Advantages: Breathtaking ruins in vivid jungle packed full of rainbow coloured birds and lively animals.
Disadvantages: Violent crime awaits the unwary.

...Far north in Guatemala’s El Petén State you will find this country’s must see attraction. Immense Mayan ruins that in 750 AD were once home to perhaps 100,000 people thrust up from the jungle floor and tower high above the steaming canopy. Toucans and parrots flicker through the twisted trees, monkeys bellow and battle and race, and daring coatis rush about in packs circling the day-trippers, eyeing up their picnics for a raid. Fat Petén Turkeys blunder along like drunk peacock gluttons, strutting and squealing amongst the ferns. At Tikal you find yourself surrounded not only by ancient history, but also by the crazy, thriving beauty of the natural world at its most forceful and vibrant. The Tikal ruins were first seen by Europeans in the late 19th century, lead here by rubber farmers. What these first tourists saw were only... Read review

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Advantages: Charming and unique hotel with wonderful Gautemalan artifacts and ambiance (a home away from home) run by delightful people.
Disadvantages: None

...experience when I stayed there! Last, the Posada Belen is very reasonably priced (a fraction of what I would have paid if I stayed in a major chain hotel). When booking the Posada Belen, I mentioned in an email that I wanted to take a tour around Guatemala. Francesca and René responded that they could arrange a week's tour for me (the Guatemala Classic Tour), which was truly wonderful. It was a comprehensive tour of Lake Atitlan, Antigua and Tikal. The tour was very flexible and was arranged according to my schedule and my needs, and it was always with small groups of people. The hotels on the tour were all excellent. I am very grateful to Francesca and René since they arranged a truly marvelous tour for me. Additionally, they arranged airport transfers and for a taxi to take me to the 2 best museums in Guatemala City. I... Read review

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Advantages: Spectacular ruins in a green setting
Disadvantages: Becoming more popular and wildlife is suffering

...I have visited Tikal twice now - once about 8 years ago and again two years ago. I say this, because I noticed the difference in the amount of birdlife between the two visits. Perhaps I was unlucky, but there seemed to be far fewer birds on this trip. Having said this, I still rate Tikal as one of my favourite ancient sites in the world. Tikal really ought to be better known. Ok, it takes a special trip to get there - a flight from Guatemala city is the best option (unless you have lots of time and little money, I can't imagine that the overnight bus trip is a good plan), but it is worth it. Yes, the hotels aren't cheap, but this is a pretty special place, and it is good to be able to get into the site nice and early. Picture the setting - water droplets gently drip off the large green leaves of the jungle as the early morning mist... Read review

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Advantages: Amazing place, excellent wildlife
Disadvantages: Busses could be better

...Guatemala is an excellent destination for anyone who enjoys adventure. I have recently returned from a 3 month travelling expedition with my girlfriend through Mexico, Belize, Honduras and Guatemala. Guatemala is a beautiful country, covered in dense jungle, with mountains, lakes, volcanos and ancient ruins, From Belize city we caught a bus to the border of Guatemala, where another bus took us to lake Piten Itza. Busses are frequent and very cheap, although slightly uncomforatble. We had decided to stay in a small area by the lake called El Cruce, which meant getting of the bus before it arrives at its main destination, Flores. We stayed in one of the many guest houses - Casa Del Don Douglas. Douglas is a great host, the rooms are very basic, but Douglas is happy to cook, serve beer, arrange trips, give you lifts around the area... Read review

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Advantages: Gorgeous town with a lot of character, plenty to do, and great markets.
Disadvantages: No alcohol after 8 on a Sunday

...I travelled through Guatemala as a student backpacker, but there are lots of things to do for any age group/interest. For the bargain hunters I thoroughly recommend the colourful and vibrant markets, but make sure you haggle (the best price is often gained from comparing different sellers, and having a grasp of the language!). I bought a beautiful bedspread for only £15, planning to send it home in the post, but ended up carrying it around the rest of Central America due to the £70 needed on stamps!! Even for the non-religious traveller, it is well worth visiting the churches, such as La Merced, San Francisco, and Las Capuchinas, for the colonial architecture and to appreciate the local devotion to the Catholic Church. The recent canonisation of Hermano Pedro (the first saint from Central America) involved a visit from the Pope... Read review

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Advantages: Natural,peaceful,colorful etc.
Disadvantages: The town needs fire prevention equipments.

...For me Livingston is the place on hearth which is a true paradise. It is located on the Atlantic coastal area of Guatemala, Central America. The people, and the ambience in general give a peaceful feeling that enlightens the soul. While in many ways it is a primitive place. One can feel the human elements which say this is all I need to be happy. The natural environment stands still even when foreigners,or locals might want to impose the modern life of large cities, they are held back,not so much by laws, but by the nature of the place that in silence says "enjoy me the way I'm". Livngston is a place for romance, adventure and life in general. The Rio Dulce (Sweet River)a navigable fresh water river,which ends in Livingston, where it meets with the bay that connects it to part of the Atlantic Ocean,in my Opinion is the #8 wonder... Read review

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Advantages: Extremely beautiful
Disadvantages: Only two hotels and it gets packed with local tourists

...... Read review

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Advantages: Stunning diving and snorkelling, very laid back
Disadvantages: Not that cheap

..., calm (because of the reef) no sharks (ditto), lots of palm trees, beautiful sunsets and incredibly laid back - it remains the only place I've been where every single bar supplies hammocks for punters. The only things to do are lie around in the sun, take snorkelling and diving trips out to the reef (hammerheads, anyone?) which is a stunning experience, or just go boating around some of the other islands. Otherwise, feast on lobster (unless you go for March, as I did - the one month when it's out of season) and conch stew, drink beer, hang about in hammocks working on your tan... bliss. Inland's a bit of a disappointment, temples are a bit crap compared to Guatemala (if you really want a bit of culture, head over the border to the incomparable Tikal, an ancient Mayan city in the jungle - where a bit of Star Wars was filmed, apparently... Read review

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Advantages: The people and rich culture
Disadvantages: You need at least 1-2 weeks for the experience and clubs are only open till 1am

...So I feel I should write a review of the the mighty they call Antigua of Guatemala, after living there for nearly 4 months I relised why it is considered to be one of the jewels of Central America. So lets be honest I could write volumes for this but I will try to avoid covering standard issues which you will find in travel guides. On first glance Antigua can seem like a beautiful but sleepy location as this is the impression I got on my initial visit passing through for just 1 day, but you see Antigua is the type of place you need a little more time to appreciate the fruits which it has to offer, and so my 1 day experience was not really a good indication of what Antigua has to offer the traveller/tourist/culture vultures! But on my more extended visit a few weeks later I saw that with a little time, research and 'getting to know... Read review

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Advantages: Pretty markets; a chance to explore Guatemalan villages
Disadvantages: Hassling by street kids into buying biros!

...Panajachel has a market much like those of Antigua and Chichicastenango, but with a wide variety of excellent local art to buy (I bought 2 small paintings of the lake for next to nothing, and they are a perfect reminder of my travels - see photos). An oppurtunity not to be missed is to take a boat trip out onto the lake and visit the surrounding villages. Santiago has more markets, and a lot of boys will try to pursuade you to buy just about anything. There is a little shop/museum where you can see some beautiful weaving: to buy is fairly expensive, but the quality is fantastic. There are a couple of places to grab some rice and beans here, and there is 1 hotel in Santiago, but most people tend to stay in Panajachel, which is larger and has more to offer. San Antonio I felt was more like the 'real' Guatemala, where... Read review

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