Temple IV

A yellow seventeenth-century arch across a cobbled street, built so cloistered nuns could cross without being seen, framing Agua volcano.

A hilltop cross above the town reached by steps, looking down the street grid to Agua volcano.

Tikal was one of the most powerful Maya cities, and its temple pyramids still rise above the rainforest canopy of the Petén. The site is large enough that walking between plazas takes real time, and the forest around it holds howler monkeys, toucans and coatis. Sunrise entry is sold separately and often means cloud rather than a clear view.

Atitlán fills a collapsed volcanic caldera at 1,560 metres, ringed by three volcanoes and a dozen villages, each with its own character and Maya language. Boats rather than roads are the main link between them: Panajachel for transport, San Marcos for retreats, San Juan for weaving cooperatives. The lake is deep and the afternoon wind is strong.

A ridge above San Juan climbed before dawn for a view across the lake to the volcanoes as the sun comes up.

Semuc Champey is a 300-metre natural limestone bridge in the Alta Verapaz jungle, carrying a staircase of turquoise pools while the Cahabón river runs underneath it. A steep path climbs to a viewpoint over the whole formation. Access is by rough road from Lanquín, which is the main reason it stays relatively quiet.