Guatemala has a monopoly on colour - from the red lava tongues of its volcanoes to the creamy shades of its caves. And, that's just nature's palette. Completing this work of art are the fiestas, where the Maya wear traditional clothes, and arcane religious ritual, where idol worship and Roman Catholicism merge.

- All you need to know from chicken bus timetables to pillow stops in colonial pads, coastal hideaways and coffee fincas
- The lowdown on ancient Maya culture and ruins, the country's 36-year civil war, wildlife, sport and adventure, the multi-ethnic cuisine and the markets