When is the best time to visit Guatemala?

Guatemala's high season runs from the start of November to the end of April

Guatemala can be visited year-round although, invariably, certain times of year are more favourable for travel than others.

As with most of the surrounding region, Guatemala’s high season broadly runs from the start of November to the end of April. During these winter months, the weather is drier than the summer months which run from May through October.

However, although temperatures in Guatemala do vary between summer and winter, the principal difference is determined by altitude.

While the largely flat, northern province of Peten is only slightly above sea-level, much of the rest of Guatemala is located within mountainous highlands where the altitude seldom dips below 5,000 feet.

So, while Peten is pretty much permanently hot, the weather in much of the rest of the country is almost late spring-like, warm to hot during the daytime and cool in the evenings.

Although rain is not uncommon during the dry season and it doesn’t rain all the time during the wet season, unlike certain countries where the rain is just disappointing, remoter parts of Guatemala are either simply not worth visiting or difficult to access due to poor road conditions.

So, while the key tourist destinations can be visited year-round, if you’re planning on taking to the road less travelled, you will probably want to limit yourself to travel between November and May.

However, if you decide or need to travel during the summer months, one positive meteorological consequence of travelling then is that, because Guatemala is in the northern hemisphere, the days are longer.

A final, and no less important consideration, relates to crowds and pricing. As with pretty much anywhere one travels, high season means bigger crowds and higher prices with hotel rates in the high season often being double those for travel in May, June, September & October.

Due to higher demand, and a scarcity of accommodation, clients looking to travel during the high season (and especially Christmas, New Year & Easter) should book as far in advance as possible.