Violence in Guatemala
 

The various State Department sites relating to travel in Guatemala (e.g. http://guatemala.usembassy.gov/recent_incidents.html) have some rather dire warnings about violence in Guatemala. What has been the experience of recent visitors there? What if any precautions have you taken in Guatemala?

Thanks for any experience you can share.

I agree that the State Dept. warnings are pretty scary, but I've had hassle-free times on my trips to Guatemala in recent years and I'm sure you can too.

There are the standard travel precautions that apply anywhere: Keep money and credit cards well hidden. Lock your passport in a hotel safe if you can. Leave the flashy jewelry at home.

Then there are the Guatemala precautions that go beyond that. There are things you just do not do there. Don't ride the public city buses in Guatemala City. Don't walk to the Cerro de la Cruz above Antigua without a police escort. Don't hike any volcano alone without an organized tour group. Don't take the road between Santiago Atitlan and San Pedro La Laguna. Don't take pictures of children you do not know, or show any undue interest in them.

You don't see those types of precautions for, say, Costa Rica, but they're important in Guatemala. Complying with them and keeping safe is also entirely doable.

Sometimes I travel alone, sometimes with one of my kids or my husband, sometimes with a group in tow. I don't feel overly paranoid but have never had a problem and would like to keep it that way.

Here are my concessions to safety when I travel in Central America:
:: I avoid the big cities as much as possible
:: I don't "party"
:: Where recommended I take specific transportation (Hedman Alas in Honduras, for example, or avoiding chicken buses on the mountain runs in Guatemala, taxis after dark)
:: I know where I am and where I'm headed
:: I don't wear jewelry (not even my wedding band) and try not to flash camera equipment or money around
:: Some trips I carry a “throw down wallet” with an expired card or 2 and the day’s cash in it
:: I keep important documents and cash under my clothes (except what I need for shopping, buses, etc. for that time period)
:: I ask locals about safety in an area - evenings, hiking, etc.
:: I travel really light so I don't feel vulnerable getting my bag off and on buses, shuttles, etc.
:: I continue to build skills in Spanish

Overall safe if careful

stay in tourist areas tourist shuttles deluxe buses

top/hotels/hostels money belt buddy system

dummy/wallet www.insuremytrip.com

Doing this have not had a problem

Thanks for all of the good advice. We do pretty much all of those things while travleing except the "throw-down wallet" which is a wonderful idea. Could those who reply in the future indicate the date of their last visit? I get some sense from the State Department sites and the Guatemala press that the level of violence has been increasing in recent years.

This is a most helpful group/site.

I was last there three months ago, and have been a regular visitor for several years. I'm under the impression that the violence is decreasing.

Don't get me wrong: what happens is real. Nobody is making up those incidents that you read on the State Dept website. There have been some high-profile murders of officials in the past couple of years (most recently in May) that create an impression that Guatemala is a violent country. It's not good that those things are happening, obviously, but you as a visitor would have no connection to those events.

I was there in July with a trip organized by hopefulist. We went to Antigua, San Pedro La Laguna, Chichicastengo, Panajachel, Flores and Tikal. Although I was with a group there were times that I would walk places alone. I met many young people who were traveling alone, staying in hostels and arranging their own transports through travel agencies there.

While I never felt unsafe I did practice the precautions listed above. If I did find myself lost I had my map and asked a police to show me where I was. (Street signs are not always visible)

I have two friends who went to Guatemala City the week before I did in July. They went with their church on a soccer mission camp. They were fine and had a great time but had to take more precautions than I did because they were in the city. They never walked anywhere alone, and they remarked on noticing a lot of gang activity.

I think that you will be fine as long as you practice safe traveling.

Our family of four (parents, two young adult sons) traveled in February. Our route: Guatemala City-Rio Dulce-Tikal-Coban-Antigua-G.City. We rented a car and were very careful not to drive at night. we stayed at hostels in G city near the airport, a quiet residential neighborhood which felt very safe.

I did read AFTER we had taken a (completely uneventful) hike to one of the more remote temple complexes in Tikal one morning that this route is not recommended w/out a guide.