The Pacific Lowlands: Places to Explore

"Ghastly" and "exhaust-ridden" are two of the terms travelers use to describe the region's largest city. If you're negotiating the Pacific lowlands by transportation, you'll likely pass through this hub... Read more

Look up "laid-back beach town" in the dictionary, and you just might find a picture of Monterrico, the only town in the country with such a vibe. Don't expect Puerto Vallarta, but Monterrico is a wonderful... Read more

Guatemala's oldest port dates from 1853, its construction spurred by the then-nascent coffee trade. Its importance has been eclipsed since the 1980s by the more modern Puerto Quetzal, next door to the... Read more

Guatemala has some pretty complex place names, but no one even bothers trying to pronounce this one. It's ray-tahl-hoo-LAY-oo if you care to venture a try—that means "sign of hollows in the earth"—but... Read more

Tidy, prosperous Santa Lucía Cotzumalguapa is the town that sugar built. The small city is worth a stop to visit a couple of lesser-known indigenous ruins. Several nearby rivers also put Santa Lucía... Read more