Practical Information for visiting Guatemala

The currency is the quetzal (GTQ, written Q), named after the bird on the flag. It has been stable against the dollar for years, at roughly 7.7 to 8 quetzales to one.

Guatemala runs on cash. Cards work in Antigua, Guatemala City, larger hotels and better restaurants, usually with a surcharge of 3-6%. Markets, chicken buses, comedores, village guesthouses and boat fares at Lake Atitlán are cash only.

ATMs are in every town of any size; 5B and Banrural machines have the widest reach. Use ones inside banks, supermarkets or malls rather than on the street, and withdraw in daylight. Fees run around Q25-45 per withdrawal.

Carry small notes. A Q200 note is hard to break in a village, and market traders, tuk-tuk drivers and boat operators rarely have change.

Tipping is 10% and is often already added as propina or servicio — check the bill. Guides on volcano climbs and at the Maya sites are tipped separately and rely on it.

Bargaining is expected in markets and not in shops. It is done pleasantly, in small steps, and the right stopping point is well short of the last quetzal.

The CA-4 rule applies. Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua share a single 90-day entry period between them, and crossing from one to another does not reset it. Leaving the CA-4 area entirely is what resets the clock.

Tigo and Claro are the two networks. Prepaid SIMs are cheap and sold at the airport and in any town; eSIMs work on both. A passport is needed to register.

Coverage is good in Guatemala City, Antigua, around Lake Atitlán and in the highland towns. It thins fast in the Petén away from Flores, in the Verapaces, and on the Acatenango and El Mirador routes, where you should assume none.

Wifi is standard in hotels, hostels and cafés, and Antigua and San Marcos both have established remote-worker scenes. Speeds are adequate rather than fast, and rural connections drop during storms.

Power is 110V on US-style flat-pin plugs. Outages are common in the highlands in the rainy season, so a power bank and a torch earn their place.

One scheduling note: Guatemala does not observe daylight saving, so the difference from home shifts twice a year without anything changing here.

Guatemala's well-established tourist circuit -- Antigua, Lake Atitlán, and Tikal -- is visited safely by large numbers of travelers each year, though the country overall has a higher crime rate than many neighboring destinations, and some real precautions matter more here than elsewhere in Central America.

• Guatemala City has neighborhoods with genuinely elevated crime, and independent travelers typically pass through quickly en route to Antigua or elsewhere rather than spending time there -- if you do stay, stick to Zone 10 or Zone 14 and avoid walking after dark.
• Robbery on hiking trails, including the popular Acatenango and Pacaya volcano routes, has occurred in the past -- hike with a licensed guide or organized tour rather than independently, which is also standard practice for safety on the volcanoes themselves.
• Criminals pose as police officers, sometimes saying they are drug enforcement officers, and take victims to a side road where they steal everything. Victims who have resisted have been injured or killed, so do not resist. This is compounded by the state of the force itself: arrest and detention rates are low for lack of resources, some officers commit petty crime, and others have been linked to human trafficking and drugs.
• Express kidnappings take victims from the street or from a taxi and force them to withdraw cash from an ATM, sometimes holding them overnight so a second withdrawal can be made. They happen throughout the country, are usually the work of organised groups, and are sometimes committed by taxi drivers.
• Where the advisories draw lines. Non-essential travel is advised against in parts of Guatemala City, in San Pedro Ayampuc and Villa Canales in Guatemala Department, in San José Escuintla, and in Siquinilá and Tiquisate in the same department, and at the border crossings on the main highways. Crime is high near all border crossings and worse near unofficial ones, and drug-related armed attacks occur in every department close to a border, with San Marcos on the Mexican border and the area near Belize especially affected.
• Violent crime — murder, armed robbery, kidnapping, assault, carjacking — occurs frequently. Most is drug- and gang-related, but travellers have been attacked including at tourist sites, because foreigners are assumed to be wealthy. Travellers have been followed from the airport and robbed or carjacked en route to Guatemala City and Antigua, so do not wear expensive jewellery on arrival.
• Drink spiking is a problem in the tourist areas, and Antigua is named specifically. Never leave food or a drink unattended or with a stranger.
• Petty theft and bag-slashing on chicken buses (converted school buses used for public transport) and in crowded markets are the most common issues for typical tourists -- keep valuables secure and out of easy reach.
• Certain rural border areas and specific departments carry a higher government travel advisory than the main tourist circuit -- check current advisories before venturing off the well-established Antigua-Atitlán-Tikal route independently.
• Natural hazards: Guatemala has several active volcanoes (Fuego, Pacaya) and sits in a seismically active zone -- follow official guidance and closures around any active eruption without exception.
• Emergency number: 110 or 120 for police, 122 for fire/ambulance.

Which bus and which taxi to get into, and the rest of the practical side of moving around, is on Getting Around.

No vaccinations are required for entry. Hepatitis A and typhoid are commonly advised; rabies pre-exposure is worth discussing for long rural stays.

Do not drink the tap water anywhere, including in Antigua. Purified water is sold everywhere and most hotels have a refill jug. Use it for teeth. Stomach upsets are the most common traveller complaint here by a wide margin.

Mosquito-borne illness — dengue, chikungunya and Zika — is present in the lowlands, the Pacific coast, the Petén and Izabal, and much less of an issue in the cool highlands. Repellent and covered arms at dawn and dusk. Malaria risk is low and mostly confined to the northern lowlands; prophylaxis is not usually advised for a standard itinerary.

Altitude is mild but real. Antigua sits at 1,530 metres, Lake Atitlán at 1,560 and Quetzaltenango at 2,330 — enough that the first day feels harder than expected and alcohol hits sooner.

Acatenango is the one to prepare for properly. The overnight climb reaches nearly 4,000 metres, the temperature at the camp drops below freezing, and it goes from a hot, humid start to an alpine night in eight hours. Hypothermia and altitude sickness on this hike put people in hospital every season. Take the gear the operator offers, and take the acclimatisation seriously rather than treating it as a party at altitude.

Medical care is good in Guatemala City's private hospitals and basic elsewhere. Antigua has clinics used to treating visitors. Anything serious means the capital, and travel insurance with evacuation cover is worth having — especially before a volcano climb.

Expect to pay on the spot. Doctors and hospitals often want immediate cash payment, though most private hospitals also take cards; public facilities are frequently understaffed and short of basic supplies and medication. Medical evacuation can be very expensive, so the insurance needs to cover evacuation and hospital stays rather than consultations alone. If you take prescription medication, it is on you to establish that it is legal here.

Ask before photographing people, and never photograph children without a parent's clear permission. This is not ordinary travel politeness. Rumours about foreigners abducting children have repeatedly triggered mob violence in rural Guatemala, and people have been killed. Put the camera away around children, and accept a refusal immediately and without argument.

Some photography is outright illegal: government buildings, military installations and establishments, the president’s palace, and airports. Separately, avoid approaching or photographing women as well as children in Indigenous communities, where there have been violent incidents involving foreigners taking photos.

Maya ceremonies — at Chichicastenango's church steps, at Maximón's house, at highland shrines — are religious observance, not performance. Ask before entering, ask before photographing, and expect to pay a small fee where one is asked for.

Drink spiking is a problem in the tourist areas, and Antigua is named specifically. Never leave food or a drink unattended or with a stranger, and be wary of snacks, drinks, gum or cigarettes offered by a new acquaintance — these have been used to drug people for sexual assault and robbery.

Drug offences carry long sentences and there is no leniency. Convicted offenders can expect lengthy prison terms. Cannabis is illegal.

Exporting genuine Maya antiquities is a serious crime, prosecuted, and pieces offered near the archaeological sites are either fake or stolen. Buy modern crafts instead. Customs enforces strict rules on importing and exporting antiquities and artefacts.

Dress conservatively away from Antigua and the lake — covered shoulders and knees in highland villages and churches. Guatemalans dress neatly, and visibly scruffy travellers are read as disrespectful rather than relaxed.

Greet people. Buenos días or buenas tardes opens every interaction, including with strangers on a path.

Bargain in markets without sharpness. The few quetzales at stake matter more to the seller than to you, and Guatemalans find aggressive haggling genuinely rude.

Around the civil war — which ended in 1996 and touched almost every rural family — let people raise it rather than asking. Many will, openly; it is theirs to open.

110 or 120 reaches the national police (PNC). 122 reaches the volunteer fire service (Bomberos Voluntarios), who also run most of the country's ambulances, and 123 the municipal brigade in the capital.

PROATUR, the tourist assistance programme, is the number to save. Dial 1500 inside Guatemala for 24-hour assistance in English and Spanish — they handle theft, accidents, lost documents and medical referrals for visitors, and will coordinate with police on your behalf. This is a more useful first call than the general police line.

For serious medical care, the private hospitals in Guatemala City are the destination. Antigua has clinics that handle most things short of surgery, and the highlands and Petén are hours from anything comprehensive.

Volcanic activity is monitored by INSIVUMEH, which also covers earthquakes and weather. Fuego erupts routinely and its 2018 eruption killed hundreds in villages on its flank — access closures around any active volcano are not precautionary theatre, and guides follow them.

In the rainy season, landslides and washouts close rural roads at short notice, particularly in the Verapaces and on the highland routes. Ask locally before setting out rather than trusting a map.

Keep a copy of your passport and entry stamp with you and the original secured; police checks on intercity roads are routine.