Guatemala

Tikal

Tikal was once one of the most powerful cities in the Maya civilization. At its peak, tens of thousands of people lived here, surrounded by temples, plazas, palaces, and pyramids rising out of the jungle.

Today, much of it is still hidden beneath the forest, which somehow makes the experience even more magical. You’ll be walking down a quiet jungle path and suddenly a massive stone pyramid appears between the trees.

Standing there, it’s hard not to imagine what this place must have looked like during its peak—priests, rulers, markets, and ceremonies filling the space with life. More recently, this was one of the filming locations for Star Wars IV: A New Hope.

One of the most unforgettable moments at Tikal is climbing Temple IV, the tallest structure in the park.

The climb up the wooden staircase feels like stepping into the canopy itself. When you reach the top, the view stretches across miles of rainforest. Green treetops roll to the horizon, broken only by the tops of ancient temples rising like stone islands from the jungle.

It’s one of the rare places in the world where you can see the ruins of an entire civilization peeking through untouched forest.

Tikal isn’t just about archaeology, it’s also full of wildlife.

Coatis wander the paths looking for snacks, toucans fly overhead, and spider monkeys swing through the trees like acrobats. And every so often, the powerful roar of the howler monkeys returns, sounding like distant thunder rolling through the forest. It gives the whole place an atmosphere that feels wild and timeless.

As the day winds down and the jungle light softens, Tikal becomes quiet again. The crowds fade, the shadows grow longer, and the temples seem even older in the fading light.

You realize that these structures have stood here for more than a thousand years—through empires rising and falling, through forests growing and reclaiming the land.

Antigua

The first thing you notice in Antigua Guatemala is the cone of Volcán de Agua, often wrapped in clouds like a hat rising into the sky behind the charming town. Because the elevation is so high, it's actually chilly in the morning, and then it warms up dramatically from the sun by noon.

The sunlight spills over cobblestone streets and soft pastel buildings in a way that makes the entire town feel like a living painting. You’ll hear the clip-clop of horse hooves before you see them, and the air carries a mix of fresh tortillas, coffee, and the faint scent of volcano soil warming in the sun. Antigua is one of those places where it’s best to wander without a plan. My morning started with a slow walk toward the famous yellow arch, Santa Catalina Arch. It’s the postcard image of the city, but seeing it in person is different.

For lunch, I went to a taco place by myself and the guy next to me struck up a conversation. He was around seventy years old, so I asked him what he did before he retired and he said he grew marijuana in Costa Rica for twenty five years. Then he proceeded to try and charge up his drinks to my bill in Spanish without me knowing, but luckily I understood enough Spanish to catch him and take his order off my bill.

Antigua was kind of bittersweet because it was the last day of my tour and our tour group was great. The main attraction here is hiking the volcano, but because I was only here a couple days, I decided to explore the town instead. Hiking the volcano is not for the faint of heart, and most of the girls didn't seem to enjoy the experience because it was so physically demanding, and they only got about an hour of sleep at the top. However, after seeing it from the plane, I actually regretted not hiking it, because it rose way over the clouds. The volcano is kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

Rio Dulce, Lake Atitlán, and Lake Izabel

These lakes and rivers weren't something I'd crossed the world for, they were just a fun part of the journey along the way. In fact, Guatemala wasn't even one of the countries on my bucket list, it just so happened that my tour of Central America ended here. Guatemala is rich in nature and felt like a more green version of California. Ultimately, if you're traveling, I'd suggest researching places and only going to places you really want to see, instead of traveling indiscriminately, unless you find a yourself in my situation and find a good deal on a tour that includes a bit of both. Although, it was nice learning about a culture I was ultimately clueless about before arriving. I think one thing I felt about my journey through Central America, is that it actually made the world feel smaller. Seeing other people in the group run into people they knew only amplified that feeling.