Guatemala’s natural landscapes of lush rainforests, stunning lakes, and impressive volcanoes make an adventurous road trip through the country extremely appealing. However, successfully navigating those winding mountain passes and remote rural routes requires careful preparation and defensive driving.
Rent a Capable Rental Car
An SUV or 4×4 vehicle with high clearance can best handle Guatemala’s often uneven
terrain. During our month-long road trip, we rented from Alamo Guatemala and were very impressed by their customer service and affordable pricing compared to other major rental companies. We used 4×4 three or four times during our adventures. However, the more important feature of the SUV was the high ground clearance. Potholes, speed bumps and deteriorated roads are extremely common no matter the area you are exploring.
Use Reliable Maps Applications
While Google Maps works well for most journeys, we found Waze to be far superior for navigating congested Guatemala City thanks to its clear lane guidance and real-time traffic updates. Numerous Guatemalan residents themselves name Waze as the most trustworthy maps app in the country. There were a number of times that we started with Google Maps and ended up switching to Waze – and a few that we wished he had!
Driving is no joke in Guatemala
Between narrow village streets and precarious mountain passes, maintaining complete alertness and caution becomes critical. There’s no autopilot stay in your lane, put on make up, eat a sandwich and change the radio station driving! Fully engaged driving all the time is required. Some say it’s too crazy and too dangerous. For some it may be and if you’re used to only partially paying attention when driving then it probably is. But if you’ve driven in other countries and are a strong defensive driver you’ll do fine!
Watch for unmarked speed bumps called “tumulos” which can seriously damage vehicles or your head if you fly over one without slowing down. Expect extremely tight squeezes requiring folded side mirrors when passing buses and delivery trucks along remote roads. The endless switchbacks winding through the Guatemalan highlands also make for challenging, nausea-inducing driving conditions. Road quality varies tremendously from smooth, newly paved highways to barely passable rocky dirt tracks filled with craters.
2 Keys to know for every drive
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- Gas stations are readily available nationwide but fuel prices may run higher in rural areas. We were surprised at how frequent we found gas stations even in remote areas. Note that full service is mandatory.
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- Frequent road construction causes extensive delays – They will shut the road down to work on it at any time of the day. Typically they will let people pass in one direction at the top of the hour and then they will allow the other direction to pass. Just plan on having to wait, sometimes it will be 15 minutes and other times it can easily be an hour.
With a rugged rental vehicle, reliable navigation tools, defensive driving habits, and a little advanced research, a road trip across Guatemala offers what we would describe as a fun way to experience its striking landscapes at your own pace.
