Whether you’re an enthusiastic hiker or cyclist, an avid rock-climber or sport-fisher, Guatemala’s great outdoors has a treat in store for you. While some activities such as rock climbing are relatively new and others like sailfishing are long established, Guatemala is definitely suited to their pursuit.
Guatemala’s terrain, featuring mountains, volcanoes, and vast forested flatlands, is a hiker’s dream. Adding to the allure of hiking in Guatemala is the opportunity to interact with locals along the way. Many hiking circuits in Guatemala, particularly in the Verapaz cloud forests and the plateaus of the Western Highlands region, are operated via local community tourism initiatives. In addition to providing the opportunity to see the environment and culture through the eyes of local inhabitants, hiring the services of community guides also provides locals with a much-needed source of income and instills a sense of pride in their home. It also speaks loudly to the value (both economic and moral) of conserving precious ecosystems when tourists come from faraway lands to enjoy them.
Hiking on Acatenango Volcano. Photo © Al Argueta.
Rock climbing is a relatively new phenomenon in Guatemala, though there are now at least two outfitters specializing in this activity.Among the most popular hikes are the summits of several of Guatemala’s 33 volcanoes (some active), including Agua, Acatenango, Pacaya, San Pedro, Santa María, and Tajumulco.Many tourism circuits operated by local community tourism initiatives include adequate visitors centers, and there are often campsites. The same is true for the government-run system of parks and protected areas.
Road biking is a fairly popular sport in Guatemala, particularly in the highlands, where mountain roads offer unique challenges to strength and endurance. The country even has its own version of the Tour de France, known as La Vuelta Ciclística a Guatemala (The Biking Circuit of Guatemala). The event takes place yearly sometime in August.
More popular with visitors, mountain biking is increasingly popular in the hills around Antigua and Lake Atitlán thanks in part to a number of excellent local outfitters.
Rock climbing is a relatively new phenomenon in Guatemala, though there are now at least two outfitters specializing in this activity. The rock faces fronting Lake Amatitlán, near Guatemala City, and an area known as “La Muela” (The Molar, also known as “Cerro Quemado”), near Quetzaltenango, are the prime climbing spots. Difficulty ratings of the various routes range from 5.8 to 5.13. It’s also possible to rappel inside a waterfall, also known as canyoning, in Jalapa and other areas.
The Pacific Ocean waters off the port of Iztapa are hailed as the “Sailfish Capital of the World,” with world records for single-day catch-and-release firmly supporting these claims. Apparently, a unique pattern of swirling ocean currents between Mexico and El Salvador creates an eddy unusually rich in pelagic fish, such as herring and mackerel, right on Guatemala’s doorstep. Sailfish and marlin gather to feed on this bait, along with large concentrations of dorado, yellowfin tuna, and wahoo. The result is some of the world’s best sailfishing.
A sailfish on Guatemala’s Pacific Coast. Photo © Al Argueta.
Numerous outfitters have set up shop in Iztapa offering sailfishing year-round, though the most active season is between November and May because of the colder weather prevalent in the North American region from which most anglers hail.
Thanks to grand plans for recreational options to be offered on behalf of now-departed Pan American Airways, Lake Atitlán saw the introduction of largemouth bass in the late 1950s. The lake’s extreme depths make catching the larger fish said to inhabit the deeper waters quite a challenge, which only adds to the allure of fishing these waters. Your best bet for catching “the big one” is during the annual spring spawning season, between March and May.
Excerpted from the Fifth Edition of Moon Guatemala.
