Discover Guatemala

Guatemala offers travelers different perspectives on history and nature: from Antigua’s preserved urban layout to Maya sites with distinct historical significance, as well as forests, wetlands, and natural pools. These places do not tell one single, unified story. When planning your trip, you can first consider whether colonial architecture, archaeological evidence, or experiences in nature interest you most.

Urban history and Maya heritage

Antigua Guatemala was founded in 1524 as Santiago de Guatemala. The city has preserved its 16th-century layout and most of its architectural heritage. Numerous churches and monasteries show how strongly the Christian Church influenced every aspect of city life during the colonial period. Together, the preserved urban fabric and religious buildings tell the story both of how the city was laid out and of the society that shaped it at the time.

A different kind of historical evidence can be found at the Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua in the Department of Izabal. Seventeen monuments have been preserved there, carved between 426 and 810 AD. Stelae and carved calendars document social, political, and economic events of Maya civilization. For your trip planning, Quirigua can be associated above all with the question of which traces of past societies have survived—not with Antigua’s cityscape and colonial history.

Tak'alik Ab'aj offers another perspective on time and culture. The site’s 1,700-year history spans 800 BC to 900 AD; during its first half, the transition from Olmec civilization to early Maya culture took place. Its archaeological features include innovative water-management systems. Sacred spaces and buildings were designed according to cosmological principles. The site also has contemporary cultural significance: Indigenous groups belonging to 22 different Maya-language communities continue to regard Tak'alik Ab'aj as a sacred place and visit it for rituals. The past, the site’s design, and continuing religious practice are distinct yet connected aspects of this place.

Tikal: archaeological sites and landscape

Tikal National Park in the Department of Petén combines archaeological evidence with an expansive natural landscape. It covers 57,600 hectares of wetlands, savanna, and tropical broadleaf and palm forests. Within the park is an urban area of around 400 hectares, with palaces, temples, ceremonial platforms, ball courts, terraces, and large and small plazas. The approximate area refers to this inner zone, not to the park as a whole. This distinction helps you consider the historic settlement landscape and the much larger natural area as two scales of the same destination.

Wildlife is also part of the park’s character. Notable species include five cat species, including jaguars and pumas, several monkey species, and anteaters. There are also more than 300 bird species. Nature enthusiasts can therefore explore Tikal from a different perspective than visitors whose main interest is its temples, plazas, and archaeological history; both aspects are represented in the park described here.

A water-based nature experience

At Semuc Champey in Alta Verapaz, visitors can swim in tiered natural pools of fresh, turquoise water. This sets the site apart from the archaeological locations described above and offers a clear option for travelers who would like to include an experience in nature and on the water. Check local conditions for this activity before your trip.

Travel interests and finding hotels

The places mentioned here appeal to different interests: Antigua Guatemala for its preserved urban layout and colonial buildings; Quirigua and Tak'alik Ab'aj for different facets of Maya heritage; Tikal for the combination of an archaeological urban area and natural landscape; and Semuc Champey for swimming in natural pools. This comparison can help you decide what interests you most, without presenting the places as a single route. You can then tailor your hotel search to your personal travel interests.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Petén, Guatemala, Sololá, San Marcos Department, Sacatepéquez, Zacapa, Escuintla, Izabal, Quiché, Santa Rosa, Alta Verapaz, Jalapa Department, Huehuetenango, Retalhuleu, Quetzaltenango, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula Department, Baja Verapaz Department, El Progreso Department, Jutiapa Department, Totonicapán Department

For the main travel overview: South America.