kfame

My husband and are are thinking about bringing our two kids (age 10) to Guatemala over Christmas vacation to visit a family friend and explore the country. After reading through a number of the posts on this site, I'm realizing that there are a lot of people out there with a great deal of Guatemala travel experience who might be able to help us answer some questions before we proceed with the planning.

As a gating item, in spite of the obvious attraction of other places in the country, our friend and her extended family live in Guatemala City, so we were planning to spend at least a couple of days there. Are there specific places that would appeal to young kids in Guatemala City? What is the maximum number of nights you would recommend staying in the city?

We're contemplating a trip of a little under two weeks and are hoping that we'll be able to visit Antigua, Atitlan and Tikal at a minimum. Again, focusing on travel that will work with kids, how many nights would you recommend in each of those places? Is Pacaya something a 10-year old could handle? What about Santa Maria? Is it worth trying to fit in a visit to Semuc Champey or is that going to be too much given the amount of time we have? Is there any Class II-III river rafting that anyone has done at that time of year and would recommend? Realistically, how much time do you think we would want to explore Tikal?

Last, but certainly not least, would anyone have safety concerns about bringing young children along on this trip? My husband and I traveled all over South America twenty years ago, so we're aware of the general safety issues, but we did that without kids to worry about ...

Thanks so much for any advice! I'm just realizing how much work needs to be done if we're going to actually make this trip happen!

qwovadis

www.travel.state.gov Guatemala

there are safety concerns in GC particularly buses

get your friend to do an airport pickup and visit

then head for www.aroundantigua.com then Atitlan

www.lacasadelmundo.com perhaps...do reserve over Xmas

Overall safe if careful in tourist areas

Have fun

MicheleinPlaya

We spent three weeks in Guatemala with our children, ages 6 and 7, traveling around during the school break for semana santa. We had a wonderful time and the kids really enjoyed themselves. I will preface this by saying that we live in Mexico and our children speak Spanish fluently so they really had a leg up on making friends and playing with other kids. We climbed Pacaya on horseback which they LOVED. We spent time in Antigua and the Lago Atitlan area,taking ferries to the various small villages around the lake. We went to lots of market days and visited las fuentes geoginas which is a must do. Rio Dulce is a nice area to hang out for awhile and boat around the river bird watching. Livingston is cool with its Garifuna culture and local drummers. I could go on and on.
We drove our own vehicle and never felt that our safety was an issue. I have heard plenty of stories from fellow travelers whose buses were held up and robbed. Noone was hurt, just rightfully angry about losing possessions. I recommend you stay off the chicken buses and stick to the smaller shuttles. If you want more detailed info about our trip, I wrote an extensive blog about our journey which I am happy to share with you.

kfame

Thanks both for your quick replies. MicheleinPlaya, I would love to have a link to your trip blog if it wouldn't be too much trouble. Thanks!

Vttraveler

I would try to stay 2 nights right in the Tikal park. That way you would have an evening there, relatively uncrowded, plus a full day. It is a BIG site and involves a lot of walking (and climbing).

We stayed in G City only the night of arrival and night before departure and were in the suburban area near the airport. the archeology museum has an outstanding collection although it could be better presented (more information/context).