Guatemala attractions

Guatemala’s Estación Biológica las Guacamayas (EBG), named for the country’s endemic scarlet macaw, is an ecotourism-focused environmental research and conservation center. Its mission is to preserve the natural and cultural heritage of Laguna del Tigre National Park in the Maya Biosphere Reserve of Petén. The name means Las Guacamayas Biological Station.

Constructed in 1743, Antigua City Hall (Palacio del Ayuntamiento) once served as the seat of the Spanish colonial government seat as well as an 80-person jail. Today, the building is the city’s administrative center and home to the Museo del Libro and the Museo de Santiago. The hall’s visually striking two-story façade has a double layer of stone archways and Tuscan-style columns.

This small city on the southern shore of the Pasión River (Río La Pasión is a popular jumping-off point for travelers. Explore nearby Maya remains, including the ruins at Aguateca, Ceibal, and Dos Pilas, and go wildlife-viewing in the dense jungle, home to howler monkeys, iguanas, and other wildlife.

One of the best-preserved Mayan cities in Petén, the elevated ruins of El Ceibal peer out over the Pasión river. The site’s elegant ceremonial structures date to 900 BC, the earliest in the Mayan world, and remarkably detailed altars and stelae were carved after AD 800, when the rest of the empire had already collapsed.

A lush green park in Guatemala City houses all that remains of Kaminaljuyu, an important Maya city that also shows later influences from Teotihuacán. Most of the remains appear only as mounds in the earth, but you can see the ruins of the acropolis and a ball court under a protective roof. The rest of Kaminaljuyu lies buried under modern-day sprawl.

Set in an area of Guatemala City that was once the Maya city of Kaminaljuyu (and is now largely dominated by shopping centers), this archaeology museum features a massive collection of artifacts from the ancient city and beyond. A few ancient mounds sit just outside.

A lively pedestrianized strip in the heart of Guatemala City’s historic center, Paseo de la Sexta is part of the city’s Sixth Avenue. Lined with bars, restaurants, stores, and colorful apartment blocks, it transforms over Christmas and Easter when the street comes alive with parades and festivities.

Inspired by the Champs-Élysées in Paris, Avenida La Reforma is a wide, shady boulevard through the heart of Guatemala City. Its park-like median is lined with fountains and statues celebrating important people from Guatemala’s history.

In Guatemala City, the sprawling IRTRA Mundo Petapa amusement park offers a diverse range of rides, attractions, and live entertainment options for every age group. From adrenaline-pumping roller coasters to family-friendly activities, there’s something for every member of the family to enjoy.

The Pasión River (Río La Pasión) and its tributaries cover nearly 2,000 square miles (5,180 square kilometers) in Guatemala, forming a diverse ecological zone and main transportation source. The river traces the ancient trade route that the Maya used; today visitors use it to access many Maya archeological sites that lie near its shores.

A small park with a big view, Cerrito del Carmen is a popular lookout point over Guatemala City and the surrounding landscape. This hilltop site is also home to the colonial-era Cerrito del Carmen Church—one of the oldest churches in the city.

With its red exterior and neo-Gothic style, Iglesia Yurrita is one of the most distinctive pieces of architecture in Guatemala City. The inside is every bit as ornate, incorporating stones from various regions of Guatemala and painted windows that are made to look like the sky.

Mayan archaeological site Aguateca sits atop a hill along the coast of the Petexbatún Lagoon in Guatemala’s Peten department. Hastily abandoned after an attack around 830AD, the city has a ghost town ambiance reminiscent of Pompei. Penned in by a defensive wall are some 700 structures including royal and elite residences and a grand plaza.

Set on the edge of Lake Petén Itzá (Lago Petén Itzá, this small zoo houses a collection of native Guatemalan animals, including ocelots, pumas, jaguars, and spider monkeys. Forested trails weave past the enclosures, which are spread across two islands connected by a bridge. Its shoreside position affords stunning views of the lake.

Orchids bloom in rainbow hues within this 82-acre (33-hectare) bird and plant sanctuary near Coban. Its forested landscape is home to nearly 700 varieties of orchids and more than 160 species of birds—which can be observed through binoculars on guided walks with naturalists. A treetop observation tower at the heart of the preserve offers wraparound views of the surrounding Sierra de Chama mountain range.

Believed to be around 500 years old, Hyderabad’s Chilkur Balaji Temple is a Hindu pilgrimage spot dedicated to Sri Venkateswara, a form of Lord Vishnu. It’s often busy with Hindu devotees, who come here to pray for success with visa applications. Travelers interested in Indian spirituality may enjoy visiting, even if their own visa applications have already been successful.

Tumbling 100 feet (30 meters) down a forested cliff face, surrounded by farmland, the Ogi Waterfall is a popular half-day trip from nearby Bajawa. It’s not possible to swim, as the water’s power is harnessed for irrigation, and the turbulent pool at the base of the falls is fenced off, but you can get close enough to feel the impressive breeze on your face.

Hidden in limestone bedrock beneath the sacred ruins of Petén are the cavernous Ak'tun Kan Cave, which is Mayan for “Cave of the Serpent.” Inside the serpentine subterranean complex is an underground waterfall and plenty of impressive stalactites, stalagmites, and unusually-shapedxa0rock formations.

Set amid unspoiled countryside, the Malanage Hot Springs are one of Indonesia’s most magical geothermal experiences. A cool river rushes over forest-girded rocks and joins with steaming hot water from a volcanically heated spring, creating a natural spa that’s warm in some spots, hot elsewhere, and even cool in places.

A cool highland region studded with megalithic villages, coffee and clove plantations, soaring volcanoes, geothermal hot springs, and fascinating tribal cultures, Ngada Regency sits at the heart of Flores island. Travelers generally base themselves in the capital, Bajawa, to visit Bena Traditional Village and soak in hot springs, but adventurers head further afield.

Within the 5.1 million-acre (2.1 million-hectare) Maya Biosphere Reserve, created by UNESCO in 1990 is Tikal National Park, El Zotz and Naachtún-Dos Lagunas Biotopes (Uaxatún), Yaxhá-Nakum-Naranjo National Park, and El Mirador National Monument—along with some 200 other Mayan ruins, mountains, rivers, cenotes, hiking trails, and lakes including Lake Petén Itza, gateway to the reserve.