Have you ever been thinking about visiting Guatemala?
This is a story about a surprising great experience in a quiet small Country in Central America – Guatemala. In February ’16 I booked flights from Frankfurt to Cancun with a few to make a trip to Yucatan. While I was looking for activities there and planning a route, I also read about trips to Tikal in Guatemala. The reports about that place impressed me and so I decided to go there and read up about things to do in Guatemala.
Alltough it is a small Country with ~15mio inhabitants, there’s a lot to see:
Lots of different vegetation with vulcanos around Antigua in the west, jungle, beautiful rivers and lakes in the centre and caribbean feeling in the east.
I booked another flight from Cancun to Guatemala City via volaris (cheap mexican airline), it’s a 2-hour flight. I wouldn’t recommend you to stay in Guatemala City, because it’s an ugly, loud city and crime is high. Via STA-Travel I booked a transfer to Antigua – an ancient, small and beautiful city, surrounded by vulcanos. After a ride of 1 hour through the mountains I got to the small posada Hermano Pedro in the middle of the oldtown. In the morning I had my first guatemalan breakfast. It was delicious. Scrambled eggs with vegetables and fried banana. Antigua is a nice place for people who are interested in shopping, hiking on vulcanos or just sitting in a small café and enjoy the atmosphere.
After 2 days I took the bus to Panajachel at Lago Atitlan – delineated as the most beautiful lake in the world. And I was really impressed, it is worth a trip!
The next day I was picked up by a private transfer (what’s much more comfortable, reliable and faster than a public bus, called chicken bus) to the ferry in Rio Dulce, a small town on the river of Guatemala. Bruno, the owner the Guesthouse Bruno’s called a boat that drives me to Hacienda Tijax. This was the nicest place on my trip: It is in the middle of the river, surrounded by jungle with an amazing view on the river.
I made a half day trip with a little boat along the river which is leading to the caribbean sea in Livingston. You can see a lot of pelicans and other birds, frogs and fishes. On the ride through mangrove forests we saw some mayan colonies and fishers, caves and natural water sources.
In Livingston we made a 3 hour stop and it was like being in another country, because the people here are differnt to other Guatemalans. The caribbean feeling really caught me, I felt like being in Jamaica.
Back in Rio Dulce I met nice people in Hacienda Tijax from the Netherlands, Switzerland and Germany and I stayed a few days longer. This was a quite relaxed time, seeing the people come and go, eating good food and enjoy the calm evenings on the river.
After a 4 hour ride through the guatemalan jungle I arrived in Flores, an Island on the Lago Peten Itza. It’s like Venice in Central America and a nice stay for a trip to Tikal.
Tikal – a mystical ancient mayan colony in the middle of the jungle. A must-see!
Guys, if you ever go to Central America, don’t miss Tikal.