Perhaps the most fascinating part of the entire country is the western highlands , where not only is the scenery wildly beautiful, but you'll also find the most interesting Maya villages and amazing fiestas and markets. Lago de Atitlán is unmissable, a large highland lake, ringed by sentinel-like volcanoes, whose shores are dotted with some of the most traditional indigenous villages in the entire country. Panajachel is a booming lakeside town with some excellent restaurants, cafés and shops, while San Pedro La Laguna on the other side of the lake has more of a bohemian travellers' scene. For handicrafts, the famous twice-weekly Chichicastenango market is unrivalled, with an incredible selection of weavings for sale.

Further scenic excesses lie around the country's second city of Quetzaltenango (Xela) , an excellent base for a series of day-trips to nearby hot springs, market towns, pagan shrines and volcanoes. Finally, there are the isolated and traditional villages deep in the mountains of the Cuchumatanes : perhaps the two best places to head for are Nebaj in the Ixil triangle and Todos Santos Cuchumatán to the north of Huehuetenango. Both are intensely rewarding places to visit, with superb scenery, excellent walking and cheap guesthouses.

The ladino -dominated Pacific coast is generally hot and dull, a strip of black volcanic sand with a smattering of mangrove swamps behind it that blend into the country's most productive farmland. The area is devoted to commercial agriculture and dotted with bustling urban centres; points of interest are thin on the ground. The beaches are not as you imagine Pacific beaches to be, except at the wildlife reserve of Monterrico , where there is a fine stretch of sand and a maze of mangrove swamps to explore.

If it's real adventure and exploration you seek, nothing can compete with the hidden archeological wonders of Petén . This unique lowland area, which makes up about a third of the country, is covered with dense rainforest - only recently threatened by development - that's alive with wildlife and dotted with superb Maya ruins. The only town of any size is Flores , from where you can easily reach Tikal , the most impressive of all Maya sites. Other dramatic sites like the monumental El Mirador require days of tough travel to reach.

In the east of the country are the spectacular gorge systems of the Río Dulce , the ruins of Quiriguá and on the Caribbean coast the funky town of Lívingston , home to Guatemala's only black community. Dividing this eastern area from the Petén is another highland region, the Verapaces , where there is more stunning alpine scenery and the sleepy coffee centre of Cobán .

Guatemala City is of little interest to the traveller except for a couple of museums; it's much better to stay in the colonial capital Antigua , just an hour away, where there are great hotels, restaurants and cafés for every budget.