Guatemala is a country of highs and lows. The endless ancient steps of the Mayan temple ruins in Tikal transport you over the leafy rainforest canopy and into the clouds and the underground caves of Grutas de Lanquín are a spelunker's paradise, complete with dark, winding tunnels and bright-eyed bats.
Crane your neck to see feathered wildlife streak across the sky and if you glance down fast enough you might be able to see a scaly creature scurry across the forest floor. Indigenous villages and their markets dot the hillsides while thick blankets of fog hang in the valleys and the rumbling, fervent Agua Volcano of Guatemala, more than 3500 m above sea level, occasionally spouts debris onto the city of Antigua resting below.
Best time to go
Make your reservations well in advance, no matter what time of the year you're traveling. The dry season lasts from December to March, and attracts the most visitors. Try visiting immediately before or after the rainy season, when the weather is still nice but the crowds are minimal. Easter holidays are huge celebrations in Guatemala if you like to see the local culture at it's most vivid.
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Go for: Volcanoes, History
4 experiences:
Pacaya, Antigua, Fuego volcano, Meson Panza Verde.
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Go for: Festivals, Historic Cities &Towns, Markets
3 experiences:
Fiesta de Santo Tomas, Chichicastenango, Chichicastenango Market.
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The largest of the ancient Classic Mayan cities is spread out within the El Peten rainforest, in Northeastern Guatemala. The ancient structures are spectacular, emerging from the jungle canopy, surrounded by 222 square miles of national park. Like a...
Go for: Temples, Archaeological Sites
1 experiences:
Tikal.
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Guatemala’s second largest city and once the Mayan capital, this is a good place to base yourself while visiting nearby hot springs and traditional local villages.
Go for: Volcanoes
2 experiences:
Santa Maria.
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Private nature reserve hidden on the wooded shores of Lago de Peten Itza, providing fine cuisine, tranquility and unrivalled local knowledge Former...
Go for: Small Hotels
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Ecology and archaeology come together in this remote jungle lodge with its own Maya ruin on beautiful Lago de Petexbatun Talk about getting away from...
Go for: Small Hotels
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These are some of the best preserved classic era Mayan ruins uncovered to date. What the complex lacks in imposing temples it makes up for in details...
Go for: Archaeological Sites
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Inhabited since the 2nd century A.D., Quirigua had become during the reign of Cauac Sky (723–84) the capital of an autonomous and prosperous state....
Go for: Archaeological Sites
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For a rafting trip combining Mayan ruins, candle-lit caves and gurgling hotsprings, look no further than the jungle-lined Rio Cahabon near the Alta...
Go for: Rafting
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Lake Atitlan is a vast caldera lake in the highlands of Guatemala. Surrounded by three towering volcanoes, Lake Atitlan was described by the writer...
Go for: Lakes
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Guatemala City
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