The ecot our ism t r ail of t he Huist a r egion pr oposes t o anot her by giving you t ips and an out

ut line of t he
a gr eat excur sion in t he cent er of Huehuet enango, a
department located in the northwest of Guatemala.
Go t o discover t his ar ea by t aking a hundr ed
kilometer excur sion, which will t ake you t hr ough lush
nat ur e t o t he pr incipal Mayas popt i’ villages. Thus you will
come t o discover except ional nat ur al sit es such as El Río
Azul, which t akes it s name f r om t he blue-sky color of it s
wat er ; you will visit La Cueva Del Limón in t he municipio of
Sant a Ana, or El Hoyo Cimar r ón of t he municipio of
Nent ón. You will discover a new cult ur e by visit ing t he
ceremonial Mayan sites in Concepción Huista and you will be
able t o r est and t ake advant age of t he sun at t he edge of
the many r iver s, which you will f ind t hr oughout t he way.
Finally, you will be able t o br ing back some memor ies while
going to see the craftsmen of Jacaltenango.
expect ed dif f icult ies. A descr ipt ion of t he places of
int er est s f ound in each municipio is also pr esent ed t o you,
making it possible t o know t he var ious act ivit ies t hat ar e
offered to you.
The ecot our ism t r ail of t he Huist a r egion can be
car r ied out in appr oximat ely one week. However , if you
decide t o explor e t his cour se by f oot , t wo weeks will be
necessary for you to fully appreciate the experience.
While leaving t o discover t he r ich envir onment ,
splendid landscapes, and by lear ning t he cust oms and
habit s f r om an int ense cult ur e, t he ecot our ism t r ail of t he
Huista region will bring you an unforgettable experience.

The ecot our ism t r ail of t he Huist a ar ea is best

suit ed f or people who love nat ur e, excur sions and camping,
as well as people curious to experience a different culture.

This guide gives you t he possibilit y of r eaching

each village by f oot or by public t r anspor t , which will
enable you t o choose your own r out e. I n t his guide, you will
f ind a descr ipt ion of t he excur sions going f r om one village
 Ecotourism Trail of the Huista Region

Legend:

Municipality

Municipio limit
Ecotourism Trail
River
Viewpoint
Campsite
2.3 0 4.6 Km Picnic area
El Cerro Q’anil in Jacaltenango
Some tips:
Culture and society:
Cour t esy is a ver y impor t ant aspect of t he social lif e. Thus, in all
cir cumst ances, when you addr ess somebody, st ar t by gr eet ing him or
her , wit h a smile. I n t he same way, when you ent er a public place, a
gener al gr eet ing will be appr eciat ed. When leaving a r est aur ant , one
of t en wishes a buen pr ovecho (enj oy your meal) t o t he ot her
customers.
Always ask per mission when you want t o t ake a pict ur e wit h your
camer a. Nor mally, t he Mayas ar e not accust omed t o and do not like t o
be photographed.
At t he t ime of your excur sions in dif f er ent municipios, you will have
the possibility of visiting ceremonial Mayan sites. At the site, it is very
impor t ant t o r espect t he places of medit at ion, do not degr ade t he
buildings and avoid t ouching or t aking t he var ious obj ect s pr esent .
Mor eover , if you go t o t hese places on days of wor ship, it is of t he
upmost impor t ance t o keep silence in or der t o r espect people who ar e
praying.
Finally, when you have a picnic, do not leave your wast e at t he picnic
site, even if the place where you were was already messy, the situation
could be improved upon.
About the guide:
Lodging:
Usually, it is unnecessar y t o r eser ve a r oom in advance when you t r avel
in t he Huist a ar ea. An except ion however is if you t r avel dur ing
Semana Sant a (week of East er ), when all of t he populat ion of
Guatemala is on holiday.
Food in Guatemala:
I n gener al, as not ed in t he guide, you will f ind under t he heading
“Wher e can you eat ?” t er ms such as: “Guat emalan t r adit ional f ood” or
“t ypical f ood of Guat emala”. These t er ms mean t hat t he r est aur ant
does not offer a menu, but gives you for breakfast (el desayuno), eggs,
beans, bananas, f r ied plant ains, t or t illas and cof f ee. Lunch (el
almuerzo), can be composed of a soup, or a meat meal, which is
accompanied by r ice or pot at oes, a f ew veget ables and t or t illas. Wit h
r egar d t o t he dinner (la cena), t he menu is of t en t he same one as t he
br eakf ast : eggs, beans, and plant ains. The maj or it y of t he meals
include in t heir pr ice eit her a dr ink or cof f ee, or a fresco, which is
gener ally lemonade or a f r uit j uice t hat is homemade and ver y
r ef r eshing. Sever al r est aur ant s of f er a ser vice of refacciones. This is
a snack t hat is ser ved bet ween br eakf ast and lunch or bet ween lunch
and dinner . A refacción is gener ally composed of a small meal
(sandwich, cake) and a drink.
Environment:
Envir onment al pr ot ect ion does not const it ut e a maj or concer n in
Guat emala, and t he Huist a ar ea does not escape of t his r ule. I ndeed,
at t he t ime of your excur sions, you will be conf r ont ed wit h t he almost
const ant pr esence of wast e along t he t r ail and a high concent r at ion at
entrances to cities and villages. You will also find deforestation in many
par t s of t he Huist a r egion. Def or est at ion is mainly caused by t he
exploitat ion of wood, and t he inst allat ion of f ar ms of br eeding and
agr icult ur es, like t he plant ing of cor nf ields. The pr oblem of
deforestation is not without consequences to the environment. In fact,
t r ees, t hanks t o t heir long r oot s, r et ain soil and t hus pr ot ect against
er osion, pr event ing, in t his manner , cont aminat ion of t he sour ces of
dr inking wat er . Also, t he disappear ance of t he f or est causes t he
incr ease of t he t emper at ur e of t he gr ound, involving an excessive
evapor at ion of t he wat er r et ained in t he lat t er and t hus causing many
problems of dryness in the basin slopes during the summer time.
However , at t he t ime of your excur sions, you will be able t o benef it
from the lush vegetation of Guatemala. While exploring the ecotourism
t r ail of t he Huist a r egion, you will cr oss t hr ee dif f er ent nat ur al zones,
cont aining 12 dif f er ent ecosyst ems. The guide pr esent s t he maps of
t he ecot our ist ic t r ail of t he Huist a ar ea while indicat ing t he climat es
and the ecosystems crossed, as well as a short description of each one.
I n t his manner , you will f ind a plet hor a of f lor a and f auna and many
chances t o obser ve examples of t hem, while lear ning t heir inher ent
char act er ist ics f r om t he nat ur al envir onment in which you will f ind
yourself surrounded.
Excursions:
I n or der t o help you t o pr epar e f or your excur sion, a descr ipt ion of
t he t r ail is given t o you at t he end of each chapt er of t he
municipalit ies’ pr esent at ion. We give you below t he signif icance of t he
information provided for the excursion.
Distance: For each of t he excur sions pr esent ed in t his guide, t he
dist ances suggest ed wer e calculat ed using a GPS. Thus, in or der t o
decr ease t he er r or s due t o t he loss of signal dur ing calculat ion, t he
distances indicated were rounded to the highest kilometer.
Appr oximat e t ime: Aver age t ime t o car r y out t he excur sion was given
wit h a mar gin of 15 minut es. Not e t hat t he t ime indicat ed does not
include r est st ops. Thus, always allow a lit t le mor e t ime when deciding
your hour of depar t ur e. Mor eover , as each per son has his or her own
rhythm of walk, time suggested is only as an approximation.
Level of dif f icult y: The f oot pat hs bet ween t he municipalit ies wer e
evaluat ed accor ding t o t he lengt h of t he excur sion, t he widt h of t he
pat h and it s unevenness. Mor eover , at t he t ime of t he evaluat ion, it
was t aken int o account t he qualit y of t he pat h (movable gr ound or
solid), shade as well as t he pr esence or t he absence of mot or ized
vehicles. The t r ails wer e t hus indexed accor ding t o t he f ollowing
cat egor ies: “Easy”, “Aver age” and “Dif f icult ”. These cat egor ies ar e
given as a suggest ion, and any per son in good healt h and good physical
condition will easily be able to carry out the aforementioned excursion.
Note: At the time of your excursions, you may come across barriers or
enclosed f ields. These bar r ier s do not mean t hat t he passage is
pr ohibit ed, but t he pur pose is pr incipally t o pr event t he animals f r om
ent er ing or f r om leaving. Thus, if in f r ont of a bar r ier , look at it well
because there is usually a way to open it to let to you pass.
What do you need to carry?
The maj or it y of t he excur sions ar e done on dir t t r acks, gener ally
nar r ow and pr esent ing obst acles of all kinds: Dense veget at ion, r ocks,
t r ees and shr ubs. Thus it is advised t o wear solid hiking shoes and long
t r ouser s, which will pr ot ect you f r om t he possible scr at ches due t o
t he veget at ion on t he edges of t he pat h. I t is of t he upmost
impor t ance t o keep hydr at ed t hr oughout t he way, as t he t emper at ur e
in t he Huist a ar ea easily exceeds 86°F (30°C) in summer and 72°F
(25°C) in wint er (mid-May t o mid-Oct ober ). Thus br ing a suf f icient
quant it y of wat er f or each t r aveler bef or e leaving because t he
pur chasing possibilit ies ar e r ar e as soon as you leave cit y and village
limit s. Also, br ing along a snack, or a picnic when you leave f or t he
excursion, since t he t r ail pr esent s many pleasant places t o r est . I t
would be a shame t o miss an oppor t unit y t o picnic in a beaut if ul
landscape.

Significance of the symbols:

The symbols and appear ing on t he maps of excur sions
help you t o locat e r espect ively, t he viewpoint s, t he campsit es and t he
picnic areas. Note carefully however the symbols and
appear only as a suggest ion. I ndeed, you will not see any indicat ion
when you ar r ive at t he locat ion on t he pat h allowing you t o r ecognize
precisely t he sit e indicat ed on t he map. Thus, t he symbols mean t hat
t her e ar e possibilit ies t o have picnic or t o camp, but it is up you t o
est ablish your camping or picnic sit es wher e you would f eel
comfortable.
The following symbol on t he ot her hand, indicat es t he landscape
sites rather precisely.

Information:
For mor e inf or mat ion concer ning t he excur sions of each municipio, go
t o t he of f ice of t he OMP (Of icina Municipal de Planif icación) which is
in t he building of t he Town hall and which is open Monday t o Fr iday
from 8h00 to 17h00.

Guide Service:
Not e well t hat t o car r y out t he excur sions going f r om one municipalit y
t o anot her , it is advised t hat you t o acquir e t he ser vices of a guide
who will accompany you t hr oughout your way. To f ind guide ser vices,
contact the “asociación ecologista Verde/Azul”:
A street in San Antonio Huista
Tel.: 5767-8281;
Email: oe-ava@yahoo.com
juandanielmontejo2@yahoo.com
The ecot our ism t r ail of t he Huist a r egion cr osses t hr ee dif f er ent
climat e zones. You will f ind below a shor t descr ipt ion of t hese t hr ee
zones.
- Low Mountain Subtropical Wet Forest:
Altitude: 1800 to 2000 m.
Annual average Precipitation: 1057 to 1588 mm.
Annual average Temperature: 15 to 23°C.
Soil: Adapt ed f or t he agr icult ur e of cor n, beans, wheat ,
veget ables and f r uit t r ees such as peach, pear and
avocado.
- Moderate Subtropical Wet Forest:
Altitude: 1000 to 1500 m.
Annual average Precipitation: 1000 to 2000 mm.
Annual average Temperature: 18 to 24°C.
Soil: The t ype of agr icult ur e f ound is: cof f ee, cor n, beans,
gr oundnut s, soy, and f or est species used as st r uct ur al
timber.
- Hot Subtropical Dry Forest:
Altitude: 500 to 1000 m.
Annual average Precipitation: 800 to 1000 mm
Annual average Temperature: 24 to 30 °C.
Soil: Mainly used f or cult ur es not r equir ing much wat er like:
t omat o, t obacco, soya and sor ghum. You can also meet
cult ur es of “j ocot e mar añón” (Anacar dium occident ale), a
fruit employed for making fermented drinks.
I n each one of t hese t hr ee climat e zones, we f ind sever al ecosyst ems.
I n all t he Huist a ar ea, t her e ar e 20 ecosyst ems. However , t he
ecot our ism t r ail of t he Huist a ar ea passes t hr ough 12 dif f er ent
ecosyst ems (see map f ollowing page). A shor t descr ipt ion of t hese
ecosystems is provided below1:
- Sub-Mountain Semi deciduous Mixed Forest:
Type of vegetation: Mixed
Altitude: 900 - 1546m
Annual average Temperature, °C: 15 - 26
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 600 mm
Maximum: 2510 mm
Average: 1106 mm
Phenology: Semi-deciduous
Humidity: Dry
Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 750,46
Territorial extension in the country (%): 0,69
Fr equent species: Pinus oocar pa, Q uer cus sp., Guazuma
ulmif olia, Acacia, pennat ula, Bur ser a bipinnat a,
Cor dia sp., Xylosma sp., Agave sp., Senecio
deppeanus, Serjania sp., Calliandra sp.
1
According to INAB, 2001. Mapa de Ecosistemas Vegetales de Guatemala.
Instituto Nacional de Bosques – INAB Guatemala, octubre del año
2001. 197 p.
 Climate Zones Crossed by the
Ecotourism Trail of the Huista
- Region

Legend:

Municipality

Ecotourism Trail

Climate Zones:
Low Mountain Subtropical Wet Forest
Moderate Subtropical Wet Forest

1.8 0 3.6 Km Low Mountain Subtropical Very Wet Forest

Hot Subtropical Dry Forest
 Mixed Forest of Higher Level Mountain: Average: 1582 mm
Type of vegetation: Mixed Phenology: Semi-evergreen and Evergreen
Altitude: 2000 - 2933m Humidity: Wet and very wet
Annual average Temperature, °C: 10 - 26 Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 3036,12
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 600 mm Territorial extension in the country (%): 2,80
Maximum: 5000 mm Fr equent species: Abies guat emalensis, Acaena elongat a,
Average: 1644 mm Alnus j or ullensis, Ar but us xalapensis, Cupr essus
Phenology: Semi-evergreen and Evergreen lusit anica, Dodonea viscosa, dendr opanax
Humidity: Wet and very wet ar bor eus, Pinus ayacahuit e, Pinus har t wegi,
Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 4318,92 Pinus pseudost r obus, Gr egia st eyer maer kii,
Territorial extension in the country (%): 3,98 Alsophila salvinii, Cyat hea diver gens, Dicksonia
Dominant species: Pinus pseudost r obus, Pinus spp., sellowiana, Cavendishia guat emalensis, Q uer cus
Quercus spp. cr ispif olia, Q uer cus sapot aef olia, Q uer cus
Fr equent species: Acacia pennat ula, Alnus spp., Ar but us acat enangensis, Lit sea glauscescens, Fuchsia
xalapensis, Bacchar is vaccinioides, Clet hr a sp., ar bor escens, Cor iar ia t hymif olia, Clet hr a
Chiranthodendr on pent adact ylon, Didymopanax suaveolens, Monnina xalapensis, St ipa sp.,
mor ot ot oni, Eupat or ium sp., Ost r ya vir giniana, Zant hoxylum aguilar i, Cest r um aur ant iacum,
Pinus maximinoi, Pinus mont esumae, Q uer cus Smilax sp., Lyciant hes sp., Chir ant hodendr on
br achyst achys, Rhamnus pr inglei, Lant ana pent adact ylon, Buddleia nit ida, Bacchar is
híspida, Liquidambar st yr acif lua, Magnolia vaccinioides, Eupat or ium semilat um, St illingia
guat emalensis, Myr ica cer if er a, I ndigof er a acut if olia, Ceanot hus coer uleus, Taxus globosa,
miniat a, Senecio deppeanus, St ipa sp., Tr ema I lex br andegeana, Par at hesis lept opa, Rapanea
micr ant a, Ver nonia sp., Rapanea myr icoides, j uer guensenii, Pr unus capulí, Vibur num
Saurauia sp., Viburnum sp. j ucundum, Cuphea cyanea, Vaccinium
leucant hum, Ar ct ost aphylos pyr if olia,
- High Mountain Mixed Forest: Gimnosper ma glut inosa, Lant ana híspida,
Type of vegetation: Mixed Symplocos har t wegii, I lex belizensis,
Altitude: 2500 – 3672m Weinmania pinnat a, Rhamnus discolor , Rhamnus
Annual average Temperature, °C: 10 - 23 Nelson, Cleyer a t heaeoides, Billia
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 600 mm hippocastanum, Dr imys gr anadensis, Per sea
Maximum: 5475 mm americana.
 Gener al obser vat ions: This t ype of ecosyst em is f or med
- Other Shrubs with Latifoliate Vegetation: by degr aded f or est sect or s and abandoned
Type of vegetation: Latifoliate gr ounds of cult ur es wher e var ious t ypes of
Altitude: 0 - 2507m shr ubs develop, like some t ypes of lat if oliat e
Annual average Temperature, °C: 15 - 26 species. You can also f ind in t his t ype of
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 678 mm ecosyst em var ious zones which wer e af f ect ed by
Maximum: 4882 mm f ir es and which begin t heir pr ocess of nat ur al
Average: 1985 mm regeneration.
Phenology: Evergreen and Semi-evergreen
Humidity: Wet and very wet - Other Shrubs with Mixed or Conifers Vegetation:
Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 5144,7 Type of vegetation: Mixed and Conifers
Territorial extension in the country (%): 4,75 Altitude: 131 - 4051m
Fr equent species: All species descr ibed in t he var ious Annual average Temperature, °C: 5 - 25
Latifoliate ecosystems. Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 600 mm
Examples: Alnus j or ullensis, Ar but us xalapensis, Dodonea Maximum: 5119 mm
viscosa, dendr opanax ar bor eus, Q uer cus spp., Average: 1699 mm
Lit sea glauscescens, Fuchsia ar bor escens, Phenology: Semi-evergreen and Evergreen
Cor iar ia t hymif olia, Clet hr a suaveolens, Monnina Humidity: Wet and very wet
xalapensis, Zant hoxylum aguilar i, Cest r um Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 1575,42
aur ant iacum, Smilax sp., Lyciant hes sp., Territorial extension in the country (%): 1,45
Chiranthodendron pentadactylon, Buddleia nit ida, Fr equent species: All species descr ibed in t he var ious
Baccharis vaccionioides, Eupat or ium semilat um, Mixed and Conifers ecosystems.
St illingia acut if olia, Ceanot hus coer uleus, I lex Examples: Acacia pennat ula, Alnus spp, Ar but us
br andegeana, Par at hesis lept opa, Rapanea xalapensis, Bacchar is vaccionioides, Clet hr a sp.,
j uer guensenii, Pr unus capulí, Lant ana híspida, Chiranthodendron pentadactylon, Didymopanax
Symplocos har t wegii, Weinmania pinnat a, mor ot ot oni, Eupat or ium sp., Ost r ya vir giniana,
Rhamnus discolor , Rhamnus Nelson, Cleyer a Pinus pseudost r obus, Pinus maximinoi, Pinus
t heaeoides, Billia hippocast anum, Dr imys mont esumae, Q uer cus br achyst achys, Rhamnus
granadensis, Persea americana. pr inglei, Lant ana hispida, Liquidambar st yr acif lua,
Magnolia guat emalensis, Myr ica cer if er a,
I ndigof er a miniat a, Senecio deppeanus, St ipa sp.,
 Tr ema micr ant a, Ver nonia sp., Rapanea Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 15265, 06
myricoides, Saurauia sp., Viburnum sp. Territorial extension in the country (%): 14,8
Abies guat emalensis, Pinus har t wegii, J uniper us Fr equent species: All species descr ibed in t he var ious
standleyii, Cupressus lusitanica, Chiranthodendron Latifoliate ecosystems.
pent adact ylon, Cest r um sp., Salvia sp., St ipa sp., Examples: Alnus j or ullensis, Ar but us xalapensis, Dodonea
Mahonia volcanicola, Ranunculus geoides, Fuchsia viscosa, dendr opanax ar bor eus, Q uer cus spp.,
michoacanensis, Valer iana pr ionophylla, Dalia Lit sea glauscescens, Fuchsia ar bor escens,
aust r alis, Ribes ciliat um, Bacchar is vaccinioides, Cor iar ia t hymif olia, Clet hr a suaveolens, Monnina
Gimnosper ma glut inosa, Tigr idia pavonia, Halenia xalapensis, Zant hoxylum aguilar i, Cest r um
shannonii, Alnus jorulensis, Rhamnus ser r at a, aur ant iacum, Smilax sp., Lyciant hes sp.,
Symphor icar pus micr ophyllus, Eupat or ium Chiranthodendron pentadactylon, Buddleia nit ida,
semialatum. Baccharis vaccionioides, Eupat or ium semilat um,
St illingia acut if olia, Ceanot hus coer uleus, I lex
Gener al obser vat ions: This t ype of ecosyst em is f or med br andegeana, Par at hesis lept opa, Rapanea
by degr aded f or est s sect or s and abandoned j uer guensenii, Pr unus capulí, Lant ana híspida,
gr ound of cult ur es wher e var ious t ypes of shrubs Symplocos har t wegii, Weinmania pinnat a,
develop, alt hough you can f ind some sect or s of Rhamnus discolor , Rhamnus Nelson, Cleyera
Mixed and Conif er s species. You can also f ind in t heaeoides, Billia hippocast anum, Dr imys
t his t ype of ecosyst em var ious sect or s which granadensis, Persea americana.
wer e af f ect ed by f ir es and which begin t heir
process of natural regeneration. Gener al obser vat ions: Agr icult ur e zones wher e sect or s
of Lat if oliat e f or est s or disper sed t r ees of
- Agricultural Systems Dominated by Latifoliate: var ious lat if oliat e species ar e f ound, f or m t his
Type of vegetation: Latifoliate type of ecosystem.
Altitude: 0 - 2656m
Annual average Temperature, °C: 12 - 27 - Agricult ur al Syst ems Dominat ed by Mixed
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 600 mm Vegetation:
Maximum: 5600 mm Type of vegetation: Mixed
Average: 2176 mm Altitude: 218 - 3721m
Phenology: Semi deciduous and Evergreen Annual average Temperature, °C: 10 - 26
Humidity: Wet – Very wet Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 600 mm
 Maximum: 5600 mm Average: 1259 mm
Average: 1465 mm Phenology: Semi deciduous and Evergreen
Phenology: Semi deciduous and Evergreen Humidity: Wet and very wet
Humidity: Wet and very wet Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 497,09
Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 7087,2 Territorial extension in the country (%): 0,46
Territorial extension in the country (%): 6,54 Frequent species: All species described in the various
Frequent species: All species described in the various Conifers ecosystems.
Mixed ecosystems. Examples: Abies guat emalensis, Pinus spp., Pinus
Examples: Acacia pennat ula, Alnus spp, Ar but us har t wegii, J uniper us standleyii, Cupr essus
xalapensis, Bacchar is vaccionioides, Clet hr a sp., lusit anica, Chir ant hodendr on pent adact ylon,
Chiranthodendron pentadactylon, Didymopanax Cest r um sp., Salvia sp., St ipa sp., Mahonia
mor ot ot oni, Eupat or ium sp., Ost r ya vir giniana, volcanicola, Ranunculus geoides, Fuchsia
Pinus pseudost r obus, Pinus maximinoi, Pinus michoacanensis, Valer iana pr ionophylla, Dalia
mont esumae, Quer cus br achyst achys, Rhamnus aust r alis, Ribes ciliat um, Bacchar is vaccinioides,
pr inglei, Lant ana hispida, Liquidambar st yr acif lua, Gimnosper ma glut inosa, Tigr idia pavonia, Halenia
Magnolia guat emalensis, Myr ica cer if er a, shannonii, Alnus jorulensis, Rhamnus ser r at a,
I ndigof er a miniat a, Senecio deppeanus, St ipa sp., Symphor icar pus micr ophyllus, Eupat or ium
Tr ema micr ant a, Ver nonia sp., Rapanea semialatum.
myricoides, Saurauia sp., Viburnum sp.
General observations: This type of ecosystem is made of
General observations: This type of ecosystem is made of sectors types of cultures where some zones of
agriculture zones where sectors of Mixed forests conifers forests or trees of various species
or dispersed trees of various latifoliate and strewn of conifers are met.
conifers species are found.
- Agr icult ur al Syst ems Dominat ed by t he Past ur es and
- Agricultural Systems Dominated by Conifers: Shrubs:
Type of vegetation: Conifer Altitude: 0 - 3806m
Altitude: 395 - 3775m Annual average Temperature, °C: 11 - 28
Annual average Temperature, °C: 5 - 23 Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 600 mm
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 800 mm Maximum: 5157 mm
Maximum: 3754 mm Average: 1613 mm
 Humidity: Dry - Wet
Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 2489,01
Territorial extension in the country (%): 2,30
General observations: In this ecosystem you can find
sectors that develop various types of agricultural
zones with the presence of natural grazing
grounds or shrubs which are regenerated after
the abandonment of the grounds.
- Agr icult ur al Syst ems Dominat ed by t he Shr ubs and
Pastures:
Type of vegetation: Latifoliate
Altitude: 0 - 3420m
Annual average Temperature, °C: 11 - 28
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 600 mm
Maximum: 3200 mm
Average: 1294 mm
Phenology: Semi deciduous and Evergreen
Humidity: Dry and Wet
Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 2479,13
Territorial extension in the country (%): 2,29
General observations: In this ecosystem, compared to
the pastures you notice a greater presence of
shrubs, which are regenerated because of the
abandonment of the grounds. A sector
characteristic of this ecosystem is in the
commune of Nentón, Huehuetenango.
- Agr icult ur al Syst ems wit h Pr esence of 25 t o 50% of
Coffee and/or Cocoa, and/or Cardamom:
Type of vegetation: Latifoliate
Altitude: 500 - 1700m
Annual average Temperature, °C: 15 - 26
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 1000 mm
Maximum: 4600 mm
Average: 2445 mm
Phenology: Evergreen
Humidity: Wet and Very wet
Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 609,61
Territorial extension in the country (%): 0,56
Dominant species: Coffea arabiga.
General observations: This ecosystem is mainly
dominated by coffee crops, which is practiced in
dispersed pieces associated with clean cultures,
or in sectors where varieties of plants which need
shade are cultivated.
- Agr icult ur al Syst ems wit h Pr esence of mor e t han 50% of
Coffee and/or Cocoa, and/or Cardamom:
Type of vegetation: Latifoliate
Altitude: 500 - 1700m
Annual average Temperature, °C: 12 - 26
Annual Precipitation: Minimum: 860 mm
Maximum: 5600 mm
Average: 2856 mm
Phenology: Evergreen
Humidity: Very wet
Territorial extension in the country (Km2 ): 3530,01
 Territorial extension in the country (%): 3,26
Dominant species: Coffea arabiga.
Frequent species: Grevillea robusta, Inga spp., Cibystax
donnell-smithii.

General observations: We find in this ecosystem,

throughout the coffee belt that runs along the
pacific slope of the country, the latifoliate
species that provide shade essential to the
coffee crop species that grow with the crops.

Key to Ecosystems Map:

1-1 Sub-Mountain Semi deciduous Mixed Forest
1-2 Mixed Forest of Lower Level Mountain
1-3 Mixed Forest of Higher Level Mountain
1-4 High Mountain Mixed Forest
1-5 High Mountain Conifers Forest
2-1 Other Shrubs with Latifoliate Vegetation
2-2 Other Shrubs with Mixed or Conifers Vegetation
3-1 Agricultural Systems Dominated by Latifoliate
3-2 Agricultural Systems Dominated by Mixed Vegetation
3-3 Agricultural Systems Dominated by Conifers
3-4 Agricultural Systems Dominated by the Pastures and Shrubs
3-5 Agricultural Systems Dominated by the Shrubs and Pastures
3-6 Agricultural Systems with Presence of 25 to 50% of Coffee
and/or Cocoa, and/or Cardamom
3-7 Agricultural Systems with Presence of more than 50% of Coffee
and/or Cocoa, and/or Cardamom

Coffee seedling
 Ecosystems Crossed by the
Ecotourism Trail of the Huista
Region

Legend:

Municipality

Ecotourism Trail

Ecosystems:
(The key is found on the page before)

1-1
1-2
1-3
1-4
1-5
2-1
2-2
3-1
3-2
3-3
3-4
3-5
1.6 0 3.2 Km
3-6
3-7
From Huehuetenango to Jacaltenango whose t r unk is appr oximat ely 6m in cir cumf er ence) and t ake t he next
t r ail on t he r ight . You will ar r ive at a place called “El Rancho,” which is
There exist three companies that ensure the way from Huehuetenango
at t he f oot of t he Cer r o. Follow t he pat h on your lef t and go up unt il
t o J acalt enango. All t he buses leave t he cent r al st at ion of
you r each t he t op of t he hill. The excur sion is appr oximat ely 5km, and
Huehuet enango. The schedules f or t he depar t ur e t o J acalt enango are
it is necessar y t o allow appr oximat ely t wo hour s of walking t o ar r ive at
as f ollows: 3h00, 5h00, 10h00, 11h00, 12h00, 15h00, 16h00 and 17h00.
the top.
The trip lasts approximately 3h45 and costs 22 Quetzales per person.

By the road:
Go in t he dir ect ion of t he municipalit y of San Ant onio Huist a, and
JACALTENANGO cont inue appr oximat ely 10 t o 15 minut es unt il t he place called
commonly “El Rancho”. Once you ar r ive t her e, go t o t he t op of t he
Natural Sites in Jacaltenango: Cerro, which will take roughly 25 minutes.

The Río Azul:

El Cerro Q’anil:
The Río Azul is a r iver whose sour ce is f ound in t he high par t of
El Cerro Q’anil is a Ceremonial Mayan site. You can find it at the top of
Concepción Huist a. The r iver dr aws it s name of t he blue-sky color
t hr ee pr incipal monument s, which cor r espond t o t he t ombs of t he
from its water, due to the clay soil on which it runs. All along the banks
three characters of the legend of “Xhuwan Q'anil:” Juan Méndez, Juan
of t he Río Azul t her e ar e places t o swim in t he cent er of lush
Mendoza and J uan Car melo. Today people st ill go t her e t o car r y out
vegetation.
r eligious cer emonies on t he 1st day of each mont h wit h pr ayer s and
of f er ings. However , t he most impor t ant cer emonies pr oceed dur ing
To go to the Río Azul
“I j om Hab' it ” (t he Mayan New Year ) and “Pohxuhew” (t hanks f or t he
By foot:
f ir st har vest s), in or der t o give t hanks t o t hese guar ds of t he people
Follow t he dir ect ion “Río Azul” indicat ed on t he map “Municipalit y of
of Jacaltenango.
J acalt enango”. The f ir st par t of t he pat h is cover ed in r ock, and goes
The t op of t he Cer r o, of f er s a beaut if ul view of San Ant onio Huist a
down t owar ds a f ir st br idge (25 minut es walking). I t is necessar y t o go
and the Cuchumatanes, an ideal place for a rest.
5 mor e minut es bef or e ar r iving at t he old wood br idge of t he Río Azul.
Fr om t her e it is possible t o go up t he r iver t o t he br idge of t he San
To go to El Cerro Q’anil:
Mar cos r oad. Then, while f ollowing t he r oad t owar ds J acalt enango on
By foot:
300 m, you ar r ive at t he “swimming pool of t he Río Azul” (see map
Take dir ect ion “Molida” (see map “Municipalit y of J acalt enango”), pass
“Hiking in Jacaltenango”).
t he cr ossr oads wher e t he “sabino” is (Taxodium mucr onat um, t r ee
 Hiking in
Jacaltenango

Legend:

Municipality

Municipio limit
Hiking trail
River
Natural site
Viewpoint
0.54 0 1.08 Km
Picnic area
By the road: By the road:
Take a micr obus in dir ect ion t owar ds San Mar cos, (see map Take a t axi, which will lead you t o t he t op of t he r out e t hat t akes you
“Municipalit y of J acalt enango”) which will br ing you, in 15 min f or 3 dir ect ly t o t he sit e. The t axi t akes appr oximat ely 10 min and cost s 5
Q uet zales, t o t he new br idge of t he Río Azul. Fr om t her e, f ollow t he Quetzales per person.
paths that are marked along the riverbanks.
What to do in Jacaltenango?
La Molida:
Production of coffee and honey
The name “La Molida” is der ived f r om t he Spanish wor d “molinda”
which means “mill”. I ndeed, on t he sit e of Molida a mill is used t o Cooperativa Del Río Azul:
ext r act t he j uice f r om sugar cane. The j uice, once ext r act ed, is set t o While going t o visit t he cooper at ive of t he Río Azul, you will be able t o
cook in a lar ge t ank in or der t o ext r act f r om it t he non-r ef ined sugar attend the complete process of the coffee exploitation, allowing you to
af t er evapor at ion of t he wat er (“Per ol”). The sit e of “Molida” is at it s lear n t he met hod of har vest and pr oduct ion, f r om t he f r uit t o f inal
peak int er est at t he t ime of t he har vest of t he sugar cane, i.e. pr oduct . The cooper at ive of f er s visit s t o or ganic and non-organic
bet ween t he 20 th of Mar ch and t he 5 th of Apr il depending on t he year coffee plantations.
in J acalt enango (t he per iod of har vest dif f er s accor ding t o t he
climat e and alt it ude). Gener ally you can t ast e t he pr oduct s of har vest
f or t en days. Tr adit ionally, it is possible t o eat t he sugar cont ained in
t he cane dir ect ly, or by dr inking t he f r esh pr essed j uice f r om t he
sugar cane. Also you can t ast e bananas soaked in t he “per ol”, as well as
t he “melcocha” which is a piece of sugar cane cover ed wit h a layer of
“per ol” t hat t ast es like candy. I t is also possible t o buy a “panela”,
br ick of “per ol,” har dened and used as sugar f or f ood. Finally t o make
t he “Chicha”, (kind of liquor ) it is necessar y t o collect t he cane j uice,
and let it ferment for at least a week or more.

To go to La Molida
By foot:
Follow t he dir ect ion “Molida”, t hen pass t he cr ossing wher e t he
“sabino” is (t r ee of 6m cir cumf er ence) and t ake t he second pat h on
your right. Allow approximately 25 min of walking (1,5km). Extraction of sugar cane juice at la Molida
Municipality of Jacaltenango
Then you must t our t hr ough t he sit e of t he cooper at ive t o see t he
t r eat ment of t he cof f ee. At t he end of t he visit it will be possible f or
you t o buy cof f ee in var ious f or ms, f r om t he nat ur al cof f ee bean t o
t he r oast ed and gr ound cof f ee. The visit s of t he cooper at ive of Río
Azul ar e done f r om December unt il t he beginning of Apr il, dur ing t he
per iod of t he cof f ee cr ops. Plan your visit appr oximat ely 15 days in
advance.
Tel.: 7722-6306
Asociación Guaya’b:
Guaya’b associat ion, expor t s honey, or ganic and non-or ganic cof f ee
coming f r om t he ar ea of J acalt enango. Unlike t he cooper at ive of t he
Río Azul, t he associat ion Guaya’b r eceives, gat her s and buys t he
cof f ee in it s f inal f or m, pr epar ing it f or sale. Thus, it is possible f or
you t o visit t he f ar ms and t he cof f ee plant at ions, and t o see t he chain
of ar t isan pr oduct ion and exploit at ion of t he or ganic cof f ee. At t he
end of t he visit it will also be possible f or you t o buy cof f ee, t his t ime
dir ect ly f r om t he pr oducer or in t he cent er of t he associat ions
warehouse.
You will also be able t o at t end a honey har vest . The har vest of honey
is done pr act ically all year , t hus t he visit of a f ar m will depend mainly
on t he availabilit y of t he beekeeper s. Also, you will be able buy honey
directly from the producer.
I n or der t o pay a visit , it is necessar y t o cont act associat ion Guaya’b
approximately 15 days before the day of your visit.
Tel.: 7763-2866
Artisan shop:
Painting:
Casa Del Art e: J osé Cuper t ino Delgado has been a self -educated
paint er f or mor e t han 30 year s and has also been devot ed t o
woodcar ving f or t went y year s. His wor kshop is dir ect ly in his house,
where he displays about fifteen tables. José Cupertino has a collection
of 30 t ables t hat have sur vived since t he per iod of t he civil war of
Guat emala. These t ables r epr esent his vision of t he war , and descr ibe
outstanding events of this period in Jacaltenango.
Bruno Delgado Camposeco: is a non-pr of essional paint er , aut odidact .
He does not have a wor kshop on display, but has t he possibilit y t o
display t o t he “Casa de la Cult ur a” dur ing t he summer school holidays
(November and December ), and t he weekends. However if you do not
t r avel dur ing t he per iod of display, it is possible t o go at his place t o
see his works of art (see map “Municipality of Jacaltenango”).
Weaving:
Art esanía de la Placit a de la Cruz: I n going t o t he shop of Elena
Cot a, you will f ind t her e all kinds of ar t icles of weaving like r ibbons,
belt s (“cint as”), and bags of all sizes (“bolsas”). I t also manuf act ur es
decor at ive weaving looms on which it can r egist er a per sonalized
message. I t is necessar y t o wait appr oximat ely t hr ee f ull wor king days
t o complet e a weaving on a lar ge size loom, appr oximat ely t wo days f or
a medium and one day for a small.
Sombrerería: J esús Mont ej o Domingo makes sombr er os, of Todos
Sant os Cuchumat anes st yle. These sombr er os ar e manuf act ur ed wit h
the leaf of dried and braided palms.
Traditional costumes: Julio Silvestre Quiñones and his son José Angel
Silvest r e, make t r adit ional cost umes used f or t he f est ivals of t he
municipalit y of J acalt enango and sever al villages of t he municipio. The
masks accompanying t he cost umes ar e made out of wood, and each
mask goes with a precise costume, representing a key character of the
dance per f or med. The t wo ar t isans also make wood headst ocks
(“muñecas”), and any t ype of wood sculpt ur e. I t is also possible t o
order a specific sculpture, for decoration.
Tienda San J uan: This shop of f er s many f abr ics of dif f er ent st yles,
pr imar ily used f or t he “cor t e t ípico” of t he Mayan women. However ,
while walking t hr ough t he mar ket of t he main st r eet of J acalt enango,
it is possible t o f ind t he same t ypes of f abr ics, t he “t ienda San J uan”
remaining the only place where such diversity is found.
Other sites:
The regional museum of Jacaltenango:
El museo r egional is locat ed in t he building of t he hospit al of
J acalt enango. This museum was cr eat ed by Mot her Rosa, who was an
impor t ant pr ot agonist in t he hist or y of J acalt enango, in par t icular f or
her par t in t he cr eat ion of t he hospit al. The museum cont ains
ar chaeological pieces coming f r om t he ancest r al Mayan cult ur e,
sculpt ur es of Maya ar t , as well as phot ogr aphs of t he village of
J acalt enango at t he t ime of t he f ir st inhabit ant ar r ival. Two people of
t he communit y of J acalt enango, Desider ia Camposeco Silvest r e and
Ema Villat or o de Camposeco cur r ent ly manage t he museum. However ,
given t he lack of means and t he weak f r equent at ion of t he museum,
t his one is not opened t o t he public in a per manent way. I f you wish t o
visit t he r egional museum of J acalt enango, it is necessar y t o dir ect ly
cont act Doña Ema Villat or o de Camposeco (see map of t he
“Municipality of Jacaltenango”) in order to decide on an appointment to
visit t he museum. Not e t hat t he visit of t he museum is f r ee, but a
per sonal donat ion would be ver y much appr eciat ed t o help t he museum
remain in activity, and to allow its permanent opening in the long run.
La casa de la cultura:
Of f er s displays of paint ings, sculpt ur es and ot her t ypes of ar t isan
obj ect s. I t also of f er s wor kshops of paint ing, ar t isan and music, in
or der t o maint ain and develop t he local cult ur e f or t he younger
gener at ion and gener al populat ion of J acalt enango. I f you buy a piece,
a par t of t he money will be given t o t he ar t ist and anot her par t t o “la
casa de la cultura” for the purchase of new supplies for the workshops.
The entry is free but a donation fee is left at the visitor’s discretion.
Swimming pool Río Azul:
The swimming pool Río Azul is in t he cent er of t he Río Azul valley at
3km f r om t he municipalit y of J acalt enango. You can go t her e by t aking
a microbus (direction San Marcos) a 15 minutes ride or even on foot by
a 40 minut e walk (see heading “t o go t o Río Azul”). The ent r y per
per son is 5 Q uet zales. The ser vices on t he sit e ar e not numer ous:
Never t heless, t her e is a small st or e t hat sells dif f er ent snacks and
fresh drinks. However, it is possible to bring your own food to the site,
whet her it is alr eady pr epar ed or r eady t o cook on t he sit e’s
bar becues. A basket ball cour t is also available at t he cust omer ’s
disposal.
Where to sleep?
Hot el Rest aurant e Placit a: The hot el of f er s double bedr ooms wit h
pr ivat e or common bat hr oom. The pr ices ar e 40 Quet zales per per son
and 70 Q uet zales f or 2 people wit h pr ivat e bat hr oom, and 25
Q uet zales per per son and 40 Q uet zales f or 2 people wit h collect ive
bat hr oom. The hot el of f er s a r est aur ant open ever y day f r om 6h00 t o
22h00. The price for the breakfast and the dinner is 12 Quetzales per
per son, and t he pr ice f or t he lunch is 15 Q uet zales, wit h fresco. The
simple and t r adit ional meals of Guat emala ar e ser ved in t his
r est aur ant . I f you do not meet anybody at t he r ecept ion, cont act
“Farmacia Corazón de Jesús” (see map “Municipality of Jacaltenango”).
Tel.: 7763-2798
Where to eat?
Caf é Rest aurant Azul: Opened ever y day f r om 12h00 t o 23h00 t his
r est aur ant of f er s, wit hin a pleasant ambience a gr eat diver sit y of
meals. The meals var y f r om t he Guat emalan t r adit ional f ood, t o mor e
elabor at e meals. I t is possible t o t ast e paella (must be or der ed in
advance), lasagnas, and “tacos mexicanos”. You can also find meals more
common like t he homemade pizzas and hambur ger s as well as meals of
all kinds of past as. A refacciones ser vice is car r ied out in t he middle
of t he af t er noon. The pr ices f or a meal var y accor ding t o t he meal
chosen, but they range between 15 and 45 Quetzales.
Comedor Rosit a: The Comedor Rosit a is open ever y day f r om 6h00 t o
20h00. The pr ice f or a meal is 10 t o 16 Quet zales per per son wit h
fresco included. The restaurant offers typical meals of Guatemala.
Casa Grande: Open ever y day f r om 6h00 unt il 21h00. The r est aur ant
offers various typical meals of Guatemala. The price for breakfast and
dinner is 15 Q uet zales per per son, and t he pr ice f or lunch is 20
Quetzales, with fresco.
From Jacaltenango
Public transport
From Jacaltenango to Concepción Huista:
Take a micr obus next t o t he “t emplo evangélico”. The micr obus leaves
ever y half -hour f r om 5h00 t o 17h00. The t r ip t o Concepción Huist a
lasts approximately 45 min and costs 7 Quetzales per person.
From Jacaltenango to Nentón:
The f ir st micr obus leaves at 5h00 in t he mor ning wit h t he last bus
leaving at 17h00. The micr obus r ide t o Nent ón last s appr oximat ely
1h20 and costs 15 Quetzales. It is quite easy to go to Nentón by taking
a micr obus t o t he village of La Laguna wher e you can wait f or a
micr obus or a bus coming f r om La Mesilla. The r ide t o La Laguna last s
1h00 appr oximat ely and cost s 10 Quet zales. The r ide t o Nent ón f r om
La Laguna is 20 minut es and cost s 5 Q uet zales. Ther e is not a dir ect
bus going from Jacaltenango to Nentón.
Only 3 buses go in t he mor ning t o La Laguna. The schedules ar e 5h00,
8h30 and 11h00. The r ide t o La Laguna is 8 Quet zales per per son and
lasts approximately 1h15.
Hiking from Jacaltenango to Concepción Huista:
Distance: 16,5km
Approximate time: 4h00
Difficulty: Average
To begin t he excur sion f r om J acalt enango t o Concepción Huist a, t ake
t he r oad in t he dir ect ion of San Mar cos (see map “Municipalit y of
J acalt enango”). Af t er cr ossing t he br ook, which cut s t he r oad, t ake
t he t r ail t hat goes up on your r ight . This pat h over hangs dur ing a f ew
kilomet er s t he valley of t he Río Azul, and t hen br ings you t o t he edge
of t he Río Azul. Fr om t her e, skir t t he banks of t he r iver f or
appr oximat ely 7km by way of small gr ound pat hs int o t he cent er of
moder at e subt r opical wet f or est . Once you leave t he f or est , cont inue
t o go up t he Río Azul, but t his t ime on an over land r out e, which goes CONCEPCIÓN HUISTA
unt il Yulá. I t is necessar y t o allow appr oximat ely 3h00 of walking f r om
Jacaltenango to Yulá, which is about 13km.
Natural sites in Concepción Huista:
I n Yulá, t ake t he over land r out e in t he dir ect ion of Concepción Huist a.
Allow appr oximat ely 1h00 f r om Yulá t o Concepción Huist a, while
passing from 1800m to 2260m altitude in 3,5km. El Nacimiento del Río Azul:
The Nacimient o is t he sour ce of t he Río Azul. The Nacimient o is
Note: Bef or e leaving, br ing wat er in suf f icient quant it y since you will
appr oximat ely 1 km away f r om Chalhuit z village (see map “Hiking in
not be able t o buy some bef or e ar r iving in Yulá. Many sit es along Río
Concepción Huist a”), int o t he cent er of t he low mount ain subt r opical
Azul are perfect for picnicking.
wet f or est . Fields of agr icult ur e, mainly of cor n, sur r ound t he zone of
t he Nacimient o. I n t hese f ields, you can f ind vest iges of t he Mayan
cult ur e. I ndeed, t he lar ge heaps of st ones ar e t he r emainder s of
excavations carried out by the inhabitants of the time who were in the
search of gold and other noble metals.
Fur t her along t he way af t er having passed Chalhuit z and t he sour ce of
t he Río Azul, you will ar r ive in a village also bear ing t he name of
Chalhuit z. The inhabit ant s of Todos Sant os Cuchumat án come t o
occupy t his village dur ing t he summer at t he t ime of t he cr op har vest .
The dwellings built in t he old st yle ar e t he main char act er ist ic of t he
village. The walls ar e made of what locals call “adobe”, and r oof s ar e
made of wood small boards (“tejamanil”).

To go to the Nacimiento:
By foot:
For t his excur sion, it is possible t o hike a loop of 13km, appr oximat ely.
Take f ir st t he dir ect ion of Yulá (see map “Municipalit y of Concepción
Huist a”). Fr om t her e, t wo possibilit ies ar e of f er ed (see map “Hiking in
Concepción Huista): it is possible to take the main road towards Yulá or
to take a small path towards Chalhuitz.
El Río Azul near La Laguna, Jacaltenango
 Hiking in Concepción
Huista

Legend:

Municipality

Municipio limit
Hiking trail
River
Natural site
Viewpoint
0.73 0 1.46 Km
Picnic area
By t aking t he main r oad it is necessar y t o go appr oximat ely one hour
(3,5km) unt il Yulá, and one hour mor e t o t he “Nacimient o” (4km),
declining from 2260m in Concepción to 1800m in Yulá.
By t aking t he t r ail, allow f or appr oximat ely t wo hour s of walking on a
nar r ow pat h, which st ar t s out dir ect ly f r om Concepción t o Chalhuit z.
For t his f oot pat h, it is advised t hat you t ake a guide in or der t o f ind
t he cor r ect dir ect ion easily. Not e, however , t hat t his way is easier t o
take from Chalhuitz than to go back to Concepción Huista.
Note: If you take the main road towards Yulá, or if you decide to make
the complete loop, between Yulá and Chalhuitz, you will pass in front of
t he Yulá cer emonial Mayan sit e (see map “Hiking in Concepción
Huista”).
By the road:
Take a bus in Concepción Huista in front of the church in the direction
of Chalhuit z. Ther e ar e t wo buses a day, at 7h00 and at 11h00 in t he
mor ning. The t r ip t o Chalhuit z t akes appr oximat ely 40 minut es, and
cost s 8 Quet zales per per son. Fr om Chalhuit z, it is necessar y t o go
appr oximat ely 20 minut es t o go t o t he “Nacimient o”. Each bus st ops
f or t went y minut es in t he village of Chalhuit z, bef or e going back t o
Concepción Huista.
Ceremonial Yulá Center:
Bet ween t he village of Yulá and t he “Nacimient o del Río Azul” you will
pass in f r ont of t he Yulá cer emonial Popt i´ Mayan sit e. This place was
set up in t he honor of t he f ounder s of t he Popt i' communit y. I t is
consider ed t he sit e wher e one of t he most impor t ant act ivit ies of t he
Cosmogonía Maya t akes place, which ar e t he pr ayer s, car r ied out f or
t he ar r ival of t he f ir st r ains in or der t o begin t he sowing of cor n. The
sit e pr esent s t wo r eligious buildings; one cor r esponds t o t he man and
t he ot her t o t he woman. The man bur ied, accor ding t o t he legend,
would be Manuel, t he br ot her of J uan Méndez bur ied in “Cer r o Q ' anil”
of the municipio of Jacaltenango.
To go to the Yulá Center:
By foot:
To go t o t he Yulá cent er , you should f ollow t he same way as t o go t o
t he sour ce of t he Río Azul (see heading “t o go t o t he Nacimient o”), by
t aking t he main r oad t owar ds Yulá. The cer emonial cent er is on t he
r oad t o Chalhuit z, appr oximat ely 2km f r om t he village of Yulá. Thus,
t he f oot pat h f r om Concepción Huist a t o Yulá cent er is appr oximat ely
5km and passes from 2260m to 1800m of altitude. Allow approximately
1h15 for this excursion.
By the road:
Take t he bus f r om Concepción Huist a t o Chalhuit z (see map
“Municipalit y of Concepción Huist a”), and get of f in Yulá. The t r ip t o
Yulá t akes appr oximat ely 20 minut es. Once at Yulá, it is necessar y t o
go about 20 minutes to reach the center of worship.
Praying in the Yulá Center
Municipality of Concepción Huista
What to do in Concepción Huista? Where to sleep?

Coffee production Hospedaj e Chayit o: Ther e ar e t wo buildings of t he Hospedaj e

Chayit o. The f ir st is at t he ent r ance of t he municipalit y of Concepción
CODECH:
Huist a, while coming by t he r oad f r om J acalt enango. The ent r ance of
CODECH associat ion (Coor denador a de Or ganizaciones de Desar r ollo
t he hospedaj e is at t he same place as t he ent r ance of a f abr ic st or e
de Concepción Huist a) is locat ed at t he cent er of t he municipalit y of
and an I nt er net caf é. The second building is ver y near t o t he f ir st one
Concepción Huist a. The pr incipal act ivit y of t he associat ion is t he
and you can f ind it easily when you ar r ive f r om Yulá. The hot el of f er s
cof f ee expor t f r om Concepción Huist a pr imar ily t o t he Unit ed St at es
individual, double or t r iple r ooms all wit h shar ed bat hr oom. The pr ice
and New Zealand.
suggest ed is 20 Q uet zales per per son what ever t he booked r oom. The
The CODECH wor ks wit h cof f ee pr oducer s who use an ecological
hot el does not of f er a f ood ser vice, t he bat hr ooms ar e poor ly
syst em of pr oduct ion, not pollut ing t he envir onment . This pr ocess
maint ained and it is r ecommended t hat you br ing your own sleeping
suppor t s low wat er consumpt ion f or washing, and r eint r oduce t he used
bag.
wat er af t er t r eat ment back int o t he envir onment . The CODECH
Tel.: 7783-0238 / 57712965
associat ion of f er s t he oppor t unit y t o visit f ar ms and cof f ee
plant at ions, which will enable you t o see t he chain of pr oduct ion and
Where to eat?
exploit at ion of t he biological cof f ee. At t he end of t he visit it will be
possible to buy coffee, in its natural form (not roasted), roasted whole Comedor Yolanda: Open every day from 6h00 to 20h00. It serves the
bean, or r oast ed and gr ound. I n or der t o pay a visit , cont act t he t r adit ional meals of Guat emala. The pr ice f or a meal is 15 Quet zales
association CODECH approximately 1 month before your visit. per person with fresco.
Tel.: 7783-0370 / 5897-2528
Email: codechconce@yahoo.com From Concepción Huista
luisvidalmontejo@yahoo.com
Public transport
Artisan shop:
From Concepción Huista to San Antonio Huista:
Jewelry:
The buses in t he dir ect ion of San Ant onio Huist a can be caught at t he
J oyería Recinos: Fr ancisco Recinos wor ks wit h gold and silver in his church (see map “Municipality of Concepción Huista”) twice a day. They
wor kshop and manuf act ur es dif f er ent t ype of j ewels. You can f ind
leave at 4h45 in t he mor ning and 12h30 in t he af t er noon. The t r ip
rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings, at very reasonable prices.
last s appr oximat ely 1h30 and cost s 15 Q uet zales per per son. Ther e is
also a micr obus, which is caught opposit e of t he but cher (see map
“Municipality of Concepción Huista”), and leaves at 5h00 in the morning
and 12h00 in t he af t er noon. You should t r avel 1h15 and pay 15 necessar y t o allow a much longer amount of t ime because t he pat h
Quetzales per person for the trip. t akes you out f r om 1200m t o 2260m of alt it ude. I t is f or t his r eason
the path was classified “Difficult”.
From Concepción Huista to Jacaltenango:
All t he micr obuses, which go f r om J acalt enango t o Concepción Huist a,
set out again f r om Concepción Huist a 15 or 20 min lat er . Thus, t he
micr obuses leave ever y half -hour f r om 5h30 t o 17h00. The t r ip t o
J acalt enango last s appr oximat ely 45 min and cost s 7 Q uet zales per
per son. I n Concepción Huist a, t he micr obuses ar e caught beside t he
Town hall (see map “Municipality of Concepción Huista”).

Hiking from Concepción Huista to San Antonio Huista:

Distance: 16,5km
Approximate time: 4h45
Difficulty: Difficult (extremely uneven)

To go t o San Ant onio Huist a by f oot , it is necessar y t o go in t he

dir ect ion of Pet at án (dir ect ion “San Ant onio Huist a” on t he map
“Municipalit y of Concepción Huist a”). The f oot pat h t o go t o San
Ant onio Huist a is t he over land r out e used by t he vehicles. However ,
t his r oad is f r equent ed ver y lit t le, wit h t r ees all lengt h making it Landscape of Concepción Huista
possible t o walk in t he shade a good par t of t he day. I t pr esent s a
pleasant f r amewor k and cr osses beaut if ul landscapes. The decline is SAN ANTONIO HUISTA
1000m (Concepción Huist a: 2260m; San Ant onio Huist a: 1200m). A
first stop can be done after 2h45 of walk, which means 8,5km, arriving Natural sites in San Antonio Huista:
at Pet at án, wher e you will be able t o buy wat er and f ood. To go t o San
Antonio, some 8km should be left which can be done in 2h00 walking. La Ermita Hipan’a:
La Er mit a Hipan’a is a Cat holic chur ch wher e wor shipper s come f r om
Note: The pat h f r om Concepción Huist a t o San Ant onio Huist a was sever al par t s of Mexico and f r om San Ant onio Huist a, in mid-
done only in descent , which shor t ened indicat ed t imes. However if t he December at the feast day (San Antonio).
pat h is done f r om San Ant onio Huist a t o Concepción Huist a, it is
 Hiking in San
Antonio Huista

Legend:

Municipality

Municipio limit
Hiking trail
River
Natural site
Viewpoint
0.73 0 1.46 Km
Picnic area
The chur ch is locat ed only 1km away f r om t he Par que cent r al (cent r al
park). The special characteristic of this church is that it was built on a
cave in which a st at ue of t he Vir gin Mar y was f ound. I t is possible t o
go down int o t he small cave while ent er ing t he chur ch wher e t his r elic
was. However , t he or iginal st at ue was st olen and is cur r ent ly r eplaced
by a statue offered by the Mexican people.
To go to La Ermita Hipan’a:
By foot:
Leave t he Par que cent r al and go about f if t een minut es Nor t h while
passing in front of the entry of the town hall (see map “Municipality of
San Ant onio Huist a”). Follow t he r oad t hat goes uphill, and on your
right you will see the church.
To go to the cascades:
By foot:
The pat h f r om San Ant onio Huist a t o t he cascades cor r esponds t o t he
beginning of t he pat h of t he excur sion t o go t o Sant a Ana Huist a.
Thus, it is necessar y t o st ar t by going in t he dir ect ion of Sant a Ana
Huist a (see map “Municipalit y of San Ant onio Huist a”). Go
appr oximat ely 1,5km and t ake a left, right before the “carwash Lenin”,
a path, which goes to the old Río Huista’s bridge.
I t is necessar y t o allow appr oximat ely 1h00 of walking t o go t o t he
bridge, which is approximately 3km on an inclined cliff. Once arrived at
t he br idge, wit hout cr ossing it , t ake t he pat h on your r ight , and allow
appr oximat ely 1h15 of walking along t he r iver on a dif f icult pat h t o
reach the cascade Las Canoas.

By the road:
I t is possible t o go t o La Er mit a Hipan' a in a t axi f or only 3 Q uet zales
for ten minutes.

Cascades Las canoas and Yalancu:

This t r ail along t he Huist a River will successively t ake you out in f r ont
of t wo lar ge consecut ive wat er f alls. Fr om San Ant onio Huist a, t he
f ir st cascade t hat you will f ind is called Yalancu, and wat er f r om t his
falls about fifteen meters directly in the Río Huista. The second one is
the cascade of “Las canoas” which is also very high but not as powerful
as t he Yalancu. Not e t hat t he cascade of Yalancu is cont aminat ed and
it is not recommended to swim in. In contrast the cascade “Las canoas”
pr esent s sever al nat ur al swimming pools wher e it is possible t o swim.
The site is perfect to have a picnic.

Las Canoas Waterfall

By the road:
I t is not possible t o go t o t he cascades by t axi, because t her e is no
r oad f or mot or ized vehicles. The only place wher e a t axi can leave you
is next the entry of the path, in front of the “carwash Lenin”.
Las Peñas Ixcu:
Las Peñas I xcu, ar e clif f s t hat culminat e at 1675m above sea level.
When ar r iving at t he t op, t he landscape of f er s a view of t he Río
Huist a’s ent ir e valley and of t he municipalit y of San Ant onio Huist a. I t
should be noted that the footpath, which goes out to the cliffs, is very
pleasant , because it r emains in t he shade pr act ically all t he mor ning,
and the top of cliffs is a beautiful place for a break.
To go to Las Peñas Ixcu:
By foot:
To go t o Las Peñas I xcu, leave t he Par que cent r al of San Ant onio
Huist a going t owar ds t he mar ket , and t ake t he f ir st st r eet on your
r ight . Then, f ollow t he paved r oad t o t he exit of t he San Ant onio
Huist a cent er , wher e t he r oad will divide in t wo. Take t he dir t t r ack
on your lef t , which goes up t owar ds Cer r o I xcu. Follow t his all t he way
t o t he end, appr oximat ely 1,5km. At t he f ir st pat h t hat you cr oss on
your lef t , cont inue st r aight . Af t er appr oximat ely 1km, t ake t he small
pat h on your lef t , which will t ake you out t o t he t op of t he clif f s. The
pat h t o t he t op of Las Peñas I xcu is 3,5km f r om San Ant onio Huist a,
and goes from 1200m of altitude to 1675m.
By the road:
I t is not possible t o go t o t he clif f s by t axi, because no r oad exist s
for the motorized vehicles. The only place where a taxi can leave you is
at t he exit of San Ant onio Huist a, at t he beginning of t he pat h going
to Cerro Ixcu.
Other sites:
Swimming pool of San Antonio:
The swimming pool of San Ant onio Huist a is behind t he mar ket , near
t he r oad t hat goes t o J acalt enango. The ent r y per per son is 3
Q uet zales, t he gr ounds ar e pleasant but t her e ar e no ser vices inside
the enclosure.
Where to sleep?
Hot el Rest aurant El Paso: The hot el El Paso is locat ed in f r ont of t he
ent r y of t he Town hall of San Ant onio Huist a. The hot el of f er s
individual, double or triple rooms either with private bathroom, or with
collect ive bat hr oom. The maj or it y of t he r ooms ar e equipped wit h a
t elevision and t oilet r ies. The pr ices suggest ed ar e 70 Q uet zales f or a
per son alone, 110 Q uet zales f or t wo people and 160 Q uet zales f or
t hr ee f or r ooms wit h pr ivat e bat hr oom. For a r oom wit h shar ed
bathroom the price is 50 Quetzales per person.
The hotel offers a quiet and pleasant ambience, and the rooms and the
bat hr oom ar e ver y clean. The hot el does not of f er par king, but t her e
is a f ood ser vice. I t is possible t o eat all t he meals of t he day t her e,
wit h advance not ice. However t he evening meal will be assur ed only f or
a gr oup of at least 4 people, because t he kit chen uses f ir ewood and
t hat r equir es a gr eat er pr epar at ion t ime. The pr ice f or t he br eakf ast
and t he dinner var ies f r om 15 t o 25 Q uet zales and t he lunch pr ices
var y f r om 20 t o 35 Quet zales. You will be able t o benef it f r om t he
refacciones service for 10 Quetzales during the day.
Tel.: 7780-4419
Municipality of San Antonio Huista
Hotel Monte Sinai Regalo de Dios: The hotel is located in the central
cant on of San Ant onio Huist a, and of f er s individual, double or t r iple
r ooms and even a r oom f or 5 people. A r oom wit h pr ivat e bat hr oom
cost s 60 Q uet zales per per son, 100 Q uet zales f or t wo people (double
bed) and 125 Q uet zales f or a double-bedded r oom. Rooms wit h shar ed
bat hr oom ar e 25 Q uet zales per per son. The maj or it y of t he r ooms ar e
equipped with a television and toiletries.
The hot el has a quiet and pleasant ambience, t he r ooms and t he
bat hr ooms ar e ver y clean. The hot el does not of f er par king, but t her e
is a f ood ser vice. The r est aur ant is open f r om 6h00 t o 21h00. For 15
Q uet zales per per son wit h fresco, t he r est aur ant ser ves t r adit ional
meals of Guatemala.
Hot el Don Napo: The hot el Don Napo has individual, double or t r iple
r ooms. All t he hot el r ooms have a pr ivat e bat hr oom. The hot el Don
Napo also offers a Hospedaje with rooms at more accessible price, but
wit h shar ed bat hr oom. The maj or it y of t he hot el r ooms ar e equipped
wit h a t elevision. The pr ices f or a r oom in t he hot el ar e 40 Q uet zales
per per son, 70 Q uet zales f or 2 people and 120 Q uet zales f or 3 people.
A r oom in t he hospedaj e will cost you 25 Q uet zales per per son and 40
Quetzales for 2 people.
The hotel provides pleasant grounds, and the hygiene of the rooms and
bat hr ooms is accept able. The hot el Don Napo of f er s par king, but does
not have a restaurant.
Where to eat?
Caf é Huist lan: Open ever y day f r om 7h00 t o 22h00. You can f ind
t r adit ional meals as well as a lar ger choice of meals. The pr ice f or a
meal r anges f r om 12 t o 18 Quet zales per per son f or t he br eakf ast and
t he dinner , and 18 Q uet zales per per son f or t he lunch. Ther e is also a
ser vice of refacciones. The Caf é Huist lan also has a baker and
confectioner's shop where you can taste cakes and good bread.
Comedor Erlisan: Open ever y day f r om 7h30 t o 18h00, Comedor
Er lisan of f er s you t r adit ional meals f or 15 Q uet zales per per son wit h
fresco.
From San Antonio Huista
Public transport
From San Antonio Huista to Santa Ana Huista:
Take a micr obus in t he dir ect ion of Camoj a. These micr obuses leave
ever y 20 minut es f r om 6h00 t o 17h00, and ar e caught at t he Par que
cent r al (see map “Municipalit y of San Ant onio Huist a”). The t r ip last s
approximately 20 minutes and cost 5 Quetzales per person.
From San Antonio Huista to Concepción Huista:
To go f r om San Ant onio Huist a t o Concepción Huist a it is possible t o
t ake a bus which leaves accor ding t o t he f ollowing schedules: 6h00,
7h30, 9h00, 11h00 and 12h00. The buses leave at t he t op of t he
mar ket (see map “Municipalit y of San Ant onio Huist a”) but t hey pass
t hr ough t he Par que cent r al and can be caught a f ew minut es lat er
t her e. The t r ip t o Concepción Huist a last s appr oximat ely 2h00 and
costs 15 Quetzales.
Hiking from San Antonio Huista to Santa Ana Huista:
Distance: 9km
Approximate time: 3h30
Difficulty: Average
Go in t he dir ect ion of Sant a Ana Huist a (see map “Municipalit y of San
Ant onio Huist a”). Af t er appr oximat ely 1,5km of walking, t ake t he pat h
on your lef t , r ight bef or e t he “car wash Lenin”. This pat h goes t owar ds
t he old Río Huist a’s br idge (“El puent e viej o”). Allow appr oximat ely
1h00 of walk t o go t o t he br idge while passing f r om 1200m t o 900m in
3km. Af t er having cr ossed t he br idge t ake t he pat h on t he r ight ,
which skir t s t he r iver in t he dir ect ion of t he village of Buena Vist a.
Bef or e j oining t he old r oad, which leads t o Buena Vist a, it is necessar y
t o go appr oximat ely 1h30 by climbing t o 1100m. Ther e you will f ind an
ar ea wher e it is possible f or you t o est ablish a camp. Then, go up in
alt it ude along t he old r oad unt il Buena Vist a, t o go down again t hen
towards Santa Ana Huista in 1h00 of walk to 800m of altitude.
The old Río Huista’s bridge
Note: Af t er having j oined t he old r oad, which car r ies out t o Buena
Vist a, you will f ind a small village ver y quickly wher e it is possible t o
buy wat er and some pr ovisions. Near t he Río Huist a it is also possible
to find a site to establish a camp for the night.
SANTA ANA HUISTA
Natural sites in Santa Ana Huista:
La cueva del Limón:
La cueva del Limón is an impr essive cave t hat is appr oximat ely a dozen
met er s high. While ent er ing t he cave, it is possible t o go inside a
dist ance of 500m. Then t her e is a ver y nar r ow cavit y, which ext ends a
long dist ance but t hat is yet t o be t r aver sed. I n or der t o be able t o
appr eciat e t he int er ior of t he cave f ully, it is advised t o car r y a
power f ul f lashlight because t he ceiling of t he cave is ver y high and
daylight only penet r at es a lit t le. The cueva del Limón is an ideal sit e t o
have a picnic, camp and swim in t he Limón River , which is r ight at t he
bottom.
To go to La cueva Del Limón:
By foot:
Go in t he dir ect ion of Agua Escondida. Not e t hat bet ween Sant a Ana
Huista and Agua Escondida there is not a precise footpath. However, it
is possible t o go along t he r oad while f ollowing t he r iver t o t he village
of Agua Escondida. The dist ance bet ween Sant a Ana Huist a and Agua
Escondida is approximately 12km.
 Hiking in Santa Ana
Huista

Legend:

Municipality

Municipio limit
Hiking trail
River
Natural site
Viewpoint
1.05 0 2.1 Km Campsite
Picnic area
By the road: El Sumidero:
To r each t he cueva del Limón, you must go t o t he village of Agua
El Sumider o is a sit e wher e t he Río Huist a disappear s complet ely int o
Escondida. To arrive there it is possible to take a microbus, which goes
t he r ock, bef or e f ur t her ar ising f r om Cueva del Limón. A f ew met er s
t o Camoj a f r om Sant a Ana Huist a. The micr obuses leave appr oximat ely
bef or e disappear ing in t he r ock, t he Río Huist a f or ms a power f ul
ever y 20 minut es Sant a Ana Huist a f r om 6h00 t o 17h00. Allow
cascade of ten meters high.
appr oximat ely 25 min in micr obus t o ar r ive at t he village of Agua
Escondida. The micr obuses ar e caught in f r ont of t he municipalit y
To go to El Sumidero:
(Map “Municipalit y of Sant a Ana Huist a”). Once you ar r ive in Agua
By foot:
Escondida, it is necessar y t o walk appr oximat ely 25 min t owar ds t he
As t o go t o t he cueva del Limón t her e is not a pr ecise f oot pat h.
Río Limón.
However, it is possible to follow the road to the village El Tabacal. The
distance between Santa Ana Huista and El Tabacal is 6km.

By the road:
To go t o see El Sumider o, it is necessar y t o go t o t he village of El
Tabacal. To ar r ive, you can t ake a micr obus t hat goes t o Camoj a f r om
Santa Ana Huista. The trip takes approximately 10 minutes and costs 3
Q uet zales. Once at El Tabacal, go appr oximat ely 10 min t owar ds t he
Huist a River . Once at t he r iver f ollow it s cur r ent f or 1km bef or e
arriving at the Sumidero.

Where to sleep?

Hot el Rest aurant e El Paso: The hot el El Paso is locat ed at t he

entrance of the municipality of Santa Ana Huista when you arrive from
Cuatro Caminos. The hotel offers individual, double or triple rooms, but
none has private bathroom. The prices suggested are 30 Quetzales per
per son, 50 Q uet zales f or t wo and 70 Q uet zales f or 3 people. The
hot el of f er s a f ood ser vice, as well as par king f or t he cust omer s of
t he hot el. The gr ounds ar e pleasant , because t hey ar e locat ed at t he
edge of the Huista River and the hygiene is acceptable.

La Cueva del Limón

Municipality of Santa Ana Huista
I t is possible t o eat all t he meals of t he day f or a f lat pr ice of 15
Q uet zales per per son per meal. The meals pr ovided ar e of t he
traditional type.
Tel.: 7780-4180
Where to eat?
Comedor J ulia: The Comedor J ulia is locat ed in f r ont of t he t own hall
of Sant a Ana Huist a. The r est aur ant is open ever y day f r om 7h00 t o
21h00. You can eat all t hr ee meals of t he day and t he pr ice per meal is
15 Q uet zales per per son wit h fresco. The meals ser ved in Comedor
Julia are typical of Guatemala.
From Santa Ana Huista
Public transport
From Santa Ana Huista to Nentón:
Take a micr obus in t he dir ect ion of Camoj a unt il Cuat r o Caminos and in
Cuat r o Caminos t ake anot her micr obus, which comes f r om Camoj a and
moves t owar ds Nent ón. The t r ip f r om Sant a Ana Huist a t o Cuat r o
Caminos is appr oximat ely 20 minut es and cost s 5 Q uet zales. Fr om
Cuat r o Caminos t o Nent ón, t he t r ip is 30 minut es and cost s 7
Q uet zales per per son. The micr obuses leave f or Cuat r o Caminos ever y
20 minut es at t he Par que cent r al of Sant a Ana (see map “Municipalit y
of Sant a Ana Huist a”) and t he f r equency of t he micr obuses coming
from Camoja to Nentón is very high.
From Santa Ana Huista to San Antonio Huista:
Fr om Sant a Ana Huist a t o San Ant onio Huist a, allow appr oximat ely 20
minut es and pay 5 Q uet zales per per son. You t ake t he micr obus at t he
Parque central; they leave approximately every 20 minutes.
Hiking from Santa Ana Huista to Nentón:
Distance: 32km
Approximate time: 9h30
Difficulty: Difficult
To go t o Nent ón, go in t he dir ect ion of t he old r oad t owar ds Buxup by
t he pat hs behind t he t own hall of Sant a Ana Huist a (see map
“Municipalit y of Sant a Ana Huist a”). Allow appr oximat ely 1h00 of
walking unt il Buxup. Once in Buxup, cr oss t he village in t he dir ect ion of
t he cemet er y. At t he cemet er y, t ake t he pat h on t he lef t , which will
take you out to Taj Buxup in twenty minutes. From Taj Buxup, take the
pat h on t he r ight in t he dir ect ion of t he village of La Laguna. The pat h
t o La Laguna passes t hr ough var ious agr icult ur al f ields, and is cur vy
but f lat . The pat h also passes t he f oot of Cer r o Palewit z, a cr owned
hill. Cont inue on t he pat h unt il you ar r ive at a paved r oad. Then t ake a
left. Approximately 200m further, take the first path on your right; it
will t ake you out dir ect ly t o t he edge of t he Río Azul af t er 2h45 of
walking f r om Buxup. The edge of t he Río Azul is ideal t o swim, picnic
and f ind a sit e t o camp. To go t o t he village of La Laguna, t ake t he
br idge and f ollow t he asphalt r oad f or 45 minut es. Fr om Sant a Ana
Huist a unt il La Laguna allow 16km and at least 4h30 of walking wit hout
stopping.
To go t o Nent ón f r om La Laguna, t ake t he dir ect ion of t he Río Nent ón
passing behind t he chur ch in t he village La Laguna. You will j oin t he Río
Nent ón af t er 1h00 of walking. Then go up t he Río Nent ón unt il you
r each t he municipalit y of t he same name. All along t he Río Nent ón
t her e exist s many sit es t o have a picnic and a r est . However it is not
r ecommended t o swim in t his r iver , which is pollut ed by t he
wast ewat er of t he municipalit y of Nent ón. Allow appr oximat ely 5h00
of walking from La Laguna to Nentón, while traversing close to 16km on
a difficult path.
 NENTÓN

Natural sites in Nentón:

El Hoyo Cimarrón:
El Hoyo Cimar r ón is a gigant ic hole of 200 met er s in diamet er and 200
met er s of dept h. The hole seems t o have an almost per f ect cylindr ical
f or m and it s walls ar e calcar eous r ock. I t is locat ed in a semi-desert
ar ea wher e t he t r ees do not exceed t hr ee met er s high. However , t he
f or est pr esent at t he bot t om of t he hole is made up of t r ees of a
bigger size, and species complet ely dif f er ent f r om t hose, which ar e
out side of t he hole. This f or est seems t o be supplied by a r iver , which
could be an ar m of “Lagos de Mont e Bello”, locat ed a f ew kilomet er s
f ur t her . The f or est is a r ef uge f or sever al species of bir ds and ot her
savage animals.
El Cerro Palewitz
Note: I t is possible f or ser ious climber s t o go down t o t he bot t om of
Note: To go f r om Sant a Ana Huist a t o Nent ón, it is advised t o do t he
t he Cimar r ón and t o go up by t he r ock f ace. However t his exer cise is
excur sion in t wo st ages. I ndeed it is complet ely possible t o camp at
int ended f or exper ienced climber s and it is necessar y t o br ing your
t he edge of Río Azul close t o t he village of La Laguna and t o set out
own equipment , since t her e is no agency of f er ing t his t ype of act ivit y
again t he next mor ning in t he dir ect ion of Nent ón. Wit h r egar d t o t he
in Nentón.
wat er supply, you can buy dr inking wat er in t he villages of Buxup and
Taj Buxup. I n r egar d t o t he pat h f r om La Laguna t o Nent ón, on t he
ot her hand, it is necessar y t o br ing a gr eat quant it y of wat er because
you will only f ind wat er and f ood in La Laguna and Nent ón. Mor eover , it
is highly advised f or t his way t o br ing dr y clot hes because if lar ge
r ains pr eceded t he excur sion, you will have t o cr oss t he r iver on
several occasions.
 Hiking in Nentón

Legend:

Municipality

Municipio limit
Paved road
Hiking trail
River
Natural site
Viewpoint
Campsite
2.5 0 5.0 Km
Picnic area
 To go to El Hoyo Cimarrón: gr eat est par t of t he mor ning t he wat er is quiet and t he peasant s who
By the road and by foot2 : live close t o t he lagoon st ill t r anspor t t heir cor n f r om one place t o
Go t o t he village of La Tr inidad by t aking a micr obus or a bus going another by means of rustic rafts.
t owar ds Gr acias a Dios. The micr obuses leave appr oximat ely ever y La Laguna Br ava is an excellent sit e t o swim. At t he sit e, t her e ar e
hour f r om Nent ón f r om 6h00 t o 17h00. However , t he last micr obus wood hut s wher e you can spend t he night . You can also have a picnic
going t o Nent ón goes t o 14h00 in La Tr inidad. Not e however t hat it is wit h t he use of a ver y r ust ic bar becue t hat is placed t her e at your
possible f or you t o get int o a par t icular vehicle which goes t owar ds disposal. When you go t o t he Laguna Br ava, it is advised t o spend at
Nent ón and which can br ing you back t o Nent ón f or t he same pr ice. least one night with packed food and a sleeping bag. Note that the site
Fr om Nent ón t o La Tr inidad, it is necessar y t o allow appr oximat ely 45 of Laguna Brava is very highly regulated; it is thus not possible to camp
min in micr obus and t he voyage cost s 10 Q uet zales. The micr obuses apart from the huts provided by the tourist service.
ar e caught in f r ont of t he Par que cent r al of Nent ón (see map
“Municipalit y of Nent ón”). Once you ar r ive in La Tr inidad, go
appr oximat ely 30 min along t he r oad t owar ds Gr acias a Dios t o t he
cr ossing of t he t r ail, which goes t o t he Cimar r ón (it is possible t o ask
t he dr iver t o be dr opped of f in f r ont of t he cr ossing f or 3 Q uet zales
mor e). Fr om t he cr ossing it t akes 30 minut es t o ar r ive at t he
Cimarrón. The excursion from La Trinidad to the Cimarrón is 5,5km. To
go to the Cimarrón, it is recommended to take a guide because the way
is not dir ect , it is divided int o sever al dir ect ions at var ious places and
it is easy to get lost.

La Laguna Brava:
I n t he nor t her n ar ea, r oughly at 85 kilomet er s of t he municipalit y of
Nent ón, is locat ed t he “Laguna de Yulnajáu”, commonly known as
“Laguna Brava”. This lagoon extends for roughly 4 km².
Accor ding t o t he inhabit ant s of t he ar ea, La Laguna Br ava owes it s
name t o t he noise you can hear in middle of t he day. Dur ing t he

2
The nat ur al sit es of t he municipio of Nent ón ar e all ver y f ar away f r om t he Bovine of the Nentón area
municipalit y. Thus, we pr ovide only one possibilit y t o go t o each select ed sit e. This one
combines the use of public transport and walking.
 To go to La Laguna Brava:
By the road and by foot:
To r each La Laguna Br ava, it is necessar y t o go t o t he village of
Yalamboj och. To go t o t his village t ake a micr obus in dir ect ion of La
Tr inidad. Fr om t her e, t ake anot her micr obus, or a bus t owar ds
Yalamboj och. Once you ar r ive at t he village, it is necessar y t o present
your selves t o t he mayor of t he village, so he can give you t he
aut hor izat ion t o go t o t he Laguna. Then you will have t o go t o t he
t our ist commit t ee of Yalamboj och, which will pr ovide you t he ent r y
per mit s, af t er having paid 25 Q uet zales per per son. The commit t ee
will t hen pr ovide you wit h a guide t hat r equir es a payment of 50
Q uet zales a day. The guide is obligat or y. Fr om Yalamboj och, it is
necessar y t o walk appr oximat ely 2h00 bef or e ar r iving at La Laguna
Br ava. Fr om Nent ón t o La Tr inidad, allow appr oximat ely 45 min in
micr obus f or a cost of 10 Q uet zales. Fr om La Tr inidad t o t he
Yalambojoch village, allow 1h00 a way and 10 Quetzales per person.
La Laguna Candelaria:
The Río Candelar ia st ar t s it s cour se in t he nor t her n par t of t he La
Unión village. This Río is f ed by t wo wells t hat ar e hidden bet ween
r ocks, which ear ned it t he name of “Candelar ia” which means “t he
wat er which pushes under t he st ones”. The well t hat f or ms La Laguna
Candelaria is filled with crystal-clear water. It is an ideal place to have
a picnic and camp in f ull nat ur e. However , t he access t o t he wat er is
ver y dif f icult , as it is necessar y t o cut a pat h t hr ough t he many t r ees
and shrubs and then to find a place where it is easy to swim.
unless having a personal vehicle. Of course it is always possible to meet
a vehicle in Chacaj , going t owar ds Nent ón, but t his solut ion is f ar f r om
being reliable every day!
To go to la Laguna Candelaria:
By the road and by foot:
To go to the Laguna Candelaria, you have the possibility of going to the
village of Chacaj , or t o t he La Unión village. The micr obuses in t he
dir ect ion of Chacaj leave appr oximat ely ever y hour f r om 7h00 t o
13h00. The last micr obus r et ur ning t o Nent ón f r om Chacaj leaves at
14h00. Once you ar r ive at Chacaj , it is necessar y t o go appr oximat ely
1h00 on the overland route to the village Río Jordan.
Fr om t he Río J or dan village allow appr oximat ely 2h00 of walking f or
about 6km bef or e ar r iving at La Laguna Candelar ia. Fr om Nent ón t o
Chacaj , allow appr oximat ely 45 min in micr obus and t he voyage cost s 8
Q uet zales. On t he f oot pat h t owar ds La Laguna, you cr oss t he Río
Lagar t er o, which is an ideal place t o r est or have a picnic. To go t o t he
Laguna Candelaria it is advised that you take a guide.

Note: It is important to spend at least a night at the site of La Laguna

or in Chacaj , wher e t her e is a hospedaj e. I ndeed, t he micr obus going
t o Chacaj and t hose r et ur ning in Nent ón ar e r ar e, which leaves poor
possibilit y t o go t o La Laguna and r et ur n t o Nent ón t he same day,

Río Lagartero
Municipality of Nentón
To go t o La Laguna while passing by t he village La Unión, it is also
necessar y t o t ake a micr obus in t he dir ect ion of Chacaj . The t r ip f r om
La Unión to La Laguna Candelaria is shorter, but the trip by microbuses
is 12 Q uet zales, and t her e is only one micr obus leaving at 4h00 in t he
mor ning each day f or Nent ón. This one passes by t he village again only
if somebody wishes to go from Nentón to La Unión during the day.
Other sites:
Swimming pool of Nentón:
The swimming pool of Nent ón is locat ed at t he ent r y of t he cit y when
you ar r ive f r om t he village La Laguna in f r ont of t he hot el Las Peñas
(see map “Municipalit y of Nent ón”). The swimming pool is open ever y
day of t he week f r om 8h00 t o 22h00; t he ent r ance f ee is 5
Quetzales. There are no services inside the enclosure.
Where to sleep?
Hot el Las Peñas: The hot el is locat ed at t he ent r y of t he municipalit y
of Nent ón when you ar r ive f r om t he village La Laguna. I t pr ovides
individual, double or t r iple r ooms all wit h pr ivat e bat hr oom, t elevision
and t oilet r ies. The pr ices suggest ed ar e 61 Q uet zales per per son and
85 Q uet zales f or 2 people. The hot el does not of f er f ood, but is
locat ed wit hin pleasant gr ounds and t he r ooms and t he bat hr ooms ar e
ver y clean. I t of f er s a saf e par king ser vice f or t he cust omer s of t he
hotel.
Tel.: 7780-0107
Hot el Esquipulas: The hot el is locat ed behind Comedor Let y (see Map
“Municipalit y of Nent ón”). I t of f er s small individual or double r ooms
wit h double bed or t wo separ at ed beds, all wit h pr ivat e bat hr oom. The
pr ices f or a r oom ar e 30 Q uet zales per per son. The hot el does not
of f er r est aur ant ser vices, but of f er s pleasant r ooms of mot el t ype
and hygiene is acceptable there. A secure parking area is also offered.
Note: To be able t o obt ain a r oom at t he Esquipulas hot el, cont act t he
store just in front of it called “Miscelanea San Sebastian”.
Tel.: 7780-0122
Hospedaj e (La Pensión): The hospedaj e of Nent ón is mor e commonly
known under t he name of “La Pensión”. The hot el of f er s all t ypes of
r ooms f r om individual, t o f our people. Ther e is no r oom wit h pr ivat e
bat hr oom, however t he r est r ooms ar e ver y clean. The pr ice suggest ed
is 25 Q uet zales per per son what ever t he r oom. A saf e par king ser vice
is of f er ed t o cust omer s. I nside t he enclosur e t her e is a comedor ,
which of f er s t r adit ional meals only f or t he dinner , and on r equest of
t he cust omer . The pr ice f or a meal is 12,50 t o 15 Q uet zales per
person.
Tel.: 7780-0387
Where to eat?
Comedor Let y: Comedor Let y is locat ed behind t he Cent er of Healt h
(“Cent r o de Salud”), which is in f r ont of t he Par que cent r al. The
restaurant is open every day from 7h00 to 21h00. The price for a meal
is 15 Quetzales per person with a coffee for breakfast and dinner, and
18 Quetzales for lunch with fresco. The meals served in Comedor Lety,
are of traditional type.
Comedor Ninet : Locat ed on t he lef t by going up t he st r eet of t he
chur ch, “Comedor Ninet ” ser ves t he t r adit ional f ood of Guat emala, f or
an ident ical pr ice of 15 Q uet zales wit h fresco f or each meal. The
comedor is open every day from 6h00 to 21h00.
Comedor Adit a: Open Monday t o Sat ur day f r om 7h00 t o 21h00, and Hiking from Nentón to Jacaltenango:
Sunday mor ning. The pr ices f or a meal var y f r om 15 t o 20 Q uet zales
Distance: 26km
per person. The meals in Comedor Adita are of traditional type.
Approximate time: 8h30
Difficulty: Difficult
From Nentón
Fr om Nent ón, t ake t he old r oad in t he dir ect ion of t he cemet er y (see
Public transport
map “Municipalit y of Nent ón”). This way cont inues on t o t he Río
Cat ar ina af t er 1h30 of walk. The r iver has many campsit es and picnic
From Nentón to Jacaltenango:
places. Cont inuing t owar ds t he r ight on t he t r ail, which skir t s t he
Ther e ar e micr obuses going dir ect ly f r om Nent ón t o J acalt enango.
r iver , you will pass in f r ont of a br idge, which goes t owar ds San
These microbuses leave approximately every hour from 6h00 to 17h00.
Andr és Huist a. Don’t t ake t his br idge; cont inue along t he r iver t o an
You can t ake t hem in f r ont of t he Par que cent r al (see map
old suspension br idge. Allow appr oximat ely 4h00 t o f inish t he 10km
“Municipalit y of Nent ón”). The t r ip last s appr oximat ely 1h40 and cost s
along the r iver because many obst acles and under gr owt h encumber t he
15 Q uet zales per per son. I t is also possible t o t ake a micr obus, which
way. Fr om t he old suspension br idge, it is necessar y t o cont inue along
goes t o Camoj a. The micr obuses f or Camoj a leave appr oximat ely ever y
t he r iver appr oximat ely 1h00 unt il t he meet ing of t he Río Azul and t he
half-hour f r om Nent ón, and ar r ive 20 min lat er at La Laguna f or 5
Río Cat ar ina. This place is ideal t o t ake a br eak, t o swim or t o spend
Q uet zales. Get of f in La Laguna and t ake anot her micr obus or a bus
t he night . Fr om t he j unct ion of t he t wo r iver s go back appr oximat ely a
going t o J acalt enango. The voyage f r om La Laguna t o J acalt enango
hundred meters, to start to go up for approximately 35 minutes to the
cost s 10 Q uet zales in micr obus and t akes 1h15. I t will cost you 8
t op of t he plat eau of Nent ón in or der t o j oin t he t r ail which goes t o
Q uet zales if you t r avel wit h t he bus and t he t r ip last s 1h30
t he village of Yinchegüex. Allow appr oximat ely 1h00 of walking t o
approximately to Jacaltenango.
ar r ive at t his village. Finally, st ar t ing f r om Yinchegüex allow 3h00 of
walking on the overland route until you reach Jacaltenango.
From Nentón to Santa Ana Huista:
Take a micr obus in dir ect ion t o Camoj a and get of f at t he village of
Note: There is almost no unevenness in the route from Nentón to the
Cuat r o Caminos. The voyage last s appr oximat ely 30 minut es and cost s
j unct ion of t he t wo r iver s. However t he mor e you go t owar ds
7 Q uet zales. Fr om Cuat r o Caminos it is necessar y t o wait f or a
Jacaltenango, the more you go up in altitude. Thus you pass from 850m
micr obus, which goes t o San Ant onio Huist a while passing t hr ough
in Nent ón t o 1400m in J acalt enango. I t is possible t o buy wat er at t he
Sant a Ana. The t r ip last s 20 minut es and cost s 5 Q uet zales per
village of Yinchegüex and t o buy a lit t le f ood t her e. I f you wish t o
per son. The micr obus going t o Sant a Ana f r om Cuat r o Caminos leave
car r y out t he t r ail in t wo st ages it is advised t hat you st op f or t he
every 20 minutes.
night at t he j unct ion of t he Río Azul and t he Río Cat ar ina, by packing
food and water in sufficient quantity.
 This guide was produced by:
Laurent Denais, student of Master of International Ecology.

, Québec, Canada.

With the generous participation of:

CUNOROC

B’ALUNH Q’ANA’

English version revised by:

Emily Haverkamp
&
Daniel Mark

August 2006

Information and comments:

Asociación ecologista Verde/Azul » : Tel.: 5767-8281;
Email: oe-ava@yahoo.com
On the path between Nentón and Jacaltenango juandanielmontejo2@yahoo.com
The Ecotourism trail in Guatemala
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