After visiting Guatemala, you’ll most likely leave with a new appreciation for your life — and stringent traffic laws. Whether you are in the highlands speeding along cliffs in garishly decorated school buses, climbing the ruins of Tikal or walking over molten lava — you’re walking a thin tightrope between life and death in this country. But the danger is all part of the raw beauty of this fascinating country.

Mayan culture is visible everywhere you look and once outside of the main cities, you rarely hear Spanish spoken between locals. Guatemala is a land of striking natural beauty, invigorating adventure and rich culture with a heavy undertone of its tumultuous history.

Once you make it out alive, you’ll be begging to go back.

Cities // Villages

Huehuetenango

Panajachel

Antigua

Flores // Tikal

Lanquin // Semuc Champey

Rio Dulce

Livingston