From the thick tropical rainforest of the northern Peten region, to the volcanic landscapes of the western highlands, and from the ornate colonial architecture of Antigua to the colourful markets and traditional villages around Lake Atitlan, Guatemala is bursting with travel photography opportunities.
In fact it was precisely this that drew me to visit the country. I’d seen so many inspirational pictures of Guatemala, of erupting volcanos, towering ancient temples peeking out of the jungle, and smiling locals in colourful dress, that I needed to visit and photograph it for myself.
And so earlier this year I rented out my flat, packed my camera gear and one 65-litre backpack, and embarked on a 3-month adventure to travel around Guatemala and photograph its people and places.
Note: these Guatemala pictures are not free to use. If you wish to licence any of the images you see on this site for use in your own projects, please contact me. If you’d like to buy prints, you can find my print shop here, and if there’s an image of Guatemala you like that’s not there, get in touch and I can add it.
Taking Pictures Of Guatemala
It might sound like a crazy idea: Guatemala doesn’t have a great reputation for safety, and I was a solo woman with a heavy bag full of expensive camera equipment. Many of Guatemala’s most incredible landscapes require at least a long and bumpy bus journey – and often several hours’ steep hiking – to get to.
And the people, while polite and friendly, are notoriously camera-shy. Getting their permission to take portraits wasn’t going to be easy.
But over the course of three months I gradually found my confidence. And as my rusty Spanish slowly came back, I was able to chat to people and win their trust. The result is a portfolio of some of my finest travel photography work, which I hope you will enjoy, and which may even inspire you to visit Guatemala yourself.
1/ Pig sellers, Chichicastenango
Chichicastenango is home to a famous weekly market that’s said to be one of largest and most colourful in Central America. Most visitors go there on a day trip, but I was so excited to photograph it that I decided to arrive the night before, so I could have more time to explore before the crowds arrived.
I got up at 6 am and went to take pictures in the colourful cemetery before the market got going. The light was dull and murky so I only took a few before giving up. As I wandered out of the cemetery gates, I spotted a small area where people were gathering to sell pigs.
I was very nervous that they wouldn’t be comfortable with me taking photos, so I hung around for a bit with my camera clearly visible around my neck and said hello to a few people. No one seemed to be bothered by my presence, so I started taking photos.
The result was one of my favourite Guatemala images. I love the composition of the ladies looking out to the left with their pigs on strings. Sadly the future is not so bright for these little piggies, but I think they will probably have a better life than the ones that end up on most tables in Europe, China or the US.
Read more: Chichicastenango Market in Guatemala: A Photo Guide
2/ Volcan de Fuego erupting
Guatemala has 37 volcanos, but by far the most thrilling is Fuego, which (at the time of writing at least) is in constant eruption, blowing out hot lava and smoke about every 15-30 minutes.
To see it, you need to hike for four hours up to a base camp on the side of the volcano next door, Acatenango, from where you get a front row seat to the action. After the strenuous hike carrying a heavy backpack, I set up my camera and tripod and waited in the freezing night air with numb fingers and toes long after everyone else had gone to bed.
This was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire Guatemala photography adventure. I was quite stressed at the time because it’s a strenuous hike, and taking photos of an erupting volcano at night is harder than it looks. But looking back on it, it’s hard to believe I spent a night watching an exploding volcano. What an incredible privilege!
This image, and several of my other Guatemala volcano photos, was published in The Great Outdoors Magazine.
Read more: The Thrilling Volcan De Acatenango Hike In Antigua Guatemala
3/ Weaver and her nephew, San Juan La Laguna
During my stay in Guatemala I spent some time volunteering as a photographer with Trama Textiles, a non-profit co-operative that works with weavers in the highlands. They took me to photograph some of the women they work with, including this lady, Francisca Cumpar González.
Weaving is one of the most important cultural industries in Guatemala. Maya women use small backstrap looms to create beautiful colourful fabrics which they then turn into tops, skirts, home decorations, bags and more. They can do it from home, and its flexibility and popularity allows women to support themselves and their families.
If you visit Guatemala, don’t leave without buying some of the gorgeous woven textiles. Though you don’t have to go all that way to get your hands on them – Trama have plenty for sale on their website.
4/ Temple V, Tikal
Tikal is one of the most famous sites in Guatemala, and for good reason. This was once one of the biggest and most powerful cities in the Maya civilisation, home to an estimated 50,000 people.
Today its magnificent temples still stand tall amongst the lush jungle of northern Guatemala. It’s an incredible sight to behold as you wander the shady forest paths and then suddenly stumble upon an enormous pyramid!
In 2021 I made a film about the Maya, called Lost Tombs of the Maya. At the height of the pandemic I was supposed to travel to Tikal to film it, but just 10 days before the shoot I caught Covid and couldn’t go. It was this huge disappointment that inspired my 3-month pilgrimage this year to finally go and see the places I missed.
Temple V was the temple that we chose to feature on the title card for the film, so it was one of the temples I was most determined (and excited) to see when I finally made it to Tikal a year later. I’m so happy I finally get to add it to my collection of beautiful pictures of Guatemala!
5/ Worshippers, Cerro Quemado, Xela
Cerro Quemado is a plateau on the extinct volcano Almolonga, just outside the city of Xela in Guatemala‘s western highlands.
It’s one of Guatemala’s most holy places for the Maya people. Every day they come from all over the region on a pilgrimage to pray and make offerings of flowers to the gods. So one Sunday I and a few friends joined them to see what was going on.
Sunday is the busiest day, and there were several hundred people carefully making their way up the steep path, clambering over boulders in skirts or smart suits, business shoes and even flipflops!
People come to give thanks or pray for specific things, like the health of a relative, or success in their business or love.
Many of them were happy to chat to me and to let me take their photos. Pedro Ávila y Juan Ruiz, pictured above, are from a town called Cubulco in the Baja Verapaz region. They had to get up at 1 am to come here, and this is their first visit.
Read more: Cerro Quemado in Guatemala: The Volcano Where People Talk To The Gods
6/ Semuc Champey
Semuc Champey is a 300m long limestone bridge over the rushing waters of the River Cahabón in central Guatemala. It’s topped with clear turquoise pools that are amazing for swimming in.
This isn’t a drone photo. To get it, I had to hike for half an hour steeply uphill through the humid and sweaty jungle to reach this viewpoint.
It was worth the effort though – not only for the fabulous view, but also because this Guatemala image was featured as a double-page spread in a recent issue of National Geographic Traveller Magazine.
Read more: Semuc Champey Guatemala: All You Need To Know Before You Go
7/ Colourful ‘chicken’ buses, Minerva Terminal, Xela
Chicken buses are former US school buses that are no longer considered good (or safe!) enough to be used in the USA. They ship them to Guatemala, cut them in half, take out a few rows so they can fit round Guatemala’s bendy mountain roads, stick them back together again, and then pimp them out with bright paintwork, chrome and accessories.
They may look fun and they are great for photographs, but the drivers drive like lunatics and obviously there are no seatbelts or any other safety features!
They’re super cool to look at though, so to photograph them I went to the Minerva central bus station in Xela, which is probably the craziest and most colourful place in the city. I was a bit nervous about being there by myself with my camera, but it turns out all the bus workers are incredibly fun and friendly, and many of them wanted to pose for photos!
Read more: The Expert Guide To Xela Guatemala: Things To See And Do
8/ Sunset, Flores
The city of Flores is clustered on a tiny island in the middle of Lake Peten Itza in the north of Guatemala. As well as being a cute and safe place to walk around, and the best place to base yourself for visits to the Maya ruins at Tikal and Yaxhá, it was also home to the best sunsets I saw during my time in Guatemala.
The Isla de Flores has a promenade that runs all the way round the island, and from here you can pick up a lancha (small boat) to do trips across the lake. In the evenings, people gather in the lakefront bars and restaurants to grab a drink and watch the sun go down, and for me it was the perfect place to stroll with my camera and capture the glorious colours.
Read more: A Colourful Guide To Flores Guatemala: Gateway To The Maya World
9/ Security guard, Livingston
Livingston was a real turning point in my Guatemala photography journey. Up to that point, I’d been very nervous about getting my camera out in public, afraid of drawing attention to myself or getting robbed.
But when I found myself with five hours to kill in the small Caribbean coastal town of Livingston with nothing to do, I had no choice but to squash my fear and get out there with my camera to see what I could find to photograph.
And what I found was a community of friendly people who weren’t remotely threatening, but instead were friendly and happy to chat and let me take photos.
This security guard is called Willy. He told me his uniform is very hot and he sweats a lot because the bullet-proof vest is very heavy and the weather on Guatemala’s Caribbean coast is very humid.
Read more: Livingston Guatemala: A Photo Guide To This Quirky Caribbean Town
10/ The Yellow Church at San Andres Xecul
San Andres Xecul is a tiny little town near Xela that very few tourists go to, but it has one remarkable sight: this incredible brightly-decorated yellow church that makes an iconic photo of Guatemala.
In Guatemala religion is a fascinating mix of Maya and Catholic traditions, and few places exemplify that better than this fabulous building, which is a Catholic church but decorated with imagery from both Christian and Maya cultures.
It’s worth making the journey just to see this fantastically colourful building, and the views from the nearby hilltop viewpoint are amazing too.
Read more: Visiting San Andres Xecul, Guatemala: Home Of The Famous Yellow Church
11/ Weaver, San Antonio Palopó
Marta Perez Dias, 63, is another of the weavers whom I was introduced to through my work with Trama Textiles. She and her family live in the tiny town of San Antonio Palopó on Lake Atitlán eastern shore, where they weave fabrics for sale in the markets and through Trama’s online shop.
In Maya weaving culture every town has its own designs and colours, and Marta is wearing the blue and purple shades that identify her as being from San Antonio Palopó. She showed me how she uses an old-fashioned spinning wheel to wind the freshly-dyed thread onto a reel, which is then woven into fabric on a foot-powered loom (which you can see behind her).
This image was part of a photo story about Lake Atitlan that appeared in National Geographic Traveller Magazine.
Read more: Ethical Travel Photography: How To Capture With A Conscience
12/ Tourists, Panajachel
One of the most famous places to visit in Guatemala is Lake Atitlán. It’s a picturesque lake surrounded by three volcanos and about a dozen small towns, each with its own style and character. Panajachel (known as Pana for short) is the main hub, with loads of transport links, hostels, shops, bars and restaurants.
Some of the other towns are prettier, but Pana is well set up for tourists, and the waterfront is great for people watching. I enjoyed spending time observing visitors posing for photos inside this big branded giant heart – they’ve really caught onto the Instagram vibe here, which makes this one of my most fun Guatemala pics!
Read more: Lake Atitlan For Beginners: How To Visit Guatemala’s #1 Spot
13/ Rainbow Pier, El Remate
Sticking with the Instagram theme, here’s another, this time from 200 miles away in El Remate in the northern Petén region.
El Remate is a tiny village on Lake Petén Itzá, about 45 minutes by bus from the town of Flores. I had a spare day in Flores, so I decided to hop on a public bus to El Remate to explore by myself.
But when I got to the bus station I met a lovely French couple who had decided to do the same thing, so happily I had company for my little excursion.
There isn’t a great deal to do in El Remate, but like in Panajachel they are very clued up to the Insta trends, so there are loads of cute painted piers and backgrounds to pose for photos (many of which charge a small fee for the privilege).
This one was my favourite – I love the rustic thatched huts and the candy-striped colours!
Read more: Crater Azul: Swimming In Guatemala’s Gorgeous Blue Crater
14/ Alfombras and Corpus Christi Procession, Xela
Corpus Christi is a Catholic holiday that celebrates their belief in the real presence of the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist.
In Guatemala they mark the day by creating beautiful ‘alfombras’, carpets made out of coloured sawdust decorated with Catholic and Maya religious symbols.
Members of different church groups come together early in the morning to build these intricate works of art in the street around the main square. After the 12 noon service in the cathedral, the clergy process round the square, walking on the ‘carpets’ that have been created especially for them.
Read more: Alfombras In Guatemala: A Guide To The Colourful Sawdust Carpets
15/ Tortilla makers, Chichicastenango
Not everyone at the famous market in Chichicastenango was happy to have their photo taken, but I found that if I spent a bit of of time chatting to people before asking for one, many were very friendly and happily agreed.
I spent about 10 minutes watching Maria, Michaela, Juanita and Rafaela making traditional tortillas by hand – rolling the dough into balls and then flattening it between their palms before cooking it on a flat griddle.
16/ Main street, San Juan La Laguna
This might be one of the most photographed streets in Guatemala. It’s the main street in San Juan La Laguna, on Lake Atitlan, and as you can see, it’s lovingly decorated with colourful houses and hanging ornaments. In fact the entire town is like this, painted from top to toe with creative street art.
Each town on Lake Atitlan has its own style and vibe. San Juan, ‘the arty town’, was my favourite – I liked it so much I went back there three times.
17/ Market trader, San Francisco El Alto
I love photographing markets, so whenever there’s an opportunity to visit one, I’m there! I was particularly keen to visit the market at San Francisco el Alto, a small town in the Guatemalan highlands that’s famous for its weekly market that takes over the entire town.
I made a beeline for the livestock section, where I spent a brilliant couple of hours photographing people selling cows, pigs, puppies and kittens.
Faustina is selling this cow for 2000 GTQ, which is about £200 or $260.
Read more: 13 Top Tips For Taking Great Travel Photos Of Markets
18/ Weaver and her daughter, Santa Catarina Palopó
While wandering the back streets of Santa Catarina Palopó with my camera, looking for people to photograph, I glanced into a side courtyard and saw Maria González Tax, weaving, accompanied by her 4-year-old daughter Micaela.
I asked if I could come in and see what she was doing and she kindly agreed. I chatted to her about her work and took loads of photos – she told me she is weaving a huipil (traditional Maya blouse) for herself in the town colours and designs.
She works on it for about 6 hours a day. Each day she can complete about 8 rows and it will take her around 5 months to finish the entire thing. She’s keeping this one, but if she sold it it would cost about 1500 GTQ (about £150 or $195).
19/ Pigs for sale, Chichicastenango Market
This photo was taken in the same place as image #1 above and is another of my favourites.
Although it’s quite a simple image there’s a lot going on here: the fan of colourful strings, the way the man is clearly straining to stop the pigs from pulling away, and of course the determined expression on the subject’s face. It almost feels like the start of a story…
20/ Market trader, Sololá
Another market picture – I just can’t get enough of them!
This one was taken in the small town of Sololá near Lake Atitlán, where, every Tuesday and Friday, there’s a big market covering four storeys where you can buy just about anything from meat and veg to clothes and homewares.
It was my first attempt at market photography in Guatemala and it was extremely challenging, so much so that I nearly gave up. The light was rubbish (it was very dark inside!) and many people were extremely camera shy.
But I persevered, taking the time to look around and chat to the vendors before asking for photos, and although lots of them were not keen on me and my camera, I did eventually find several who were kind enough to let me photograph them.
Read more: The Colourful Market In Solola Guatemala: A Photo Guide
21/ Family photo, Xela
Quetzaltenango (known locally as Xela, pronounced Shey-la), is Guatemala’s second largest city, and the place I was based for two months during my stay in Guatemala.
It’s quite a small city with a population of around 200,000 and it’s not touristy at all – I only ever saw a tiny handful of other non-locals around.
Shortly after I arrived, I decided to go for a wander with my camera to take some photos of the city’s main landmarks and the people I saw. I was very nervous about flashing my camera about, but I knew if I wanted to get good images I needed to be brave! And in the middle of the day with plenty of other people around, I decided there wasn’t too much risk.
I spent some time in front of the theatre, taking photos of people and pigeons. I particularly like this colourful family group, and the way the fluttering birds almost make a frame around them.
22/ Woodworker, Santiago Atitlán
Santiago Atitlan on Lake Atitlan is known for its woodworkers who create gorgeous handmade souvenirs and toys. So I went there to try to photograph one or two.
At first I struggled because all the shops I went into told me that their products were made in workshops further out of town. But then one woman directed me down a side street where she said I could find a workshop I might be able to photograph. So I trustingly went off, a lone woman, DSLR in hand, down this narrow, empty alley…
It could have gone very wrong! But instead I found Nicolas Ratzan, a woodworker at the Taller Sojuel wood carving studio. Although he was slightly bemused at the random gringa wandering in with a camera, he could not have been more welcoming. He happily answered all my questions and posed for loads of photos.
I love this one, and the way everything – including Nicolas, his hands, face and hair – is covered with a mist of sawdust.
Read more: Guatemala People: 30 Portraits Of Guatemalans That Show Their Rich Culture
23/ Antigua Guatemala and Volcan de Agua
This one’s a bit more of a classic view – not quite the commonly-seen image of Antigua with the yellow Santa Catalina arch, but an iconic view nonetheless, of the colonial city with the towering Volcan de Agua in the background.
As you may have spotted by now, most of my favourite images happen when I’m actively wandering with my camera looking for opportunities, and this one was no different. I’d spent a full morning taking photos around the city streets and I happened upon a bar that advertised a rooftop terrace, so I went up to see what the views were like.
There aren’t really any properly tall buildings in Antigua, but this at least gave me a new angle, and I was lucky to get a clear day without the volcano covered in cloud.
Read more: 28 Tried And Tested Things To Do In Antigua Guatemala
24/ Maya shaman, Chichicastenango
The main Catholic church in Chichicastenango is said to have been built on the sacred site of an old Maya temple. So today, it’s a holy place for both Christians and Maya alike, and the only place in Guatemala where Maya are allowed to perform their religious ceremonies in what is officially a Catholic place of worship.
If you go inside the church there are areas for Maya prayer, but you will also often see Maya shamans burning incense and performing rituals on the front steps as well.
25/ Sunset over the ruins at Yaxhá
Yaxhá is less well known than the famous Maya city of Tikal, but it’s another incredible Maya site and definitely worth a visit if you have time.
Without so many crowds, you’re free to wander through the jungle, discovering hidden ruins and spotting howler and spider monkeys swinging through the treetops above your head.
I took an afternoon tour, which meant that at the end of the day we were able to climb the tallest temple and watch the sunset over the lagoon – a truly magical experience.
Read more: Yaxha Guatemala: The Magical Mayan Ruins You Need To Visit
26/ Quetzal, Santiago Atitlán
The resplendent quetzal is the national bird of Guatemala. You see it everywhere: in street art, in shops, on the designs of scarves and tops, and even on the bank notes. So it’s probably no surprise that I wanted to see one in the flesh.
They’re quite hard to spot as they live in fairly remote jungle areas, and when I went it wasn’t breeding season, making it even harder to find one. So I took an early morning tour with an expert local guide, and hoped for the best!
And luckily enough, after several hours of hiking through the cloud forest, we spotted one!
It was a very brief sighting and the bird was quite far away so I only managed to get two photos. So while this might not be the best Guatemala photo I’ve taken, it still makes this list because it’s so significant!
Read more: How To See The Resplendent Quetzal Bird In Guatemala
27/ Men in traditional dress, Sololá
In Solola some of the men still wear fabulous traditional dress with embroidered trousers and cowboy hats. They look so awesome I was desperate to photograph them, but the few I approached said no.
Then, while randomly walking along the street, Pedro and Andres saw my camera and asked for a photo. Of course I said yes!
Pedro couldn’t remember his number so I gave him mine so he could message me later and ask for the photos. He texted me the very next day and of course I was delighted to send them to him right away.
I’m always happy when I can leave locals with a positive impression of a foreign photographer. We are all paving the way for the people who come after us, so it’s important to be a good ambassador for your fellow travellers.
Read more: The Colourful Market In Solola Guatemala: A Photo Guide
28/ Base camp, Acatenango
The morning after the night before – and a rather different view of Volcan de Fuego, which appears in image #2 at the top of this post.
This was our base camp on Acatenango, the same spot where that eruption photo was taken. But this was taken first thing the next morning, after sleeping the night on the volcano and falling asleep to the sounds of eruptions.
It’s certainly an incredible sight to wake up to, and a much more thrilling thing to watch with your morning coffee than breakfast TV!
29/ Santa Catarina Palopó, Lake Atitlán
Santa Catarina Palopó was in severe economic decline for many years. Other towns on Lake Atitlan were much more famous and more popular with tourists, but very few came to visit here. So the locals came up with a plan to revive the town’s fortunes by painting all the houses in vivid colours, inspired by traditional Maya designs.
I was invited to photograph the town and some of the people involved in this inspiring project for JRNY magazine. It’s a really lovely place to photograph, with loads of colourful corners to discover, and the locals are incredibly welcoming. I felt very safe just wandering up and down the back streets, exploring with my camera, and I met so many lovely people, such as Maria in image #18 above.
Read more: Santa Catarina Palopo: The Colourful Painted Town In Guatemala
30/ Sunrise, Santa Maria Volcano
Climbing one of Guatemala’s 37 volcanoes is a must-do for any visitor to the country, and I’d certainly planned to hike at least one during my stay. But I wasn’t expecting to do it quite so soon!
I’d only been in the country four days, when out of the blue a girl I had connected with in a local Facebook group asked me if I wanted to climb Santa Maria Volcano in time for sunrise.
Did I want to get up at 1 am and climb one of the country’s most challenging volcanos in the dark with a bunch of total strangers off the internet?
Absolutely terrified, I faced my fears and said yes. And it turned out to be completely worth it. Just look at that amazing sunrise!
Read more: A Sunrise Hike Up Volcan Santa Maria In Xela, Guatemala
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Where to next?
Don’t leave just yet – stay and check out some of my other Latin America posts?
- A Surprise Review Of Eagles Nest Yoga Retreat in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
- A Perfect Guatemala Itinerary In 10 Days, 2 Weeks Or 3 Weeks
- A Review Of Villa Bokeh, A Luxury Hotel In Antigua Guatemala
- A Review of G Adventures’ Costa Rica 16-Day Tour
- Travel Photography On The Road – My Photo Editing Workflow Tips
My favourite travel tools and brands
To help you organise your trip, here’s a short list of some of the brands and tools I use over and over again when I’m planning my travels. You can see more on my Travel Resources page.
- Booking.com: A huge range of hotels to choose from, often with free cancellation. If you book hotels regularly you can earn discounts. I’m on Genius Level 3 which gets me 20% off!
- Expedia: Another great place to find hotels and Expedia also sell flights, car hire, and loads more all in one place.
- Skyscanner: The only place I ever go to search for flights and compare prices.
- Flight Centre: Booking a more complicated route? Let Flight Centre organise it for you (and deal with the drama when something goes wrong).
- Priority Pass: I love having access to 1600+ airport lounges when I fly, allowing me to enjoy my time at the airport. Buy through my link and you get up to 20% off!
- Airalo: Say goodbye to ridiculous mobile roaming charges. Did you know you can now buy ane-SIM, install it in your phone before you leave home, and then use data abroad at local prices? Game changer. Get US$3 credit with code BELLA5735.
- TourRadar: If you prefer group travel and organised tours, TourRadar has a huge range of fantastic tours from respected operators. They’re very helpful and have 4.5 stars on TrustPilot.
- Viator: Part of the TripAdvisor brand, Viator is another great place to search for group adventures and day trips.
- GetYourGuide: A great place to find local tours and day trips in your destination.
- Wex Photo Video: The UK’s best camera gear store.
- Ellis Brigham: Looking for good quality backpacks, travel clothes and other gear? Ellis Brigham is where I buy almost all of mine.
- Rentalcars.com: Part of the Booking.com family and the world’s largest online car rental service, with 24/7 customer service.
- World Nomads Travel Insurance: I never ever travel without travel insurance and nor should you!
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