Quetzaltenango -– often called Xela (shay-la) –- is a large city with a population over 100,000. Present are the pitfalls of all large cities: cars, pollution, noise, chaos. But it is a great home base for a ton of activities, with the big-city advantages of competitive prices and plenty of hotels, restaurants, services.
Surrounding Xela are the Santa María and Santiaguito volcanos. There are many companies offering guided hikes, but I highly recommend going with Quetzaltrekkers. This non-profit company is run by volunteers, with proceeds used for a school for at-risk youth/dorm for homeless children. Two of the kids joined us on our backpacking trip up Tajamulco Volcano, the highest point in Central America.
There is a museum that is quite unusual, and even at times macabre. It is a natural history/cultural museum crossed with a science experiment gone wrong. The pottery, photos, and plant displays were all fairly typical, but the animal room was a bit spooky. The really bad taxidermy made the animals seem possessed, and the collections of deformed animals (think three-headed deer in a jar) were very odd. I mean, why would someone collect that stuff??
Six quetzales (75 cents) per person. Located next to the tourist office in the plaza.
${QuickSuggestions} It seemed that the main hub of tourist activity in Xela centered around Casa Argentina, a great and safe hotel, 10 minutes from the main plaza. Quetzaltrekkers is also based out of Casa Argentina, which is very convenient for planning.
We had a really good dinner at DeliCrepe on 14a Avenida. We were the only tourists there and had tasty fajitas and a "supercrepe." There are a ton of places to get pizza in Xela, at a wide variety of prices and quality. We didn’t stay in Xela long enough to find the really great and cheap food.
There are a large number of Spanish schools in Xela; in fact, the area is known for it. You would not need reservations if you wanted to come to study Spanish –- just show up and look around.
There are also a large number of banks, Internet providers, and other services available, so it is a good place to take care of business before moving on.
${BestWay} Huehuetenango to Xela:
The bus to Xela leaves Huehuetenango Plaza many times per day, but we caught the 8:30am bus. The trip takes two hours and costs 10 quetzales (US$1.25) per person. At the bus station in Xela, take a minibus to the main square –- it should cost one quetzal per person.
Xela to Panajachel (Lago de Atítlan):
The bus and boat trip from Xela to Lago de Atítlan is straightforward, but we had a bad time of it. We were overcharged on both legs of the trip, but didn’t find out about it until afterward. Anyway, you should pay 10 quetzales (US$1.25) per person to take the bus from Xela to Panajachel. From there, you can stay at Panajachel or go on to one of the smaller villages around the lake. Expect to pay 15 quetzales to go to San Pedro and 10-15 to go to San Marcos. The local people will be paying less. When I asked the boat driver why we had to pay more, he actually did have a decent explanation. He said we weren’t really paying more, but the local folks were getting a "frequent boater" discount. Hey, it made me feel better...
From journal Great Guatemala Loop Part 4 – Quetzaltenango