Guatemala travel tips

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Guatemala travel tips

Shopping advice

Vicky Rodford from our partner, Intrepid Travel:
“Head to Chichicastenango market and haggle hard! There are some great local handicrafts on offer and it’s a perfect chance to immerse yourself in local life for a few hours.”

Best time to go

Vicky Rodford has thoughts on spring travel: “Arriving over Easter (Semana Santa) has pros and cons. The cons are that everywhere is really busy as many Guatemalans have this as a vacation period; the pros are without a doubt the festivities over the Easter weekend, particularly in Antigua.”

Best way to travel

Maren Rojas, also from Intrepid Travel, extolls the benefits of an open mind: “Come with a different mindset and with respect for the destination, and prepare to be immersed. Sometimes we want things quickly – this isn’t always possible. People might see life in a different way – not in a bad way – but in a different way here.”

See all our Guatemala Vacations

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Health & safety in Guatemala

HEALTH

Visit your GP or travel clinic 6-8 weeks before departure to ensure you are up to date with all necessary vaccinations. Take out comprehensive travel insurance that includes any activities you are planning to particupate in, as well as medical evacuation and repatriation. Hospitals are not great in Guatemala, so you may need to be treated elsewhere. Carry your travel insurance documents with you at all times, as hospitals may request proof of cover before treating you. Zika virus is present in Guatemala. Although this is not a particularly dangerous disease for most travelers, women who are pregnant or hoping to get pregnant should seek advice before planning a trip to Guatemala. Although malaria is not present in Guatemala, other mosquito-borne diseases, such as dengue fever, are – so cover up and wear insect repellent. Altitude sickness can occur anywhere above around 2,400m. Many of Guatemala’s volcanic peaks are well above 3,000 or even 4,000m, so you will need to take precautions if you are trekking at this elevation. Take time to acclimatise before heading up, climb slowly, drink plenty of water and descend as soon as possible if you begin to feel ill; even a few hundred metres can make a big difference. Tap water is not safe to drink in Guatemala. Try and reduce your consumption of plastic by purchasing large bottles and refilling a reusable water bottle. Or invest in a LifeStraw which safely filters water.

SAFETY

While thousands of travelers come to Guatemala every year without incident, you should be aware that the country has one of the highest crime rates in Latin America although much of this takes place within local gangs. Follow the advice of your vacation company or tour leader, avoid walking around at night and carrying valuables, and only take taxis pre-booked by your hotel or vacation company. Be especially careful if spending time in Guatemala City. There is little you can do about the attacks and express kidnappings that happen to those traveling on the roads between cities and tourist attractions. If you do encounter trouble, the safest thing to do is to hand over any cash or valuables without protest. Traveling as part of an organised tour will, however, minimise the risk of attack. This may be a tropical country, but if you are hiking in the mountains, weather conditions can be extreme – and in some cases, when trekkers are unprepared, deadly. Do pack very warm layers and waterproof clothing if attempting to summit a volcano (temperatures can drop below freezing at night), only trek with a qualified guide, wear suitable footwear and be prepared to turn back if conditions change suddenly. Guatemala has three active volcanoes: Pacaya, Fuego and Santa Maria. Keep an eye on updates if you are traveling near to any of these. We always ask our travelers not to take photographs of local people without permission – and not to photograph children. This is a responsible tourism issue (and one of simple politeness!), but in Guatemala it is also a safety issue – as a spate of child kidnappings has meant that photographers can be dealt with aggressively. Additionally, children and adults may ask for money if you photograph them – this is also not something we’d encourage. Some memories are best just c captured in your head, no matter how much you may want to immortalise them on camera. There are regular protests and demonstrations in Guatemala. Although these do not specifically target tourists, they can become violent, so steer clear of any large gatherings that you come across. In addition, political activity by foreigners is against the law. Take note of the emergency numbers: 120 (police), and 122/123 (fire brigade and ambulance) . Homesexuality is legal in Guatemala, but same sex couples are advised to act discretely – especially outside of the more tolerant Guatemala City. Being a conservative country, however, we do recommend keeping public displays of affection to a minimum for all travelers – regardless of sexual orientation. It is recommended to carry an authorised copy of your passport on you at all times. Keep up to date with the latest travel advice from the FCO.

Guatemala travel advice

At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travelers are often... other travelers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do - and opinions about what not to.

We have selected some of the most useful Guatemala travel advice that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your vacation – and the space inside your suitcase.

The morning spent at Tikal in Guatemala was excellent. This activity is definitely best done in the early morning light.

– Diana Urbina

“Practice walking uphill before embarking on the volcano hike! Take a Spanish phrasebook for Guatemala if your Spanish is as bad as ours. Lots of bug repellent. Many memory cards for photos, I think my son took 950 photos. Take a waterproof, the rains when they come are phenomenal. Wifi is around but don't rely on it -use the phone as a camera, leave your email behind. Have faith in your guides, they are brilliant and know their stuff.” – Alex Holmes

“The morning spent at Tikal in Guatemala was excellent. This activity is definitely best done in the early morning light as it gets very warm and less pleasant to walk in the jungle after 10am.” – Diana Urbina

“Be prepared that some hotels do not seem to have hot water – weather was warm – not a big issue.” – Fran McQuail on a Belize & Guatemala adventure vacation

Practice walking uphill before embarking on the volcano hike!...

– Alex Holmes