Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chichi Turkaj Tours
( 5372-1349; 7a Av 5-41)
offers shuttles to Guatemala City (Q200), Antigua
(Q95), Panajachel (Q55) and Quetzaltenango (Q140) on Monday and Friday at 9am and
Sunday and Thursday at 5pm.
Agencia de Viajes Maya Chichi Van
( 5007-2051; 6a Calle 6-45)
goes
to the same destinations on Sunday and Thursday, at similar fares. In most cases they need
at least five passengers. These agencies also run tours to K'umarcaaj near Santa Cruz del
Quiché, Nebaj and elsewhere.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Santa Cruz del Quiché
POP 32,256 / ELEV 1979M
Without Chichicastenango's big market and attendant tourism, Santa Cruz - or just El
Quiché - presents a less self-conscious slice of regional life and is refreshingly free of
competition for tourist lucre. Just 19km north of Chichi, it's the capital of Quiché depart-
ment, drawing a diverse populace on business and administrative affairs. The main market
days are Thursday and Sunday, boosting the bustle considerably. Travelers who come here
usually do so to visit K'umarcaaj, the ruins of the old K'iche' Maya capital, or to change
buses en route further north.
The most exciting time to be here is mid-August during the
Fiestas Elenas
(
www.fiestaselenas.com
)
, a week of festivities and a proud display of indigenous traditions. It
all leads up to the
convite feminino,
when El Quiché's women don masks and dance up a
storm to marimba accompaniment.
COMMUNITY TOURISM IN LAJ CHIMEL
Renowned as the place that spawned Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú (see the boxed text,
Click
here
), Laj Chimel offers homegrown tours of the community and surroundings. Local K'iche' guides lead relaxed
walks along a well-conditioned trail through the cloud forest, pointing out birds and wildlife and stopping at a
lookout point for impressive views over the Cuchumatanes range. Along the way, you'll learn about medicinal
plants,
milpa
cultivation and the civil war atrocities that occurred here. The cost of the tour, including lunch at a
community home, is Q240 per person with a minimum of two persons. Transport from Uspantán (9km, Q400)
can be arranged, or a local bus departing at 6am can get you as far as the community of La Danta, by a secluded
lake one hour's walk from Laj Chimel. For more info about the program, see lajchimelecoturismo.com.
Sights
