Okay, so I know this title is a little dramatic, but hear me out. Every time I told someone that I was going to Guatemala, I was on the receiving end of so much unsolicited advice about how to stay safe. From people who haven’t traveled to Guatemala themselves. So I thought I’d write a satirical and semi-helpful post on how to survive traveling to Guatemala for you!
And if you’re traveling to Guatemala for the first time, check out my 7-day itinerary!
Let me preface this article with a couple of facts for you.
First and foremost, I never felt unsafe, scared, or worried when I traveled to Guatemala last month (February 2023). I took all the normal precautions I typically do when I travel solo: I didn’t walk around alone late at night, I researched which areas to avoid altogether, I took Uber/tuk tuks when I was tired, and I listened to my intuition.
Next, I need to address the elephant in the room. Yes, there are places in Guatemala that aren’t safe for tourists or even locals to really visit. But I had no business going to any of those locations, as all the sights I wanted to see were in the safe zones.
NEWSFLASH: there are places in my home country that aren’t safe to be in either. So while Guatemala might get a bad rap, it’s not the poverty-stricken slum that got portrayed in the media decades ago. Get with the times.
Lastly, I am an experienced traveler. I know my limits. I know how to trust my gut. I also know that sometimes the best adventures we can have is when we go outside of our comfort zone. This was one of those times.
How to survive traveling to Guatemala – Getting Around
When you look at a map when you’re traveling to Guatemala, you immediately notice that although the country isn’t particularly big, the travel time between, say, Guatemala City and the ruins of Tikal is a full days-worth of driving.
Is that accurate?
You bet.
The first thing you need to understand is that outside of Guatemala City, there aren’t a lot of nicely paved and maintained roads. Traveling around the country on the ground takes time, patience, and a rugged vehicle.
Avoid renting a car when traveling to Guatemala
Renting a vehicle in another country comes with its own set of obstacles, but couple that with horrible road conditions, makeshift “checkpoints” and other unpleasant instances, you want to avoid renting a car in Guatemala.
You can hire a driver if you want
When traveling around Guatemala, you have numerous options to hire drivers to get you around. Private buses, tour companies, shuttles, and even Uber in certain areas are all great options to get around. I definitely took advantage of having Uber when I was staying in Guatemala City. It was easy, inexpensive, and price-controlled. I don’t like having to negotiate rates, so having the rates already set was easy for me to wrap my head around.
Don’t be afraid of public transportation
If you want an adventure, or if you’re curious about the local culture, hop onto one of Guatemala’s public transit options.
I was a little nervous to ride a chicken bus, to be honest. And I’m not sure what made me do it, other than the love of adventure and trying something new. But I found out where to catch the chicken bus from my hostel owner, and with his assurances that all I needed to do was tell the touts where I wanted to go, I’d wind up there.
I hopped in an Uber to the place where the busses gather (kind of like an unofficial station – they’re everywhere, so you just need to ask a local), and walked towards the busses. A man approached and asked me where I was going. I said “Panajachel,” which was the name of the lakeside village I would be staying at. He guided me to a bus, told me how much, and put me on.
I entered the smaller school bus and saw dozens of faces looking at me, the only gringa on the bus. I squeezed my way to the back corner of the bus and sat down with my backpack, silently patting myself on the back for traveling so lightly.
About 2 hours into the drive, we stopped at a city and the gentleman next to me grabbed my arm to raise me up and said I needed to transfer busses. Huh? I thought it was a direct bus, but I ran with it. I was the only one exiting the bus, but since I stuck out, the touts and drivers knew where I needed to go.
I was gently guided to another bus (there were about 4 busses parked together on the mountaintop village), and managed to not sit in the very back of the bus. About an hour later, I could see the lake, but had to transfer yet again.
So…3 buses, over 3 hours later, I made it to my destination. What I learned was that even if I didn’t know where to go, the touts and drivers are helpful and made sure I got where I needed to go.
Don’t overthink it. Just hop on!
Don’t drink the water when traveling to Guatemala
Traveler’s diarrhea is a real thing, and you need to take precautions when traveling to Guatemala. The tap water isn’t drinkable, so you’ll want to make sure to purchase bottled filtered water that is still sealed. Most hotels and accommodations will have filtered water available, as will most restaurants. You might need to be careful if eating at a smaller roadside stand. Check to see where the water is coming from.
Same thing goes when brushing your teeth. Use filtered water. This was a new thing for me. Even when rinsing your toothbrush, use filtered water. Although you won’t technically “drink” the water you rinse your toothbrush out with, there’s a good possibility of cross contamination. Better to be safe.
Let’s also talk about ice. When you order a drink from a restaurant, ask your server if the ice is made with filtered water. Most of the time it is. I just didn’t ice down my drinks and ended up with a lot of room-temperature Coca Cola.
However, I couldn’t escape it fully. When I was in Guatemala City, I was hanging out with a local and he insisted on getting me a shaved ice from a lady in a cart in the central park. I didn’t know how to refuse, so I ate it. And paid for it later. There’s no way she was using a filtered water ice block.
Beware of volcanoes
There are a ton of volcanoes all over the country, but a few in particular that you need to be aware of. Not because they’re dangerous, but because it’s a cool experience to know that there are sleeping giants.
When I was heading to Lake Atitlán, every local enthusiastically informed me that there are dozens of named volcanoes surrounding the lake area.
And when I was in La Antigua, I sat on the roof of my hostel and watched a nearby volcano spewing ash for hours.
If you’re the type of person that enjoys hiking, camping, and the thrill of adventure, you’ll be happy to know that you can go on a 2-day hiking adventure to one of the volcanoes!
Traveling to Guatemala is a treat and isn’t the war-torn, poverty-stricken place that gets perpetuated in the media. It’s a lovely country full of culture, good people, delicious food, and enough adventure to satisfy anyone’s appetite.
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