Guatemala is one of my favorite places I've been to. The country is diverse and full of interesting culture. Before my trip, I hadn't traveled much in Central America, and I felt a little apprehensive about going to Guatemala knowing that there are some travel advisories in place by the U.S. government. However, I'm happy to report that I felt safe traveling in Guatemala, even with just one other female friend. Although it may seem overwhelming, Guatemala is such an enriching place to travel, so I wanted to compile some of my travel tips and Guatemala travel advice, specifically for women who want to visit.
So is Guatemala safe to travel to for women? In my opinion, yes it is, as long as you follow the common-sense safety tips that apply when visiting any new place.
*Please note, during my trip, I only visited Antigua and Lake Atitlan, so those are the two places I am able to speak on.
U.S. Department of State travel advisory
As of July 2023, the U.S. Department of State has issued a travel advisory for certain parts of Guatemala. It's listed at a level 3, which means the government is asking you to reconsider travel to this destination due to crime. While this sounds scary, it's important to note that it is only for certain areas, and does not include the most popular tourist destinations, Antigua and Lake Atitlan. I stayed in these two areas and felt as safe as I would in any larger U.S. city. In the advisory, it does note to use precaution when traveling to Lake Atitlan.
Visitors should use certified tourist providers and travel between villages on the lakeshore by chartered boat, as perimeter paths pose a serious crime risk and are not easily accessible by emergency services. Hiking in the area, while popular, is best undertaken with the assistance of a local guide to ensure safety, as criminals are known to target some routes.
After experiencing Lake Atitlan for myself, I would agree with this advice, and add that the chartered boats are very easy to arrange and affordable. You simply walk down to the pier of each town, and let the boat's captain know where you want to go. Sometimes there is a bit of a wait, as the captains like to fill up the boats beyond taking off, but the most we waited was 10 minutes.
Plus, it's a lot faster than walking between the villages and a cool way to see more of the lake!
Other than that, Antigua and Lake Atitlan are not mentioned in the advisory. Now I'll go through my impressions of each of these areas.
Lake Atitlan
Lake Atitlan is made up of a series of small towns, that are accessible via boat. My friend and I stayed in San Pedro La Laguna. This town is known as a backpacker's party town, but we didn't really experience too much of that. However, we were there from Monday through Wednesday so that may have impacted that.
We met lots of young backpackers from all over the world, many of whom were studying Spanish at one of the language schools in the area. By the way, if you're looking for a cheap place to have an immersive experience, Lake Atitlan is a great place to learn Spanish.
Because there were so many young people, we didn't feel uncomfortable walking around, even at night, however we didn't stay out very late past dinner.
However, all that being said, my one uncomfortable experience in Guatemala did happen in Lake Atitlan. One night after dinner, we were walking back to the hotel when we passed a group of drunk men standing outside. One of them was especially drunk, and started following us as we passed by, asking if we were Chinese or Korean in Spanish. I started walking faster and he followed for a little bit, but eventually dropped back. All in all, not a great feeling but nothing we couldn't handle.
We stayed at Sababa Resort in San Pedro La Laguna and felt very safe here. The hotel has a gate outside the premises and the front desk overlooks the entrance.
Antigua
Antigua is the capital of Guatemala and is much larger than Lake Atitlan. As a result, we were around a lot more people, especially locals. Because of this, I actually felt safer walking around the city, even at night, because we weren't the only ones out. Similar to Lake Atitlan, we saw many tourists, however in Antigua, it was a more diverse range of ages, rather than the 20-something backpackers we saw in Lake Atitlan.
We stayed at Hotel y Arte in Antigua and enjoyed the experience. There is a front door that locks at 9 p.m. As a hotel guest, you then get a code to unlock the outer door so you can come and go as you wish.
Solo traveling as a woman
I will also add that we met several female solo travelers at Lake Atitlan, who reported having good experiences with safety, even those who were not fluent in Spanish. After my experience in Guatemala, I would feel comfortable going back as a solo traveler. The local people were extremely welcoming and it's possible to get around with simple Spanish phrases.
Safety tips
I won't go over the basic safety tips here, but I wanted to share some various advice specific to Guatemala that I learned while I was there:
Traveling by road can be unpredictable and confusing. Many of the hotels also offer transportation services. We found this to be a reliable and easy way to travel to our activities and between destinations. We also booked a shuttle to and from the airport using our hotel.
When in rural areas like Lake Atitlan, use boat transportation versus walking to and from towns.
When hiking the volcanoes or the wide variety of other trails, use a guide. People have been robbed while hiking alone. This is both for safety purposes, and because they can offer local knowledge of the landscape and wildlife.
Learn some basic Spanish. This is both for safety and out of respect for the culture. I found that I was able to get by with basic Spanish, especially because Guatemalans speak Spanish quite clearly and slowly compared to other Latin American countries.
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