Guatemala is one of those countries that is severely underrated as a travel destination. We arrived here a few weeks ago and our experience here has been nothing short of mind blowing! After we got out of the fairly crazy Guatemala City we ended up in our AirBNB in Antigua. We spend our days walking down cobblestone streets surrounded by beautiful volcanoes, one of which is in an active eruption phase! There is incredible food, culture, nature, and a ton of other experiences worth trying out. My Spanish is improving a lot here too because Guatemalans have a very clear and easy to understand accent. Furthermore, Guatemala used to be the seat of power for the Mayan civilization. If you are into history and architecture you could spend a lifetime here checking out ancient ruins and immersing yourself in colorful Mayan culture.
Guatemala does not have any embassy or consulate in India. As such, it would be difficult to get a visa for Guatemala in India. However, they operate a very beneficial visa exemption system based on other visas that you might have. If you have a valid USA, Canadian, or Schengen visa in your passport you can enter Guatemala for tourism with a 90 day stamp, no questions asked. The Indian Embassy in Guatemala provides the same information:
Indian travelers holding valid USA, Canada or Schengen Visa in their passports do not need to apply for Guatemalan Visa.
We flew in here from Puerto Rico on American Airlines. At check-in, the airline did ask us for a ticket out of Guatemala so it might bode well for you if you have a refundable ticket booked in advance. We had a return leg already booked to New York after a few weeks so I just mentioned that.
Once we arrived at the airport there was an arrival immigration form to fill. The immigration officer asked to see my US visa and then stamped my passport with a 90 day entry stamp. It was that simple. No other questions asked. The immigration form does ask for an address in Guatemala so you should have at least your first hotel stay or AirBNB booked in advance.
If you are an Indian with a valid USA, Canada or Schengen Visa, I would definitely recommend taking the time to visit Guatemala. It’s an extremely rewarding and beautiful country to visit. Furthermore, it’s definitely one of the most affordable Central American countries with some of the friendliest people we have ever met while traveling!
This trip was originally published on 'Backpack Me'.