Lake Atitlan is considered to be one of the 'Top 10 Most Beautiful' places on Earth. It's one of the only true volcano craters lagoons in the world that is surrounded by three gorgeous volcanoes and tons of tiny Maya indigenous villages.

Panajachel is the metropolis of this area where you can shop til you drop at insanely low prices and haggle all you want with the locals. Your kids will love the boat rides to the villages while trying to see if a volcano will give a burp of smoke.

Marina K. Villatoro is an expat living with her family and traveling in Central America. Guatemala is so much more than the popular Tikal & Antigua.