Guatemala vacations 2024 & 2025

You can explore Indigenous culture and historic cities in Guatemala, hike through emerald jungle, and discover lost Maya cities. Compact but incredibly diverse, Guatemala offers nature experiences and wildlife spotting as well as a rich culture and history.

You can wander the cobbled streets of 18th-century cities, browse traditional markets for intricately woven textiles, take a boat tour on a glittering lake, kayak around quiet coves, or take a mountain bike tour and learn about responsible coffee production.

Venture into the hills to hike up Pacaya volcano or go in search of howler and spider monkeys, visit local villages, and explore local culture on a guided street food tour of Antigua, before exploring the ruins of an ancient lost city to learn about the advanced cultures that thrived here thousands of years ago.

In Guatemala, you can stay in boutique hotels set in historic buildings, family-run guesthouses, and rustic thatched bungalows. You’ll find the best choice of places to stay in the more popular destinations where you could choose to stay in an intimate hotel in the heart of Antigua’s old town, or in an elaborate villa on a hillside overlooking Lake Atitlán.

In the north of the country, close to the Maya sites, places to stay are generally simpler but often offer lakefront or jungle locations that are a highlight of a trip. For example, you could stay in a riverside lodge on a private reserve and spot howler monkeys from your deck, or a characterful casita decorated with local arts and crafts near Lake Petén Itzá.

Browse our collection of places to stay in Guatemala for more ideas.

In Guatemala, most visitors go to Antigua, Tikal, and Lake Atitlán. The country’s former capital, Antigua is an atmospheric city where the UNESCO-protected cobbled streets are lined by buildings inspired by the Italian Renaissance and set against a backdrop of volcanoes.

For ancient architectural grandeur, head to the lost city of Tikal where a series of pyramidal temples lie in the heart of the jungle. Getting out into the rainforest around Cobán and the Verapaces brings the chance to spot tropical birdlife and explore the area’s intricate cave systems with their limestone bridges and emerald pools.

More volcanic peaks ring the expansive Lake Atitlán where you can visit Maya villages and markets, or if you’d prefer to get right off the beaten track, you could visit remote Livingston in Rio Dulce to learn about Garifuna culture.

It takes around five hours to fly from the East Coast of the US to Guatemala, and around five and a half hours from the West Coast.

The time zone in Guatemala is UTC-6 hours. Daylight Savings Time isn’t observed.

The best way to get around Guatemala is by 4x4. The roads aren’t well maintained in places and journeys can be long and winding, so we can arrange a private 4x4 and driver.

If you’d like to combine your trip to Guatemala with a visit to Mexico, Belize, or Honduras, this is also easy to arrange with overland routes into each country.

US citizens don’t need a visa to visit Guatemala for stays of up to 90 days. You should complete the immigration pre-clearance form online in advance and print your confirmation email to speed up your arrival in the airport.

Your doctor is best placed to give you up-to-date immunization advice for Guatemala. You can check suggested vaccinations on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website, but you should also ensure you’re up to date with the recommended vaccinations at home.

Check that your passport will be valid for at least six months after your date of departure from Guatemala and has at least one unstamped double page.