This City in Guatemala Will Take You off the ‘Gringo Trail’ and Immerse You in Indigenous Culture

Published on Travelbinger

Guatemala is a country with so much to offer, from stunning nature like Lake Atitlán, Semuc Champey and Acatenango Volcano, to ancient Mayan ruins like the famous Tikal, to the colonial charm of the city of Antigua. The heavy Mayan influence can be felt all throughout the country, from the delicious food to the traditional clothing many of the women wear.

With one of the highest indigenous populations of any Latin American nation, there is so much visitors to Guatemala can learn from its more than 20 distinct Mayan ethnic groups, such as connecting with nature and maintaining strong familial and communal bonds.

Guatemala’s tourism has surged in the past few years, and when I visited this past October, I was shocked with how packed with my fellow tourists, particularly backpackers, the destinations I visited were. Much of this probably can be attributed to the popularity of these spots on the Gringo Trail, the informal name for the most commonly visited locations in Latin America by backpackers.

The Gringo Trail

The Gringo Trail (Image Credits: Cecilia Markley)

While there is no official Gringo Trail, the destinations typically cited as being on the route in Guatemala are Flores and the nearby ruins of Tikal, Semuc Champey, Lake Atitlán, and Antigua. I loved my time in all four of these destinations and would recommend them to everyone, but when I decided I wanted some time away from all the tourism, I did some research and found that Quetzaltenango was a great place to go to get off the beaten path.

Getting off the Gringo Trail

Getting off the Gringo Trail (Image Credits: Cecilia Markley)

After spending three days in the town of Panajachel on Lake Atitlán, a blue lake surrounded by volcanoes in Guatemala’s highlands, we were ready to go somewhere less touristy. The lake was beautiful with amazing hikes and opportunities to explore the small towns surrounding it, but it was filled with backpackers. We even ran into several of the same people we had seen in Flores and Semuc Champey. So, we hopped on one of the local buses, called camionetas by the locals, or chicken buses by tourists, and arrived later that day in Quetzaltenango.

Quetzaltenango, also known by its Maya name Xela, is one of the largest cities in Guatemala. Located in western Guatemala, it is known for its vibrant Mayan culture, highland climate, hikes of the surrounding volcanoes, and as being a great place to learn Spanish.

Despite all it has to offer, it has not yet earned a place on the Gringo Trail, with many backpackers I spoke to never having heard of it. The city does not have the significant tourism infrastructure of Flores, Atitlan and Antigua, nor a singular iconic photo-perfect attraction like Semuc Champey. The city is also cooler than these other places, being at a higher elevation, and is harder to get to by tourist shuttle.

The Authentic Experience

The Authentic Experience (Image Credits: Cecilia Markley)

As soon as we decided to go to Quetzaltenango, we knew we were in for a more authentic experience. While Guatemala has many tourism companies that can haul backpackers around the major Gringo Trail landmarks in shuttles, the only way we found to get to Quetzaltenango on short notice – since we decided last minute to add it to the itinerary – was via camioneta. Camionetas are typically decommissioned American or Canadian school buses that are sent to countries such as Guatemala and El Salvador, often painted in fun designs and patterns, and repurposed to be used as public transportation. Tourists referring to these buses as chicken buses is usually attributed to the fact that locals may occasionally transport live animals on the buses.

We left our hostel at 6am to catch the bus, which was filled with locals. It stopped along the way in the towns of Solola and Los Encuentros, and we arrived in Quetzaltenango by mid-morning. After our weekend stay in Quetzaltenango, we went on to Antigua. We were able to catch a tourist shuttle from Quetzaltenango to Antigua rather than have to travel back through Panajachel, but only after our taxi driver on the way back to town on Sunday connected us with a shuttle company.

Our hostel experience was also unique in Quetzaltenango. While we were amongst backpackers in our other destinations, the other guests we encountered at our Quetzaltenango hostel were Guatemalans.

Exploring the City

Exploring the City (Image Credits: Cecilia Markley)

We only had two days in Quetzaltenango before we had to get to Antigua, and we knew we wanted to see the city and go on an excursion to a surrounding area. We spent our first day exploring the city, primarily the streets around Parque Centro América, or Parque Central. We visited a chocolate shop, as Guatemala is famous for its chocolate, and walked around a market in the park at night.

Visiting a Local Tourist Attraction

Visiting a Local Tourist Attraction (Image Credits: Cecilia Markley)

We had plenty of options for where to go on day two, and as a lover of hiking, I was leaning toward hiking the nearby Santa Maria volcano. However, as we had just done a half-day hike of a volcano at Lake Atitlán and would be doing a two-day hike of the famous Acatenango Volcano in a few days, we opted for a relaxing day at the nearby Fuentes Georginas Hot Springs.

The hot springs are located up in the mountains outside the city, and we went on a Sunday, so they were packed. But we were the only non-Guatemalans I saw there. As we enjoyed the naturally hot water and took in the cloud forest all around us, we chatted with a local in a mix of Spanish and English, who introduced us to his father whose first language was Kʼicheʼ, a Mayan language.

Guatemala was my favorite country to visit in Central America, and it should be at the top of the list for anyone looking to travel this year. If you do get the opportunity, make sure you check out the landmarks on the Gringo Trail, as they are popular for a reason – just be mindful that they are often swarming with tourists. But don’t miss the opportunity to check out the less visited sites, like the Caribbean coast and, of course, Quetzaltenango.