Jungle-shrouded Mayan ruins patrolled by toucans. Pastel-hued colonial towns best explored on foot. Volcanoes, lakes and stepped turquoise pools -- each more surreal than the last. Any one of Guatemala’s greatest hits would justify a visit, but the fact that you can easily combine a few into even a long weekend (though a week would be better) makes a trip particularly tempting.

Read on for the best of what you’ll want to do on arrival.