Guatemala City

Hanging out in Guatemala City would be rather like opening an exceptional bottle of wine and then contenting yourself with licking the cork. It's not that Guatemala's congested capital is entirely charmless - indeed, you'll probably be glad of its cosmopolitan diversions after you've spent a while hobnobbing with nature - it's just that the rest of the country is too enchanting to put off.

However, if you do find yourself with some time at your disposal in 'Guate', you won't have too much trouble filling it. The city's four central zones (out of a sprawling 21) hold a range of diversions - some typically Guatemalan, and others as upmarket as in any major centre in the world.

This split personality stems from a geographical division into the Old City (on the northern side) and the New City (to the south). The former has the rough edges, the older buildings, the chaotic Mercado Central and the authentic local drinking dens and eateries. The latter boasts shiny modern buildings, the best museums, and a plethora of posh bars, restaurants and late-night clubs.

When it's time to move on, you'll be swept off your feet just about any direction you take. The western highlands are a visual treat, majestically composed of volcanoes, lakes, traditional Mayan villages as well as Antigua, one of the oldest and most beautiful cities in the Americas.

In eastern Guatemala, near-desert terrain and the dramatic eastern highlands are juxtaposed with subtropical forests and sulphurous lakes. You might come across 16th-century churches one day, a Pocomam Indian village the next, endangered wildlife around Lake Izabal the day after, and then round it all off with a dip in the Caribbean.

To the north of the country is the vast, untamed wilderness of the Petén, where rich wildlife and ancient Mayan ruins keep cover in the tropical jungle.