In short: For children, the CDC’s Guatemala page adds two things to the routine schedule: an early MMR (measles) dose for infants 6-11 months and a hepatitis A dose for infants 6-11 months. Antigua, Guatemala City and Lake Atitlán have no malaria transmission on the CDC’s page; Escuintla and Petén do, and that is where Auto Safari Chapín, Ixpanpajul and Tikal are. The attractions that publish child prices: ChocoMuseo (US$21 under 12, Antigua), Auto Safari Chapín (Q75, same as adults, from age 2), Ixpanpajul (US$20-25 for foreign children 6-12, under 5 free) and Tikal (under 10 free, read 24 September).
Read on 3 October 2026 from the CDC and each operator’s own page, except Tikal’s ticket site (24 September 2026; it showed a bot check on 3 October). Prices are as each operator published them that day.
What the CDC asks for children
The CDC’s Guatemala destination page, in its view for travellers with children:
| Item | What the CDC says |
|---|---|
| Routine vaccines | Up to date before every trip (chickenpox, DTaP/Tdap/Td, flu, MMR, polio and others) |
| Measles (MMR) | All international travellers fully vaccinated, “including an early dose for infants 6–11 months”. A Level 1 global measles notice dated 28 May 2025 is on the page |
| Hepatitis A | Recommended for unvaccinated travellers one year old or older; “Infants 6 to 11 months old should also be vaccinated against Hepatitis A. The dose does not count toward the routine 2-dose series.” |
| Typhoid | “Recommended for most travelers.” |
| Yellow fever | Not required for direct travel from the United States; required for travellers aged 1 year or older coming from countries with yellow-fever risk |
| Malaria | Transmission primarily in Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Escuintla, Izabal and Petén, where preventive medicine is recommended; none in Antigua, Guatemala City or at Lake Atitlán |
The CDC’s page says to “visit your doctor at least a month before your trip”, which matters most for the infant doses. For the full adult list and what Guatemala actually requires at the border, see vaccines for Guatemala; for the malaria map by destination, see malaria in Guatemala. Travelling pregnant as well? See travelling to Guatemala while pregnant.
Antigua or Lake Atitlán as a family base
Both bases are outside the CDC’s malaria list, so the choice turns on what you will do from them.
| Antigua | Lake Atitlán | |
|---|---|---|
| Malaria transmission (CDC) | None | None |
| Child-priced activity in town | ChocoMuseo’s chocolate workshop (below) | None of the operators in our table |
| Choosing a lake town | See Lake Atitlán towns | |
| Altitude | See altitude in Guatemala for each town’s elevation against the CDC’s altitude lines | Same page |
Day trips change the malaria picture. Auto Safari Chapín is at km 87.5 on the road to Taxisco, in Guanagazapa, Escuintla. Ixpanpajul and Tikal are in Petén. Both departments are on the CDC’s list of five where it recommends malaria medicine, so whether a day visit needs it is a question for your child’s doctor before you go.
For a volcano with children, see our Pacaya day hike with kids. For safety by area, from a resident parent’s angle, see is Guatemala safe for families.
Attractions that publish a child price
| Attraction | Where | Adult | Child | Read |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChocoMuseo bean-to-bar workshop | Antigua | US$30 | US$21 (under 12) | 3 Oct 2026 |
| Auto Safari Chapín (individual entry) | Guanagazapa, Escuintla | Q75 | Q75 (from age 2) | 3 Oct 2026 |
| Ixpanpajul hanging bridges (foreign visitors) | Near Flores, Petén | US$25 | US$20 (6-12); under 5 free | 3 Oct 2026 |
| Ixpanpajul Tarzan canopy (foreign visitors) | Near Flores, Petén | US$30 | US$25 (6-12); under 5 free | 3 Oct 2026 |
| Tikal National Park | Petén | (see our Tikal pages) | Free under 10, no park ticket needed | 24 Sep 2026 |
What each operator says, in its own words:
- ChocoMuseo, Antigua: “Everyday: 11am and 3pm”; “The actual workshop lasts 2 hours and your chocolates are ready to be picked up an hour later”; “Between 1 and 6 participants”. Details in our Antigua chocolate workshop page.
- Auto Safari Chapín: the Q75 ticket covers the drive-through safari, the giraffe dock, the walking zoo, a boat ride and the pools. Its hours page says “Abierto desde las 8:30” and “De Lunes a Miércoles cerrado” (closed Monday to Wednesday), with a list of public holidays on which it opens. More in our Auto Safari Chapín page.
- Ixpanpajul: each activity is listed at “2 HORAS”; Guatemalan children aged 6-12 pay Q75 (bridges) and Q125 (canopy). It also lists a family cabin for 2 adults and 3 children at Q880 (US$110 for foreign visitors). The page does not say how a 5-year-old is charged. More in our Ixpanpajul page.
- Tikal: the ticket site’s line, read on 24 September 2026: “Los niños menores de 10 años ingresan gratuitamente (no requieren boleto de parque).” For the adult tickets and the sunrise option, see our Tikal sunrise tour page.
Paperwork and the car
- Car seats: our car seat law in Guatemala page reads what the Reglamento de Tránsito does and does not require for children. If you rent a car or book a private shuttle, ask the company in advance whether it supplies a child seat.
- If your child is also Guatemalan (born in Guatemala or registered with RENAP), leaving the country without both parents involves Guatemala’s exit authorisation for minors: see minor travel authorization.
Related
- Is Guatemala safe for families? — living here with children: areas, schools, emergency numbers
- Pacaya day hike with kids
- Guatemala itinerary: how many days
Sources
- CDC, Guatemala destination page, traveler view for children (wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/children/guatemala), read 3 October 2026; malaria and yellow-fever sections updated 23 April 2025
- ChocoMuseo, Bean to Bar Workshop, Antigua, Guatemala (chocomuseo.com), read 3 October 2026
- Auto Safari Chapín, Precios and Horarios pages (autosafarichapin.com), read 3 October 2026
- Parque Natural Ixpanpajul, home page rates (ixpanpajul.com), read 3 October 2026
- Tikal ticket site, foreign visitors page (boletos.culturaguate.gob.gt), read 24 September 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What vaccines do children need for Guatemala?
The CDC’s Guatemala page (children view, read 3 October 2026) asks for routine vaccines to be up to date and adds two child-specific points: infants aged 6-11 months should get an early MMR (measles) dose, and infants 6-11 months should also get a hepatitis A dose, which does not count toward the routine 2-dose series. Hepatitis A is recommended for unvaccinated travellers one year old or older. A yellow-fever vaccine is not required for direct travel from the United States; it is required for travellers aged 1 year or older arriving from countries with yellow-fever risk.
Is there malaria in Antigua or at Lake Atitlán?
No. The CDC’s Guatemala page says there is no malaria transmission in the cities of Antigua or Guatemala City, and none at Lake Atitlán. It lists transmission primarily in Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Escuintla, Izabal and Petén, and recommends preventive medicine for those five departments.
Do children pay to enter Tikal?
Tikal’s official ticket site (boletos.culturaguate.gob.gt) said, when we read it on 24 September 2026, that children under 10 enter free and do not need a park ticket. The site showed a bot check when we tried again on 3 October 2026.
Which attractions in Guatemala publish a child price?
Of the operator pages we read on 3 October 2026: ChocoMuseo’s bean-to-bar workshop in Antigua charges US$30 per adult and US$21 per child under 12; Auto Safari Chapín charges Q75 per person for adults and children from age 2; Parque Natural Ixpanpajul near Flores charges foreign children aged 6-12 US$20 for the hanging bridges and US$25 for the canopy, with children under 5 free.
Should we base ourselves in Antigua or at Lake Atitlán with kids?
On the CDC’s malaria map both are the same: no transmission in Antigua or at Lake Atitlán. The difference is what is nearby. ChocoMuseo’s workshop is in Antigua. The child-priced attractions further out, Auto Safari Chapín in Escuintla and Ixpanpajul and Tikal in Petén, are in departments where the CDC recommends malaria medicine, so a day trip from either base is a question for your child’s doctor.
