Leavelivelove - Travel to Guatemala for adventure, wild nature and culture!

Guatemala is exceptionally rich: jungle with paradisiacal waterfalls, pure lakes and Mayan history in sound and light

After all, Guatemala is Indiana Jones’ country when you look at it. The best that a journey can offer is right here. Climbing volcanoes in the middle of the night to watch the sun rise over the lake, searching for waterfalls lost in the jungle, meeting the Guatemalan people. To top it all off, you can drink a divine rum, the Zapaca Centenario.
Guatemala is a tourist country, it is even the economic engine of the country. However, if Tikal is a must, it is recommended to leave the beaten tracks. It is not easy, because the transport is random, but the reward is great.

Ma’alob k’iin, In k’aaba’e Christine, wa alike chik’in, kiimak ool ats ik ! Hello Guatemala!

At the top of Guatemala’s most popular attractions, Lake Atitlán

Cited in the list of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lago Atitlán has not taken the big head. Of course the streets have seen souvenir shops bloom and the market in Solola rubs its hands: the wonderful handmade fabrics find buyers but the market remains quite typical. Lake Atitlán does not lose any of its magic despite the hordes of tourists taking boat trips and the increasing number of travellers on the volcano trails. The night ascent to admire the dawn on the lake is in all the tourist guides. It will be difficult to appreciate the silence we would like to enjoy for the show, but what to do. It’s beautiful, so it attracts people.

No matter how big the lake is, it won’t be difficult to find a quiet place to contemplate the place from a kayak. That’s why the wildest nomads won’t complain, Lake Atitlán is an easy place to dock but difficult to leave. Time slows down, the villages are pretty and the Guatemalans welcoming.

Equal between adventure and swimming: Cemuc Champey and Lanquin

Places like Cemuc Champey are numerous in the world but this one deserves a palm. It takes no less than 3 hours to walk through the jungle, to be able to admire the turquoise waterfalls from above and another two hours to have the pleasure of plunging into them. Cemuc Champey is a magnificent place from every point of view. It is better not to explore it in a hurry because what is even more beautiful is to come back in the evening in a hut in the middle of the forest and wake up to the singing of the monkeys and birds.

The typical itinerary includes the descent of the Rio Cahabon on truck inner tubes (tubing). Why not, it is not unpleasant. But this is not the most amazing thing that Guatemala has to offer. Watch what happens next…

Just after the waterfalls and the river, more water, but in the dark this time. It’s the incredible candlelight tour of the K’anba Caves…

The K’anba Caves are a very special memory. Pictures are rare, so you have to use your imagination. These caves are crossed by a river and the goal of the walk is to cross them by swimming or walking through the water up to the waist with a candle in your hand. Explained like that, indeed, it is not exciting, yet it is extraordinary. Walking through the bowels in steep passages, in a swimsuit in the flickering light of the flames is a wonderful experience. The water is not cold and the soft, lively light makes the atmosphere both surreal and magical. And then you feel a bit like a goddess carrying life in the darkness of Hades.

Just next door are some more caves, full of very cute bats – it’s cute, but if you’ve ever seen one…

Top of culture and emotion: Tikal! From the jungle, howler monkeys and ruins haunted by the Mayan spirit

Tikal is a place as important as Angkor Wat in Cambodia or Karnak in Egypt

As with ancient sites in general, it’s a good idea to prepare a little for the visit to understand the history. Like Angkor Wat, you don’t have to be crazy about archaeology to go there. The Tikal site is of profound beauty. Guatemala has well understood the mechanics of it. To be touched by the grace of the stone, the visit is usually done at night so that you can have a front row seat and watch the sun rise over the pyramids. The jungle wakes up quietly to the song of howler monkeys and the forest stretching and breathing… A moment that stays in your memory.

Guatemala still has many surprises in store for you, and not the bad ones

Laguna Lanchua is a lake lost in the middle of the jungle. For the blow, no tourists in sight! The site is not very easy to access and only the adventurers with a temperament well tempered will spend a good night in the middle of scorpions and spiders in a wooden hut without electricity.

Antigua is a Guatemalan city of incomparable charm

Neither too big nor too developed, it is not saturated with tourists. It’s where the parties are the most beautiful with a glass of rum and jovial Guatemalans. The city is like many places in Guatemala, still preserved. The ruins can be visited for sure but it is easy to feel lonely among the moss covered stones and it is nice to sit a little bit in the middle of the disjointed blocks and enjoy the show.

Máatan, Ka’a xi’itech Guatemala !

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Next travel: How about Belize?

Bélize is an amazing country, it concentrates in its 23,000 km² everything that the traveler could wish for …

Belize has the second largest barrier reef in the world, just that. You can see manatees and sharks. The country is blessed with a rich jungle and Mayan ruins hidden in the heart of the forests.