GUATEMALA

Location - Central America; Capital - Guatemala City; Population - 14 million; Currency - Quetzal

Travelling west of San Ignacio in Belize, I came to one of my favourite destinations, Guatemala, in August 2001.

The Quetzal is a bird found in Guatemala

Flores is an island in Lake Peten Itza, connected to the town of Santa Elena by a causeway

Lake Peten Itza as seen from Flores

The Mayan ruins at Tikal. This is Temple I, from the 8th century

View of the jungle from Temple IV at Tikal

I was told that this is a 'pocitas' - is there an English name for it? Tikal

Climbing El Mundo Perdido, originally built around 700BC, Tikal

More info on Tikal here

The jungle reaches the top of El Mundo Perdido, Tikal

The view from from El Mundo Perdido, Tikal

The town of Rio Dulce at the eastern tip of Lake Izabal - the building at the end of the jetty is a cheap hotel

Fishing on the Dulce river - boat from Rio Dulce to Livingston

Boat down the Rio Dulce to Livingston

The Garifuna town of Livingston, on the Caribbean coast. The Garifuna are descended from Amerindians and Africans, living along much of the Caribbean coast of Central America

Garifuna band in Livingston

The giant 8th century Mayan stelae at Quirigua

Mayan leader depicted on a sandstone Mayan stela, Quirigua

Upriver of the main Semuc Champey falls

The National Palace in Guatemala City

Guatemala City's Metropolitan Cathedral

The market building in Huehuetenango

Huehuetenango's market spills out on to the streets nearby

Greetings from the fruit sellers, Huehuetenango

Parque Centroamerica in Quetzaltenango

Mayan women buy, sell and trade at the market in Almolonga, near Quetzaltenango

The crowds disperse once trade is over, Almolonga market

Fuentes Georginas spa - thermal waters near Quetzaltenango

The quiet streets of Chichicastenango, a day before market day

The shrine of Pascual Abaj, Chichicastenango.
Amongst others, a chicken was sacrificed for a good harvest, and a father spat alcohol at his daughter as part of fertility ritual.
Fascinating stuff..

Chichicastenango's market will soon be overflowing with wares..

Market day arrives in Chichicastenango

Selling flowers on the steps of Santo Tomas church, Chichicastenango

Local girl with her brother, Chichicastenango

Beautiful cloth at Chichicastenango market

Family making a living in Chichicastenango

And I thought a backpack was heavy - Chichicastenango

The bright colours of Guatemala - Chichicastenango

The stunning Lake Atitlan, with San Pedro volcano rising above

Indian Nose mountain as seen from San Pedro village, Lake Atitlan

Climbing Indian Nose mountain with Vanessa, Annika and Verena (plus a dog) - Lake Atitlan

View of San Pedro village from the top of Indian Nose mountain - Lake Atitlan

The paths of San Marcos, a very laidback village on Lake Atitlan

Atitlan and Toliman volcanoes, from the lakeshore at San Marcos - Lake Atitlan

The beautiful landscape surrounding Lake Atitlan, from San Marcos

Hanging around for a boat with Vanessa, Annika and Verena - San Marcos, Lake Atitlan

There's great walks around Lake Atitlan - this is on the way back to San Marcos from Santa Cruz

Antigua is a colonial city and the former capital

The ruins of La Recoleccion church, destroyed by an earthquake in 1773, Antigua

Souvenir stalls in Antigua

At 3766 metres, Agua volcano towers over Antigua

The cobbled streets of Antigua, only 45kms from Guatemala City

Facing Agua volcano from the roof of the 16th century La Merced church, Antigua

Agua volcano pokes through the clouds during the drive to Pacaya volcano

It's an easy 45 minute/1 hour walk to this point.
Seeing an active volcano close up is fantastic - Pacaya volcano

About 50 tourists and a security guard climbed Pacaya volcano - safety in numbers due to armed robberies in the area

Steam escapes from the lava slopes of Pacaya volcano, an incredible sight. Agua volcano looms in the background

Taking a rest before the final push to the crater rim.
It's windy and cool near the top, with a sulphurous smell to boot, but the heat escaping from Pacaya volcano warmed me up (it warmed my bum at least)

Pacaya volcano. It's an amazing feeling to be looking into the crater of an active volcano - and very smelly aswell!
If the wind is blowing in the wrong direction it's not possible to get this close

The smoke billows from Pacaya as Agua volcano looks on behind

One of my favourite photos - the crater and smoke of Pacaya (2552 metres), with volcanoes Agua (3766 metres), Acatenango (3976 metres) and Fuego (3763 metres) towering above the clouds

The sun sets behind Pacaya volcano, with the other 3 still visible.
I'd highly recommend the trek - the views are absolutely stunning

Website and content Copyright © 2008-2011 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.

LINKS

www.visitguatemala.com - Guatemala tourist board

www.atitlan.net - info on Lake Atitlan and surrounds

I am not responsible for the content of external websites.