This week’s dream: Colourful Guatemala

Guatemala is "such a kaleidoscopic place, it gives India a run for its money", says Anna Murphy in the Sunday Telegraph. There are bright colours everywhere in this small Central American country: in the "lush flower- and bird-filled landscapes", in the markets with their "piles of fruit, flowers and rainbow chillies", and in the "vibrant traditional costumes" worn by many Mayan women. Unusually for Latin America, it still has a very large indigenous community: the Mayans make up around 50 per cent of the population. Their way of life is as "fascinating" as it is colourful. "Remarkably untouched by modernity", it makes Guatemala feel more distinctively Latin American than anywhere else in the region.
The Mayan population is concentrated in the upland regions of the south, where many villages have their own unique costumes: in one, everyone wears "red and black stripes"; in another, "blue and purple zigzags" predominate. Some villages are particularly famous for their outfits: in Santiago Atitlan, for instance, the women's pale lilac huipiles, or tunics, are "covered in embroidered birds". These communities are even more dazzling on market days. The stucco-white town of Chichicastenango has the most famous market, but Comalapa's is less touristy. Locals gather, "dressed to kill", at "impromptu outdoor cafes, drinking bowls of hot corn milk".
If you're looking for older remnants of Mayan civilisation, head for the northern lowlands. At the historic site of Tikal, "countless pyramidal temples dating back to 200BC soar above the forest". They are "awe-inspiring", as are the views from their summits "across the never-ending green". And all around you, the life of the jungle goes on: look out for "green toucans, lanky spider monkeys and giant, kaleidoscopic butterflies".
Steppes Travel (01285-880980) has a 12-day Guatemala tour from £2,750pp incl. flights and hotels. ·