Is Santiago Atitlán safe? Guatemala travel risk
Is Santiago Atitlán safe right now? Checked 16 October 2026
Santiago Atitlán scores 70/100 on our travel risk index (Extreme). 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). GDACS lists 1 minor (green) event within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Santiago Atitlán scores 70/100 (Extreme). 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 Santiago Atitlán: 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 70 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
Santiago Atitlán belongs to Sololá (Guatemala), centered at coordinates 14.6333° N, 91.2333° W (1603 m above sea level). Distance to the capital is cataloged regionally.
Sololá
14.6333° N, 91.2333° W
1603 m
America/Guatemala
44,854
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 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | — | — |
| Wildfires | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tropical Cyclones | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| Volcanoes | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Earthquakes (M5.5+) | 1 | 2 | — | — | 2 | — | 2 | — | — | — | 3 | 1 |
Most flood events within 100 km of Santiago Atitlán happened in September and October (6 of 13 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
Significant Earthquakes (USGS M5.5+ within 150 km)
11 major seismic events recorded within 150 km over the past 5 years.
- Largest: M6.4 on 12 May 2024 (134 km away) — USGS details
- Most recent: M5.8 on 28 Nov 2025 (124 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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