Safety concerns, when traveling to Guatemala are legitimate, and should not be discounted lightly.

Guatemala City is 2nd only to Bogota in crime. There are also some problems, especially on smaller and more remote roads in Guatemala with cars being held up. For this reason, I recommend against students renting cars or exploring the country on their own, unless they are seasoned travelers. It is similar to any environment, like New York City for instance... lots of neighborhoods you would not want to wander into accidently. But for those who live there and know their way around, it is not that bad. I have two students who live in Bogota and are quite happy there.

The good news is that the airport is on the outskirts of the city, and only 30-40 minutes on well travelled roads from Antigua where we will all meet up prior to going to the retreat center. It is easy to arrange for a cab driver to meet you at the airport and drive you to Antigua. I recommend students flying into Guatemala a day early, and spending at least one night in Antigua.

Antigua is a world heritage site. Amazing architecture, and ruins from the 16th century (monasteries, churches, etc.) on every corner it seems. Antigua is very safe, and is a walking town. Nowhere is more than 30 minutes by foot from everywhere. I usually help students pick a hotel in their price range ($15 - $250 a night). I stayed in a $20 room to see what it was like - small, no tv, but clean sheets, and a private bathroom with shower.

I usually meet early arrivals for dinner in Antigua on Friday night. For those who cannot make it a day early, it is important to schedule a flight that arrives in Guatemala City no later than 1 pm on Saturday.

On Saturday afternoon (usually 2 pm or later if we are waiting on late arrivals) we all gather to board a private van that will take us to Lake Atitlan. This road is heavily used as Antigua and Lake Atitlan are by far the two biggest tourist attractions in Guatemala, so they keep this road safe.

Once we are on the lake, it is a short boat trip to the retreat center (Villa Sumaya) which is located 15 minutes by foot path around the lake from the village of Santa Cruz. There are no roads into or out of Santa Cruz. They have one pick up truck to carry heaving items from the dock on the lake, up the hill to the village. Santa Cruz is very safe... I feel safer there than I do in Austin. Most of the staff at the retreat center live in the village, and take great pride in the retreat center and their work. The retreat center tithes a large sum of money each year to help support the village with projects for the school and more efficient wood burning stoves for families. It is a small village, and everybody knows everybody!

I have led 6 retreats at Villa Sumaya and have never felt unsafe, or had a student report feeling unsafe. The only incident was 2 years ago, at the market in Santiago (the largest town on the lake), one of my students had her purse snatched. Her daughter chased, and 15 or 20 locals saw what was happening, and caught the thief. They took her purse, let the thief go (a local boy with an alcohol problem), and then brought the purse back and collectively apologized to my student and her daughter. All in all, they said it was a wonderful experience.

If you are still concerned about safety or any other aspect of the retreat, please let me know and I will be happy to put you in touch with past participants who are happy to visit with those who are considering attending this retreat.

charles@yogateacher.com