Hi, i'm going to ciudad de Guatemala next monday, and from there i will start biking south, i would like to know from the locals or tourist, which will be the safer way going down, should i take Pan Am hwy or carretera al Pacifico??? i also would like to know if anyone has been in the HOTEL FENIX, which it seems to be the best budget in zona 1 , as my lonely planet guide said.....
Hola, estare hiendo a ciudad de Guatemala el siguiente lunes ( sept. 3rd) y desde ahy comenzare mi viaje en bicicleta hacia el sur, me gustaria saber de la gente de alla, cual seria mi mas segura opcion en rutas, deberia tomar la ruta de la pan am, hwy o la carretera al pacifico??? me gustari mas siempre andar por la costa en todo caso, pero si es por seguridad,tomare la que sea mas segura.... de antemano gracias Sofia
Heading out south, I would be inclined to start out from Zone 10, which is toward the south and more pleasant. Staying at Xamanek Student Inn costs $14 for a good location, dorm bed, Internet, kitchen and breakfast.
Where are you headed and why? I am not sure that being a solitary female cyclist is anywhere near the best approach to travel in the area.
Hey Sofia, if you give me your first stopping point or which way you're heading I might be able to help you. And hopefully you have a map that you can get at Borders or any other book store that sell good quality road maps. You're saying Pan Hwy or Carretera del Pacifico. And you see, leaving from GC this is the same which is a four lane highway with lots of heavy traffic going South. But in Escuintla, the four lane highway turns south all the way toward Puerto Quetzal and the Pan Am or Pacific coastal highway goes west towards the mexican border with lots of eighteen wheelers also. You can expect showers in the afternoon because this is the rainy season but you can always hop on a chicken bus with your biclycle which they can put on the top rack.On the other hand, Cyclism (Ciclismo)is a very popular sport in guatemala, so parts and qualified mechanics are widely available at very reasonable prices. In fact check out the sports section of www.prensalibre.com and you'll se that the 49thVuelta de la Juventud has just finished yesterday. The international professional Tour is scheduled for some time in October. Go to www.laguiahotelera.com and check out the hotels. I like Hotel Sevilla $22 located on a very busy street. But like always, zone 1 is not the best place to stay if you're planning on going out at night. During the day the whole area is perfectly safe. There is a place in zone 1 where you can buy good quality ciclyng jerseys and shorts at very good prices because they make them there. That's where I buy my stuff when I go to guatemala. Their screen printing is excellent. Good luck.
Sofia,
I must agree with Myaphile; being a solo, female,long distance cyclist in Guatemala, or much of Central America, might not be the safest idea. Cycling is extremely popular in this country, and I saw the nicest bike shop in Guate this past week I have ever seen (in the U.S. or Europe).
However, all of the long distance cyclists I have seen over the years, have been male. The local women ride motor scooters by themselves, but I have never seen any local women riding a bike solo. If you were in an organized group I don't feel you would have a problem, even if you were the only female. This doesn't sound fair, or politically correct, but these are the existing conditions. Many of the male riders also have a chase car behind them with flashers on to help prevent them being run down by some of the rediculous drivers we have here.
Hey thanks everyone for the tips and info...
I will start from Ciudad de Guatemala in here i don't know if i should take interamericana or another road ( it does not show the name of this road) that goes from ciudad de guatemala to Escuintla and then gets to carretera al pacifico... so the first questions will be should i take interamericana or the NO NAME ROAD to carretera del Pacifico??? and then once i'm here i will keep going south all the way by the coast going through those little towns like puerto san jose, maybe iztapa and ciudad pedro de alvarado.... that's all the plan for now... thanks again
Hey Sofia, Believe it or not there is also a female ciclyng tour in guatemala. So I know for fact that females train on the roads also, but I'm sure in pairs. But if you take the necessary precautions you should be OK. The Pan American Hwy is the one that goes through the highlands all the way to La Mesilla, at the mexican border and that should be CA-1. In fact you'll proably see more ciclyist on the highlands than down at the lowland roads, but of course lots of steep hills and hills. The roads down at the pacific (CA-2)lowlands are flat for the most part, but of course the weather is hell. Something else you need to know is that, from Palin you could take the old road to Escuintla. And from Escuintla the old road to Puerto Quetzal. They are two-lane highways but probably safer because of less heavy traffic. From the interchange at Puerto Quetzal you can go left/east and cross the canal on the ferry at Iztapa on to a real nice paved road to Monterrico. The road doesn't have any heavy traffic and it is a nice ride. Keep in mind that, even if you had a road map of guatemala, they don't show a bunch of new paved roads throughout the country. Good luck.
If you get to the Monterrico area they have several miles of hardtop bike paths that are separate from the highway. It is nice and flat, with beautiful scenery, and lots of local riding bikes.
Delmonte and Juan Thanks so much for the info.... i was reading today about Monterrico it seems be a very nice place to stay a few days.. am i right???? and about the bike paths in Monterrico, are they in the way to the town as a paralel route or around the town?????
Hey Sofia, like Juan3 said, I saw that bike path which is a stretch of a few kms that runs parallel but separate to the road from Puerto Quetzal to Iztapa. Once you've crossed the river or canal on the ferry you'll be on the way to Monterrico www.playasdemonterrico.com. At the tiendas on the road you can buy cold sodas or snacks. Keep in mind that when it rains, the roads in those countries tend to get very slippery because of all that motor oil, and that can cause you to fall and have a fracture. That happened to me in Venezuela. Have a safe trip.
Sofia,
The roads going to Monterrico that Delmonte speaks of are the type roads that will be the safest for you to ride everywhere in Guatemala. They are roads that go through little communities every few miles, with lots of topes (speed bumps) and slow moving local traffic. You will find that face to face, the people of Guatemala are some of the nicest and most polite people in the world. However; put them behind the wheel of a motor vehicle of any type and they become raving lunatics. A cyclist should obey the rules of the road, but don't expect a Guatemalan driver to even know what they are.
Monterrico would be a wonderful place to kick back and take a break from the road. During the week you will have much of the area to yourself. On weekends it is full of party animals from Guate. One warning, be aware that often there are very strong rip tides and undertow. Ask the locals before going into the water.
trusted partner
