- Sydney Cournoyer
- Aug 6
The Gist:
Like many others, I was drawn to Guatemala by the videos online of people hiking up to the Volcán de Fuego, an active volcano just outside of Antigua. Other than that, I didn’t know what else to expect. I wasn’t familiar with the cuisine (Guatemala was a country Bourdain never visited) or the popular tourist attractions.
Here’s the breakdown of what you don’t want to miss:
Por Qué No? Cafe in Antigua - Our favorite meal of the entire trip. We squeezed in right at opening, but I recommend getting reservations. It’s a tiny restaurant with a limited menu that only seats 10-15 people. I still daydream about the sangria I ordered.
Cerro de La Cruz at sunset in Antigua - A great view of the entire city with an even better view of the Agua Volcano. We hiked a few times during our stay to warm up for the massive Acatenango hike.
Little Spoon in Panajachel - A solid meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We went back many times because of the lively atmosphere, free shots of moonshine, and stray dogs that like to hang out on the top floor.
Hiking the Acatenango Volcano with V-Hiking Tours - We loved supporting a tour group that is run by Guatemalans, rather than a foreign company with no connection to the area. V-Hiking picked us up in Antigua on time and their shuttle service afterward to Panajachel was super convenient. The cabins at the top are no luxury experience, but don’t expect to sleep much with a 3 a.m. wake-up call for a sunrise hike. We met so many people from all over the world, including Argentina, Canada, and Mexico who we are still in touch with to this day. This hike is not something you can just do on a whim. It is over 500 flights of stairs in elevation gain and extremely physically demanding. It is steep the entire way up. The elevation sickness hit almost everyone in my group, with us all suffering from headaches, nausea, etc.
Gallo Beer - You will see Gallo beer at every restaurant and every supermarket in Guatemala. We drank lots of it. You should too.
Guatemalan Coffee - There are too many cafes to count with five-star reviews. Guatemala is known for their coffee, make sure to take advantage of it!
What you can miss:
San Marcos La Laguna - If seeing a bunch of white hippie Brits with dreadlocks is something you’re interested in, then San Marcos is the place for you. I personally would have rather spent the day in San Juan or San Pedro again instead of spending a whole day in San Marcos. I would recommend doing a yoga class at the Eagles Nest, however.
Panajachel - Panajachel is a great centralized location that is accessible by shuttle services to and from Guatemala City and Antigua, but other than that it is the least impressive of the towns around the lake. No need to spend more than half a day here.
My rambling thoughts overall:
The mark Guatemala left on me was deep. I came back to the United States feeling deeply conflicted. After learning the sinister role the US had in the Guatemalan Civil War (shockingly left out of my high school history lessons), I could not believe Americans are even allowed to enter the country.
“In light of its long record of apologies for the government of Guatemala, and its failure to repudiate publicly those apologies even at a moment of disenchantment, we believe that the Reagan Administration shares in the responsibility for the gross abuses of human rights practiced by the government of Guatemala” (Simon, 1984).
Of course, this is a common thing for Americans traveling around the world to experience. The bloodshed spilled on behalf of the United States Government has no bounds. What I didn't expect was the astonishing reaction of my peers when I told them I was going to Guatemala. Here are a few of the greatest hits:
“Are you sure it's safe?”
“You should probably wear an AirTag.” (my personal favorite)
“Do your parents know you're going?”
“Is it dangerous?”
I surely didn't get these questions when I traveled to Scotland or Canada. I wonder why?
I find questions like this offensive on a personal level (in addition to the obvious reasons). Do you think I'd willingly put myself in danger? Do you not think I researched and planned accordingly? A response I like to use when I get the greatest hits is: “It only takes coming across one bad person, and a bad thing can happen anywhere.” I then politely remind them of crime happening in their area or unsafe parts of their town (that they know to avoid walking alone at night), or mention the time when I felt the most unsafe traveling was in Sweden.
I learned a lesson about myself on one of my first nights in Antigua. There are stray dogs that hang around all parts of the city. For the most part, they seem well-fed
and taken care of. Local shops leave out food and water by the door for the stray dogs. After one night of exploring, we sat down on a bench in the town center and a dog came up to us with a particularly convincing set of puppy dog eyes. I immediately wanted to go to a shop next door to buy some dog food. Spoiler alert: Do not do that.
As I was shopping, I went online to find some information on feeding stray dogs. Nearly every single site warned against it. It damages their natural instincts, it leads to dog fights, and the list goes on. I felt like a complete idiot. It felt embarrassing to feel like I wanted to help but was unknowingly going to cause more harm than good. I then read a bunch of articles on Natural Geographic about photographers interfering with nature and it leading to disaster. It feels like a uniquely American characteristic to feel like you know better than others, then creating an absolute dumpster fire of a situation instead. One could draw a connection to the political climate in the US in 2025. One could draw a connection to Democrats and their elitism. Alas.
Source:
Simon, Jean-Marie. (1984) Americas Watch, Guatemala: A Nation of Prisoners.