Things to do in Western Highlands
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Volunteering in Quetzaltenango
The Quetzaltenango area has many nonprofit organizations working on social projects with the local K'iche' Maya people and others that need volunteers. Volunteer jobs can range from teaching math to village children, to designing websites for indigenous organizations, to developing sustainable agriculture, to medical work in clinics, to working in orphanages for disabled children. For anyone in a giving frame of mind, the possibilities are endless.
You can volunteer part time for a week or two while also studying Spanish, or you can live and work in a close-knit indigenous village for a year. Obviously, the more Spanish you speak the better, but in a few weeks at one of X…
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Kaqchikel Tours
Kaqchikel Tours is a well-run, locally owned outfit specializing in volcano ascents and other great-value hikes, with camping along the way on some trips. Two-day Tajumulco trips cost around US$40. Kaqchikel also offers full-moon ascents of Santa María (around US$15) and challenging two-day Santiaguito trips (around US$66 with a minimum group size of four), camping on a small hill as close as is safely possible to the active crater.
A three-day Quetzaltenango-Lago de Atitlán trek is around US$70, and a five-day Nebaj-Todos Santos jaunt across the Cuchumatanes mountains is around US$130. Prices include transportation, food, equipment and a guide.
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Volcán Santa María & Santiaguito
With early starts, Volcán Santa María (3772m), towering to the south of the city, and the active volcano Santiaguito (2488m), on Santa María's southwest flank, can both be done in long morning hikes from Xela.
You start walking at the village of Llanos del Pinal, 5km south of Xela, from which it's about four hours up to the summit of Santa María (then three hours down). Getting too close to Santiaguito is dangerous, so people usually just look at it from a mirador about 1½ hours' walk from Llanos del Pinal.
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Proyecto Lingüístico Quetzalteco de Español
This very professional and politically minded school also runs the Escuela de la Montaña, a language school with a maximum enrollment of eight on an organic coffee finca in the mountains near Xela, where participation in local culture and volunteering are strongly encouraged.
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Café La Luna
La Luna is a comfortable, relaxed place to hang out and eat a cake, salad or sandwich. The hot chocolate is the specialty - the coffee is so-so. Choose any of several rooms: decor is in similar vein to Café Baviera but the music is classical instead of jazz.
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Café Baviera
This European-style café has good coffee, roasted on the premises, and is a decent place for breakfast or a snack (crepes, croissants, soups and salads). The wooden walls are hung with countless photos and clippings on Xela and international themes.
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Café El Cuartito
Xela's hippest café does a good range of snacks and juices and coffee just about any way you want it. On weekends it often has DJs spinning laid-back tracks, and there's always art on the walls by local contemporary artists.
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La Democracia Market
For an intense, everyday marketing experience, hit the La Democracia market, up in Zona 3. You should be able to find everything from pirated CDs to a Sonyo TV.
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Pool & Beer
An excellent place for some drinks and a few games of pool. At the time of writing, the tables hadn't been trashed and the cues were straight.
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El Quetzal
One of the few indigenous-run businesses in town, plenty of activities and a reading room with more than 300 books.
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Celas Maya
Set around a pleasant garden-courtyard; also offers classes in K'iche'.
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Zaculeu Archaeological Zone
With ravines on three sides, the late postclassic religious center Zaculeu ('White Earth' in the Mam language) occupies a strategic defensive location that served its Mam Maya inhabitants well. It finally failed, however, in 1525, when Gonzalo de Alvarado and his conquistadors laid siege to the site for two months. It was starvation that ultimately defeated the Mam. The park-like Zaculeu archaeological zone, about 200m square, is 4km west of Huehuetenango's main plaza.
A small museum at the site holds, among other things, skulls and grave goods found in a tomb beneath Estructura 1, the tallest structure at the site. Restoration by the United Fruit Company in the 1940s has…
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Language Courses
Xela's many language schools attract students from around the world. Unlike Antigua, which has had a similar reputation for quite a bit longer, Xela is not overrun with foreigners, though there is a growing social scene revolving around language students and volunteer workers.
Xela seems to attract altruistic types, and most of the Spanish schools listed individually provide opportunities to get involved in social action programs working with the local K'iche' Maya. Prices for the schools vary a little but not by much; the standard price is around US$110/around US$130 per week for four/five hours of instruction per day, Monday to Friday, including room and board with a lo…
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Parque Central
Huehuetenango's main plaza, the Parque Central is shaded by old trees and surrounded by the town's imposing buildings: the municipalidad (the Town Hall with its band shell on the upper floor) and the huge colonial church. For a bird's-eye view of the situation, check out the little relief map of Huehuetenango department, which lists altitudes, language groups and populations of the various municipal divisions.
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Volcán Tajumulco
There are many exciting walks and climbs to be done from Xela. Volcán Tajumulco (4220m), 50km northwest, is the highest point in Central America and is a challenging trip of one long day from the city or two days with a night camping on the mountain. This includes about five hours' walking up from the starting point, Huitán, and three to four hours down. Huitán is about three hours by bus from Xela.
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Cycling
Cycling is a great way to explore the surrounding countryside or commute to Spanish class. Fuentes Georginas, San Andrés Xequl and the steam vents at Los Vahos are all attainable day trips. Vrisa Bookstore (15a Av 3-64, Zona 1) rents mountain and town bikes for around US$4 per day, around US$10per week, as does Monte Verde Tours (7761 6105; www.monte-verdetours.com; 13a Av 8-34, Zona 1).
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Restaurante Las Calas
An artistic sort of place with lilies growing in the patio and lily-themed art on the walls (and a gallery in the back), Las Calas serves good medium-priced meals. Satisfying portions of chicken, fish or beef are creatively prepared and served with a unique salsa picante. This restaurant also features cheaper vegetarian dishes and a daily regional specialty.
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Almolonga
Just south of Quetzaltenango, Almolonga is an indigenous town worth visiting on market days (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) for its deliciously fresh vegetables, most grown on small family plots. Locals export them as far as El Salvador. At the lower end of the village the road passes through Los Baños, an area with natural hot sulfur springs.
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Museo de Historia Natural
Housed in the Casa de la Cultura, the Museo de Historia Natural comprises a fascinating collection. Exhibits include the history of the Maya, the liberal revolution in Central American politics and the Estado de Los Altos, of which Quetzaltenango was once the capital. Marimbas, the weaving industry, and other local artifacts also claim places here.
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Café Bougambilias
One of three comedores (cheap and basic eatery) in a line along the southern part of the Parque Centrale, the Bougambilias has a team of busy cooks preparing food on the ground floor, while the two upper floors have tables with views over the park and plenty of fresh air. It's good for all meals, with large serves of straightforward food.
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Los Vahos
Just a short hike south of town are the rough-and-ready sauna/steam baths at Los Vahos (the Vapors). These natural saunas are just two dark stone rooms behind plastic curtains - occasionally the vents are carpeted with eucalyptus leaves, giving the steam a herbal quality. The baths are a 2km (1.2mi) uphill walk away, with good view of the city.
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Parque Centroamérica
Quetzaltenango's focal point, this central park is surrounded by some of the town's grandest buildings. The once-crumbling cathedral has been restored in recent decades, while the Municipalidad was rebuilt after the 1902 earthquake in grandiose neoclassical style. On the west side of the park is Pasaje Enríquez, an imposing arcade.
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Parque Zoológico Minerva
This zoo-park is a good place to take the kids to see small animals such as monkeys, coyotes, raccoons, deer and Barbary sheep, plus there's a few rides. Outside is the neoclassical Templo de Minerva, built by dictator Estrada Cabrera to honor the Roman goddess of education and to inspire Guatemalans to new heights of learning.
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Café El Árabe
Fans of Middle Eastern food will be thrilled to find such an authentic place here, just off Parque Centroamérica. The Arabic bread is made on the premises and the ingredients for all dishes are lovely and fresh. You can fill up on meat dishes but there are plenty of vegetarian choices. The falafel and dips are wonderful.
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Teatro Municipal
The impressive neoclassical Teatro Municipal holds regular theater and cultural performances. Inside are three tiers of seating, the lower two with private boxes for prominent families; each is equipped with a vanity. The locals consider their theater something of an architectural jewel, and are very proud of it.
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