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Welcome to Yourtravelsk’s guide to things to do in Guatemala. Guatemala is a country in Central America and shares its northern border with Mexico and eastern borders with Belize. A country of volcanoes and Mayan ruins, Guatemala has a lot to offer for history buffs and adventure travels.

Volcanoes

The country has over 37 volcanoes. Check out the list here. Most companies only offer tours of the most popular ones such as Pacaya, Acatenango, Tacana, Tajumulco, and Santiaguito. However, you can get a private tour to any of the 37 volcanoes. A few known companies operating in the region are O.X. Expeditions, Quetzaltrekkers, and Old Town.

Pacaya Volcano

Pacaya volcano is at about one hour drive from Antigua, and it is part of a national park, whose entrance fee is about 50 Quetzales. Hiking Pacaya volcano is only possible with a guide. There is an option to hire a guide at the entrance of the park. Do remember you cannot hike to the top of the mountain as the volcano is active and the ground gets really hot. However, most tourists trek for a couple of hours to reach the part where the ground is made of volcanic deposits and roast marshmallows.

Tours of Pacaya volcano can be booked online, but watch out because some do include the entrance fee to the park, others don’t.

Antigua Guatemala

Originally the capital city of Spanish Guatemala, Antigua Guatemala is located at approximately 40 minutes drive from Guatemala City Airport. The town is often regarded as the travelers’ hub, a crumbling, picture-perfect Central American town ringed by volcanoes.

A few places to visit in Antigua Guatemala are Santa Catalina Arch, colorful landmark archway dating to the 1600s & topped by a clock built in the 1800s and Cerro de La Cruz, an elevated spot with a 1930s cross & sweeping views, including an unobstructed view of Volcan Agua. Do visit the Nim Pot a shop near Santa Catalina Arch that is the best place to buy souvenirs in Guatemala.

Lake Atitlan

Renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lake Atitlan is a volcano-rimmed lake with plenty of backpacker hostels and Mayan villages that dot the shores. There are a lot of tour companies offering a tour of the lake and the nearby villages including San Pedro. Most tours last 3 hours and cost may vary from 80 USD to 150 USD per person.

You can also hike the three volcanoes that surround the lake including Volcan de Agua, Volcan de San Pedo, and Volcan de Atitlan.

Flores

Located in the North of Guatemala, Flores is a tourist-friendly island in the middle of Kale Peten Itza. This is probably one of the best location to travel to the Mayan ruins of Tikal.

Tikal

Tikal is a large Mayan archeological site in the Peten department of Guatemala. The city is the largest Mayan city with estimates that in its prime the city was home to more than 100,000 residents. Today largely due to its remoteness and Jungle setting the city is the most enjoyable Mayan site.

To get the best out of your journey to Tikal it is best to club it with Chichen Itza located in the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Guatemala has a lot of things to do for everyone to be it, backpackers or family travelers. Do remember that you cannot cover all the things in a 3 or 4-day trip. So if your trip is short figure out a list of things that you want to see and make the most out of it.

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