The Rough Guide to Guatemala 3 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) [Paperback]

Iain Stewart (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 20, 2006

The Rough Guide to Guatemala is the essential guide to this captivating country. A 24-page, full-colour introduction gives an inspiring insight into Guatemala’s highlights, from the delightful colonial city of Antigua to the ancient Maya ruins in Petén. The guide includes extensive and reliable reviews of all the best places to eat, drink and stay for visitors on every budget. There is plenty of practical advice when travelling to remote highland areas, plus detailed information on jungle treks, river rafting and volcano climbs. The guide also includes thorough and informed commentary on Guatemala’s politics, indigenous culture, diverse landscape and spectacular wildlife, as well as detailed maps and plans for every region.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

After two years of travelling the world, Iain Stewart arrived in Guatemala and liked it so much he stayed. A few years on, he is the co-author of Rough Guides to the Maya World, Central America and author of Ibiza & Formentera DIRECTIONS. Now based in South London, he is also a journalist and restaurant critic and takes every opportunity to return to Central America. 

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Where to go

Whilst each region has its own particular attractions, it is to the Maya-dominated western highlands that most travellers head first, and rightly so. The colour, the markets, the fiestas, the culture, and above all the people make it a wholly unique experience. And it seems almost an unfair bonus that all this is set in countryside of such mesmerizing beauty: for photographers, it's heaven. Among the highlights are Antigua, the delightful colonial capital whose laid-back atmosphere and cafŽ society contrasts with the hectic, fume-filled bustle of the current capital Guatemala City, and Lake Atitl‡n, ringed by sentinel-like volcanoes in a setting of exceptional beauty. The shores of the lake are dotted with traditional indigenous villages, as well as a few tranquil low-key settlements, such as Santa Cruz and San Marcos, where there are just a handful of hotels and some good walking possibilities. More lively is the booming lakeside resort of Panajachel, with excellent restaurants, cafŽs and textile stores, and the bohemian San Pedro whose alternative scene and rock-bottom prices attract travellers from all over the world. High up above the lake, the traditional Maya town of Solol‡ has one of the country's best markets (and least-touristy), a complete contrast to the vast twice-weekly affair at Chichicastenango, with its incredible selection of weavings and handicrafts. Further west, the sleepy provincial city of Quetzaltenango (Xela) makes a good base for exploring the market towns of Momostenango, famed for its wool production, and San Francisco el Alto, before heading north to Huehuetanango, gateway to Guatemala's greatest mountain range, the Cuchumatanes. Here, you'll find excellent walking, superb scenery and some of the most isolated and traditional villages in the Maya world, with Nebaj, in the Ixil triangle, and Todos Santos both making good bases from which to explore.

The Pacific coast (usually taken to mean the entire coastal plain) is generally hot and dull, with scrubby, desolate beaches backed by a smattering of mangrove swamps. The sole exception is the relaxed seaside village of Monterrico, part of a wildlife reserve where you can watch sea turtles coming ashore to lay their eggs. Inland, the region includes some of the country's most productive farmland, devoted purely to commercial agriculture, and dotted with bustling urban centres such as Esquintla and Retalhuleu. Points of interest are thin on the ground, confined mainly to the pre-Columbian ruins of Abaj Takalik and the three minor sites around the town of Santa Luc'a.

None of these, however, can compete with the archeological wonders of PetŽn. This unique lowland area, which makes up about a third of the country, is covered with dense rainforest - only now threatened by development - that is alive with wildlife and dotted with superb Maya ruins. The only town of any size is Flores, superbly situated on Lake PetŽn Ixta, from where you can easily reach Tikal, the most impressive of all the Maya sites, rivalling any ruin in Latin America. The region's rainforest also hides numerous smaller sites, including Ceibal, Yaxchil‡n (just across the border in Mexico) and Uaxactœn, while adventurous travellers may seek out PetŽn's more remote ruins, such as the dramatic, pre-Classic El Mirador (possibly even larger than Tikal), which requires days of tough travel to reach.

Finally, the east of the country includes another highland area, this time with little to offer the visitor, though in the Motagua valley you'll find the superb Maya site of Quirigu‡, while just over the border in Honduras are the first-class ruins of Cop‡n. Further into Honduras are the idyllic Bay Islands, whose pristine coral reefs offer some of the finest scuba-diving and snorkelling in the Caribbean. You can also travel up into the rain-soaked highlands of the Verapaces, similar in many ways to the central highlands, though fresher and greener. Here, Lake Izabal drains, via the R'o Dulce through a dramatic gorge, to the Caribbean. At the mouth of the river is the funky town of L'vingston, an outpost of Caribbean culture and home to Guatemala's only black community.

When to go

Guatemala enjoys one of the most pleasant climates on earth, with the bulk of the country enjoying warm or hot days with mild or cool evenings year-round. The immediate climate is largely determined by altitude. In those areas between 1300 and 1600 metres, which includes Guatemala City, Antigua, Lake Atitl‡n, Chichicastenago and Cob‡n, the air is almost always fresh and the nights cool and, despite the heat of the mid-day sun, humidity is never a problem. However, parts of the provinces of Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango and the Ixil triangle are above this height, so have a cool, damp climate with distinctly cold nights. Low-lying PetŽn suffers from sticky, steamy conditions most of the year, as do the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, though here at least you can usually rely on the welcome relief of a sea breeze.

The rainy season runs roughly from May to October, with the worst of the rain falling in September and October. In PetŽn, however, the season can extend into December, whilst around Cob‡n and on the Caribbean coast it can rain at any time of the year. Even at the height of the wet season, though, the rain is usually confined to late afternoon downpours with most of the rest of the day being warm and pleasant. In many parts of the country you can travel without disruption throughout the rainy season, although in the more out-of-the-way places, like the Cuchumatanes, flooding may slow you down by converting the roads into a sea of mud. Also, if you intend visiting PetŽn's more remote ruins, you'd be well advised to wait until February, as the mud can be thigh deep at the height of the rains. The busiest time for tourists is between December and March, though plenty of people take their summer vacations here in July and August. This is also the period when the language schools and hotels are at their fullest, and many of them hike their prices correspondingly. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 3 edition (February 20, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843534991
• ISBN-13: 978-1843534990
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #31 in Books > Travel > Latin America > Central America > Honduras
  • #56 in Books > Travel > Latin America > Central America > Guatemala

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best guide book for Guatemala, September 19, 2003

By 

Seth Labadie (Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Guatemala 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

I recently spent six weeks in Guatemala, and I was able to visit most sections of the country. Although the Rough Guide book was the only guidebook that I brought with me, I have looked through the lonely planet book quite a bit and also the guidebooks from the other travel publishers. I believe that the Rough Guide version is the best guidebook for Guatemala, hands down. I have read the book literally from cover to cover. I especially liked the commentary and general descriptions located throughout the book as well as all of the historical data in the back (which is actually a significant section of the book). Even when I was taking a chicken bus through a random section of the country I could find information any any given area or town along the way--housing, food, and cultural commentary. I've been told by others that the Lonely Planet edits out some places to see (such as Fuentes Georginas near Quetzaltenango). Rough Guide will just give you everything, even if the location is way off the beaten track.
The only complaint I would have is that the author tends to be very socio-politically biased. For example, he dismisses the Eastern Highlands as a stronghold of right-wing politics...the ladinos acting like cowboys..."violent demonstrations of macho pride are common." I suppose this is why "your best bet is to travel directly to San Salvador by pullman" (rather than visit this aweful place of conservatism). I actually liked the Eastern Highlands.

67 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best guidebook I've used to date, May 21, 2002

By 

leslie "leslie53" (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Rough Guide to Guatemala 2 (Rough Guide Travel Guides) (Paperback)

I just returned yesterday from 10 days in Guatemala and Belize and found the Rough Guide invaluable. I went with 7 friends and between us we had Lonely Planet's "Central America", Lonely Planet's "Guatemala" and Fodor's "Guatemala and Belize". The 2 of us carrying Rough Guide were in the most demand and we relied on it for all our housing and most of our eating recommendations. In addition, the book begins with 33 things you must see/do in Guatemala and we hit most of them.

Housing: Finding a place to stay was not difficult, but in Guatemala the comfort can vary a lot even in the budget range. We were able to find clean, comfortable and affordable accomodations at all of our stops. I highly recommend the Hotel Santa Clara in Antigua which has a lovely courtyard and older colonial rooms (ours had a cute, decorative fireplace). All the pricings for accomodations were on target throughout our trip (with the Santa Clara coming in at about 17$ per person based on double occupancy). Depending on how much you want to "rough" it - a $5 difference can be a big one in Guatemala and we often reserved rooms at 2 places in each of our locations. If you are traveling in a smaller group or by yourself you probably don't even need to call ahead.

Food: We used this book for many of our eating recommendations and it never failed to give us an idea of the type of food and quality to expect.

History and Culture: The book was enjoyable to read and provided some good information on preparation, recent happenings as well as history. A little more info on Tikal would have been great - perhaps a walking tour guide - but there are other books available for that and the site is huge.

Overall: I plan to use Rough Guide again in the future. After my less than desirable experience in Peru with Lonely Planet, as their descriptions are often flat and pricing out of date depite the "new" edition.

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Guide for Guatemala, August 8, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Guatemala: The Rough Guide (Rough Guides) (Paperback)

This is my personal favorite. We used it a lot on our trip through the Western Highlands and Tikal. It has good maps, from city to national scale. It has something of interest to say about many places, including small villages. It presents lodgings in a logical manner. I found it easy to use. This guide gave us a pretty good overview of places, although it appears that unlike in many very studied/touristed places (such as Europe) there is not as much deep background available on many towns. Of all the guide books I have used for Guatemala this has the most breadth and depth, coupled with ease of use.