Quetzaltenango, locally called Xela (pronounced “Shay-lah”), is Guatemala’s second-largest city and a cultural hub in the western highlands. Located at over 2,300 meters (7,600 feet) above sea level, it sits in a valley surrounded by volcanoes, including the active Santa María. Historically a center of the Kʼicheʼ Maya civilization, the city blends indigenous and colonial … [Read more...]
Lake Atitlán: Villages Guide & Things to Do
Lake Atitlán is a volcanic crater lake located in the Guatemalan Highlands, in the department of Sololá. It sits at an elevation of about 1,562 meters (5,125 feet) above sea level and is surrounded by three prominent volcanoes—Atitlán, Tolimán, and San Pedro—which form part of its dramatic landscape. The lake itself is roughly 18 kilometers long and over 300 meters deep, making … [Read more...]
Crossing the El Carmen–Talisman Border from Mexico to Guatemala
Nearly two months had passed in Mexico. It was time to continue our trip southeast through Central America. Next destination: Guatemala. It took a long overnight journey from Playa Zipolite on Oaxaca’s coast to reach our final stop in Mexico by dawn. The city of Tapachula sits just 17 km from the El Carmen–Talisman border crossing (location) between Mexico and Guatemala. … [Read more...]
Laguna Chicabal: Hiking Guatemala’s Sacred Maya Lake
Laguna Chicabal (Lake Chicabal) is a crater lake located within the inactive Chicabal Volcano in the Quetzaltenango Department of Guatemala, at an elevation of about 2,900 meters (9,500 feet). It's considered a sacred site by the local Mam Maya people, who regard the lake and surrounding cloud forest as spiritually significant. Ceremonial altars often line the shore, used for … [Read more...]
Santa María Volcano, Guatemala: our Hike without a Guide
Santa María Volcano is a massive stratovolcano located in the western highlands of Guatemala, near the city of Quetzaltenango (or Xela, as locals call it). Standing at about 3,772 meters (12,375 feet), it's one of the highest volcanoes in Central America and part of the Sierra Madre volcanic chain. Santa María is best known for its catastrophic eruption in 1902, one of the … [Read more...]
Hiking Acatenango & Volcán del Fuego, Guatemala without a Guide
Acatenango and Volcán de Fuego are two neighboring stratovolcanoes located in southern Guatemala, just outside the colonial city of Antigua. Acatenango, standing at around 3,976 meters (13,045 feet), is a dormant volcano popular with trekkers who often camp near its summit to witness the dramatic eruptions of the adjacent Volcán de Fuego. This is one of Central America’s most … [Read more...]
My Solo Hike to the Top of Volcán San Pedro, Lake Atitlán, Guatemala
It is an exquisite feeling to rise at dawn on a mystical lakeshore, slip on your shoes, grab a daypack, and embark on a 1,400-meter jungle ascent to a volcano's summit straight from your doorstep. The shore belonged to Lake Atitlán: a vast body of water perched at an altitude of 1,562 meters in the central highlands of Guatemala. Surrounded by lush slopes and fuming … [Read more...]
A Sunrise Hike to Indian Nose (Rostro Maya) at Lake Atitlán
The Indian Nose, known locally as Rostro Maya (the Maya Face), is a popular ridge near the town of San Juan La Laguna in Guatemala, offering panoramic views of Lake Atitlán and the surrounding volcanoes. Its name comes from the shape of the mountain ridge, which resembles the profile of a reclining face, specifically the nose. Despite its modest elevation of around 2,180 meters … [Read more...]
Guatemala City to Santa Ana, El Salvador by Local Public Transport
June 2022, having spent about a month traveling around Guatemala, we ended up in Guatemala City. And then it was time to move on to the city of Santa Ana in El Salvador. We found two ways to do that by public transport: Yet another option—which would be the fastest, comfiest, safest, and still fairly economical for a group—would be to arrange a private transfer here. … [Read more...]
