Getting around Guatemala What transport options are available to visit the country? Our guide to transport in Guatemala!
More and more travellers are interested in a trip to Guatemala, but we have to admit that there is sometimes a lack of information about this country, as some regions of Guatemala are still little visited. Today, we’d like to give you a few tips on local transport to help you organize your stay in Guatemala!
The plane
When you travel to Guatemala, you’re bound to arrive at Guatemala City airport, which is the country’s capital (its code is GUA). However, if you’d like to discover the country without having to travel too far, you should know that Guatemala also has two major national airports, allowing you to visit some very interesting tourist sites. The first is Flores, about an hour from the Mayan ruins of Tikal, and the other is Puerto Barrios, on the Caribbean coast. It’s just a few kilometers from Livingston, a must during your trip to Guatemala! To find flights within Guatemala, we recommend you use the Ulysses flight comparator.
The car
We don’t recommend renting a car in Guatemala: driving is somewhat unpredictable, and the main roads are usually in the mountains. If you’re not 100% at ease with winding roads and especially fast driving, forget it! All the more so as tourist shuttles are well developed throughout the country.
The shuttles
And so we arrive! Shuttles are the most convenient and inexpensive way to get around Guatemala. There are departures from every city several times a day, aboard mini-vans seating around 10. Prices are affordable: count, for example, $20 for a trip from the airport to Lake Atitlan (4-hour drive), or $50 from the airport to Flores (9-hour drive).
There are also night buses for added comfort. The only drawback is the time it takes! Guatemala is a vast country, and the roads are not always in excellent condition. For example, it’s a 10-hour drive from Antigua to Semuc Champey Park.
The public bus
Also known as the « chicken bus » by the locals, as it is mainly used by farmers to reach the towns and sell their crops, the public bus is a local phenomenon! These are colorful old American school buses that have been sold in Guatemala. While we wouldn’t necessarily recommend traveling by public bus for the whole of your trip, as the drivers tend to be a bit of a handful, getting on board a bus for a short trip is definitely something you should do at least once during your stay.
Prices defy all competition (count $4 for the trip from the airport to Lake Atitlan), but you’ll be disappointed when it comes to comfort. These public buses are crowded at all hours of the day and night, and safety can sometimes leave something to be desired.
It’s up to you to choose the means of transport that best suits your budget and the length of your trip to Guatemala. In any case, you’ll find travel agencies everywhere to book your trips (especially in Lake Atitlan, Antigua and Flores, which are tourist towns). You can even book your tickets online on certain websites!