Everyday practical information for Guatemala

The basics

• Plugs are the American flat two-pin, type A and B, at 120 V. European appliances with a heating element need a converter, not just an adapter.
• Spanish is the language, and English is limited outside Antigua and the tourist trade. Twenty-plus Mayan languages are spoken as first languages in the highlands.
• Antigua is one of the cheapest and best places in the world to learn Spanish, which is why half the foreigners there are in a one-to-one class in a courtyard.
• UTC-6 all year, no daylight saving. Dialling code +502, no area codes.

Climate

• The highlands are "the land of eternal spring" - warm days, genuinely cold nights, all year.
• The rainy season runs roughly May to October and means a heavy afternoon downpour, not all-day rain. It also means landslides on mountain roads.
• The lowlands - Peten, the Caribbean coast - are hot and humid year round.

Conventions

• Ask before photographing anyone, and accept no for an answer. See the safety section for why this matters more here than almost anywhere.
• Markets are a working economy, not a display. Chichicastenango on Thursday and Sunday is the big one.
• Bargaining is normal in markets and not in shops.
• Sunday is family day and things move slowly.