7 Quirky Reasons Famous People Have Visited Guatemala

Guatemala is a favourite destination with backpackers, for its culture, history and activities. But the country has also had its fair share of celebrity visitors. Here are some of the notable guests that Guatemala has received in recent years.

Stephen Fry

The British TV personality visited Guatemala in 2015 as part of the travelogue series Stephen Fry in Central America. He spent time traveling around in an old American school bus and visited traditional weaving communities, as well as talking to a former Miss Guatemala.

TV personality Stephen Fry visited Guatemala | © shannonpatrick17 / flickr | https://www.flickr.com/photos/shannonpatrick17/4341940292/in/photolist-7BFzzw-frDobh-8JeFGC-5vwCjP-7JbDu5-s7KFnb-9YfKvE-9YcR7r-9YfKqA-6nuLTr-aGyACa-axvkp7-5XjusH-6wYF9z-6x3Qto-6x3Qxw-q8sza3-pQXFF8-qFiPuq-pVCjgF-e2F3bF-S5ZC9w-S5ZBMj-qraRdM-qra5zk-9q1uSm-FZdYng-8VJkC9-qLus98-pxC1Yq-S9xXYP-78B5Rt-b8xraZ-8o8S6U-6XsHKo-7gjgFz-fajdLi-4Y6C7c-7Sd7qj-7Sd7qh-7S9XwT-7S9T5H-7S9T5p-7S9XwX-ndX8vF-VGUWSZ-8sEUNk-PoMzNf-SkMzs8-7S9Xxc

Dara O’Briain and Ed Byrne

The pair of Irish comics visited Guatemala in 2015, filming for Dara and Ed’s Great Big Adventure. They visit the Mayan saint Maximon by Lake Atitlan, climb Pacaya volcano, and hang out in Antigua. The series was shown on the BBC, and covered a journey from Arizona to Panama through Central America.

Che Guevara

After a long motorcycle journey through South America, Argentine doctor Che Guevara wound up in Guatemala at the time of the US-backed coup against the reformist Guatemalan government. Guevara arrived on Christmas Eve 1953 and stayed for eight months, witnessing the coup in June 1954. It was here that Guevara took on a more radical leftist thinking, before famously masterminding the Cuban Revolution during the late 1950s.

Ryan Tedder

The lead singer of the band One Republic visited Guatemala on a charity mission in 2013. Tedder was so inspired by the people he met that he later released a special edition video for the song “Feel Again,” featuring footage from his time in the country.

http://instagram.com/p/BZiMJ8FFBYs/?taken-by=ryantedder

Justin Bieber

Global megastar Justin Bieber also came to the country in 2013 on his own charity mission. Bieber was on a visit to the Pencils of Promise project, an NGO that works to improve access to education. The singer spent time with local kids and helped to build a school.

Cervena Fox

Model Cervena Fox visited Guatemala in October 2016 for a tattoo convention. She traveled with tattoo artist Megan Massacre, spending two days in the capital before visiting the Mayan ruins of Tikal and Yaxhá.

http://instagram.com/p/Bdxcrj3A4c9/?taken-by=cervenafox

Antoine de Saint Exupery

French writer de Saint Exupery was badly injured in a plane crash taking off from Guatemala City airport in 1938. He went on to write The Little Prince as he recovered from his injuries in the country. It is thought that he spent a lot of time in Antigua Guatemala and on the shores of Lake Atitlan, which he called the most beautiful lake in the world.