Wanderlust UK – September 2019

GUATEMALA

wanderlust.co.uk September 2019 91

Footnotes

Guatemala

GEARTIP

Bringwalking

boots,long-sleeve

shirts,waterproof

jacket,trousers,

a„leece,beanie

hat,sunhat,warm

pyjamas,hydration

pack,headtorch,

insectrepellent

andsuncreams.

Bedding,trekking

polesandtowels

areprovided.

Trek Guatemala; Sarah Gilbert

THETRIP

Theauthortravelled

withJourneyLatin

America(020 3553 9647,

journeylatinamerica.co.uk)

onthe13-dayActive

Guatemala:TrekkinginStyle

trip,costingfrom£2,836per

person.Includesfournights

inAntigua,twonightsin

LakeAtitlánandonenight

inChichicastenangoon

aB&Bbasis,plusathree-night

glampingtrekfromAntigua

toLakeAtitlánonafull-board

basis,excursions,transfers

andinternationalŽlights

withAeromexico.

⊳

Top of the world

Volcanoes dot

the trek between

Antigua and Lake

Atitlán, which passes

through many (top)

local villages

Vital statistics

Capital: Guatemala City

Population: 16.6 million

Languages: Spanish is the o’ icial

language; there are more than 20

Maya languages spoken, especially

in rural areas, as well as Garifuna on

the Caribbean coast.

Time: GMT•6

International dialling code: +502

Visas: Not required by UK nationals

for stays of up to 90 days.

Money: Guatemalan quetzal (GTQ)

is currently around GTQ9.96 to the

UK£. There are ATMs in cities and

major towns, and credit cards are

accepted at most hotels and shops

but you’ll need cash for rural areas,

markets and tipping.

When to go

Guatemala is a year-round

destination. Tikal is hot and humid

year-round and the highlands are

usually hot and sunny during the

day and cold at night.

November to April: This is the dry

season. Hotel prices rise during

Christmas, New Year and Easter,

with Antigua being particularly

busy, so book well in advance.

May to October: The rainy season

sees showers fall in the afternoon;

September is the wettest month.

Health & safety

Recommended immunisations

include tetanus. There’s a low to

no risk of malaria throughout the

country but be aware of the e¤ ects

of altitude sickness, which can

begin at 2,400m above sea level.

Getting there

Aeromexico (aeromexico.com,

0800 9775 533) Žlies from London

Heathrow to Guatemala City via

Mexico City, avoiding the need for

an ESTA and long queues at US

immigration. Flight time is from

around 14 hours; return fares start

from £622. There are also Žlights

to Guatemala City via US hubs

with other carriers.

Getting around

Multi-hued ‘chicken’ buses

rattle along at breakneck speed;

microbuses and shuttle buses ply

the popular tourist routes; and

a network of long-distance coaches

are good value and comfortable.

To save time getting to Tikal, Žly

from Guatemala City to Flores

with TAG Airlines (tag.com.gt)

or Avianca (avianca.com).

Cost of travel

If you’re on a budget you can get by

on US$50 (£40) per day by sleeping

and eating cheaply, or up to