{ "_license": "CC BY 4.0 — attribute SKETCH.WORLD (https://sketch.world) and link back if you use this data.", "_source": "https://sketch.world/guatemala", "iso2": "GT", "name": "Guatemala", "slug": "guatemala", "updatedAt": "2026-07-12T18:42:19.976Z", "score": 53, "verdict": "think-twice", "confidence": "high", "subscores": { "advisoryConsensus": 55.55555555555555, "political": 42.18341676888273, "policeTrust": 30.754520000000003, "health": 76, "crime": 53.2685465455898, "lgbtq": 90 }, "delta7d": 0, "advisories": { "disagreement": 1, "us": { "level": 3, "label": "Level 3: Reconsider Travel", "url": "https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/guatemala-travel-advisory.html" }, "uk": { "level": 2, "summary": "Normal precautions for most of the country; FCDO advises against travel to some regions.", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guatemala" }, "ca": { "level": 2, "label": "Exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories)", "url": "https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/guatemala" } }, "generated": true, "regionFlags": [], "health": { "notices": [ { "title": "Global Measles", "level": 1 } ], "vaccines": { "required": [], "recommended": [] }, "tapWater": "unknown" }, "entry": { "visaNote": "", "passportValidityMonths": 0, "sources": [] }, "scams": [], "laws": [], "streetWisdom": { "summary": "Travelers report significant health risks specifically associated with Lake Atitlan, where visitors frequently contract severe gastrointestinal illnesses like giardia despite taking standard precautions. While some travelers successfully navigate local food and street dishes, others experience debilitating sickness that requires anti-parasitic medication. Regarding physical safety, Guatemala City remains a high-risk area due to gang violence and declared states of siege. Travelers planning trips to Antigua, Flores, and the lake region generally focus on these health concerns rather than violent crime, though the lack of updated travel advisories during periods of civil unrest complicates decision-making for those already committed to their travel plans.", "quotes": [ { "text": "Just finishing up our trip now. We were careful but still got super sick at Lake Atitlan. 3 days of azithromycin did nothing, then we got some anti-parasitic medicine from the pharmacy that did work, so I think we had giardia or something similar.", "sub": "r/travel", "url": "https://old.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1sr68zf/guatemala_water_safety/" }, { "text": "We saw that the state of Guatemala recently issued a state of siege warning for gang violence in Guatemala City , and we are trying to figure out if it is still safe to travel to.", "sub": "r/travel", "url": "https://old.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1ql60yu/guatemala_safety/" }, { "text": "I've read that eating almost any produce could result in sickness or anything washed with the water could lead to illness as well. This seems like it would narrow down our options for food greatly and be pretty risky.", "sub": "r/travel", "url": "https://old.reddit.com/r/travel/comments/1btd8xr/question_guatemala_eating_safety_in_lake/" } ], "generatedAt": "2026-07-12" }, "localKnowledge": { "staySafe": [ { "text": "Guatemala has a reputation for being a dangerous country — a reputation that's not entirely unwarranted, but the average traveller should not be too overly concerned or cautious of their surroundings." }, { "text": "A lot of the crime is drug and gang related, which, to a significant extent, doesn't affect tourists that much." }, { "text": "Understand that Guatemala is still recovering from a brutal thirty-year civil war and the war has badly impacted Guatemalan society in many ways; many Guatemalans have been pushed into pover…" }, { "label": "Crime", "text": "Guatemala is one of the most criminalised countries in the world; therefore the crime rate is high." }, { "text": "As a visitor, you may instantly attract the attention of Guatemalan criminals because they normally assume that all foreign visitors are \"wealthy\"." }, { "text": "In the unlikely event you have been threatened by a robber, do not feel tempted to resist or fight back." } ], "stayHealthy": [ { "text": "Drink only purified water (Agua Pura Salvavidas is recommended by most of hospitals and hotels)." }, { "text": "The U.S. Centers for Disease Control states that malaria risk exists in rural areas at altitudes lower than 1,500 m, with no risk in Antigua or Lake Atitlán. Preventative anti-malarial medic…" }, { "text": "Dengue fever is endemic throughout Guatemala." }, { "text": "Hepatitis A&B vaccinations are recommended." } ], "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Guatemala" }, "recentHeadlines": [ { "title": " I saved £18k in seven months so I can travel the world - here how I did it ", "url": "https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/i-saved-18k-seven-months-34278685", "seenAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "title": "Guatemalan man arrested in connection to two decade old murder case", "url": "https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/guatemalan-man-arrested-connection-25-year-old-murder-case", "seenAt": "2026-07-11" }, { "title": "Canada IDB Guarantee : $200m to Mobilise $1bn for Latin America", "url": "https://www.riotimesonline.com/canada-idb-guarantee-guatemala-development-package-2026/", "seenAt": "2026-07-10" }, { "title": "DAILY Q & A : If you could travel anywhere in the world , where would you go ? ", "url": "https://www.wjhg.com/2026/07/09/daily-qa-if-you-could-travel-anywhere-world-where-would-you-go/", "seenAt": "2026-07-09" } ], "whatChanged": "Guatemala holds a 53/100 sketch score today, with the US government advising you to reconsider travel at level 3 while the UK and Canada remain at level 2. Watch for the global measles health notice.", "practical": { "plug": [ "A", "B" ], "voltage": 120, "drivingSide": "right", "emergency": { "police": "110", "ambulance": "122 CBV (national) 123 CBM (municipal lo", "fire": "122 CBV (national) 123 CBM (municipal lo" }, "simAdvice": "", "cashVsCard": "", "tipping": "" }, "lgbtqLegal": { "status": "legal", "summary": "Legal since 1871+ UN decl. sign.", "sourceUrl": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_by_country_or_territory" }, "receipts": [ { "sourceId": "us-state", "url": "https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/guatemala-travel-advisory.html", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "uk-fcdo", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/guatemala", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "ca-gac", "url": "https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/guatemala", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "worldbank-political", "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/all/indicator/GOV_WGI_PV.EST?format=json&date=2024&per_page=300", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "worldbank-policeTrust", "url": "https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/all/indicator/GOV_WGI_RL.EST?format=json&date=2024&per_page=300", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "cdc-health", "url": "https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/level1/measles-globe", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "wikivoyage", "url": "https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Guatemala", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "gdelt", "url": "https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/guatemalan-man-arrested-connection-25-year-old-murder-case", "observedAt": "2026-07-11" }, { "sourceId": "reddit", "url": "https://old.reddit.com/r/travel/", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "unodc", "url": "https://data.unodc.org/datareport/hom-victim", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "acled-hdx", "url": "https://data.humdata.org/organization/acled", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" }, { "sourceId": "lgbtq-legal-wikipedia", "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBTQ_rights_by_country_or_territory", "observedAt": "2026-07-12" } ] }