We highly recommend not to self-drive in Guatemala.

The Great Sailfishing Company has its own drivers and transport that is comfortable and air conditioned.
Like anywhere else in the world, the airport is a natural concentration for foreigners, who typically have valuables or luggage or passports close to hand – and as such can become targets.

The area surrounding the airport therefore has a higher concentration of incidents than most other areas as anybody with mal intent tends to “fish where the fish are”. If you must drive, before departing the airport, be clear about your route, hide from view any valuables – and do not stop. When stopped at traffic signals keep sufficient space between you and the vehicle in front that is anything goes awry, you are not hemmed in and can get away.

Such incidents do not happen very often – particularly given the growth in tourism – but they do happen, as in almost all countries where there is a large discontinuity between those that have plenty, and those that have very little.

TIP : If you do self-drive, it is worth considering hiring (we can arrange this) a driver to navigate you back to the airport, or on arrival in Guatemala City, find a Taxi and ask them to lead you to the airport. It is not terribly difficult to find, but close to it are one-way systems that combined with crazy traffic can take you way out of your way and lost before you know it. You truly do NOT want to end up “on the wrong side of town”, driving a rental car down a side street at night.

Once on the road, the highway out of the city can be slow and very busy with convoys of trucks. Although they do try to manage this with curfews during the daytime, a consequence can be that all of the large trucks time their trips to be on the outskirts of the city during the day and early evening – and so can concentrate in waiting areas and clog up arteries.

Outside of the city, you will be greeted by a modern 4 lane highway, where cruising speeds of 60-70mph are the norm – and it is a relatively direct and quick transition to the coast for fishing.
There is a toll about 2/3rds of the way to the coast of about Q20 – so you WILL need Quetzales on arrival if you choose to drive