Hello.
I'm planning a trip to Guatemala for 2025. I'm hoping for some advice on a couple of points.

Loose plan:

• Fly into Guatemala City, travel straight to Antigua
• Stay 4 weeks at a language school - Antigua
• Spend a week 'free' in Antigua
• Stay 2 weeks at a language school - Lake Atitlan
• Travel back to GC to fly out

Objectives are learn Spanish, and see a bit of Central America. I've never been to Central or South America.
Due to diary constraints, I'm looking at being there from mid May to early July. I could cancel some other commitments to go early April to late May instead, but I'd prefer not to. I could also go Sept - Nov instead, but I'd prefer not to wait that long.

Questions:
1) I understand that May - July is the wettest time of year. I'm unlikely to do a trip like this again for years, so if I have to delay it to 'get it right' then I could, but I am also keen to go soon. Is this weather likely to ruin my trip / is it unbearable?

2) I'll be solo travelling and I'm quite conscious about personal safety given the high rates of violent crime recorded. Is a 'careful' tourist (not wandering down random alleyways, not roaming the streets after dark, not flashing valuables around) likely to have any real issue?

3) Anyone got any tips / comments regarding my rough plan?

Thanks!

It's been a while since we've been in Guatemala. We went during both the dry and rainy seasons. Antigua, Guatemala City & Panajachel. The rain really wasn't a factor for us, although it can be heavy for short periods. Umbrellas are cheap. Some sort of waterproof footwear wouldn't be the worst idea as the streets can get full of runoff, and invariably you'll have to wade through it to cross a street. It can feel rather chilly at times during a rain. We studied at PROBIGUA in Antigua. Really liked how they were not for profit, but rather proceeds were used to provide bookmobiles to rural areas.

My recent experience in Guatemala is confined to a 12-day visit about a year ago, so I can't comment on spring-time weather. But as a general rule I think it's a good idea to go as soon as feasible, rather than wait too long. As for weather, you may want to check internet sites like weatherspark.com and timeanddate.com to see what the weather and rain in Antigua and Lake Atitlan have been like during your proposed travel dates across recent years. As for safety, I think that a sensibly careful tourist should be all right. To a degree safety concerns are legitimate, but honestly, judging from my Guatemala trip last year, and two fairly recent trips to Honduras (early last year, and late 2021) I think the dangers of the region are rather exaggerated in the poplar imagination. You seem to have the right idea regarding sensible precautions; and in fact in both countries I found the people generally to be friendly and welcoming.

Hey pmj1991

I spent a little over a week in GC and Antigua during the rainy season (early July) and it’s not quite as I imagined it. Yes, there was rain; tended to be a heavy afternoon shower but there was plenty of nice weather too. Let’s put it this way—I’m glad I didn’t let worries about a rainy season dissuade me from going. I managed to hike up Pacaya in the morning, do a walking tour of Antigua around midday with not a raindrop falling on my head. Two other visits not far away in the northern triangle of Central America were similar in weather pattern.

Have a great time! I have no experience with Lake Atitlan but Antigua was a fun place to be!

Daniel

Thanks for the replies everyone, they were helpful
and reassuring. I think one of my worries is I struggle in hot environments and my assumption would be that it would be very humid and muggy during the wet season, and therefore unpleasant. But maybe that’s just one of those things

The two weather web-sites I cited above give humidity information also, as well as general weather -- for humidity I would recommend weatherspark.com.

There's a reason Antigua is called the city of 'eterna primavera', the eternal spring. Weather is darn near perfect year round.

The elevation keeps both places from ever feeling sweltering. Antigua is 5,000 ft; Lake Atitlan is 5,200 ft.

Now, let me address something you didn't ask. Really use your time outside the classroom to talk with local people. That's the whole point of studying Spanish there, and that's how you'll apply what you learn in class. Antigua, especially, has so many foreign visitors that it's easy to spend all your time hanging out with other English speakers. Resist that temptation.

Most of my 25+ Trips to Guatemala have been during the wet season. In the highlands mornings are nearly always gorgeous and it rains some days in the afternoon or evening. If you’re worried about missing out on time to explore, consider studying in the afternoons instead of the mornings. If it’s was my trip, I’d also consider keeping a flexible schedule and not committing to spending a whole month in Antigua. I’m there now after a few weeks on Lake Atitlán which is where I spend the majority of every trip to Guatemala, flying home later tomorrow. I would not personally consider spending as much time in Antigua - I just don’t like it as much. Have a great trip, whatever you decide!

Antigua weather is very agreeable all year round. Lake Atitlan should also be not too bad. The year+ we lived there it was a dry year, so very little rain. It just depends, but it should be pure rain every single day anyway, unless you just happen to hit a bad year.

As for safety, just like anywhere else, be alert and don't flash valuables. Antigua and Lake Atitlan are very safe areas in general.

Tips/ideas:

If you like a littel bit of adventure you can find plenty of it around both places:

Antigua: The nearby Pacaya Volcano is good. For more adventure, try Acatenango for a closeup view of Fuego.
Visiting a coffee plantation is pretty interesting.
We did a food tour using Taste Antigua. She was great. Even though we had already been to Antigua many times we enjoyed the food tour and learning about some history as well.

Atitlan: Reserva Atitlan is pretty cool. Worth a visit.
We liked the village of San Juan La Laguna.

Really grateful for all the advice and responses

So I've booked all my flights to GUA. I've got five weeks there.

My current plan is:
- Antigua, Antiguena Spanish Academy for 2 weeks
- Lake Atitlan for 1 week - school not chosen
- Antigua, Ixchel Spanish School for 2 weeks

I was thinking of doing this because there are two schools in Antigua that I like the look of and have recommendations for both. I couldn't decide between them so am thinking maybe I should do both.

Grateful for input on:

1) Whether splitting into two schools in Antigua would kind of interrupt my learning, having to 'start again' with another teacher, or whether I'd benefit from the different approaches that they might take. Instead of doing two, I could choose one and have one teacher.

2) Any recommendations for schools around Lake Atitlan? Or perhaps which area to stay?

Thanks again.

1) I think you should stick with one school. If you change schools/teachers, most likely you'll have to go through some sort of placement exam in your new school to see what level you're at, which would result in wasted classroom time. Probably an exception to that would be if you end up not being satisfied with your first school. I might also suggest *not* taking classes while in the Panajachel/Atitlan area, but rather use that time to put your Spanish to use outside of a classroom environment. Real life practice is often the best teacher, and a bit of a break from 5 weeks of pure classroom time might not be the worst thing.