The graceful former capital, with an incredible legacy of colonial architecture, is one of the most elegant cities in the Americas.
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The Guatemalan highlands at their most bewitching: the costume and scenery of this deeply traditional Maya region are astonishing.
Nebaj © Milonk/Shutterstock
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.
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Visit the pagan temple of this liquor-swilling, cigar-smoking evil saint.
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This unmatched Maya site has it all: monumental temples and palaces set in a tropical forest alive with spider monkeys and chattering parakeets.
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Guatemala has dozens of excellent language schools that offer one-on-one tuition and home-stay packages at rock-bottom rates.
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There’s a plethora of exquisitely carved stelae and altars, a towering hieroglyphic stairway and an outstanding museum at the magnificent ruins of Copán.
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Cruise up the jungle-cloaked gorges and estuaries of Guatemala’s “sweet river” by boat, and marvel at the scenery and birdlife.
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For souvenir hunters, this twice-weekly highland market is unsurpassed.
Colorful Cemetery in Chichicastenango, Guatemala © Martin Froyda/Shutterstock
A wonderful collection of Maya artistry and breathtakingly carved monuments from many remote
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Trek up this volcano for an unforgettable encounter with the lava-oozing cone of Pacaya, one of Central America’s most active.
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Shake your booty to the hypnotic drum-driven punta beat in the Garífuna town of Lívingston.
Guatemala Livingston Garifuna village © Francky38/Shutterstock
This massive Maya site, superbly positioned on the banks of Lago de Yaxhá, has dozens of large temples and impressive monuments.
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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”.
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Garishly painted and outrageously uncomfortable, there’s never a dull journey aboard Guatemala’s iconic fume-belching camionetas.
Chicken Buses in Guatemala
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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.
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Explore the beguiling, lofty trails of Guatemala’s western highlands: the town of
Quetzaltenango © Francisco Sandoval Guate/Shutterstock
Sample some of the world’s finest single estate roasts in
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Explore the exquisite turquoise pools and river system around Semuc Champey, a natural limestone bridge.
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