Blogs from Western Highlands, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 10

Todos Santos was the last and most interesting town I visited as part of a six-day trek from Nebaj to Todos Santos, with Quetzaltrekkers, which is located in the back of Casa Argentina in Xela (Quetzaltenango). This blog is mainly a cursory account of my trip and a review of the trek. 6-Day Excursion to the Highlands I definitely wanted to get into the Guatemalan highlands, not only for the scenery but because this area was so deeply impacted by the civil war. I met some travelers who went to Nebaj on their own, and they seemed pretty disappointed. There isn't much there to see; however, the four or five-hour trip to Todos Santos each way is worth it, as it´s a proud, unique and vibrant town. Quetzaltrekkers calls this a six-day trek, though it´s really ... read more

I walked this three-day, 48 km hike through Quetzaltrekkers (quetzaltrekkers.com), so this is mainly a review of their organized trek. Typically I like to walk alone, but the trail would be impossible to follow without a guide, and apparently some areas are too dangerous to attempt alone. The first two days are pretty strenous, with lots of shifts in altitude, pretty technical walking actually, with pretty nice views of the forest. At one point one the first day there was a marked difference in the scenery when the group reached the highest altitude of the trip. We emerged from the forest to see beautiful highland farms. Other than the views of the lake, this was a highlight for me. You can read other details on their website. The guides facilitate good camaraderie in the group and ... read more

This was the real Guatemala. There I was, barrelling up and down the switchback roads of the highlands, occasionally passing small villages. I was squished into a minivan with 23 other passengers, but it did not matter. This was the experience I was looking for. I was on my way to Nebaj, and the scenery was beautiful. Lush green hills and valleys all around, as far as the eye could see. Hours before I had still been in Lago de Atitlan. I was disappointed to leave, but knew I had to keep going. After taking a bus to Chichicastenago, where I had been to the market days before, I took a "chicken bus" to another town, Quiche. Chicken buses are the cheapest and most common mode of transportation in Guatemala. They are old yellow American school ... read more

(Note...definitely scroll to the bottom for some amazing photos) On Day 3, Wednesday, I explored more of Antigua with the two English and Denver guys from the hostel. They were a fun group to hang out with, and we visited a museum and a few ruins. I was going to book my trip to hike Volcano Acatenango, but unfortunately they changed the schedule and would be leaving Saturday instead of Friday. I did not want to wait around for a couple more days and lose my precious time, so I decided that I would move to my next destination the following day. At night, I went out with some guys from the hostel for dinner and then to a bar which was of course filled with gringos. It still is surreal to me to be in ... read more

I rose at 4.30am on Viernes Santo to see the 5am Viacruces. I was almost in doubt as to whether it would happen, as my leaflet of cultural events has proved ridiculously unreliable, but as I advanced towards the Parque Central gradually more and more people appeared. When this was just one person walking behind me in the dark, it was slightly disconcerting, but by the time I reached the Iglesia there were around fifty people there, some adding the finishing touches to the flower displays on the alfombras, some lighting candles off each other. I was expecting to observe the procession heading off down 4a Calle and the return to bed, but I found myself absorbed into one of the files of walkers in the procession. I was even asked to take a turn in ... read more