Loved this trip to Guatemala. Beautiful country. Lovely temperatures for visiting (17 to 27) – in Atitlan area. Food good and varied. Accommodation clean and inexpensive. Travel between bigger centres relatively straightforward – private bus operators between various locations – cost about 2/3 less when booked locally (and we were never let down). Felt reasonably safe for travel – eyes open.
People less engaging than other countries visited – saw this in restaurants, hotels, various activities. However there were notable exceptions e.g. coffee farm tour near San Pedro and 2nd hotel in Antigua.
Big advantage to speak Spanish – I was travelling with daughter who is reasonably fluent (notwithstanding differences between Guatemalan Spanish and Spain Spanish).
Deserves more time. Long trip to get there from Europe. I left out Tikal (the best example of a Mayan temple) and many more places. Transfers can be full days of travel – so you need to allow for this. But I had a fantastic holiday – reminder again that these various land grabs by empires were devastating for local people. Would recommend a visit to anyone looking g for new experiences, some adventure and insights into old and new cultures.
Wandering around Antigua on Saturday evening and early Sunday am – before leaving for airport – what a beautiful setting: surrounded by mountains/ volcanoes, beautiful square, cobbled streets, one and two storey buildings, lots of restaurants, bars, shops. Hope to see it again in person.
