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Guatemala
Photo: Kieran Wood (University of Bristol) (https://imaggeo.egu.eu/user/drkieranwood/), CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Central Highlands is the region around Guatemala City, stretching northwards to the Northern Lowlands in Guatemala.
If you are arriving by air, you will be coming in from Aurora International Airport. To move on from the airport, you can either take scheduled shuttle buses to Antigua or taxis from outside of the terminal.
Read in the guideGuate City buses cost Q1 as of early 2007 and they offer a good way of getting around if you aren't heading through outlying slums.
Read in the guideChoose an airport to see hotels, stations, taxi ranks and car rental desks around it.
Guatemala City · International · GUA
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The Guatemalan capital, Guatemala City is a center of industry and commerce. There aren't many attractions for tourists but visiting the museums and exploring the local markets aren't such a bad idea.
Quiet and peaceful compared to Guatemala City. It has many beautiful colonial buildings from the 17th and 18th centuries. This is where many travelers and expats choose to stay in Guatemala. It is located about 40 km from the airport (45-90 minute taxi drive, depending on rush hour traffic).
The capital city of the indigenous Alta Verapaz department. It has natural sites like waterfalls and caves, making it popular for ecotourism. It is somewhat near Semuc Champey and the Quetzal Biotope nature preserve. It is on one of the routes from Antigua to Petén (the longer one, but near these sites).
Bustling commercial hub on the Pan-American Highway.
Active volcano that has erupted dozens of times in recent centuries; part of the Central American volcano arc
Huge cave system with underground rivers and up to 80 km of underground passages
Las Victorias National Park is a protected area of forest and lakefront amid the urban jungle of Cobán in central Guatemala. The park is fairly small for a national park and is used mostly by locals as a weekend recreation area for hiking, picnics, and camping.
Articles and travel topics about Central Highlands (Guatemala) and Guatemala.
Nature & adventureGuatemala has more than 30 national parks preserving many types of ecosystems including dense lowland tropical jungle, mountainous forests, volcanic peaks, and the subterranean wonders of natural caverns.
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Culture & historyThe indigenous peoples of North America are the tribes and nations whose ancestors were already on the continent when European explorers and colonizers arrived.
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Culture & historyThe Maya civilization was one of the great Mesoamerican and Pre-Columbian civilizations. The Maya were renowned for having the most sophisticated and developed writing system in the Western Hemisphere as well as their…
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Nature & adventureVolcanoes come in many shapes and sizes, and their eruptions vary hugely in both frequency and intensity. Many volcanoes are tourist attractions and are worth a visit provided you take due care, in particular keeping a…
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