From stunning Maya ruins, sometimes completely lost in the rainforest, to traditional villages with vibrant markets, lovely colonial towns, active volacanoes, gorgeous canyons of limestone pools, hot springs, and diverse wildlife, Guatemala seems to have it all. Best of all, Guatemalans are open, curious and kind, happy to share their customs with travellers. Despite its unsafe reputation largely due to a still recent civil war, Guatemala is a fantastic country to explore. Keep travelling!
Here is a compilation of the photos of the day of Guatemala and some others of our best shots capturing the essence of Guatemala to inspire you (to receive our photos of the day and articles, follow us!). All of these photos are available in a high definition upon request. For the story behind a specific photo, look for the corresponding photo of the day, or browse through our articles. Keep traveling!
Central America is a big playground for travelers: stunning and varied landscapes, rich ancient history, beautiful ruins, good food, kind people, and often more affordable than western countries. The other side of the coin is the recent history of most countries, between political instabilities, civil wars, military coups, revolutions, corruption, drug trafficking, gangs, and refugees. Keep reading
“Whose idea was this, again?” I barely hear the question over the loud flapping of the freezing cold 200km/h wind against the sleeping bag I am tucked into, fully dressed in the multiple layers of the warmest clothes I have. Indeed, after the life-threatening Daikiretto in the Japanese Alps, the Grand Traverse of the Daisetzusan in Hokkaido, the mosquito-infested 5-day Mirador trek, thrilling skiing itineraries in the French Alps, caving in the Cayo destrict of Belize and playing the Robinson’s on a lost and remote island, etc, I have to admit this was again one of my ideas… It didn’t sound that bad at first: a 7-kilometer hike up the Acatenango volcano to observe the active Fuego volcano at sunrise. Keep traveling!
“How did you get here?”, asks a friendly woman in a white blood-stained apron in Spanish, while feeding her granddaughter, as we are sipping a coffee in the comedor (the food area) in the heart of the bi-weekly market in the rural Guatemalan village of Totonicapán. “By chicken bus“, we answer, onto which the women looks surprised and slightly concerned realizing we came alone. Keep traveling!
A light is switched on, waking me up. With earplugs in my ears, my jacket and bonnet on, I am slowly extracting myself from my sleeping bag. It is early! 3:15a.m. Around me, other sleepy trekkers start to pack their sleeping bags and mattresses that cover the floor of Don Pedro’s dining room in a remote village in Guatemala. Only a few hours ago, the 15 of us from all over the world were singing songs Keep traveling!
It must be a tyrannosaur-rex, I think, while I turn on my side in another useless attempt to fall back sleep as the sun is almost rising. The roar from the Guatemalan jungle is so loud that I fear the size of the animal making this much noise, especially while spending the night in a small tent… Keep traveling!
“Make sure you don’t take a chicken bus!” screams Marco who is desperately trying to sell us a trip up a volcano and a shuttle ride in a touristic van. In the streets of the lovely city of Antigua, travel agencies compete to get business from the many tourists. This is precisely what we needed to hear to explore the local transport alternatives… Keep riding!
After a rough four-and-a-half-hour bumpy bus ride, we eventually arrive in Carmelita. We are at the end of the road! And this is just the beginning of Keep traveling!
From the top of the 77-metre high massive pyramid of La Danta, the huge city sprawls at my feet. From the grand plaza on which La Danta stands, a broad street paved with white stones leads to the Great Acropolis, Keep traveling!
Wherever you are coming from, reaching the natural limestone pools of Semuc Champey involves a long road trip, as it is lost in Keep traveling!
It has been four hours and a half, and my butt has been hurting for more than two hours, as I jump off my rather uncomfortable seat regularly, breathing the diesel fumes! Starting at 5AM, the bus headed out in the night Keep traveling!
Best regards from far, 