Bus trip from Cobán to Huehuetenengo
From Cobán, most folks go either south toward Lago de Izabel and Guatemala City or north to Flores and Tikal. A few intrepid travelers with time to spare take the long high route directly west to reach the highlands of the Cuchumatanes Mountains.
This is not a comfortable trip – it is long and there are no bathroom breaks. Hint: intentionally dehydrate yourself in order to survive these long bus trips! The back roads of Guatemala are made of dirt, and they are bumpy and curvy. You will see crashed buses at the bottoms of steep embankments. Because there is limited bus service, the buses are always packed. Actually, this is true all over Guatemala, not just in the areas with fewer buses. There will almost always be three adults placed in U.S. school bus seats designed for two children. And often there will be families of four to six all packed in such a seat. Sometimes with you!
Anyway, back to the details of how to get from Cobán to Huehuetenengo by the back roads. In Cobán, wait in front of the main government building by the central plaza. You are looking for the bus to Úspantan. Some folks will try to tell you that the bus leaves from a different part of town. Actually, I think there is one that does, but another company definitely passes through the plaza area around 10am to 10:15am every day. The trip to Úspantan takes around 4 hours and should cost 10 quetzales ($1.25) per person.
You can stay in Úspantan, but a better choice is to continue on to Sacapulas. You will have a little bit of time in Úspantan to find a restroom – I truly hope you don’t have to, or at least find a better one than we did – and some food. We found a large building with maybe 20 little rooms, each with a woman cooking and a large table. Take your pick. We picked the one that looked cleanest and friendliest, and were happy with our choice. Then we hung out in the main plaza for a while until the bus arrived between 3:30pm and 4pm.
The bus trip to Sacapulas takes 2 hours and should cost 8 quetzales ($1) per person. Sacapulas is a nice little town tucked in the Black River valley. The highway is on one side of the river, and the town on the other. It seemed there were two places for travelers to stay: Hospedaje Black River (25 quetzales per person) and Hospedaje Tujaal (30 quetzales per person). We stayed at the latter while some folks we talked to stayed at the former, and all any of us could say is that the rooms were adequate. The toilets flushed by dumping a bucket of water down them, and the showers were bucket showers as well. I almost thought I was back in Thailand. We ate dinner at Hospedaje Black River, which was also adequate. A big group of military-looking guys were eating there, so I think it might be one of the better choices in town, but I’m not sure. We didn’t see much else for choices. The town itself is pretty, with stone streets and tile roofs, and a location on the bank of the river. I think there might even be a hot springs near by, but don’t quote me on that. The local folks seemed quite friendly, maybe with the exception of the Hospedaje Black River folks.
The bus from Sacapulas to Huehuetenango leaves at 3am, 4am, or 5am from the far side of the river by the bridge. Make sure, especially if you are taking the last bus, that you come plenty early to get a seat. I can’t remember the length of the trip – maybe 2 hours – but I know the price was 12 quetzales ($1.50) per person.
Bus from Huehuetenango to Todos Santos and back
The bus to Todos Santos from Huehuetenango leaves from the main plaza around noon, and the trip takes about 2 hours. The price was 10 quetzales (US$1.25) per person. We had eaten before boarding, anticipating a normal bus trip with no stops, but the driver did stop at 1pm at a place with lunch items.
The last bus leaves Todos Santos for Huehuetenango at 6:30am. In Huehuetenango, we got an immediate bus (around 8:30am) going on to Quetzaltenango (Xela) for 10 quetzales ($1.25) per person, another 2-hour trip.