Guatemala Vacations

Vacations in Guatemala

Top tourist places to visit in Guatemala

Guatemala is a wonderful place to see sights maybe you not likely to see somewhere else. Things like smoking volcanoes, world-famous coffee fresh on the slopes where it’s grown and roasted, and ruins with the once-great Mayan civilization. Guatemala is a destination for a mingle while using locals, including roaming the continent in a colorfully painted former bus, referred to as a chicken bus.

Oh, america has some good beaches and stunningly blue lakes, that Lake Atitlan is considered the most famous. So, gringos, it’s the perfect time to pack those bags and vamoose!
An overview from the best places to check out in Guatemala:

Semuc Champey

Getting to Semuc Champey involves a 30-minute ride over bumpy roads by using a jungle, nevertheless the trip is definitely worth the bounces. Once you make it, you may relax the bumps away that has a swim in gorgeous turquoise blue pools atop an all-natural limestone bridge. Equally incredibly turquoise blue could be the Cahabon River that came up with limestone bridge and from now on runs under it. Caves is available within the limestone bridge; some caves can be found only by swimming underwater.

Todos Santos Cuchumatan

The city of Todos Santos Cuchumatán, in a very province together with the same name, is usually a good spot to see native Guatemalans wearing traditional clothing each and every day. It’s one on the few places in the nation where this still occurs. The residents are predominantly Mayan yet still speak that language. Located from the mountains with the Sierra de los Cuchumatánes, this town is famous for its annual All Saints Day celebration (Todos Santos translates as “all saints.”) The celebration features music, dancing, many alcohol and horse races.

Livingston Where to Stay

Livingston is truly one of Guatemala’s gems hidden on the Caribbean coast, which enables it to only be reached by boat. Fortunately, two ferries go and back every day. The town will be the hub in the Garifuna culture, meaning tourists have a chance to taste the area menu and music for several days. Evenings in Livingston are packed with excitement and you could just have the chance to take part within the Punta, a regional dance by having an incredible beat.

Quetzaltenango Where to Stay

The name might be a mouthful, but Quetzaltenango continues to be described as a wonderful Guatemalan town. It’s the nation’s second largest city, but is not considered big nor could it be considered too small. Quetzaltenango is usually known by its Mayan name of Xela. The Germans moved in following the Spanish left, giving this former coffee-growing center the multi-cultural feel that are available in the Central Plaza, the place to find the Catedral de Espiritu Santo.

The city can be a jumping off point for hikes to Laguna Chicabal, a doormat volcano, and also the active Santa Maria volcano.

Monterrico Where to Stay

Many people gravitate to white-sand beaches for any little rest and relaxation. You won’t find those at Monterrico, a common beach resort on Guatemala’s Pacific Coast. The beaches are volcanic black ash. You’ll wish to bring sandals if you intend to do any beachcombing, as being the sand could be too hot for bare feet. It has nice waves for surfing, but Monterrico’s main attraction will be the sea turtles. The beach will be the breeding ground for four kind of sea turtles.

Flores Plan Your Trip

Flores is usually a located on Lake Petén Itzá and linked with land using a causeway, for the other side that lie the twin towns Santa Elena and San Benito. It was here, around the island of Flores, the last independent Maya state held out from the Spanish conquerors. For many tourist, the main reason to travel to Flores is its proximity for the famous Maya ruins of Tikal. But the island city itself is a wonderful place to travel to in Guatemala, stuffed with colonial, red-roofed buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, a historic church and plenty of hotels and restaurants.

Chichicastenango Where to Stay

There’s just something around the name Chichicastenango that produces you want to go to. Maybe because it’s a good spot to immerse yourself from the Mayan culture – almost 100 percent in the town’s human population are Mayan K’iche. Maybe it’s because in the fantastic Thursday and Sunday market, where it is possible to buy anything from food and colorful women’s blouses to lime stones to create tortillas and traditional carved wooden masks. Adjacent for the market could be the Church of Santo Tomas, built about the site of the pre-Columbian temple.

Panajachel Where to Stay

Panajachel, a lakeside town inside southwestern central highlands, is named following your indigenous word to get a tropical fruit, the white sapote. The town sits within the shores of Lake Atitlan, which, with Sierra Madre volcanoes about the other side, dominates the landscape. Atitlan may be the deepest lake in Central America. This former Spanish colonial town, having its busy marketplace, is reputed to be the very best place in Guatemala to get souvenirs. It also produces a good spot to explore surrounding native villages around Lake Atitlan, which can be found by private boat.

Antigua Guatemala Plan Your Trip

Antigua Guatemala is usually a charming colonial city in Guatemala’s central highlands and one from the best places to check out in Guatemala. More commonly called just Antigua, it once served because the capital with the Kingdom of Guatemala. Today it is best known for the well-preserved Spanish baroque architecture. Spanish conquistadors came to your area in 1543, making Antigua the funding of their Central America holdings. Frequently stricken by earthquakes, Antigua and this is well famous for its ruins of old Spanish cathedrals, such as church of San Francisco, which is destroyed maybe once or twice.

Tikal

If you’ve seen the 1st Star Wars movie, you could possibly recognize Tikal, one on the most important archeological ruins from the pre-Columbian Mayan civilization. Tikal, which date back for the 4th century BC, was the main town the powerful Mayan kingdoms. At its height, Tikal had about 3,000 buildings spread over several square miles. Be sure to travel to the Great Plaza within the center; it’s flanked through the ruins of two temple-pyramids. In fact, temples, pyramids and palaces dominate the tourist attraction in Guatemala.

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