Remate & Tikal / Guatemala
Mon, 17.2 - Wed, 19.2 After crossing the border river, a nearly 5-hour bus ride, and another half-hour bus ride, I arrived in the village of El Remate on Lake Petén Itzá. Right...
Rio Dulce
We are in a beautiful hotel on the Rio Dulce. The Rio Dulce connects the Lago de Izabal (much larger than Lake Atitlan) with Lake El Golfete and then flows into the Caribbean...
Chichicastenango and Lake Atitlán
Yesterday we visited the market in Chichi - the largest in Central America. There was so much to see, smell, and taste. The many impressions overwhelmed us. Despite the hustle...
Flores Part 2: On the other side of the lake
Since Belize is very expensive and we want to speak Spanish again, we are going back to Guatemala and staying one more night in Flores. Since we don't want to go back to...
Flores Part 1: Lost Keys and Kayaking
Unfortunately, the day didn't start off so well. While swimming at the lake, where we only had our towel with us, our key was stolen. We contacted Oliver, our host, through the...
Tikal and Flores
The first stop in Guatemala is Flores in the north. The ideal starting point for tours to the ruins of Tikal. The city is located on a small island in Lake Petén Itzá. My hostel...
Guatemala - Rio Dulce
Currently we are 'storing' in Rio Dulce. We thought it would be easy to get to La Ceiba (Honduras) from here. Unfortunately, we only found one agency that is not leaving today...
Semuc Champey - 'where the water hides underground'
Now we continued.... After another bumpy ride, with many exciting impressions along the way, we reached Lanquin. Here we landed in a really nice hostel, but full of party-hungry...
Antigua, the Second
Today we returned to Antigua through adventurous paths. We took the opportunity and hiked to the local viewpoint. Tomorrow we will continue to Coban early in the morning. We...
Guatemala - Lake Atitlán
Currently we are in Panajachel before heading to Semuc Champey tomorrow morning. As promised, I checked if you can really grab cheap souvenirs here and yes you can :) There is a...
Guatemala - Antigua
Once again a long journey.... We went from San Christobal to Antigua and were interrupted by an annoying border control. Border towns are always so shabby and you're glad when...
Day trip to Antigua
Today we took a day trip to Antigua which included a visit to a coffee plantation. We were lucky to be the only ones, so we had our guide Louis all to ourselves. He picked us up...
A bit of culture
From Flores I took the tour to Tikal. We set off early in the morning, about an hour into the middle of nowhere to see one of the largest Mayan ruins and overall it was pretty...
Chichicastenango 🇬🇹
Hello everyone, I'm currently in the writing mood, so I'll follow up with another small post that actually would have fit better with the previous one, as I only did a day trip...
We are finally here...
After almost 18 hours, we have arrived in Guatemala, more specifically in Antigua. The flights were great: we had very few turbulence. So a real difference to South America...