
STATE DEPARTMENT TRAVEL ADVISORY - Guatemala
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GUATEMALA - WARNING
 March 13, 1992

Summary:  The Department of State warns all Americans to exercise
caution when traveling in Guatemala.  Violent crime is a serious
problem, and armed robberies of public bus passengers are frequent.
Visitors should avoid intercity road travel after sunset and should
not climb Pacaya or Agua volcanos.  Visitors driving cars should
exercise particular caution; armed car thefts are common and those
involved in car accidents are often put in jail.  Guatemala now
requires U.S. passports to enter the country, and requires all
persons to have identification at all times.  End Summary.

General:  More than 120,000 American citizens visited Guatemala in
1991 and less than one percent had any problem with crime.  18
incidents of violent crime involving American citizen visitors were
reported to the embassy in the past year.  Guatemalan government and
private sector tourism officials are working to make Guatemala safer
for both vistors and residents.  Since early March 1992 Guatemalan
military forces, under the supervision of the Minister of the
Interior, have been providing additional support and manpower to the
civilian police in a program designed to reduce criminal activity.
Vistors should follow the same precautions in Guatemala that they
would use in any large city.  Resisting any armed robbery attempt is
not recommended, nor is walking around at night.  Hire only taxicabs
>From stands located at the airport, major hotels and intersections.
Do not  bring valuable jewelry or other irreplaceable items.
Pickpockets are common, especially in market areas.  Carry a
photocopy of passports and valuable documents in a separate place
>From the original documents.  Do not leave all valuables and money
in one place, and do not leave personal property or documents in a
parked car.

Antigua:  Most visitors experience no problems, but there has been
a recent increase in violent crime against tourists, including two
rapes and two murders on the outskirts of Antigua.  The area
surrounding the city's center, including most of the colonial
monuments and churches, is generally safe in the daytime, but
caution should be exercised at night and walking, jogging or bike
riding on the roads leading out of Antigua should be avoided.
Frequent armed robberies occur at the "Cerro de la Cruz" park and
monument located just above Antigua.

Panajachel, Lake Atitlan, and Chichicastenango:  The towns of
Panajachel on Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango are generally safe,
but pickpockets are prevalent.  Visitors traveling by road from
Guatemala City should take only the CA-1 route (the Pan American
Highway) through Chimaltenango and Tecpan to the crossroads at Los
Encuentros, and then either route 1 to Solola and Panajachel or
route 15 to Chichicastenango.  Travel to the lake on any other road
is dangerous.  An American tourist was killed by a gunman near
Godinez in January 1992.  Travel by boat from Panajachel to Santiago
Atitlan or other towns on the south side of the lake should be done
only in the morning due to frequent bad weather conditions on the
lake in the late afternoon.

Tikal and the Peten Department:  To reach Tikal we recommend
travellers fly to the town of Flores and take a public bus or tour
van to the ruins.  Road travel in the rest of the Peten is
discouraged.  Road conditions are poor, and telephones, police and
medical assistance are usually unavailable.  Guerrillas continue to
operate in the Peten Department and military and guerrilla
roadblocks are frequent.  Several tourists travelling by land
between Tikal and the Guatemala/Belize border at Melchor De Mencos
have been robbed at gunpoint.

Volcanos:  Visitors should not climb Guatemala's volcanos.  In
particular, the Pacaya volcano should be avoided.  Two Americans
died there in 1991 and many tourists, including those traveling in
large groups, were the subject of violent armed robberies.  Several
female tourists were also raped.  There are sporadic encounters
between guerrillas and military on and around both Pacaya and Agua
volcanos.

Road travel to and in Guatemala:  Road conditions are poor and
participants in a traffic accident can be jailed.  Armed vehicle
theft is a serious problem, especially in Guatemala City.  If
confronted by armed thieves, give up the vehicle without resistance.
 Drivers in Guatemala should observe the following precautions when
coming from Mexico: enter at either Tecun Uman (Highway CA-2) on the
Pacific Coast or at La Mesilla (Highway CA-1) in the highlands.
Those traveling from El Salvador should use the border crossing at
Las Chinamas, El Salvador/Valle Nuevo, Guatemala.  When entering
>From Honduras, cross the border at either El Florido or Agua
Caliente.  Allow plenty of time to complete border crossing
formalities, which can be lengthy, and still reach a major town
before dark.  The U.S. Embassy strongly recommends avoiding all
intercity travel after sunset (6:00p.m.) anywhere in Guatemala.

Public transportation:  There are frequent incidents in which
entire busloads of passengers are robbed of all their belongings,
either by armed thieves who board as passengers, or by armed robbers
who set up roadblocks to stop vehicles and rob their occupants.
Robberies and
even rapes also occur in city buses.

Guerrilla activity:  Encounters between Guatemalan Army Forces and
Guerrilla groups continue on a sporadic basis in the departments of
El Quiche, Huehuetenango, San Marcos, Peten, Escuintla,
Suchitepequez and Sacatapequez.  Travelers should request advice
>From the U.S. Embassy on current conditions before traveling in
these departments.  There are occasional guerrilla roadblocks on the
roads between Guatemala City and Escuintla and along the Pacific
Coast.

Cholera:  Cholera is present in Guatemala, and travelers should
substitute bottled beverages for potentially contaminated water.
All shellfish and vegetables should be cooked before eating.  Cooked
food should be eaten while still hot, and fruits which cannot be
peeled should be avoided.  For further information about cholera,
contact the Centers for Disease Control's International Travelers
Hotline at (404) 332-4559.

Passports and documents:  The Guatemalan government requires all
U.S. citizens entering Guatemala to have a passport with either a
visa or a tourist card.  In addition, U.S. travelers must carry
their identification with them at all times.

All American visitors are encouraged to contact the consular
section of the U.S. Embassy for up-to-date travel and security
information.  The Embassy is located at Avenida Reforma 7-01, zone
10, Guatemala City, telephone 311541.  Americans needing emergency
assistance outside regular working hours (8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.)
should call the Embassy marine guard at 32-33-47 and ask to speak to
the duty officer.

 No. 92-47

This advisory replaces the travel advisory issued on August 9,
1991, and warns that violent crime is a serious problem, warns
travelers not to climb the Pacaya and Agua volcanos, and warns
against intercity travel at night.

