Guatemala has always been the stuff of legend. For me, Guatemala represented an exotic land with a palpable sense of magic and the source of my family’s origins — a land of rugged mountain trails, exotic jungle ruins, and fascinating Indian culture. I first visited Guatemala when I was three and was captivated by the country from the moment I set foot there. Some of my earliest memories are of mysterious Mayan Indians who giggled easily and carried baskets atop their heads while walking barefoot down dirt roads.

But there was always a dark side to the beauty, an underlying mystery to what was really happening in Guatemala. I was too young to understand what was going on, much less to conceive that Guatemala was embroiled in a full-fledged civil war.

But that’s all in the past. The war ended more than 10 years ago thanks to a peace treaty, which, although not yet fully implemented, holds real potential for transforming the country. Change is in the air. This became clear to me during a recent visit. I flew into the tiny city of Flores, in northern Guatemala. My destination was exotic La Lancha, on the shores of Lake Petén Itzá, the third of movie director-cum-hotelier Francis Ford Coppola’s brand of luxury jungle accommodations and a sure sign of northern Petén’s untapped potential.

As mosquitoes nibbled at my ankles, my thoughts turned sympathetically to a ragtag group camping out somewhere in the Petén rainforest enduring much greater hardships for a crack at a million dollars. Survivor was being filmed here and I predicted that like other host locales for the popular TV show, Guatemala would soon see a tourism boom. Meanwhile, out on the tarmac, our brand-new, brightly lit Embraer jet shone like a neon sign announcing the imminent arrival of Guatemala on the international tourism scene.

Forget everything you’ve ever read or heard about Guatemala, for this is a land that surprises and astounds. In his book Guatemalan Journey, Stephen Connelly Benz describes his own culture shock upon his return to the country in 1988 after a 10-year absence. He writes, “It was something of a shock to have made the long journey to a Third World country — one of the poorest in the hemisphere, according to the statistics I had seen — only to discover landscaped avenues and speeding BMWs.” He adds, “What I began to learn, was one of the important lessons of my sojourn: you cannot anticipate a place like Guatemala; it defies facile definition.”

And that is the truth. It’s hard to put your finger on the pulse of this mysterious land simply because there’s so much going on here. What is clear is that there has never been a better time to discover this enchanting land of steaming lowland jungles, white-water rivers, misty mountains, coffee farms, colorful villages, black- or white-sand beaches, Mayan ruins, highland lakes, and colonial towns. From the chic cafés and high-rise hotels of Guatemala City to the mountain trails and quaint dirt-floor huts of the most remote Mayan village, Guatemala offers an incomparable palette of pleasures for any visitor.

One of my favorite things to do is to make the two-hour drive from Guatemala City to Lake Atitlán through the mountainous spine that crosses this part of the country. Guatemala’s astounding landscape reveals itself as you wind your way through pine-studded hillsides tended by Mayan farmers much as they have been for centuries. The sense of otherworldly magic is utterly palpable. Just when you think the scenery couldn’t possibly get any better, the road twists and turns sharply down a vertiginous hillside. You’re quite suddenly confronted with a bird’s-eye view of a shimmering sapphire-blue lake surrounded by mountains and three conical volcanoes shrouded in afternoon clouds. Rays of light peek through gaps in the clouds, painting the lake’s surface with their luminescent beams. Equally inviting is indigenous Mayan culture found in the villages on the lake’s shores, with their bustling markets and displays of lives lived in Technicolor.

Guatemala’s allure has captivated its fair share of notable travelers. Author Aldous Huxley called Lake Atitlán “the most beautiful lake in the world.” And in early 2007, President George W. Bush spent a day in the Guatemalan highlands visiting the relatively obscure villages of Santa Cruz Balanyá and Chirijuyú near Chimaltenango. Before a quick trip to the Mayan ruins of Iximché, he and the first lady were treated to a traditional Mayan dance performed by children. Bush later referred to his day trip through the Guatemalan countryside as “one of the great experiences of my presidency.” It might be hard to believe that a visit to a pair of dusty Mayan villages and some centuries-old ruins might be so captivating to the leader of the free world, but I think I understand what he’s talking about. Something about this place (and its people) just draws you in.

I invite you to discover a land that challenges you to uncover all that it has to offer. Then, take the next step and make the trip to Guatemala. My fellow Guatemalans and I welcome you with open arms.