Wandering Well · Country

Guatemala.

Less-touristed places, sorted by Wander Well Score.

San Juan La Laguna, Guatemala
Gold
Mountain villages

San Juan La Laguna

Guatemala

A tiny Tz'utujil Maya town on the southwest shore of Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala's highlands, San Juan La Laguna has a café and restaurant scene that outpac…

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Solola, Guatemala
Silver
Inland waterside towns

Solola

Guatemala

A highland market town in Guatemala sitting above Lake Atitlán, where a large share of the Kaqchikel Maya population continues to wear traditional Mayan clot…

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Zunil, Guatemala
Silver
Mountain villages

Zunil

Guatemala

This highland town in Guatemala's Quetzaltenango department, Zunil sits on the bank of the Salamá River and is known for its volcanic thermal baths, includin…

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Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Gold
Hiking & national-park bases

Quetzaltenango

Guatemala

Guatemala's second city, known widely as Xela (pronounced SHAY-la), sits high in a mountain valley in the western highlands and draws visitors with a walkabl…

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Chichicastenango, Guatemala
Gold

Chichicastenango

Guatemala

A K'iche' Maya cultural centre in the Guatemalan highlands, Chichicastenango is best known for its Thursday and Sunday markets, where traditional Maya textil…

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Puerto Barrios, Guatemala
Gold
Coast & island escapes

Puerto Barrios

Guatemala

Guatemala's main Caribbean port, Puerto Barrios sits on the Bahía de Amatique in the Gulf of Honduras and serves as the departmental seat of Izabal.

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Quezaltepeque, Guatemala
Silver
Mountain villages

Quezaltepeque

Guatemala

A small agricultural town in the mountain terrain of Guatemala's Chiquimula department, Quezaltepeque takes its name from a Nahuatl word meaning "hill of bir…

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Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala
Gold
Charming old-world towns

Ciudad Vieja

Guatemala

In 1527, Spanish colonists established Santiago de los Caballeros de Guatemala here, in the Almolonga Valley on the slopes of Volcán de Agua — making Ciudad…

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San Marcos La Laguna, Guatemala
Silver
Inland waterside towns

San Marcos La Laguna

Guatemala

A little village on the western shore of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala's Sololá Department, San Marcos La Laguna has developed a dense cluster of cafés, restaura…

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San Luis Jilotepeque, Guatemala
Bronze
Charming old-world towns

San Luis Jilotepeque

Guatemala

San Luis Jilotepeque, a town in Guatemala's Jalapa department, is one of the few Guatemalan municipalities where Poq'omam indigenous artisans produce traditi…

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Jocotan, Guatemala
Silver
Mountain villages

Jocotan

Guatemala

This little town in Guatemala's Chiquimula department, close to the Honduran border and near mountains, Jocotán is home to Radio Chortis, a Roman Catholic ra…

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San Andres Xecul, Guatemala
Silver

San Andres Xecul

Guatemala

San Andrés Xecul's colonial Catholic church is the town's main draw, a vivid landmark in the Totonicapán department of Guatemala's northwestern highlands.

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Pachalum, Guatemala
Bronze

Pachalum

Guatemala

Compact Guatemalan highland town spread across the foothills of the Sierra de Chuacús, where colorful low-rise buildings give way to layered green ridges and…

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Chiantla, Guatemala
Bronze
Mountain villages

Chiantla

Guatemala

This highland town in Guatemala's Huehuetenango department sits well above sea level in mountain terrain and holds more historic churches than its size would…

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Santa Catarina Mita, Guatemala
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Santa Catarina Mita

Guatemala

Whitewashed colonial church with an ornate baroque facade dominates the central plaza of this compact Guatemalan town in Jutiapa, set amid tropical greenery…

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San Antonio Palopo, Guatemala
Bronze

San Antonio Palopo

Guatemala

This small Cakchiquel Maya town on the eastern shore of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala's Sololá Department, known for its community's distinctive traditional clot…

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Jocotenango, Guatemala
Gold
Food scenes & café towns

Jocotenango

Guatemala

Birthplace of multi-Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ricardo Arjona, Jocotenango is a town in Guatemala's Sacatepéquez department, set in the Valley of Panch…

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Santa Cruz Verapaz, Guatemala
Bronze
Mountain villages

Santa Cruz Verapaz

Guatemala

Founded in 1543 by Dominican friars, Santa Cruz Verapaz is a little town in Guatemala's Alta Verapaz department set within a rainforest climate zone, with mo…

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Santa Maria de Jesus, Guatemala
Silver
Mountain villages

Santa Maria de Jesus

Guatemala

High on the slopes of Volcán de Agua, this mountain town in Guatemala's Sacatepéquez department sits close to Antigua Guatemala and speaks both Spanish and K…

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Retalhuleu, Guatemala
Gold

Retalhuleu

Guatemala

A city in south-western Guatemala's Pacific Lowlands, Retalhuleu — locally nicknamed "Reu" — is known for its historic churches in the centre and a lively co…

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San Martin Zapotitlan, Guatemala
Silver

San Martin Zapotitlan

Guatemala

Three major recreational parks — Xetulul, Xocomil, and Xejuyup — make this small Guatemalan municipality in the department of Retalhuleu a draw well beyond i…

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San Pedro Carcha, Guatemala
Bronze
Inland waterside towns

San Pedro Carcha

Guatemala

A clear turquoise river cuts through a forested limestone gorge in Guatemala's Alta Verapaz highlands, making San Pedro Carchá a rewarding base for exploring…

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San Juan Cotzal, Guatemala
Bronze
Mountain villages

San Juan Cotzal

Guatemala

A small Ixil Maya town in Guatemala's El Quiché department, set against the slopes of the Cuchumatanes and Sierra de Chamá ranges, San Juan Cotzal is one of…

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San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala
Bronze

San Vicente Pacaya

Guatemala

At the foot of Pacaya volcano in Guatemala's Escuintla department, San Vicente Pacaya is a compact town that served as the filming location for Ixcanul (2015…

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Cajola, Guatemala
Silver

Cajola

Guatemala

A compact highland town in Guatemala's Quetzaltenango department, sitting at high elevation among rounded forested hills, with low-rise colourful buildings s…

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Santa Cruz La Laguna, Guatemala
Silver
Mountain villages

Santa Cruz La Laguna

Guatemala

This small village on the northern shore of Lago de Atitlán in Guatemala's Sololá department, with mountain terrain rising behind it and a handful of cafés a…

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Chiquimula, Guatemala
Silver
Ancient & archaeological sites

Chiquimula

Guatemala

The colonial ruins of the Chiquimula de la Sierra church, destroyed by an earthquake on 2 June 1765 and abandoned since, stand as the city's most distinctive…

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Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Gold
Bustling market & commercial towns

Huehuetenango

Guatemala

This highland city in western Guatemala and the last major settlement before the Mexican border at La Mesilla, Huehuetenango has a colonial past shaped by Me…

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Chimaltenango, Guatemala
Gold
Mountain villages

Chimaltenango

Guatemala

Highland city in Guatemala's Central Highlands, Chimaltenango sits at elevation in mountain terrain on the Pan-American Highway, within reach of Guatemala City.

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San Martin Jilotepeque, Guatemala
Silver
Mountain villages

San Martin Jilotepeque

Guatemala

A small Guatemalan town in the mountains of the Chimaltenango department, San Martín Jilotepeque carries a long history: a Dominican mission settlement throu…

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Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa, Guatemala
Silver
Ancient & archaeological sites

Santa Lucia Cotzumalguapa

Guatemala

The Cotzumalhuapa archaeological zone, encompassing pre-Columbian Maya sites including El Baúl and Bilbao, lies within this Pacific Lowlands city in Guatemal…

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Patzun, Guatemala
Bronze
Bustling market & commercial towns

Patzun

Guatemala

This Guatemalan highland town in Chimaltenango where a colonnaded yellow municipal building and a fountain plaza anchor daily life, surrounded by green hills…

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Almolonga, Guatemala
Silver
Mountain villages

Almolonga

Guatemala

A small Guatemalan town in the mountains of Quetzaltenango department, Almolonga sits at the foot of Cerro Quemado — a volcanic lava dome complex known local…

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El Progreso, Guatemala
Bronze
Mountain villages

El Progreso

Guatemala

A small town in the mountain terrain of Guatemala's Jutiapa department, El Progreso — originally named Achuapa, a Nahuatl word meaning "river of achiote" — s…

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San Martin Sacatepequez, Guatemala
Bronze
Mountain villages

San Martin Sacatepequez

Guatemala

Compact highland town in the Quetzaltenango department of Guatemala, set high in the mountains and formerly known as San Martín Chile Verde.

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Escuintla, Guatemala
Gold
Mountain villages

Escuintla

Guatemala

Guatemala's sugar-agribusiness capital, Escuintla sits where the central highlands meet the Pacific coastal plain, a position that puts both mountain terrain…

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Santa Maria Visitacion, Guatemala
Silver

Santa Maria Visitacion

Guatemala

Pocket-sized highland village in Guatemala's Sololá department, Santa María Visitación sits in upland country near water, with the wider Lake Atitlán region'…

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Tecpan Guatemala, Guatemala
Silver
Hiking & national-park bases

Tecpan Guatemala

Guatemala

Founded in 1524 on the site of Iximché — the former Kaqchikel capital and Guatemala's first colonial capital — Tecpán Guatemala sits in the Central Highlands…

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San Cristobal Verapaz, Guatemala
Bronze
Mountain villages

San Cristobal Verapaz

Guatemala

A mountain town in Guatemala's Alta Verapaz department, San Cristóbal Verapaz sits beside Laguna Chichoj, a lake whose shores the town's urban growth has gra…

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Mixco, Guatemala
Gold
Big-city explorations

Mixco

Guatemala

Guatemala's second-largest city, Mixco borders the capital to the west, separated from it by a series of canyons crossed by multiple bridges.

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Coban, Guatemala
Silver

Coban

Guatemala

The capital of Guatemala's Alta Verapaz department, Cobán sits at the centre of a major coffee-growing region in the Central Highlands, with mountains close by.

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Gualan, Guatemala
Bronze
Coast & island escapes

Gualan

Guatemala

A town in eastern Guatemala's Zacapa department where the Motagua River runs through, Gualan sits on the Atlantic highway route that follows the old Northern…

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Jutiapa, Guatemala
Silver
Mountain villages

Jutiapa

Guatemala

Mid-elevation departmental capital in eastern Guatemala, Jutiapa sits in mountain terrain and has been a city since 1878.

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Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala
Gold
Inland waterside towns

Santiago Atitlan

Guatemala

On the southwest shore of Lake Atitlán in Guatemala's Sololá department, Santiago Atitlán is a Tz'utujil Maya town where the syncretic deity Maximón — a figu…

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San Cristobal Totonicapan, Guatemala
Bronze

San Cristobal Totonicapan

Guatemala

San Cristóbal Totonicapán is a tiny Guatemalan town in the Totonicapán department whose name derives from the Nahuatl for "above the hot water," reflecting i…

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Zacapa, Guatemala
Silver

Zacapa

Guatemala

Zacapa, a departmental capital in eastern Guatemala, is locally known for handmade cigars, cheese, and a traditional cheese-flavored cake.

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San Antonio Aguas Calientes, Guatemala
Bronze
Charming old-world towns

San Antonio Aguas Calientes

Guatemala

This tiny Guatemalan highland town in Sacatepéquez where Maya women weave intricate traditional textiles on backstrap looms, with a market square selling han…

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Gold
Inland waterside towns

Panajachel

Guatemala

This lively lakeside town in Guatemala's highlands, Panajachel sits on the shore of a volcanic lake and packs an impressive spread of cafés, restaurants, and…

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Bronze
Bustling market & commercial towns

Totonicapán

Guatemala

A highland city in Guatemala's western uplands, Totonicapán sits close to mountain country and offers an authentic urban experience rooted in indigenous Maya…

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