Team Information
If you are considering putting together a short term missions team and coming to Guatemala, the following information may assist you.
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Capital City: Guatemala City at an elevation of approximately 5,000 ft.
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Population: Just over 10 million people; 45% being Indians (Mayan), the other 55% of mixed Spanish/Indian ancestry.
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Official Language: Spanish (although there are 21 Mayan dialects spoken by the various indigenous families).
- Chief Products
- Agriculture: bananas, beans, beef cattle, coffee, corn, cotton, sugar cane;
- Manufacturing: clothing and textiles, handcrafts, processed foods and beverages.
What do I need to know to come to Guatemala?
- Do I need a passport and Visa? YES, you need a current passport, but you do NOT need
a visa to enter Guatemala. Please make a photocopy of your passport to carry with you while you're in the country.
We'll keep your original passport in a safe at the dorm. We will also be glad to also lock up
your money and airline tickets while you're here with us.
- Is there anything I need to know about going through Customs? On the plane they will give you a Customs form to fill out. Simply indicate that you are a
"tourist." Your destination is the Rio Dulce. If they should question you, just tell them that you are bringing medical supplies
to do medical mission work. You shouldn't have any problems.
- What about shots and Immunizations? You only need to have your tetanus current. All other shots are not required and
we have never found them to be necessary.
- Packing? Mark all your bags with something recognizable like a certain colored yarn tassel
or colored tape or cloth...so you will know which are yours when you are watching all those "look alike" bags coming
around the conveyer belt.
A note about packing. If you are bringing anything liquid in bottles, be sure they are in zip lock bags. We put bottled things inside a small box and then pack the box inside the duffel bag with clothing around it. Things like shampoo, medical supplies and breakables should arrive safely.
- What type of clothing should I bring?
- Because we have a very hot climate you need to bring cool clothing. stick to cotton or cotton blend fabrics if possible.
- Make sure you bring comfortable shoes!! Walking shoes or tennis is best. Sandals are a good choice to wear at the dorm.
- Light weight casual wear is fine for almost every situation here.
- Most gringos (that's us) wear shorts most of the time, but the locals wear long pants all of the time.
- There will be a few nights we go to a nice restaurant to eat, so have a tropical shirt or blouse for that.
- Bring 1 sweater or light-weight jacket as it gets cold in Guatemala City and Antigua at night.
- Remember to bring a modest bathing suit.
- During the medical clinics we will provide you with scrub tops to identify you as medical team member.
- Please be realistic in your clothing needs and do not over-pack!
- Dress Code?
- Pants/shorts are acceptable for ladies or men, as long as they are modest.
- Bathing suits should be modest.
- What Else Should I Bring?
- Personal toiletries & medication
- Camera & film (disposable cameras are great)
- If you bring your digital camera, we can download your pictures on to a CD for you if your memory card gets full. Please set the date and time on your camera as the photos on the web site are merged based upon when they were taken and it makes a lot more sense if all of the cameras are in sync.
- A notebook if you want to keep a journal
- Laptop for Internet access.
- Reading material
- Insect repellent
- Disinfectant handy-wipes & hand sanitizing lotion
- Sun screen is a MUST
- Hat / sun visor / bandana & sunglasses
- Ear plugs
- Flashlight & extra batteries
- Your own personal water bottle. (We provide cold filtered water thought the day from a 5 gallon thermos; just keep re-filling your bottle)
- Pepto Bismol & Imodium tablets (as a precaution)
- A few "favorite" snacks, if you like, but don't over-do it.... Our food is GOOD & SAFE and there's plenty of it!
- What about Travel and Health Insurance? You may want to purchase inexpensive travel and health insurance. If you do, there are several companies online
under “Travel and Health Insurance” such as International Insurance Group Inc. You can get more
info for missions groups a either:
- International Insurance Group Call 888-467-4639 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-467-4639 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-467-4639 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-467-4639 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-467-4639 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or 888-467-4639 for rates.
- Adams and Associates International. They can be reached by phone at 803-458-1400.
- Raptim Travel, N. America. One group got great rates. 800-750-1224 x5262
- Day Tripper caters to missionary groups. They have 2 plans, one aims at younger groups and another
aimed at older/mixed groups. Contact them at 800-647-4589.
- What about Expenses?
- Your airfare will be up to you. Usually you can find deals on the Internet or go through your favorite travel agent to get group discounts, but air fares change constantly. Your destination will be San Pedro Sula, Honduras (airport code SAP). This is 3 hours closer to Rio Dulce than Guatemala City, the roads are better and the drive is along the Caribbean. It is a safe and modern international airport. The customs and immigration officers are friendly and helpful.
- To figure your expenses we have included everything you will need from the day of arrival until departure day. The cost is $65 per day per person. This covers dorm lodging, three meals a day at the dorm or while out on missions, and all transportation on buses, van, trucks and boats. If your flight schedule requires that you need to spend the night near the airport, you will be responsible for those hotel and restaurant charges.
- The only money you need to bring with you is your personal spending money + $37.50 shown below + any hotel/restaurant charges listed above.
- $37.50 US for the exit fee from the San Pedro Sula Honduras Airport when you leave. Make sure you have your exit fee money in US dollars.
- Visa is accepted in tourist places much more than Master Card but there is usually a 7% surcharge for using a credit card.
- There are multiple ATM machines in the area.
- Do NOT bring Travelers checks. It takes 45 minutes to an hour to cash the checks in banks here and with a group of 12 -15 people we can spend most of the day waiting in a bank
- Cash can be easily converted into the national money known as Quetzals. (Rate varies but is
usually about 8 Quetzals (but varies daily) to 1 US Dollar.)
- What about Electricity? The same as the USA 110 volts, but ladies don’t bring a hair dryer. (You won’t need it)!
- Where you will be staying? We have a three story Dormitory / Emergency Room / Apartment. This is where we as a family live
and also host short term missions teams.
- What about E-Mail and Phone access? You will have access to e-mail your family and let them know you are alive and well. Also a phone is
available to make calls home. You can bring your own laptop as we have WiFi.
- What about Bringing Medical Supplies? One of the ways we get the medicines we use here is through companies and individuals donating medicine. You
are allowed to bring 2 carry-on items and two, 50-lb luggage items. Be sure to check with the airline to find out
what the current limits are.
If you are willing, we can have 20x15x10" box(es) shipped to you with 30-35 pounds of over-the-counter medical supplies (children's Tylenol cough syrup, creams, etc). If you each bring a duffel bag with this medicine we can keep up with the demand we have for medicine in the clinics we do. When passing through customs, they are very thankful if they check you and you let them know you are on a mission trip and the are meds for the clinics. We have never had a problem.
Note that if your team brings your own drugs and/or supplies, be sure that they will not expire for at least 6 months after you arrive as they may be seized at customs if they are expired. The OTCs that we ship to you have all been checked. The following is a list of items that we specifically need:- Antibiotic Ointment
- Anti-Fugal Cream
- Multi-vitamins for adults and children but not gummy bear vitamins for kids as they will eat them all at once like candy.
Sue Waudby, in the US, distributes supplies to the teams. Please contact her via e-mail at sue(at)geoffschultz.org for information about shipments.
- Side Trip to Tikal: If your group is going to be working with Bryan for at least 10 days and are interested in taking a 2 day trip to Tikal to see some Mayan ruins, please visit the follow page: Tikal Side Trip