Fraudulent tour operators in Guatemala

Last updated on 10 May 2019

Guatemala

Antigua, Chichicastenango, Flores, Fraijanes, Guatemala City, Melchor de Mencos, Panajachel, Tecun Uman

How it works:

Version 1: marketing dirt cheap tours but after payment is collected, they disappear, or give you fake or expired tickets.
Version 2: tours which overcharge, over-promise and under-deliver (e.g. transport, safety, sights seen, activities done).
Version 3: bringing you somewhere else that looks familiar to save on the entry fee.

Places to beware:

Anywhere (e.g. Antigua: the Plaza Central Park)

What to do:

Offline operators: ask – is the operator licensed with the INGUAT Tourism commission? Is there a website, office and working phone number? Are there real online reviews? What does the price cover – is it too cheap?
Online platforms: GetYourGuide (leading day tour platform globally) also has many popular tours (e.g. Guatemala City tour, Chichicastenango and Lake Atitlan tour, Antigua tour, etc).
Paying: avoid paying in full upfront (unless reputable operator) or off the (online) platform

Tell us your story

2 user stories related to this scam

Stay away from these guys

bdan 31 Jan 2019 2 0

We had a similar experience with these guys in Flores! The same company also scammed another group of travelers with there onward bus tickets to Antigua. Stay away from these guys!

Comment

SCAM ALERT

crich 19 Apr 2018 2 0

I should have paid more attention to some of the post where, but I didn’t 😕 and was scammed.

From Guatemalan border:

Driver who drove us from Guatemalan border to Flores said we would have to pay “fee” to enter country, approx $5 or 35 Quetzales at the Guatemalan Border control. This is a fake fee. Don’t pay it, luckily we questioned it, and didn’t have to pay. The worse part is that the Border guards are in it too.

Flores:

About 30 minutes before we arrived to Flores, a local jumbos on the bus to explain options for Flores and Tikal tours. I bought a package of Tikal, transit from Flores to Semuc Champey and transport from Samuc Champey to Antigua. The first two vouchers worked, but the last one, transit from Samuc Champey to Antigua was not honored and lost the $$$ given to the agency.

The name of the agency is EL GRAN JUGUAR

I’ve attached the advertisement in front of the agency, the plate number of the car that took us, and the voucher. Please be aware!