Why Guatemala
The country holds three worlds in a hundred and eight thousand square kilometres. The western highlands, above two thousand metres, hold Antigua, Lake Atitlán and the Mayan markets of Chichicastenango — the most visited part. The Petén, in the north, is low rainforest holding Tikal, the largest accessible Mayan city. The Pacific coast is volcanic, black-sand and little visited.
Thirty-seven volcanoes, several of them active. Fuego erupts almost continuously and is watched from neighbouring Acatenango.
November to April: the dry season, the best window. From May to October the rains come in the afternoon and the mountain roads deteriorate.
Entry and stay
Requirements depend on nationality. Check yours with the local authorities before booking.
No duration is quoted here, for want of an official source verified at the time of writing — 22 September 2026.
One practical point: Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua form the CA-4, a free movement zone where permitted stay is counted across all four. Leaving for another CA-4 country does not reset the clock.
Getting around
Chicken buses, repainted former American school buses, serve the whole country very cheaply. They are loud, packed and slow, and they are the local experience.
Shared tourist shuttles link Antigua, Atitlán, Chichicastenango and Flores, at more cost and much more simply.
Tikal is reached by domestic flight from Guatemala City to Flores, or by an eight-hour overnight coach.
Money
The quetzal. Cash dominates outside Antigua and the capital; cash machines are present in the towns and rare in the villages.
The country is cheap, more so away from the tourist circuits.
Health
No vaccination required from Europe, but yellow fever may be asked for depending on where you travel from. Tap water is not drinkable.
Malaria and dengue exist in the lowlands, not in the highlands. Serious facilities are in Guatemala City.
Before you go
Climbing Acatenango means camping, at nearly four thousand metres, through very cold nights. Operators vary considerably in the quality of their equipment, and the altitude defeats a share of participants.
The Mayan markets have fixed days — Chichicastenango on Thursdays and Sundays. Going on another day means finding an empty square.
Travelling by road at night is advised against by the authorities, less for crime than for the state of the roads and the absence of lighting.