Backpacking Guatemala

·         Don’t spend much time in Guatemala City.  The capital cities in Central America are large, over-populated, really dirty, and can be dangerous.  You’ll probably have to fly in/out of the city and/or transfer buses there.  You can easily get to almost anywhere by bus from Guatemala City

·         Fly in and out of Guatemala City because it’s cheaper

·         Visit the small old rustic town of Antigua which is about 30 minutes outside of Guatemala City.  You can get a super cheap bus to and from Antigua.  Lots of tourists here because it’s a popular place for foreign volunteers and study-abroad programs.  Climb up the hill to the giant cross, beautiful viewpoint in the town. Great cheap shopping in Antigua.

·         Visit Tikal and Flores.  Flores is a town on an island in NW Guatemala.  It’s beautiful scenery.  Stay the night there and take a day trip to Tikal (less than an hour away).  Tikal is a Mayan Ruins site.  It’s super cool to climb up on the ruins.  There’s one ruin in particular that’s super high and you can climb up above the trees, so pretty.

·         You can easily go from Tikal/Flores to Belize, if you want and if you have time.  You don’t need to book anything ahead of time.  Just go to Belize City and go to the port.  Book a cheap ferry ticket to Caye Caulker Island (only like $10 or so to get there).  Walk around and find a cheap hostel (I stayed at a place from $10, super chill place).  Belize waters are stunning! Belize has beautiful water but do know that the people suck and there are lots of stray dogs on the island.  The island has a jamacian-feel to it.  the atmosphere can be quite off-putting because people will try to offer you drugs and sex for money.  I didn’t like walking around by myself (although I was fine to do so), but I loved my hostel and the friends that I made and enjoyed canoeing for free in the stunning waters and saw lots of marine life.

·         From Belize, I booked a ticket back to Belize City, got a bus down the coast to Punta Gorda, stayed the night in a private room in that small town for super cheap.  The next day I walked to the port and booked a boat ticket to Livingston, Guatemala (on Western coast of Guatemala). 

·         From Livingston (cool little fishing town, little to no tourists), I booked for cheap a boat ticket down the Rio Dulce (awesome forest/river ride, stopped at locals homes on the water for gas, saw old abandoned big boats, and more).  Got to the little town of Rio Dulce itself, then went to a bus station and got a cheap ticket back into Guatemala City (I was heading back to Antigua)

·         If you had south, you can easily go to the boarder and cross it into Honduras.  I went to the Mayan ruins small rustic town of Copan Ruinas. 

·         I never booked any accommodations ahead of time.  I always found a place when I got to the town.  

      You can bargain room rates too!  But, you can book ahead online on sites like hostelworld.com, hostels.com, booking.com (no booking fee), and others if you want.

·         Crossing borders is cheap and easy.  But be sure to go to the right officials office (there may be scammers, and NEVER pay anyone before you get to the office itself)  

·         You can use U.S dollars everywhere in Central America but know that they will give you change in their local currency.

·         If you want local currency, I’d just use an ATM but always be aware of your surroundings, cover your pin number, and don’t carry too much money on you at once. (I have PNC bank and my debit card automatically refunds any ATM fees back into my account anywhere in the world, its great)

·         Always bargain when shopping!

·         Just about every in Central America, especially Guatemala, is super cheap; buses, shopping, hostels, food, etc. But be sure to bargain, compare prices (for instance, for bus companies, hostels, etc), and be sure to count your change (they might try to rip you off)!

·         Drink bottled water only

·         Enjoy the yummy cheap street food and markets! But be sure to always wash your fruits and vegetables in bottled or boiled water.

·         You can take a chicken bus if you want but don’t’ take it out of Guatemala City (gang problems) but you can take a chicken bus into the city.  It’s a crazy cultural experience and extremely cheap, like 10cents!

·         Look up the organization Ninos de Guatemala if you’d like to stop by a really poor school and volunteer for a few days.  They are based in La Ciudad Viejo which is right outside of Antigua.  The organization will take on a tour of the city to places like the chicken bus “factory”, coffin “factory”, villages, farms, the school, and teach you about the poverty and lifestyle there.  You’ll only be charged $20 for a t-shirt total (at least that’s what I was charged when I went in 2010).  Contact them and tell them that you are planning to go to Antigua anyways and would just like to help out at the school for a few days if you can.

·         Be sure to always be aware of your surroundings and your belongings.  Don’t count money in the open, don’t carry too much money on you, don’t wear anything expensive, always carry a bag/purse that has your money, id, ATM cards, passport, money, camera, and anything else important on you AT ALL TIMES.  Make sure that it closes securely and you cant be distracted and pick-pocketed from it.

·         If you take any over-night buses, always secure your belongings on you under a sweatshirt, blanket, or something.

·         Bring some warm clothes, it get pretty chilly at night in the central part of the country and in towns in higher elevations.

·         You don’t have to be fluent in Spanish to be able to get around.  They are use to English-speakers by now.

·         Keep a small lock on your suitcase, bring a padlock for any free lockers, and always secure your belongings in a hostel and never leave any valuables in a hostel room, ever, no matter how secure you think they are.

·         Make sure that you are up-to-date on your rabies and tetanus shots.  This is really important.  There are so many stray dogs throughout all of Central America.  I have heard countless dog bite stories from other travelers.  I was almost attacked by 3 huge vicious dogs in Costa Rica.  There are also lots of monkeys in some areas and other wild animals that can definitely bite.  As for the tetanus shots, you never know when something may happen.  The country can be old and dirty.  I was so thankful that I had my tetanus shot when impaled my arm with a rusty nail on an old bus in Thailand.  Better safe than sorry.  And you don’t want to have to make a trip to a hospital there, they can be really unsanitary and unsafe. You can make an appointment to see a travel doctor at a local clinic.  Tell him/her that you’re planning on going to Guatemala/Central America and they will give you ALL the info that you will need.  They’ll give you folder of info to keep and tell you your vaccine options.  You may want to make sure that you’re also up-to-date with your hepatitis shot too.  

·         As for malaria pills, I don’t recommend taking them although a physician might tell you to get some to take.  I did take them once and was fine but they aren’t good for you and there are some types that have serious side effects.  IF you do want some, get Malarone, they’re the safest.  But again, I don’t suggest them.  Can be a waste of money.

·         Use LOTS of bug spray! Take eucalyptus spray/oil too, it helps to keep mosquitoes and other insects away.

·         Make sure to always check your bed mattress as soon as you get to your hostel room.  You never know when a bed will have them.  They are very visible.  They are the size of a tick and like to hide under a mattress and behind the head board.  I never had any but there have been beds in hostel rooms that I have stayed in that did.  I always always check first though.

·         If taking a taxi, always negotiate on a price BEFORE getting somewhere, and have them run the meter if there is one. 

·         Just be careful if you plan to go out at night, party, drink, etc.

·         Try not to arrive in a new city from a night bus or flight late at night (if you have to, make sure that you have a room booked and directions to hostel written down)

·         Take peto-bismol with you in case you do get ill from any water or food.

·         Carry your own toilet paper with you because it’s not abundant there. Same for Kleenex and napkins.

·         Use hand sanitizer and make sure you have your own hand soap in case you need it

·         I didn’t visit much of the coastlines in Guatemala but I hear that the Pacfic coast beaches aren’t great…

·         Mentally prepare yourself to see lots of garbage on the ground, especially in bigger cities, tons of stray dogs which people tend to be mean to (one of the hardest things for me to see while I was traveling in central America), don’t be surprised to see men and some young boys walking around with large guns (they’re ‘officials’ ‘military’ or ‘guards’, it never really got use to being around that), in supermarkets be prepared to possibly be followed and walked by people working there (they do this often to tourists), also be prepared to be stared at (especially being a white girl with light hair)

·         You’ll have a great cultural experience, you’ll learn a lot about under-developed and developing countries, meet great people, eat delicious and cheap food, and you’ll learn a lot about what you appreciate about living in the U.S 

Other places to visit in Guatemala:

·         Lake Atitlan

·         Chichicastenango (great markets)

·         Pacaya Volcano (near Antigua)

·         Quetzaltenango city

·         Semuc Champey (I didn’t go but I wish I did. Has beautiful waterfalls.  I saw lots of pics and heard great things about it!)

Hostels I Stayed at There:

·         Los Amigos on the island of Flores- really cool. LOTS of animals/pets running around such as rabbits, lizards, mice in a tube built through the ceiling, dog, cats, birds, etc.  They have their own menu and food to buy. SO GOOD! I fell in love with their HUGE freshly made smoothies and granola!

·         Antigua has tons of hostels, everywhere.  You will not have a problem going into the city and finding a place to stay.

·         Bella’s Backpackers on Caye Caulker island in Belize- loved this place.  Really cheap, owned by a nice guy from Seattle, next to the water, pier in back, free canoes (great way to explore the water for free! So fun), bungalow-style place, I met such cool people from all other while I was there, nearby everything, short walk from ferry port, kitchen to use to cook in, t.v to watch,  wifi for a fee (at least back then there was a fee)