I recently returned home from an incredible solo travel adventure in Guatemala and it was absolutely incredible! I explored the charming and colourful colonial city of Antigua, a variety of the unique and traditional Mayan villages around Lake Atitlan, and spent a few days exploring the island and tiny village of Flores and the impressive Mayan Ruins of Tikal in the northern jungle region of the country.

Guatemala is not your typical tourist destination and it is a slightly off-the-beaten-path and hidden gem of a place in Central America, which I loved.

I fell so in love with Guatemala during my two and a half weeks spent exploring there and it is truly an amazing and beautiful country with a diversity of spectacular and breathtaking natural scenery and landscapes (from jungles to volcanoes to lakes and more), friendly and welcoming local people, colourful cities and towns, impressive Mayan ruins, beautiful cathedrals and colonial architecture, charming traditional villages, and a fascinating indigenous Mayan culture. Guatemala has something to offer for anyone interested in nature, culture, history, architecture, relaxation and adventure.

I met some incredible people, had so many wonderful and meaningful experiences and made long-lasting memories along the way.

Here are a list of reasons why I love the country of Guatemala (in no particular order). Enjoy!

The stunning landscape of volcanoes everywhere! On my last night in Guatemala, I was treated to an amazing show of Volcan Fuego erupting lava as I watched in awe for hours from a rooftop in Antigua. It was absolutely incredible to witness this natural phenomenon as lava was shooting out of the top of the volcano and slowly flowing down the steep volcano slopes. I was also able to see this same volcano sending up plumes of smoke from Lake Atitlan every morning as the sun was rising. Guatemala has a total of thirty seven volcanoes, three of which are still active – called Pacaya, Fuego and Santiaguito. The beautiful and colourful traditional clothing worn by the locals. In the small villages and towns especially, you will see the majority of the Mayan people wearing this traditional clothing and it is a gorgeous thing to see. They are primarily worn by the women, but I also saw men wearing long and colourful skirts in some villages. The designs were all so varied and incredibly detailed. I learned that the patterns, colours and styles represent which town or village an individual is from, which is fascinating! You can learn more about the clothing at this link. The Mayan Ruins of Tikal. Tikal is one of the most impressive Mayan ruins site that I have had the opportunity to visit so far. The ruins are situated deep in the jungle and only a small portion of them have actually been uncovered, so I felt like an explorer wandering around this massive archeological site with hardly anyone else around and discovering the grand unique temples and pyramids, while also stumbling upon jungle-covered mounds which were unexcavated ruins. I loved the rugged and natural location of the ruins in the jungle and it was a fantastic Mayan ruins site to explore. The charming town of Flores. Flores is a small town situated on an tiny island on Lake Peten Itza and surrounded by dense tropical jungle in the northern region of Guatemala. The narrow cobblestone streets are lined with colourful colonial buildings and it’s such a beautiful, peaceful and tranquil place to wander around and photograph everything! I loved the laid-back and relaxed island vibes. The diversity of landscapes and beautiful natural scenery. Guatemala is filled with a variety of breathtaking and beautiful natural landscapes from the dense jungle in the northern Peten region to the pristine lakes (like Lake Atitlan) to the tall volcanoes everywhere to the ancient Mayan ruins scattered throughout the country to the traditional Mayan villages, waterfalls, mountains, caves and the colourful colonial cities, Guatemala truly is a wonderful and gorgeous place in Central America. There are so many unique landscapes and regions to explore! The large market in Chichicastenango. The traditional Mayan town of Chichicastenango is situated high in the Guatemalan highlands up in the mountains and every Thursday and Sunday, the town hosts one of the largest local markets in Central America. The market is huge and the entire central area of town is transformed into a maze of narrow aisles lined with local vendors from all over the surrounding area selling their colourful and beautifully handmade textiles, handicrafts, bags, purses, jewelry, backpacks, clothing, shawls, scarves, ponchos, blankets, hammocks, masks, trinkets and so much more. I spent half a day navigating this market while getting lost multiple times and marveling at all of the beautiful items. Chichicastenango is a wonderful place to shop for traditional and handmade souvenirs in Guatemala and I found some great buys here! The chicken buses. The local transportation in Guatemala consists of school buses from the United States which have been refurbished and painted in so many wonderfully beautiful colours. They are pimped out with lots of shiny chrome, flashing lights, and detailed designs. Every single one of them is unique and different. I loved seeing these buses everywhere and had my own authentic experience riding in one of these buses when I visited a macadamia nut farm outside of Antigua. They are cheap but usually packed full of people and would be quite uncomfortable for longer rides (they can also be dangerous as they are often targeted for roadside robberies), but a short ride on the chicken buses is a fun experience to have when in Guatemala! The chocolate. The Mayans were the discoverers of chocolate back in the day and you can find an amazing variety of chocolates in Guatemala. You can even take chocolate-making classes in Antigua! I really loved the white chocolate covered macadamia nuts! The “desayuno tipico” (typical Guatemalan breakfast). I absolutely loved Guatemala’s traditional breakfast and ate it almost every day during my time there. It consisted of fried sweet plantains, scrambled eggs, warm and saucy black beans, warm homemade corn tortillas, a chunk of delicious soft white cheese, and either sliced avocados or a fresh fruit salad on the side. Visiting Lake Atitlan, the most beautiful lake that I have ever seen. Lake Atitlan was also called “the most beautiful lake in the world” by author Aldous Huxley and although I haven’t traveled the world, I absolutely agree with him. This picturesque and peaceful lake is surrounded by a landscape of volcanoes and ringed by a variety of unique traditional Mayan villages. I really enjoyed the calm and serene atmosphere at the lake and it was a lovely place to relax. Each village had something different to offer and it was fascinating to spend time exploring them. My favourites were Santa Cruz La Laguna, San Marcos La Laguna and San Juan! The abundance of fresh fruit and vegetables everywhere. Pretty much every city, town and small village has a daily or weekly local market where you will find so many wonderful and exotic fruits and vegetables. Lots of restaurants also serve dishes using fresh fruits and veggies and you can find inexpensive and delicious “licuados” or smoothies everywhere. There were banana and avocado trees everywhere with bundles of bananas and avocados laying on the ground (there were just so many of them). It was amazing to have access to the wonderful fresh produce in Guatemala! The colourful buildings. Streets in the towns of Antigua and Flores are lined with buildings painted in a wide variety of beautiful and vibrant colours. I loved simply wandering the streets of both places and just photographing the buildings. It was really beautiful to see! The charming colonial city of Antigua. Antigua is the most popular destination for tourists in Guatemala and it’s no wonder why. This city was my first stop upon arriving in Guatemala and my last stop before leaving to go home and it was an absolute joy to spend time there and explore this amazing city. The city consists of cobblestone streets lined with colourful buildings, incredible colonial architecture, beautiful old churches and magnificent crumbling ruins, local markets and shops, and a huge variety of amazing restaurants offering both traditional Guatemalan dishes and international cuisines. The vibrant and bustling local markets. There are local markets everywhere in Guatemala in almost every city, town and village. I visited a handful of markets throughout my time in Guatemala and loved wandering around the narrow aisles and immersing myself in the local culture. The markets sell everything from clothing to toys to flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables, purses, bags, DVD movies, meat, shoes, jewelry, traditional handicrafts, colourful textiles, and more. I loved the atmosphere of the markets – they were bustling with locals, everything was so colourful and they were lively places always full of activity. There were so many interesting sights, sounds and smells to discover at the markets and visiting them was definitely a unique and cultural experience! The colonial architecture on the cathedrals, churches and convents. There is at least one church or cathedral in every town and village but the colonial city of Antigua had so many impressive and beautiful churches everywhere, many of which were still in ruins after being destroyed by earthquakes in the 1700’s. The architecture was so detailed and unique on all of the churches and you could even pay a small fee to explore inside of some of them, which was fascinating. The warm, welcoming and friendly local people. The local people are what really makes Guatemala such a special place. Aside from experiencing some catcalling in Panajachel (on Lake Atitlan), all of the other locals that I encountered and interacted with, were such friendly, helpful and welcoming people. Guatemala is the kind of place where everyone smiles and greets each other when passing on the streets and I loved this! A few people that I met that stand out in my mind include: eating dinner at a local restaurant inside a family’s home in San Marcos La Laguna and having the opportunity to chat with and get to know the father, son and grandmother as they were interested in learning more about my life in Canada; being approached by multiple locals to help me get a ride to Antigua at the Guatemala City Airport when my private shuttle driver arrived later than I had expected; local women expressing their appreciation to me when I purchased an item from the weaving cooperatives; and other stories. The delicious food. Every single meal that I ate in Guatemala was absolutely delicious and so flavourful. I really loved the food! There were lots of restaurants serving everything from traditional Guatemalan dishes to a variety of international cuisines. Many of the restaurants were also vegetarian-friendly, which was awesome for me. I ate lots of Thai and Indian curries, black beans, avocados, homemade corn tortillas, rice, fried plantains, veggie stir fries, fresh fruit smoothies, wholesome salads, fresh fruit and more. All of it was so tasty! The colourful textiles. Everything in Guatemala is so colourful and amazing, especially at the markets. I loved the multi-coloured blankets, hammocks, bags, purses, clothing, scarves and shawls and there were so many beautiful and unique patterns and designs. The weather. Contrary to what you might think, the majority of Guatemala is not a tropical destination with hot and humid temperatures, even though it is in Central America. The temperatures in Antigua and the Lake Atitlan area were very spring-like, pleasant and comfortable during my visit (around 23 to 25 degrees Celsius during the daytime) and from what I have read, this is typical throughout most of the year in these places. It was quite hot and humid in Flores, which is located in the jungle region of the country, and I also enjoyed this weather. Dry season (November to May) offers sunny skies and little rain. The hostels. There were lots of hostels along the well-traveled backpacker route in Guatemala and the ones that I stayed at were amazing! They were very charming and comfortable and I loved the welcoming, friendly and laid-back vibes. Many of the hostels had hammocks, family-style dinners, and natural courtyards. My favourite places were La Iguana Perdida in Santa Cruz La Laguna, El Hostal in Antigua, Los Amigos Youth Hostel in Flores, and Circles Hostel in San Marcos La Laguna. The prominent and vibrant indigenous Mayan culture. Guatemala is a very traditional country and the Mayan culture remains strong, particularly in the smaller villages and towns. You will see locals dressed in their traditional clothing (colourful blouses and skirts for the women and long skirts or colourful pants for the men), practicing their traditional customs and ways of life, and you will hear many locals speaking their indigenous Mayan languages, which I found fascinating.

Check out this list from bloggers Along Dusty Roads about why they love Guatemala too and this one from Globetrotter Girls!

Guatemala has so much to discover and I can’t wait to return again someday soon to explore deeper and have more amazing experiences.

Planning Your Next Adventure?

Here are some helpful links if you are currently planning your next travel adventure!

Compare prices and book your flights using Momondo. I love the user-friendly design of this website and how easy it is to filter your flights by price, duration, etc. It’s a great place to find the best flight deals!

Use Hostelworld to book a private room or dorm bed at a budget-friendly hostel and browse through listings across the globe. Use Booking.com to find a huge inventory of independent hotels, guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, hostels and chain hotels around the world and for every budget. And if you’re looking for a more authentic and unique experience of staying in a local’s home at your destination, then book your stay using Airbnb (sign-up using my link and get a discount off your first stay).

Click here to read more of my posts about Guatemala to help with your trip planning!

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a travel booking on any of the websites I have recommended, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. I use all of these websites for booking my own travels and would never recommend something that I don’t already love.

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Have you traveled to Guatemala? What did you love most about this country? Have I missed anything on this list?

Let me know in the comments below. I would love to hear your thoughts, stories and experiences from this country!

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