Guatemala Solo Female Travel Safety Tips and Advice

On this page you will find first-hand, unbiased, and real safety tips, advice and reviews from women traveling solo, submitted directly from their personal experiences in the country.

Their opinions are unfiltered and submitted independently as part of the Solo Female Travel Safety Index, a ranking of 210 countries and regions based on how safe they are for women traveling solo.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers.

You don’t need to login to read the below reviews. But do sign up or login to share your solo travel experiences, country safety rating and comments.

Guatemala Country data

We have compiled a few data points below that can help you better understand Guatemala and have more context when thinking about travel safety.

Official country name: Republic of Guatemala.

Etymology: The Spanish conquistadors used many native Americans as allies in their conquest of Guatemala. The site of their first capital (established in 1524), a former Maya settlement, was called "Quauhtemallan" by their Nahuatl-speaking Mexican allies, a name that means "land of trees" or "forested land", but which the Spanish pronounced "Guatemala". The Spanish applied that name to a re-founded capital city three years later and eventually it became the name of the country.

Capital: Guatemala City.

Independence / foundation: After almost three centuries as a Spanish colony, Guatemala won its independence in 1821. During the second half of the 20th century, it experienced a variety of military and civilian governments, as well as a 36-year guerrilla war. In 1996, the government signed a peace agreement formally ending the internal conflict.

Population: 18 million.

Currency: Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ)
1 USD = 7.76 - 7.83 GTQ
1 EUR = 8.33 - 8.55 GTQ

Time zone: UTC-6

Languages spoken: Spanish (official) 70%, Maya languages 30% (Q'eqchi' 8%, K'iche 8%, Mam 4%, Kaqchikel 3%, Q'anjob'al 1%, Poqomchi' 1%, other 4%), other <1% (includes Xinca and Garifuna). Note - the 2003 Law of National Languages officially recognized 23 indigenous languages, including 21 Maya languages, Xinca, and Garifuna.

Religions: Roman Catholic 42%, Evangelical 39%, other 3%, atheist <1%, none 14%, unspecified 2%.

Climate: Tropical climate that is hot and humid in the lowlands and cooler in the highlands.

Real GDP (ppp – purchasing power parity): $159 billion.

Real GDP per capita (ppp): $9,200.

Main airports: La Aurora International Airport .

World heritage sites in Guatemala

There are over 1,100 world heritage sites spread across more than 165 countries. New ones are added every year, and some may be removed from the list for various reasons.

Number of UNESCO listed sites: 4.

Top world heritage sites:

- Antigua Guatemala.
- Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua.
- Tikal National Park. - National Archaeological Park Tak’alik Ab’aj.

Interesting facts about Guatemala

- Guatemala has over 30 volcanoes. If you climb up to an active volcano such as Pacaya Volcano, or Acatenango, you can witness red-hot lava up close.

- Guatemala has the deepest lake in Central America. Lake Atitlán of Guatemala holds a maximum depth of approximately 340 meters.

- The first mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site is in Guatemala. Tikal National Park passed both the natural and cultural criteria of the World Heritage properties.

- The top exports of the country are bananas, nutmeg, mace, cardamons, and coffee.

- Guatemala has a replica of Hobbiton called Hobbitenango, where you can feel like you are in a set of The Lord of the Rings.

Further reading: N/A.

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Guatemala Travel tips

More about Guatemala on Solo Female Travelers

Coming soon.

Did you spot any errors? We do our best to keep this information updated and accurate, but things change. If you saw anything that is not right, let us know so we can fix it: [email protected].

About the Solo Female Travel Safety Index

Safety matters to solo female travelers, you told us so in our annual Solo Female Travel Survey, where year after year, women prove that this is their most important concern when traveling solo.

We wanted to do something about it, so we built these country-specific pages where you can find reviews and scores for 7 key variables affecting the safety of women traveling solo.

How to use the Safety Index

On this page, you will find the country score and the personal opinions on safety of other women traveling solo.

You can sort the comments by:

• The level of experience traveling solo of the reviewer (beginner = <5 trips solo, Intermediate = 5 to 10 trips solo, Experienced = >10 trips solo).
• The age of the traveler.
• Whether they are a visitor or local.
• The date they were posted.

The safety scores range from 1 to 4 with 1 being the safest and 4 being the most dangerous for solo female travelers. 

Thus, the lower the score, the safer the country.

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Looking for more safety resources?

This entire website is devoted to helping women travel solo. Check out the links below to learn more:

Solo Female Travel Stats: Results from the the largest, most comprehensive and only global research study on solo female travel trends, preferences and behaviors published.

Thanks to Jacobo Vilella for creating the Solo Female Travelers Safety Index ❤️