Guatemala Encompassed

Places To See

Semuc Champey

Semuc Champey is famed for its great natural limestone bridge, 300m (990ft) long, on top of which is a stepped series of pools with cool, flowing river water good for swimming. Though this bit of paradise is difficult to reach, the beauty of its setting and the turquoise perfection of the pools make it arguably the loveliest spot in the country.

Lívingston

Accessible only by boat - either by river or from the Caribbean port of Puerto Barrios - the coastal town of Lívingston is unique in Guatemala. It's home to the Garífuna (descendants of indigenous Carib and shipwrecked African slaves) and exudes a laid-back way of life, with Jamaican influences.

The distinctive culture, language and music incorporating African, Mayan and European elements gives Lívingston a more Belizean than Guatemalan feel, with coconut groves, gaily painted wooden buildings and a fishing economy. Apart from a couple of beaches, Lívingston is at the end of the wonderful river journey on the Río Dulce.

Monterrico

With Guatemala's best ocean beach and a sultry, tropical flavor, Monterrico is a hammock-swinging coastal village. What's more, the area is home to a large wildlife reserve and two centers for the hatching and releasing of sea turtles and caymans. Monterrico is fast becoming a popular weekend spot both with Guatemalan families and foreigners.

The highlight here is the long Reserva Natural Monterrico (20km/12mi), which preserves coastal mangrove swamps that are bursting with avian and aquatic life. Its most famous denizens are the endangered leatherback and ridley turtles, which lay their eggs on the beach along the coast. A sunrise boat tour of the reserve and lagoons is the best way to see wildlife.

Pre-Departure Information

When to go?

The dry season (verano; November to April) is the most pleasant time, weather-wise, to be in Guatemala. Along with summer holidays, however, it's also the busiest. The wet season (invierno; from May to October and until November/December in the north and the east) may restrict some activities and make some roads difficult. It can be worthwhile planning your trip for this time of year, particularly as you'll be more likely to pick up accommodation bargains.

The height of the foreign tourist season is from Christmas to Easter. Things become acute around Christmas, New Year and Easter, and in many places you need to book ahead for rooms or transportation. A secondary high season lasts from June to August when throngs of North Americans and Europeans descend on Guatemala. If you're planning to be in the area around Easter, try to make it for Semana Santa (Holy Week), the highlight of the country's festival calendar.

Travel Visa Overview

Citizens of most countries no longer need either a visa or a tourist card to enter Guatemala. Depending on the country you come from, stays are limited to 30 or 90 days. Since 2006 Guatemala has been part of the CA-4, a trading agreement with Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador. Upon entry to the CA-4 region, most travelers are given a 90-day stay for the entire region, which can be extended once at the Departamento de Extranjería (Foreigners' Office; 6a Av 3-11, Zona 4) in Guatemala City.

Electricity

115V-125V

60Hz

Electrical Plugs

American-style plug with two parallel flat blades above a circular grounding pin

Japanese-style plug with two parallel flat blades

Health Information

Dengue fever

Dengue Fever

Unlike the malaria mosquito, the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which transmits the dengue virus, is most active during the day, and is found mainly in urban areas, in and around human dwellings.

Signs and symptoms of dengue fever include a sudden onset of high fever, headache, joint and muscle pains, nausea and vomiting. A rash of small red spots sometimes appears three to four days after the onset of fever. Severe complications do sometimes occur. You should seek medical attention as soon as possible if you think you may be infected. A blood test can indicate the possibility of the fever. There is no specific treatment. Aspirin should be avoided, as it increases the risk of haemorrhaging. There is no vaccine against dengue fever.

Malaria

Malaria

If you are traveling in endemic areas it is extremely important to avoid mosquito bites and to take tablets to prevent this disease. Symptoms range from fever, chills and sweating, headache, diarrhoea and abdominal pains to a vague feeling of ill-health. Seek medical help immediately if malaria is suspected. Without treatment malaria can rapidly become more serious and can be fatal.

If medical care is not available, malaria tablets can be used for treatment. You should seek medical advice, before you travel, on the right medication and dosage for you. If you do contract malaria, be sure to be re-tested for malaria once you return home as you can harbour malaria parasites in your body even if you are symptom-free.

Travelers are advised to prevent mosquito bites at all times. The main messages are: wear light-coloured clothing; wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts; use mosquito repellents containing the compound DEET on exposed areas (prolonged overuse of DEET may be harmful, especially to children, but its use is considered preferable to being bitten by disease-transmitting mosquitoes); avoid perfumes and aftershave; use a mosquito net impregnated with mosquito repellent (permethrin) - it may be worth taking your own, and impregnating clothes with permethrin effectively deters mosquitoes and other insects.

Hepatitis

Hepatitis

Several different viruses cause hepatitis; they differ in the way that they are transmitted. The symptoms in all forms of the illness include fever, chills, headache, fatigue, feelings of weakness and aches and pains, followed by loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, light-coloured faeces, jaundiced (yellow) skin and yellowing of the whites of the eyes. Hepatitis A is transmitted by contaminated food and drinking water. Seek medical advice, but there is not much you can do apart from resting, drinking lots of fluids, eating lightly and avoiding fatty foods. Hepatitis E is transmitted in the same way as hepatitis A; it can be particularly serious in pregnant women.

Hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected blood, blood products or body fluids, for example through sexual contact, unsterilised needles (and shaving equipment) and blood transfusions, or contact with blood via small breaks in the skin. The symptoms of hepatitis B may be more severe than type A and the disease can lead to long-term problems such as chronic liver damage, liver cancer or a long-term carrier state. Hepatitis C and D are spread in the same way as hepatitis B and can also lead to long-term complications.

There are vaccines against hepatitis A and B, but there are currently no vaccines against the other types. Following the basic rules about food and water (hepatitis A and E) and avoiding risk situations (hepatitis B, C and D) are important preventative measures.

Typhoid

Typhoid

Also known as enteric fever, Typhoid is transmitted via food and water, and symptomless carriers, especially when they're working as food handlers, are an important source of infection. Typhoid is caused by a type of salmonella bacteria, Salmonella typhi. Paratyphoid is a similar but milder disease.

The symptoms are variable, but you almost always get a fever and headache to start with, which initially feels very similar to flu, with aches and pains, loss of appetite and general malaise. Typhoid may be confused with malaria. The fever gradually rises during a week. Characteristically your pulse is relatively slow for someone with a fever. Other symptoms you may have are constipation or diarrhoea and stomach pains.

You may feel worse in the second week, with a constant fever and sometimes a red skin rash. Other symptoms you may have are severe headache, sore throat and jaundice. Serious complications occur in about one in 10 cases, including, most commonly, damage to the gut wall with subsequent leakage of the gut contents into the abdominal cavity.

Seek medical help for any fever (38°C and higher) that does not improve after 48 hours. Typhoid is a serious disease and is not something you should consider self-treating. Re-hydration therapy is important if diarrhoea has been a feature of the illness, but antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment.

Cholera

Cholera

This diarrhoeal disease can cause rapid dehydration and death. Cholera is caused by a bacteria, Vibrio cholerae. It's transmitted from person to person by direct contact (often via healthy carriers of the disease) or via contaminated food and water. It can be spread by seafood, including crustaceans and shellfish, which get infected via sewage. Cholera exists where standards of environmental and personal hygiene are low. Every so often there are massive epidemics, usually due to contaminated water in conditions where there is a breakdown of the normal infrastructure.

The time between becoming infected and symptoms appearing is usually short, between one and five days. The diarrhoea starts suddenly, and pours out of you. It's characteristically described as 'ricewater' diarrhoea because it is watery and flecked with white mucus. Vomiting and muscle cramps are usual, but fever is rare. In its most serious form, it causes a massive outpouring of fluid (up to 20L a day). This is the worst case scenario - only about one in 10 sufferers get this severe form. It's a self-limiting illness, meaning that if you don't succumb to dehydration, it will end in about a week without any treatment.

You should seek medical help urgently; in the meantime, start re-hydration therapy with oral re-hydration salts. You may need antibiotic treatment with tetracycline, but fluid replacement is the single most important treatment strategy in cholera.

Prevention is by taking basic food and water precautions, avoiding seafood and having scrupulous personal hygiene. The currently available vaccine is not thought worthwhile as it provides only limited protection for a short time.

Weather Information

The Pacific coast swelters year-round, with temperatures often hovering around 38°C (100°F). The seemingly constant high humidity diminishes a little in the dry season (verano; November to April). Depending on the altitude, the highlands are pleasantly warm during the day but can be freezing at night. During the rainy season (invierno; May-Oct) the mountain areas tend to be damp and chilly, but dry and warm during the dry season. The climate in the lowland jungles of El Petén varies only from hot and humid to sweltering and dry. In the rainy season, the mud can make roads and walking tracks very sticky.

History and Culture

Pre-20th Centure History

Fishing and farming villages emerged on Guatemala's Pacific coast as early as 2000 BC. They were the forerunners of the great Mayan civilization which dominated Central America for centuries, leaving an enigmatic legacy of hilltop ruins. By AD 250, the Early Classic period, great temple cities were being built in the Guatemalan highlands. By the Late Classic period (AD 600-900), however, the center of power had moved to the El Petén lowlands. Following the mysterious collapse of the Mayan civilization, the Itzaes also settled in El Petén, particularly around the present-day site of Flores.

When Pedro de Alvarado came to conquer Guatemala for the king of Spain in 1523, he found the faded remnants of the Mayan civilization and an assortment of warring tribes. The remaining highland kingdoms of the Quiché and Cakchiquel Maya were soon crushed by Alvarado's armies. Their lands were carved up into large estates and their people were ruthlessly exploited by the new landowners. The subsequent arrivals of Dominican, Franciscan and Augustinian friars could not halt this exploitation, and their religious imperialism caused valuable traces of Mayan culture to be destroyed.

Independence from Spain came in 1821, bringing new prosperity to those of Spanish blood (creoles) and even worse conditions for those of Mayan descent. The Spanish Crown's few liberal safeguards were now abandoned. Huge tracts of Mayan land were stolen to cultivate tobacco and sugar cane, and the Maya were further enslaved to work that land. Since independence, the country's politics have been colored by continued rivalry between the forces of the left and right - neither of which has ever made it a priority to improve the position of the Maya.

Modern History

Few exceptional leaders have graced Guatemala's political podium. An alternating wave of dictators and economics-driven liberals was briefly brightened by Juan José Arévalo. He established the nation's social security, health systems and a government bureau to look after Mayan concerns. In power from 1945 to 1951, Arévalo's liberal regime experienced 25 coup attempts by conservative military forces. He was followed by Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán, who continued to implement liberal policies. He also instituted an agrarian reform law to break up the large estates and foster highly productive, individually owned small farms. The expropriation of lands controlled by foreign companies, a move supported by the country's Communist Party, was the signal for the CIA to step in. A successful military coup was organized in 1954 - Arbenz Guzmán fled to Mexico and land reform never eventuated.

A succession of military presidents followed and, as protest and repression became more violent, civil war broke out. Booming industrialization in the 60's and 70's helped the rich get richer. Cities became increasingly squalid as the rural dispossessed fled the countryside to find urban employment. The military's suppression of antigovernment elements finally led the USA to cut off military assistance. This led to the 1986 election of civilian Christian Democrat Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo.

Five years of inconclusive government were followed by conservative Jorge Serrano Elías. His attempts to end the decades-long civil war failed. In May 1993, following a series of public protests, he carried out an auto-coup. Lacking popular support, he fled the country; an outspoken critic of the army, Ramiro de León Carpio was elected by Congress. Carpio's law-and-order mantle was taken up by a new president, Alvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen. In December 1996, the government signed a series of peace accords with leftist guerrillas and the army agreed to reduce its role in domestic security matters.

Recent History

In November 1999, Guatemala held its first peacetime elections in nearly 40 years. A new government was sworn in on January 14, 2000, under its recently elected right-wing president, Alfonso Portillo. An admitted murderer, Portillo won by claiming that if he could defend himself, he could defend his people. He vowed to clean up the judicial system, crack down on crime, tax the rich and respect human rights.

The subsequent 2003 elections were held amid much scandal and chicanery; the less extreme right-winger, Oscar Berger, supported by the traditional elites in banking and agriculture, was declared president.

The following year, the government instituted major cuts to the army (including the retirement of 10,000 soldiers) and admitted its guilt in some high-profile human rights violation cases.

In 2006, Guatemala ratified the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) with the United States, aimed at creating a free-trade zone and reducing tarrifs.