Love It There Podcast Episode 57: Guatemala

Your favorite sister duo chats with our guest about traveling to Guatemala as a solo female traveler. She gives her top recommendations for budget hostels (think glamping, saunas, and views of active volcanoes from your bed!), must-do activities (like cliff jumping, hiking, and yoga classes). She tells the story of how she found a local to teach her tz’utujil, the ancient Mayan language still spoken in parts of Guatemala. She shares her regrets and what she learned from her solo travels. By the end of the episode, you’ll be planning your own solo travel adventure, and likely to Guatemala! Guatemala Recommendations: Antigua - Acatenango and Fuego hike (Soy Tours), Museo Nacional de Arte Guatemalteco (MUNAG), GuruWalk tour, Chicken Bus Tour, Casi Casa Hostel El Paredon (beach town) - Cocori Lodge, Caracola Boutique Hostel Lago de Atitlán - Locutor Jeremias Hernandez for Spanish or tz’utujil class; cliff jumping and yoga retreat at San Marcos, La Iguana Perdida and Free Cerveza Hostels Flores - Tikal National Park (biggest Mayan ruin complex) El Mirador - biggest pyramid in the world by volume Food - Tostadas, pupusas, atole, street food next to La Iglesia de la Merced in Antigua Semuc Champey Nature Preserve Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:15 Costa Rica vs Guatemala Comparison 03:11 Guest Introduction 04:11 Solo Traveling and Safety in Guatemala 10:01 Cities to Visit 12:47 Acatenango and Fuego Hike 19:18 Mayan Culture, Spanish and Tz'utujil Classes 25:42 Tikal and Lake Atitlán Cliff Jumping 27:08 GuruWalk and Chicken Bus Tours in Antigua 30:48 Hostel Recommendations 38:11 Guatemalan Food 40:59 Benefit of Knowing Spanish 43:27 Semuc Champey Nature Preserve and Yoga Retreat 44:45 Overall Thoughts on Guatemala 46:13 Upcoming Travel Plans 47:33 Inspiration to Solo Travel