Update On Travel Restrictions In Guatemala

So why did I decide to chance it?

I found an amazing deal for a beautiful Suzuki DR 200 motorcycle and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. 

Despite reassurances by my driver that we would not encounter any problems, I wasn’t so sure.

There must be some kind of police road block between Panajachel and Guatemala City. After all, we were going to travel through two departments.

At 5am, the butt crack of dawn, we left Panajachel. Sure enough, as my driver had predicted, there was not a single road block! More, due to the lack of traffic, we made it to the city in record time, just under 3 hours!

We arrived to the dealership, and after about 2 hours of negotiating, I bought the bike! 

Now it was time for the ride home back to Pana. It was much later in the day now though, and worried perhaps the road blocks might be up now. But just as easily as we had driven in, I drove back without a hitch.

Well, that is, aside from a front break that seized up 10 miles after leaving the dealership. Fortunately, they sent a mechanic, I got back on the road, and with a smile as wide as the gap between volcanoes San Pedro and Atitlan, I rode back to Pana. 3 pit stops and 4 mini thunderstorms later, and I had made it back to town.

When I arrived at the entrance to Pana around 4pm, they checked my temperature, asked where I had been, and took down my contact information. And that was it! 

All in all, a successful and surprisingly easy trip to the city and back.

So if you’re worried about heading to Guatemala City, definitely don’t be. Perhaps I just got lucky, but it seems they’ve significantly reduced interdepartmental travel restrictions. 

On another note, now that I have two motorcycles, I’ve decided to start a small rental company called Ride Atitlan. So if you or a visiting friend is in need of an affordable short or long term motorcycle rental, you’re in luck! Also, planning to offer half day tours shortly.