Driving in Guatemala...

Hello, again...

I was also wondering if anyone had rented a car in Guatemala lately and could tell me a little about the quality of the roads and the saftey for foreign drivers...Any information would help...

Thanks again,
Dawn

Personally, I would not attempt to rent a car. It's expensive relative to the price of public or even private transport and fairly dangerous....fast drivers!
The public buses are super cheap and private/tourist transport extremely cheap (compared to US or Europe) so doesn't seem worth the stress.

I also heard a couple first hand (and many 2nd/3rd/4th hand) accounts of car break ins and jackings.

Major road quality is quite good. The political party in control of the government always passes out thousands of patronage jobs to it's supporters to fix the roads.

I have rented a car for the last three times I went to Guatemala, never had a problem.
The road quality is quite good, and getting better.

You do have to drive with caution, however if I see how those public busses drive, I rather have my faith in my own hands.
Renting a car gives you freedom, you can go where ever and whenever you want.
Sure you can get robbed, the car can break down, but all of this can also happen in,let's say Amsterdam.

My advice is, if you have the money to rent a car,do it.
It is great.

Don Andres.

It's always a bit surprising the first time you cross the border into Guatemala from Mexico and realize the poor little sister has better roads... No, renting a car in Guatemala is fine and can be a lot of fun to have one, I've done it many times and it's certainly much less hassle than Mexico in the sense that you get stopped "less" for little shakedowns. Sure the drivers might be a little worse, but just drive extra defensively: no biggee.
I think the biggest issue is simply how having a car there changes the experience; I've enjoyed both ways very much. I love the way I don't have to worry about chicken bus schedules, etc., and can reach any hard to find place at my leisure, BUT, I also love just the ebb and flow of getting places organically, like they do, not being in a hurry. Plus finding parking, and always having to be a bit worried about the rental car, can be a bit tiresome. Your call!! But you'll have a great time if you rent a car there, it's simply a non-issue, really. In many ways safer and less hassle than Mexico to have a rental car IMHO

There is a very large deductible for damage to a rental car in Guatemala that has always put me off. It might be still as low as $2000, but I haven't checked recently. However, having your own vehicle puts you into an insular world, where you don't meet interesting people on buses and shuttles and this makes it a much less colorful experience. Also, there is some fabulous scenery in the highlands, but one of you won't be able to kick back and enjoy it as you drive along.

My few rental experiences in Mexico suggest that you might want off street parking at night for any rental car.

I live in Guatemala so drive here regularly. I agree with Mayaphile and for other reasons noted above, and more, would not recommend renting a car in Guatemala but every time I say this many people disagree, often the original poster, so do what you like, you will anyway. It really is a matter of personal preference .....some people want to do it, others don't. One person I advised not to do it rented a car and the car was broken into (window smashed and radio stolen) on the streets of Antigua...they said they would STILL have rented, so there you have it......the potential advantages may outweigh the potential disadvantages FOR YOU.....

We found driving in Guate, and the rest of CA, to be a lot more normal than we expected. Except for the city itself, its basically the same as anywhere. A bit more traffic, at higher speeds, on smaller highways, with bigger trucks, and lots more cargo going 20mph on a 60mph road. In the city, multiply all that by 10x. Would I recommend driving yourself? Absolutely. Ask my wife and you might get a different answer.

Back in May I got a rental car and I paid a weekly rate of something like $32 a day. This time, last week I called most of the local companies and www.economicarentautos.com (Tel: 2424-0598)gave me the best deal in town. For only two days that I needed the car, they gave me a daily rate of $29 incl everything. They normally charge you an extra 6% when paying with your credit card. In my opinion driving in guatemala is no different than driving here in south Florida where we have traffic fatalities not only on the roads but on the streets just about every day. Nowadas driving on the roads in guatemala is safer that it used to be, because normally on two-lane roads they have an extra lane for passing when going up hills. The only problem would be securing the car at night. Of course you find lots of places from hotels own parking to gas stations where they have a night watch. Most gas stations take credit cards but, Visa is normally the only one they take. I was able to use my MC but it wasn't easy to find a gas station that would take it. Picking up and returning the car went real smooth with those guys of La Economica. So, I don't hesitate on recommending them. Like I said they charged me Q225 a day and I was quoted rates by other companies from Q300 to Q350. They are very friendly and you can always bargain if they quote you a higher rate over the phone. I drove an automatic 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer that seats 5 pax, with unlimited mileage. They have an office at the airport and their main office is located a few blocks from the airport.

I live in California where owning a car is mandated by law. But I've only ever driven once in Guat. and that was back in the early '80s. Jeep and the two guys with me were holding G3s so no dangers of being cut off. Today...way to many things to look at to worry about watching the road. Those high deductibles would be an a good reason not to drive. You go down some country road and plow into some kid walking the family cow and you are stuck. Price of beef is too high today to risk it.

I have experience of driving in Guatemala and of being driven by other extranjeros, Basically if you get into an accident it is going to be all your fault no matter who caused it, also the Guatemalan driver is going to claim for every sngle thing wrong with thier car - caused by the accident or not, they will also have a large group of family and friends who will also claim to have seen everything and then of course you may have the police involved - not good for you,

I have been in this situation twice, on once occasion a car crashed into the back of our jeep and then claimed the accident was our fault, police were called and inclined to agree, much $$$ was wanted by both, luckily we had everthing in order, spoke
spanish and more importantly worked for a large NGO with plenty of Guatemalan staff who were with us in no time, also we had a great legal department - so it was all sorted.

On the other occasion a drunk driver crashed into the front of our car which was parked and somehow this was our fault as well - a large group of friends were called and the police who again were up for a multa at least and what better from some non guatemalans who might have cash, (the driver was so drunk he fell out the car) we had the same back up as the first case and got it sorted - after a few wasted hours and much checking of all our documents and international drivers license, and residents permit etc etc....

Rules are different for Guatemalans on the road, also if you were even thinking of drivingin the city the danger of getting lost and ending up somewhere you shouldent be is also a risk.

My advice is don't, public transport is cheap and easy and you meet great people, in a car without back up in certain areas can lead to problems - theft of course with the high excess, having to park it inside, etc etc......

Blue

You will have a great time in Guatemala, whether you rent a car or not, but I can assure you that you will enjoy your trip more if you use shuttles and 1st class buses.

I drive in Guatemala almost every day, and hate it. The roads are fine, but the drivers are horrible. As stated above, if anything happens it is automatically your fault.

I think that as tourists, it is nice to try and minimize the negative impact that you have on a country. I don't know what percentage of Guatemalans have cars, but I think that it is pretty tiny, and that if every single one of us tourists rented a car to drive around in, it would have a pretty big impact on their road system, and the pollution in their country. So why not take the bus?

Ana, spoken like a true hippie

Nonsense Pedro... a true hippie would be driving down from California in a '73 VW van.

dcarson, we rented a car in the Peten region for a week. We went with Tabarini, www.tabarini.com/ which cost us about $40/day. I'm from Los Angeles, so I'm used to bad drivers and drive very defensively. I had no interest in driving south in Guatemala City, so up north was just fine. We had absolutely no problems with the other drivers or the paved roads. However, the road to Belize border from Tikal is really crappy, full of large potholes and rutty dirt for the last 10 miles or so to the border. We did get stuck in the mud outside Yaxha on the way to Naranjo, but that was after a massive deluge of rain. Our poor little KIA car took a lot of abuse on the dirt roads, but held together thankfully.

We parked our car in hotel lots, especially at night. Since we were in one spot for a week, renting a car made sense for us. In El Remate, minivans were rather hard to come by. The flexibility and ability to explore Mayan ruins on OUR time was worth it for us. If you go to Tikal on a tour, you have to leave very early in the afternoon whether you're done or not.

Thankfully I had no bad experiences or close calls with other drivers, but I attribute that to the relative lack of cars in the north compared to Guat City or Antigua. LatinaAlma, of course, lives in Guatemala, so she's more experienced. This tourist had no problems, though. I can see how some people might be intimidated by driving in a 3rd world country and so was I. The experience was pleasant, but be wary.
There was no way I would drive in big cities. Santa Elena was the biggest city I drove in, but that wasn't too bad. As I said, I'm an experienced California driver and also drove a lot in San Francisco, a very dense city.

I would recommend taking public transportation for a day or so to get a feel for traffic and your comfort level in driving in Guatemala.

Thank you to everyone for your opinions and advice, we've decided to take the "wait and see" but to also (thank you zaxinc) spend our Antigua time sans car. I've been really please with this amazing resource. We've travelled all over Asia and Africa (without car I might add - well, except for South Africa we had a rental) and I wish I had put more stock into this sight, would have helped a lot I'm sure. Thank you again,
Dawn

dcarson, please give us updates on your trip. We enjoy reading people's experiences in Guatemala. I really wouldn't recommend driving in Antigua. First, the cobblestone streets will rattle your teeth off. Second, I saw a LOT of broken window glass on the streets. Third, the city is so small you can easily walk from the mercado to the other side of the city in about 15 minutes.

In 2003 we rented a pickup from Tabarini, who have an office in both Antigua and at Guatemala Airport.
Driving a pickup with a bunch of hitchhiking locals in the back was very fun
and has some advantages. Allways someone in the back who knows the good direction.
They knock on the roof when they want to get off and then ask "how much?".
Allways smiling faces for the free ride of course.

Driving a car in Guatemala in no problem. You will gain a lot of time
and you can visit remote places like wonderful Semuc Champey or El Ceibal.
According to safety, don't forget to park your car in a guarded "parqueo" when visiting a town.

Look at the pictures on my website
and enjoy your trip.

Greetings from Belgium

Dirk

There is absolutely no need for a car in Antigua! THe whole town, at least the historic part which is all you will want to explore on foot anyway, is a walkable 10 by 10 blocks...delicious, and I LIVE here! Many gringos live in Antigua partly so they can avoid owning a car and driving. It would only get in your way in Antigua. THen you can take shuttles or if you decide, can rent a car to go to Lake Atitlan or other spots. Driving in the city is NOT fun...it is doable, I do it but a previous poster was right when they said there are parts of the city you DON"T want to end up in, even in broad daylight.

Guatemala is so beautiful, the countryside is so distracting, you will not want to keep your eyes on the road.....

I'll add that its virtually impossible to not end up in one of those places, at least for a first time GC driver.

Photohunter. Your pictures are AMAZING...WOW...I fancy myself a picture taker but you put me to shame. I wasn't going to Livingston until I looked at your site, now we'll just have to fit it in somehow!...I also loved your Tanzania pictures, my husband and I were there last year and your pictures really sent me back, you didn't climb Killi?

Take Care,
Dawn