What are the most beautiful places in Guatemala?

On our list, Tikal ranks first, followed by Lake Atitlán and Volcán de Fuego.

How was Lake Atitlán formed?

Lake Atitlán fills a caldera left by an enormous volcanic eruption tens of thousands of years ago. Later volcanoes, Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro, grew along its southern shore.

What is Semuc Champey?

Semuc Champey is a natural limestone bridge over the Cahabón River in Alta Verapaz. The river flows through a cave beneath it, while a series of turquoise pools sits on top.

Is Volcán de Fuego still active?

Yes. Volcán de Fuego, near Antigua Guatemala, is one of the most active volcanoes in Central America, with frequent small eruptions and occasional large ones, such as the deadly eruption of 2018.

What kinds of places are there to see in Guatemala?

In our collection, the places in Guatemala are most often volcanoes (1), rivers (1), lakes (1) and national parks (1).

The 5 Most Beautiful Places in Guatemala

Guatemala packs a chain of volcanoes, highland lakes, limestone karst and lowland rainforest into a small country, and every part of it is lived in by a culture that goes back to the Maya. The Pacific side is lined with cones that still erupt, the north is the flat, forested Petén where Maya cities rose and fell, and in between colonial towns and village churches mix Spanish forms with Indigenous colour.

Tikal, deep in the Petén forest, was one of the great Maya cities of the Classic period; its steep temple-pyramids, among them the Temple of the Great Jaguar, rise above the canopy. In the highlands, Lake Atitlán fills a huge volcanic caldera, with the cones of Atitlán, Tolimán and San Pedro standing over its shore and Maya towns along the water.

Volcán de Fuego, near Antigua, is one of the most active volcanoes in Central America, its frequent small explosions sending plumes of ash and, at night, glowing lava down its flanks. In Alta Verapaz, Semuc Champey is a natural limestone bridge where the Cahabón River vanishes underground while turquoise pools step down across the rock above it. And at San Andrés Xecul, a church façade painted bright yellow and crowded with figures, angels and vines shows how highland villages made colonial architecture their own.