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  • Central America & the Caribbean
    • Introduction
    • Belize
    • Costa Rica
    • Dominican Republic
    • Guatemala
  • Guatemala
    Overview
    • Introduction
    • Fact file
    • Where to go
    • When to go
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    Explore
    • Guatemala City, Antigua and around
    • The western highlands
    • The Pacific coast
    • The Oriente and Izabal
    • Cobán and the Verapaces
    • Petén
    • Into Honduras: Copán and around
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  • Things not to miss
The graceful former capital, with an incredible legacy of colonial architecture, is one of the most elegant cities in the Americas. The Guatemalan highlands at their most bewitching: the costume and scenery of this deeply traditional Maya region are astonishing. A fascinating highland Maya town, home to one of the finest textile traditions in Latin America, which hosts a legendary fiesta, with a rip-roaring horse race. Visit the pagan temple of this liquor-swilling, cigar-smoking evil saint. This unmatched Maya site has it all: monumental temples and palaces set in a tropical forest alive with spider monkeys and chattering parakeets. Guatemala has dozens of excellent language schools that offer one-on-one tuition and home-stay packages at rock-bottom rates. There’s a plethora of exquisitely carved stelae and altars, a towering hieroglyphic stairway and an outstanding museum at the magnificent ruins of Copán. Cruise up the jungle-cloaked gorges and estuaries of Guatemala’s “sweet river” by boat, and marvel at the scenery and birdlife. For souvenir hunters, this twice-weekly highland market is unsurpassed. A wonderful collection of Maya artistry and breathtakingly carved monuments from many remote Petén sites. Trek up this volcano for an unforgettable encounter with the lava-oozing cone of Pacaya, one of Central America’s most active. Shake your booty to the hypnotic drum-driven punta beat in the Garífuna town of Lívingston. This massive Maya site, superbly positioned on the banks of Lago de Yaxhá, has dozens of large temples and impressive monuments. Encircled by three volcanoes, the awesome crater lake of Lago de Atitlán was famously described by Aldous Huxley as “the most beautiful lake in the world”. Garishly painted and outrageously uncomfortable, there’s never a dull journey aboard Guatemala’s iconic fume-belching camionetas. During Easter Week, head to either Antigua for its epic Catholic processions, or Santiago Atitlán to witness the symbolic confrontation between the pagan saint Maximón and Christ. Explore the beguiling, lofty trails of Guatemala’s western highlands: the town of Quetzaltenango and Nebaj are good bases. Sample some of the world’s finest single estate roasts in Cobán, the easy-going capital of Alta Verapaz. Explore the exquisite turquoise pools and river system around Semuc Champey, a natural limestone bridge.