As many of you may already know, in November, 2015, I headed to Guatemala for the first time in my life. In fact, it’s my first time to visit Central America…and I’m loving it here!
While traveling around Guatemala these past six weeks, it has quickly become one of my favorite countries in the world.
People are polite, helpful and friendly without being overbearing. Mayan culture is quite prevalent, adding a great splash of color & artistry. Guatemalan food is delicious and varied.
The natural world is extremely diverse and beautiful. The climate is fabulous. Both coffee and chocolate are grown in abundance. And budget travel is quite feasible.
I’ve written more extensively in .
I’m so enamored with Guatemala that I’d like to encourage everyone to visit!
Not only is this country fun, interesting and inexpensive, it’s also an extremely easy and comfortable country to travel around. Americans and Canadians have added incentive to visit because Guatemala is so quick, easy and cheap to reach. So to encourage you all to visit…
You do need a current passport, of course, but otherwise Guatemala is free to enter for all of us lucky citizens of the world’s wealthiest nations. Visitors can stay up to 90 days on this free visa on arrival.
This great policy makes preparing to travel to Guatemala very easy and cuts out one travel expense that’s common for many other countries of the world.
It’s always advisable to have your basic inoculations (such as tetanus and chicken pox) and your general international travel inoculations (like Hep A & B and typhoid) up to date. But Guatemala has no required vaccination papers to enter the country.
However, during my travels I’ve never been in a single situation where I felt even mildly threatened or in danger. I’ve never felt my valuables were at risk. Never felt anyone was watching or following me. Never felt any personal threat.
None of my travel friends or fellow travel bloggers have either. And that spans travels by dozens of people over a decade.
I have heard a few third-hand stories of people getting robbed on the streets – late at night, while stumbling home from a bar drunk. But, hey, that happens in the US, in Europe and UK, in Australia, too.
Another thing I was surprised and impressed with when I arrived in Guatemala was the cleanliness of the streets, towns and countryside. In my experience, poor countries often tend to be full of litter and a general messiness, dis-array and disrepair. Not so Guatemala! At least aside from more small, remote villages of the central mountains.
It should be noted that Guatemala’s climate is surprisingly varied from region to region, despite it being such a small country. The Pacific coast is hot and dry. The Caribbean coast and far north are tropical, with hot and fairly humid weather. The north/central mountains can be rainy and cool most of the year.
However, most major travel destinations within the country are located in the central region. This includes Guatemala City, Antigua, Lake Atitlan, Chichi, Xela and other popular towns and cities, as well as most of the country’s stunning volcanoes. This area has wonderfully warm to cool temperatures and fairly dry air most of the year. It’s exceedingly comfortable – like spring or early summer – for most western travelers.
Standard meals in Guatemala are uncannily similar to western meals. Lunches and dinners generally consist of chicken or beef with potatoes or rice and cooked vegetables or salad. The flavors may be somewhat different and meals in Guatemala are usually accompanied by warm tortillas, but those are just minor differences, which actually add interest to travel.
Breakfast ‘tipico’ is comprised of eggs, toast or tortillas, cheese, black beans, fried plantains and coffee or tea. Ok, that’s slightly different from a standard American breakfast, but not far off.
Compared to food in Asian countries, meals in Guatemala are very familiar to the western palate. And that’s a comfort to many travelers.
Accommodation in Guatemala is extremely varied and readily available everywhere. Travelers can choose anything from dorm rooms in hostels to private rooms in inexpensive budget hotels to cushy mid-range posadas on up to plush 5-star hotels.
Mid-range and upscale hotels in Guatemala generally offer beautiful architecture, interiors, gardens and rooms. They’re often situated in restored, centuries-old traditional buildings. They are excellent value for money and give travelers a wonderful splash of Guatemalan style.
ATMs are prevalent throughout the country. You’ll find them in every city and town until you get into really remote villages. That makes it really easy to access cash as you travel around the country.
In addition, most mid-range and upscale hotels accept international credit cards and debit cards. Even some budget hotels and hostels accept cards now, as do most tour agencies, large stores and supermarkets. This gives travelers another way to pay if for some reason they run out of cash or can’t access an ATM.
* one note: Cards on VISA/PLUS system are more readily accepted at ATMs in Guatemala. Travelers using Mastercard may have a bit more difficulty with ATMs.
Public buses run frequently every day between most cities, towns and other destinations in Guatemala. They’re also very inexpensive. Generally you can plan on paying 10Q / $1.35 per hour’s trip.
Some websites and guidebooks caution travelers about the safety of using public transportation in Guatemala. Apparently bus robberies do happen on occasion, particular at night.
On the other hand, I’ve been taking public buses almost exclusively for 6 weeks, traveling around the entire country, without incident. In fact, I’ve always felt quite safe. I’ve never felt in any sort of precarious situation what so ever.
In addition, all of my travel friends & travel blog colleagues all report using public buses in Guatemala without incident as well.
However, shuttle buses also carry travelers between destinations all over the country. These buses and vans are certainly more comfortable and never over-crowded, but they do cost 2-3 times more than public buses.
In any event, visitors can choose to travel either by public bus or tourist shuttle. This makes overland travel in Guatemala really easy.
Surely some of these phrases are familiar?
That makes Spanish fairly easy to deal with for western visitors.
Even if you don’t speak Spanish, if you have any language capability at all, you should be able to recognize or make out many Spanish words when you read them or hear them spoken. For example:
solo – single, alone, by yourself
double - double, as in double espresso
office - office
farmacia – pharmacy estudiar – to study
student - student (sound it out)
interestante
restarante
hotel
How much easier could it get?
I’m not claiming all Spanish words are this clear-cut. But a huge chunk of them are, enough to figure things out.
Now compare Spanish to, say, Thai, Japanese, Arabic, Hindi or Hebrew, which have completely different alphabets, vocabularies and grammars. Comparatively, you’ve got to agree that Spanish is a breeze for us English-speakers.
All major travel destinations within Guatemala have tourist offices where visitors can get information, book shuttle buses and join a variety of different day trips and tours.
Inguat, Guatemala’s official tourist information department, also has offices in most major destinations where visitors can get information about transportation, sights & activities, safety issues, accommodation, food and any other tips & suggestions.
And as I’ve already pointed out, all sorts of transportation and accommodation are readily available everywhere. It’s all pretty easy and straight forward.
Travelers can participate in all sorts of great activities, either independently, with a private guide or in small group tours. Here’s a partial list of options:
Visit Antigua – a gorgeous UNESCO World Heritage City with its cobbled roads and charming Spanish-style shops, restaurants & hotels.
Admire over a dozen volcanoes, some spewing thick smoke or molten lava
Climb one – or more – of those beckoning volcanoes
Enjoy black sand beaches on the Pacific coast.
Watch baby turtles dash to the sea
Glide on boats through mangrove rivers or dense jungle forests
Stay at beautiful lakeside towns on Lakes Atitlan, Peten Itza or Isabel
Explore Tikal, one of the most spectacular Mayan ruins, set in dense jungle Observe wildlife and exotic birds at Tikal. Explore several less-visited Mayan ruins in the far north. Go caving near Languin Visit a turquoise-colored, multi-tiered river at Semuc Champey, near Languin Canoe, kayak, paddle-board and swim at several large natural lakes Scuba dive in Lake Atitlan Explore waterfalls in central and eastern Guatemala Soak in natural hot springs in many locationsa round the country. Boat through a stunning gorge on Rio Dulce Experience the unique Garifuna culture in Livingston, on the Caribbean coast. Try a Mayan sauna Check out beautiful traditional Mayan fabrics, clothes, paintings and musical instruments. Marvel at colorful Mayan/Guatemalan cemeteries in ChiChi. Attend Guatemala’s largest market at ChiChiCastenango. Learn about the fascinating Mayan calendar and astronomical observations. Study Spanish or several different Mayan languages. Visit charming Flores – aMediterranean-style island town in the middle of Lake Peten Itza Tour a coffee plantation
Guatemala is a very small country. It’s only about the size of Tennessee or England. Even so, it has an amazing diversity of climates, topographies and natural features. How’s this for diversity:
Black sand beaches line Guatemala’s Pacific coast. Near Monterrico there’s an extensive area of mangrove rivers, brackish waters and hundreds of waterbird species.
Over 30 volcanoes, some active, grace the central & western region of the country. Beautiful Lake Atitlan near the capital, Lake Peten Itza in the far north and Lake Izabal near the east coast all have quaint towns on their shores.
The north central highlands & mountains are rainy and chilly much of the year. In winter, some mountains even get snow. National parks with large caves, extensive forests, gorgeous rivers and hot springs are scattered through this region.
Northern Guatemala and the far eastern Caribbean coast are tropical – hot & steamy, though not as humid as SE Asia. Dense jungles, ancient Mayan ruins, waterfalls, hot springs and river gorges are found there.
More Incentives for Americans & Canadians
North Americans can reach Guatemala by flight in 2-6 hours from most places in the US and Canada. From Ft. Lauderdale, Florida or Houston it’s 2 hours. From NYC or Toronto 6 hours.
That makes reaching Guatemala fast, easy and comfortable. In fact, aside from the Caribbean islands and Mexico, Guatemala is one of the closest countries to American and Canadian borders. Much closer than Asia, Middle East or Africa. And depending on where you’re flying from, also much closer than Europe.
I paid just $157 US to fly one way from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. I could have paid even less if I had booked further in advance. Another traveler I met said she got a round-trip flight from Canada for just $200 US.
Standard budget RT flights from US and Canada cost about $300-500 US. That is infinitely cheaper than flying to anywhere in Asia, Africa, India or the Middle East. It’s also much cheaper than flying to most European cities. All of which makes Guatemala one of the cheapest flight destinations from North America.
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