Is Cobán safe? Guatemala travel risk
Is Cobán safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Cobán scores 68/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Guatemala Level 3 (Reconsider Travel, updated 12 Mar 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all but essential travel to parts of the country (updated 13 Aug 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Cobán scores 68/100 (Elevated). The score combines security, crime and scams, health and medical access, natural hazards and current alerts measured for this location and Guatemala (how it is calculated). The sections below are specific to Cobán: nearest emergency and transport facilities, 5-year natural hazard history within 100 km.
Driven by: security (70/100) and crime and scams (78/100).
A score of 68 is higher than the scores of 90% of the 241 countries we cover.
Consult the Guatemala travel risk page for nationwide security advisories, entry protocols, and consular warnings.
Local Geographic Profile
Positioned at 15.4833° N, 90.3667° W in Alta Verapaz, Cobán features an altitude of 1326 m. The settlement is located within Guatemala.
Alta Verapaz
15.4833° N, 90.3667° W
1326 m
America/Guatemala
228,664
Emergency & Transport Infrastructure
Surrounding Localities in Guatemala
Natural Hazard Calendar & History
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 1 |
| Wildfires | — | — | — | 4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tropical Cyclones | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Cobán happened in June (2 of 9 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
3 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.4 on 17 May 2023 (63 km away) — USGS details
- Most recent: M5.7 on 8 Jul 2025 (119 km away) — USGS details
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Guatemala travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Guatemala entry requirements.
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