We'll make the "ruta maya" this summer and so we plan to visit Guatemala for about two weeks. We're a family with 2 kids (7 and 5 years old) so we limit to the highligts : from San Cristobal to lake Atitlan - Chichicastenango - Antigua + Tikal with domestic airplane. But now I read a lot of very bad reviews in different travel forums about the situation in Guatemala. The general situation (violence, attacks, crimes against tourists) seems go worst and worst, especially in these tourist areas that we plan to visit. I have seen the same advices in the official web pages for travelers of various countries (US, UK, France, ...). So I precise that I'm well an independant traveller but not a hero, especially when travelling with my family. So do you think it's actually a good idea to go to Guate or it's beter to stay in Mexico and Belize an visit Guate an other time ?
Just where are these places you refer to and how old are the reports? Crimes against tourists are way down and tourism is well up there. I would mostly stay away from walking around of Guate's Zona 1 at night, but the Zona Viva (10) is fine.
It would not be a good idea to wander sround drunk anywhere, including Guatemala. If I were taking a nap on a Guatemalan bus, I would still want to cable lock my already locked pack onto something solid above me. Most crimes are ones of opportunity.
There are some Guatemalan crimes against tourists in Belize, though. Apparently getting to Calakmul can get dicey.
Yes, I was not saying that there aren't any crimes there. There are, but they seem to pale in comparison with the past. However, most of the old stories act as if things are still the same and government warning websites change but little over time.
