Guatemala
Welcome to Guatemala, a destination with abundant natural wonders, fascinating history, and exciting culture. Located in northern Central America, it is bordered by Belize, Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador, as well as two oceans on its shores, the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea. Guatemala is one of the top tourist destinations in Latin America, with pleasant weather, amazing people, and enviable macroeconomic stability!
Visitors will be able to explore a diverse range of possibilities, from outdoor adventures to cultural explorations. There is surely something for everyone.
Connect with nature by taking a trip to the turquoise waterfalls in Semuc Champey. Delight your eyes and senses with the lavender fields of Jardines de Provenza in the outskirts of Antigua. Go camping or glamping in places such as Finca El Pilar and Casa Blanca Glamping. Enjoy a day at Lake Atitlan, known for its breathtaking views of volcanoes and the amazing variety of indigenous towns around its shores. Visit Rio Dulce, where you can take a boat ride through the jungle-covered canyon leading to the town of Livingston on the Caribbean Sea. And for the more adventurous, hike volcanoes such as Pacaya, Fuego, and Acatenango, two of which are active.
For those who wish to explore the cultural richness of this country, plenty of options are available. Antigua, with its colonial monuments, cobblestone streets, and ornate churches, is one of the most visited destinations in Guatemala. Coffee farms such as Finca Filadelfia surround Antigua, and tours are available for those who wish to see (and sample) the cultivation process. Cervecería La 14 offers artisanal beer, delicious food, and live music, along with views of three volcanoes. The capital, Guatemala City, also has much to offer. The city is organized into zones, with avenues traversing through. Popular destinations include Plaza de la Constitucíon, Mercado Central, Teatro Nacional, and the Mapa en Relieve. The Aurora Zoo and its animal wildlife is also highly recommended, complete with an old tea house and well-kept gardens.
Chichicastenango is famous for its colorful market and grand church, which combines both Catholic and Mayan rituals. Quetzaltenango, also known by its Mayan name Xela, is a town in the highlands of the country, where vegetables grow to giant proportions; see for yourself in the local markets! Xela’s central park is stunning and is just a few blocks from the classically designed municipal theater, a city landmark.
Another picturesque town is Coban, located in the rainforest highlands. The name translates to “in the clouds,” and it's known for its surrounding coffee and cardamom plantations. Here one can visit Biotopo del Quetzal to observe the national bird, the quetzal, as well as many specimens of orchids and ferns.
At the core of the Mayan civilization in northern Guatemala is Tikal, a magnificent complex of ancient ruins and temples that date back to the years 300 to 750 AD. Tikal once ruled a network of city-states with its wealth and power, covering an area of 46 square miles with more than 60,000 inhabitants. To the north of Tikal and close to the Mexican border is the recently discovered, majestic city of El Mirador, with the largest Mayan pyramid ever discovered, La Danta. It takes a one-hour helicopter ride, or a week by foot, to reach La Danta from Flores, Peten. El Mirador is still not well known, as the majority of the area is covered by dense jungle. Another famous Mayan town is Iximché, a pre-Columbian Mesoamerican site. It was the capital of the Kakchikel Maya kingdom from 1470 until its abandonment in 1524 AD. Quiriguá, in eastern Guatemala, is another Mayan archaeological site, famous for its tall sculptures. It is situated near the affluent Motagua River, and it was an important locale in the trade of jade and cacao.