Guatemala - first time entering

We entered Guatemala via the Corinto border crossing, which was reasonable easy to reach from San Pedro Sula. The crossing itself was not too bad, just the usual waiting for the car to be let in. They put a fancy little blue sticker on the windshield to make it easier for the road patrols to not be worried about us. Or so we thought. After about 500 meters we were stopped for a check that all paperwork was in order, and the police man wished us happy travels and we were off. Nature changed completely after the border. No mountains, no valleys - just a lot of lush greenery and rolling hills. Softer, more humid, and with a feeling to it that it is wealthier.

In order to sort out once and for all that the ferry crossing from Guatemala to the south of Belize is only for passengers (no cars!!) we headed for Puerto Barrios. That turned out to be like a huge parking space for trucks, and nothing much else. There are no possibilities to get a car on the ferry! And there is only one road in - which is the same one road out. With all the trucks there were several accidents and holdups and we felt that it would have been better never to go there. We drove on after two nights, to get to the area of Tikal, around the lake Lago Petén Itzá. We spent a night in San Luis on the way. The dinner was fancy, and the accommodation was the cheapest so far - US$25 for the night (no breakfast).

You can see some photos below from the accommodation we stayed at by Lago Petén Itzá. As it is possible to drive around the lake we went to Santa Elena and crossed the bridge to Las Flores, the island in the lake. There has been so much rain in the area that there is an area of about 2-3 meters wide where everything is flooded. Piers and car parks are under water; in fact it has caused a lot of problems for the locals.

One whole day was dedicated to the Mayan ruins in Parque Nacional Tikal. It has its own post.

After six nights in Guatemala we headed for Belize.