Guatemala is a captivating place and the main danger of coming here is that you might not want to leave! It is a country that has fascinating Mayan culture, mountains and volcanoes, lakes, colorful markets, beaches and steaming jungles, so much that you may not have time to see it all on your first visit, or end up staying longer than you originally planned.

It’s a country that for anyone with a sense of adventure, and a basic level of Spanish, is easy to travel around.  Whether your interest is study of language or culture, outdoor activities, archaeological sites, jungle trekking,  local festivals or relaxing in a beach or lakeside hammock, you will find something for you in Guatemala.  And we are here to assist you.

 

A note on safety. When planning a trip here, we are sure that you have heard 'You can't go there, it's too dangerous' . Although you need to take all the normal precautions here that you would take when traveling in any developing country, the situation nowhere near as bad as you may have read about. And Quetzaltenango is a very different city from the capital city. Unless you are planning to hang around the very poorest areas of the capital, you will not come into contact with the gang crime that is so luridly reported in the foreign media.

We advise our students to take normal precautions, such as not walking in the city at night, taking care of valuables in crowded areas or buses, etc.

We also provide telephone numbers of the local tourist assistance police, reliable taxi drivers and the contact details of the coordinators and directors of the school in case of any emergency situation.

Guatemala facts:

• The republic of Guatemala has a land mass of 108,890 square km.
• Guatemala has over a dozen volcanoes, and four of them are active (including Santiaguito, near to Xela which you can trek to and see an eruption of ash every hour) Guatemala’s population is estimated at a little over 14.6 million.
• The population comprises mainly of indigenous Maya and Ladinos (of mixed Mayan and European ancestry), with a small community of black Garifuna on the Caribbean coast, and non Maya Xinca.
• Apart from Spanish (which is the official language of the country), 23 other languages are spoken in Guatemala.