Seeking Advise for a Trip to Guatemala

Hello,

If you have been to guate recently and have suggestions for fun adventurous activities please offer your suggestions.

Thanks,

Corey

Bring a gun. Seriously-- it's insanely dangerous. Prepare to be robbed. The cops are totally useless, worst i have ever seen except for in India.

great limestone routes (potential) in the altiplano. Countryside safer than big cities. Don't bring anything you don't want to lose. Lovely volcano hikes and marvellous classical clear Spanish.

Guatemala is an awesome place to visit. I lived there for 5 months while working on a jaguar project. There is lots to see and do. As Hari noted, it is dangerous, but mostly in Guatemala City which you wouldnt want to spend time in anyways. Probably take a shuttle 45 min to Antigua the colonial capitol, there is lots to do including volcano hikes, good bar scene, hostels, markets etc. Climb Acatenango if you can. From Antigua there are many places to go. I recommend getting the rough guide to guatemala. Its way better than lonely planet or the other ones. Some things not to miss: The Ixil Triangle near Nebaj (Great Hiking), Semuc Champey, montericco, livingston (rastafari), flores (where I lived) and many more places. Also, in the rough guide there is info for this secluded surf camp on the pacific coast. It is legit, the owner is awesome, the food is fresh and tasty, and you can lie in hammocks in between surfing. Only downside is the surf is a little rough. Give me a shout if you want more details or advice, and I'd be happy to tell you some more.

jake

jacob.kay@hotmail.com

It isn't all that dangerous, and you probably won't be robbed unless you are drunk in Guatemala City late at night. I spent a few weeks driving all over Guate and loved it.

Acatenango near Antigua is cool. Even better if you camp up by the saddle between Acatenango and Fuego. Fuego is usually erupting, so you get a light show all night long. Antigua is pretty touristy, but still a spectacular area.

Lago de Atitlan is also touristy, but fun. I hated Panajachel, and beelined it to the other side of the lake. San Marcos is a funky kinda new agey low key town, but nice and quiet. San Pedro is a bit more happening, but not the tourist hell hole that Panajachel is. The town just north of San Pedro(Santiago I think?) isn't the most welcoming place, but it is worth it to make an effort to be friendly and get to know people. Coolest shrine to Maximon in Guate, and a guided hike up the Atitlan volcanos is cool(you'll probably get robbed there without a guide).

If you like to fish, Guatemala is maybe the best place on earth for Sailfish on a fly rod or light tackle. It looks like huge dollars to arrange a trip if you look online, but it can be pretty reasonable to charter a smaller less deluxe boat for a day. I went out of the port near Ixtapa for maybe $500 for a day, but got 8 big Sailfish with a fly rod. One of the best days of my life.

Tikal is touristy but awesome. Try to be there at dawn or dusk. I would have loved to have done a trek out to a remote ruin Like El Mirador, but I ran out of time. I wasn't a big fan of Rio Dulce/Livingston. I like Garifuna towns in Belize way better.

There is good whitewater and probably some climbing around Coban.

Copan is just over the border in Honduras and really worth seeing. Playa el Tunco just over the border in El Salvador has awesome surfing. I never found any surf in Guate I was very excited about, but I'm sure it is out there. I went out to some little "surf town" south of La Democracia which involved a boat ride through a mangrove swamp to approach. We were the only ones there, and at night we had to interrupt the guards plinking at cans on the beach with AKs to get us beers. I was happy to leave the next day.

The market at Chichicastenango is cool, and worth a day of wandering.

Lots more to do out in the boonies there, but I ran out of time. OI loved that country. Have a great time!

The media makes the danger factor seem more than it is. Guatemala city in my opinion is the most sketchy but if you travel by day I never had any problems, ouside of that in the small towns it is really chill. But of course travel smart and keep a low profile and you should be fine. There are tons of things to do in guate. You could take your pick between the many different active volcanoes and hike them. Tikal and all the ruins. you could also check out quetzaltenango there is some sport climbing and there is a guiding service called queztal trekkers and they do a lot of multi day excursions into the mountains of central guatemala. Also don't miss lake Atitlan or chichicastenango where everyone dresses in traditional myan clothing pretty incredible! Or if beaches are your thing there are amazing beaches right close by in belize or honduras. Also Guatemala is really cheap, hope this helps!

this is a link to quetzal trekkers in case you are interested.
quetzaltrekkers.com/guathom…

Bit of advice -- not all the locals know what they're talking about in regards to the wildlife...

So our hotel in Antigua has a courtyard and someone finds a snake chilling (litterally...it was after a cool, rainy night). People crowd around, and one of the hotel employees comes by and says "This is good snake, it eat bad snakes".

Anyways, we took the time to take some photos of the snake because hey, snakes are cool right?

Ok so, we just happen to come across some American grad students down there who are doing research on snakes. We're all "hey, check out this cool snake we saw!" These guys proceed to inform us that this was no "good snake". Turns out it was a pit viper ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bothr… )...one of the most poisonous snakes in Guatemala.

So be careful!

Edit: Perhaps he meant "this snake eats the snakes that are invasive"...however he sure could have said it in a way that didnt sound like "this snake is nice, pet it if you'd like"

nice, thanks for the advice fellas!

harihari wrote:Bring a gun. Seriously-- it's insanely dangerous. Prepare to be robbed. The cops are totally useless, worst i have ever seen except for in India. great limestone routes (potential) in the altiplano. Countryside safer than big cities. Don't bring anything you don't want to lose. Lovely volcano hikes and marvellous classical clear Spanish.

Bwah ha ha . . .

I'm not sure which guatemala you went to, but I've spent over 3 years of my life in that country. I find it charming and delightful. Far safer than many places in the US. I've been robbed, but only in border towns or the ghetto. I would expect much worse at US southern borders, and much much worse in similar US ghettos.

In general, the people are great and the country is incredible. Visit Semuc, Atitlan, Copan. Steer clear of Antigua and the tourist traps, though Tikal is impressive. I'll be down there in a week. See you around.

Price wrote: Bwah ha ha . . . I'm not sure which guatemala you went to, but I've spent over 3 years of my life in that country. I find it charming and delightful. Far safer than many places in the US. I've been robbed, but only in border towns or the ghetto. I would expect much worse at US southern borders, and much much worse in similar US ghettos. In general, the people are great and the country is incredible. Visit Semuc, Atitlan, Copan. Steer clear of Antigua and the tourist traps, though Tikal is impressive. I'll be down there in a week. See you around.

I lived there for 6 months in 91-92, and 4 months in 94-95, and visited a year ago for 2 weeks. Back in 91, you could go out in Xela, drink yourself silly in a bar (meeting people, not going with people you know), and walk home. Nowadays, you don't go out at night without people you know, and all valuables stay home. The # of guns I saw-- bank guards, and held by shopkeepers-- is way higher. In Colombia, when people fuck with you, they have knives. In Guatemala, it's guns.

Guatemala City-- you used to be able to go out at night. no longer. Now you gotta take a cab etc. Which is a pity-- it is one of the more interesting places in the country, although aesthetically not as pretty as places like Antigua (which, frankly, bored me: it is basically a huge tourist museum...but as some folks have said, there is wonderful walking etc in the area).

The country side is much safer, but again, you are gonna stay in after dark, and when you go out, don't take valuables with you, and carry copies of your passport, not the real thing. People are quite reserved, but very nice, and wonderful if you speak Spanish and try to get to know them.

My favorite areas: far north. Go to Todos Santos Cuchumatan, and go 20 miles north of it to Jakateco-- very cool and seldom-visited place 9they make really cool hats here). There is also superb mountain hiking around Todos Santos: you can take the bus up tot he col, and walk back to the town along high ridges that are over 12,000 feet. The area around Tajomulco Volcano is also cool (and this is a great hike...stunning views right across the country and down to the Pacific). Also great, the Ixil Triangle. And the road that heads east-west between Huehuetenango and the jungle is spectacular-- i got to ride it on the roof of a chicken bus, one of the best travelling days of my life. Around Atitlan, it is |TotALLY worth exploring the various lake towns other than san pedro, which is where coke heads and potheads congregate. The area around the Altiplano (can't remember the main town) is really cool too, and a great thing to do is to take local buses along the mountains in the west, and stop and visit the little coffee-farm towns. Momosteenango has a cool but touristy market, but there is amazing walking in the countryside around it.

I hated Livingstone, which was full of people pretending to be peace-and-love Rastafarians who were basically coke dealers and various sorts of thieves and con artists. Lots of people however like it, as it is the one place in Guatemala where English (and Garifuno) are spoken, and you can listen to reggae music, and it has a party scene.

But...if you climb, and you wanna go somewhere Spanish...I would really recommend Colombia (which has the most beautiful women in south america, the friendliest people) and Bolivia (the most amazing scenery, and enough unclimbed awesome rock to make any climber's shorts twist into a knot...)
Tikal is a must-see.

Do not Go, hehehehe
it es danger there...

Be safe and dress, act, and talk as little like an American as possible...

foxnews.com/us/2010/12/14/a…

harihari wrote:Bring a gun. Seriously-- it's insanely dangerous. Prepare to be robbed. The cops are totally useless, worst i have ever seen except for in India.

Just wondering when you went. My husband and I went in the fall of 2009, and despite everyone giving us this very warning before we left, we found no danger awaiting us. That said, we didn't stay in major cities ever and we didn't follow the standard path suggested by most travel companies.

I would highly recommend climbing at least one volcano. It was the highlight of our trip. There is supposed to be climbing near Pacaya around Lago Amatitlan.

If you want a day to just decompress and relax, I highly recommend taking a boat from Pana out to San Juan la Laguna. So small there are no actual roads, everyone walks around in a very relaxed way. There is kayaking on the lake, decent hikes (at least hike up to the top of the hill above the city, great photo op, see below, no retouch), and the people are AMAZING!

To get to this vantage point, you can either ask the priest for the town (he told us about it) or just travel from the less popular dock up the cobbled path toward the school, pass the school and go for about 1 mile.

coreylee wrote:Hello, If you have been to guate recently and have suggestions for fun adventurous activities please offer your suggestions. Thanks, Corey

Corey:

My girlfriend and I just got back last Wednesday from a two week adventure in Guate!

We spent time in Guatemala City, Antigua, Panajachel, San Marcos, Tsununa, Coban, Lanquin, Semuc Champey, Flores and Tikal.

The place is great. Don't miss the towns & villages around Lake Atitlan, especially San Marcos. It's worth paying for the "guided" tour of the caves in Lanquin & Semuc Champey, especially if you have never been in water filled caves before.

I did think places like Antigua & Pana' were very touristy. Probably worth a day there, but not much longer. If you are up for it - do some traveling to the nearby smaller towns/villages.

One of my favorite parts of the entire trip was when the two of us walked the roads around Lake Atitlan into Tsununa'. Some of the villages there are not infiltrated with travelers and you have the opportunity to explore the road less traveled.

You will realize quickly that there is a roughly defined "travelers-road" that begins in Guatemala City and goes up north into Belize. There are plenty of advertised activates to do along the way if that's your thing. In every major town you will find a travel agency with listed activities and transportation services.

If you are on a budget…get psyched for the Chicken Busses and Papusas!

It's really up to you how you spend your time. You can seek out traveler hotels filled with English speaking travelers, or you can shack up in other local hostels where the caretakers don't speak a lick of English.

Some pics to get you psyched:

Danger? Not nearly as bad as everyone makes it out to be. Be smart and don't be flashy. The crime over there is opportunity based. If you are going to wander into remote villages without a guide or a large group, leave your $5,000 dollar DSLR in the hostel lock box. Common Sense.

Also, don't electrocute yourself in the shower:

Have fun and feel free to PM me with any questions while the details of my trip are still fresh in my head.

Good Luck,

Jason

Thanks for sharing the photos! Yes, I am psyched and almost finished with my Evidence final, which makes Guate even more attractive.

Does anyone suggest I bring my tent or sleeping bag? I remember bringing my tent with me to belize and was upset that i brought it UNTIL i went to Cockscomb basin and camped in the jungle for a bit, that made carrying the thing around worth the hassle!

So, I guess I am wondering if there are any opportunities for overnight trips in the jungle, and if I should bring my tent and bag, or just leave it at home?

Thannks again folks!

coreylee wrote:Thanks for sharing the photos! Yes, I am psyched and almost finished with my Evidence final, which makes Guate even more attractive. Does anyone suggest I bring my tent or sleeping bag? I remember bringing my tent with me to belize and was upset that i brought it UNTIL i went to Cockscomb basin and camped in the jungle for a bit, that made carrying the thing around worth the hassle! So, I guess I am wondering if there are any opportunities for overnight trips in the jungle, and if I should bring my tent and bag, or just leave it at home? Thannks again folks!

Here are the details for a common trip:

El Mirador

I spent about a year down there and loved it!! I was mostly based in Antigua, which is touristy, but a very nice town nonetheless. It's definitely different than anywhere else in the country, but a fun place to hit up the bar scene and eat some good food. At Lake Atitlan, Panajachel is pretty crappy, go to San Marcos (mellow new agey) or San Pedro (party). Definitely check out Semuc Champey!! As said above, Acatanango is super fun, and fun to camp on that saddle. Hopefully you'll get an upclose view of Fuego next door erupting, that's a cool sight. For climbing, there is some good conglomerate sport climbing on some cool little towers near Antigua, ask locals at the guide shops in Antigua and they may know. Xela is definitely the best climbing I did down there, super fun sport and trad on cool volcanic rock, and an amazing ambience since the Evangelical/Mayan religious people are up there chanting, singing, and wailing, pretty wild to hear when your climbing. There's lots of potential for good limestone sport climbing in the Cuchumutanes Mountains, I know some people down there have been putting up a few routes. You probably can rent camping gear from one of the guide companies in Antigua. You may want it for Acatanango, and if you explore the Cuchumutanes, you may want it there. Overall though, I don't know if it would be worth lugging around camping gear down there. Good surfing in Guate, but it's also fun to take a ~6-8 hour bus ride to El Salvador and go to the coast to Play Sunzal or El Zonte, super fun surfing. Although El Salvador felt more sketchy to me than Guate, lots of guns there too. Do be careful in cities at night, and you probably don't want to do too much hiking and stuff in the woods alone. I knew a handful of people who got robbed in these situations. I had to chase down and tackle a guy who stole my pack while I was climbing, luckily we talked it out and no more violence happened, still super crazy though!! The picture of the shower above cracks me up, those do seem super sketchy. One place I stayed had that, and during every shower my scalp would get a good and painful zap. Guatemala is a great time!!! Enjoy!

coreylee wrote:Thanks for sharing the photos! Yes, I am psyched and almost finished with my Evidence final, which makes Guate even more attractive. Does anyone suggest I bring my tent or sleeping bag? I remember bringing my tent with me to belize and was upset that i brought it UNTIL i went to Cockscomb basin and camped in the jungle for a bit, that made carrying the thing around worth the hassle! So, I guess I am wondering if there are any opportunities for overnight trips in the jungle, and if I should bring my tent and bag, or just leave it at home? Thannks again folks!

I wouldn't bother with a tent. A light sleeping bag is nice for cold bus rides and the occasional cheap hotel, tho I spent months in the mountains and always foudn enough bedding. i wouldn't bring one. If you do decide to trek (e.g. the El Mirador trip, which is cool) they will have tents or hammocks. Nov-mar are great-- no bugs, nice cool temps, dry.

The general rule of travelling thumb: bring twice the money and half the clothes you think you'll need. And get travel insurance!

Another good idea is, scan all your docs into jpegs and upload them to your email account, as well as photocopying them. It is also worth bringing a USB stick onto which you can transfer photos, or to occasionally get CDs made.

But really...go to Colombia...