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Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
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Clarendon War Memorial.
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This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
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All Guatemala

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Guatemala

26 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Guatemala

Updated March 7, 2023

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Cities

Rusty wrecks in Tikal
Tikal
Guatemala City
The top of the brightly colored church
Quetzaltenango
Colors of Chichiastenango
Chichicastenango
Casa Popeno’s main garden
Antigua
Attractions
Food & Drink
Map
Leaderboards
Stories

Unusual Attractions in Guatemala

Semuc Champey

Guatemala

Semuc Champey

Hidden deep in the Guatemalan jungle is a turquoise paradise of natural pools, caves, and waterfalls.
The heated lava rocks bake the pizza.

San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala

Pizza Pacaya

For this chef, an active volcano is his oven.
Colors of Chichiastenango

Chichicastenango, Guatemala

Chichicastenango Cemetery

One of the world’s most colorful cemeteries, where each pigment is symbolic.

Zunil, Guatemala

Las Fuentes Georginas

Volcanically heated hot springs.
La Danta pokes above the tree line.

Guatemala

La Danta

One of the world's largest pyramids stands within El Mirador, the "lost city of the Maya."
Templos de dos torres gemelas.

Guatemala

Mixco Viejo (Jilotepeque Viejo)

A ruined Maya city that suffered a years-long case of mistaken identity.
Rusty wrecks in Tikal

Tikal, Guatemala

Archaeologists' Abandoned Camp

The remnants of an archaeological camp stand within Tikal National Park.
Sunrise over Atitlán.

Guatemala

Lago de Atitlán

Central America's deepest lake is actually a volcanic caldera, surrounded by three volcanoes.
See All 26 Things To Do in Guatemala

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Guatemala

The heated lava rocks bake the pizza.

San Vicente Pacaya, Guatemala

Pizza Pacaya

For this chef, an active volcano is his oven.
Casa Popeno’s main garden

Antigua, Guatemala

Casa Popenoe

This restored colonial house was once home to the botanist responsible for bringing avocados to the U.S.
The plaque was presented by California Avocado Society in 1946.

Antigua, Guatemala

California Avocado Plaque

Believe it or not, the now-ubiquitous California avocado originated in Guatemala.
In partnership with KAYAK

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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Explore Guatemala

26
Mayan 6
Geology 5
Volcanoes 5
Ancient 5
Ruins 4
Plants 4
Food 3
Cultures And Civilizations 3
Archaeology 3
Temples 3
Water 3
Flora 3

Guatemala Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. serflac
    3
  2. rudygiron
    2
  3. richstaab
    2
  4. Monsieur Mictlan
    2
  5. kondorqueen
    1
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Guatemala.

Places Edited

  1. rudygiron
    6
  2. Erin Everywhere
    6
  3. kostas1964ath
    4
  4. aribrown
    4
  5. linkogecko
    3
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Improve the Atlas with edits and photos.

Places Visited

  1. From the Backwoods
    17
  2. Fersemiurbano
    17
  3. ric0
    15
  4. rlizamah
    14
  5. JimmySilva
    13

Recent Guatemala Activity

  • hgp03md

    wants to go to Chapel of El Rey San Pascual

    3 days ago
  • aleksandra32

    has been to California Avocado Plaque

    2 days ago
  • aleksandra32

    has been to Casa Popenoe

    2 days ago
  • aleksandra32

    wants to go to Galería Maya Pop Wuj

    2 days ago
  • niamhmurphy1993

    wants to go to Pinula Aqueduct

    1 day ago

Stories About Guatemala

Pure 100-percent cacao is bitter and only slightly sweet.

The Surprisingly Sacred Roots of Chocolate

Among the Maya, cacao has served as a powerful symbol from womb to tomb.
by Sam O'Brien
February 14, 2023
Chicken buses are old American school buses fixed up and turned into public transportation in Central America. Here, they wait for passengers in Antigua, Guatemala.

Guatemala's Tricked-Out 'Chicken Buses' Have Lots of Stories to Tell

These old American school buses are a fixture of daily life across Central America.
by Megan Janetsky
February 4, 2022
David García checks a pizza he is cooking on a Pacaya lava river in May, 2021.

At Pizza Pacaya, the Oven Is an Active Volcano

Chef David García’s secret ingredient is lava.
by María Paula Rubiano A.
June 4, 2021
Sofia Ixcot Xivir’s mountainous town of Zunil, near Quetzaltenango.

Identity, Community, and Defiance, All Woven Into a Blouse

In Guatemala, to wear a huipil is to represent millennia of Maya history.
by Jenny Gustafsson
May 6, 2019
The vessel is now in the collection of the Museo Nacional de Arqueología y Etnología in Guatemala.

Archaeologists, Mayanists, and Hershey’s Collaborated to Reveal This Ancient Vessel’s Secrets

Both the inside and outside spelled out chocolate.
by Anne Ewbank
February 21, 2019
The pyramid atop 5D-33 is long gone.

Archaeologists Dismantled a Maya Pyramid in Guatemala and Never Put It Back Together

They tore it down in the 1960s to solve the puzzle below.
by Jessica Leigh Hester
February 14, 2019
Local women holding rubber bags.

How a Guatemalan Town Tackled Its Plastic Problem

In San Pedro La Laguna, single-use items made from plastic and styrofoam are banned.
by Lola Méndez
January 3, 2019
Home damage caused by Hurricane Stan.

How a Hurricane Prompted Guatemala to Prioritize Land Preservation

Hurricane Stan hit 13 years ago today.
by Evan Nicole Brown
October 3, 2018

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