Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Rabin Itzam $
( 7983-0076; s/d Q150/200, without bathroom Q50/100)
A no-frills budget hotel in the center. The
beds sag a bit, but rooms upstairs at the front (with shared bathroom) have good valley
views.
HOTEL
El Recreo $$
( 7823-4069; elrecreolanquin@gmail.com; s/d Q230/330, without bathroom Q75/150; )
Between
the town and the caves, this place has that 'made for tour groups' feel to it, but the bunga-
lows set around forested grounds are a good deal - spacious and well decorated. The
rooms set in the basement with shared bathrooms might be a bit grim for some.
HOTEL
Restaurante Champey $
(mains Q20-50; 8am-11pm)
This large outdoor eatery halfway between town and El Retiro
serves up good-sized plates of steak, eggs and rice and gets rowdy and beerish at night.
GUATEMALAN
WORTH A TRIP
PARQUE NACIONAL LAGUNA LACHUÁ
This
national park
( 4084-1706; entry fee adult/child Q50/25, campsite per adult/child Q25/12, bunk with
mosquito net Q70/35, tent hire Q15) is renowned for the perfectly round, pristine turquoise lake (220m deep) for
which it was named. Until recently, this Guatemalan gem was rarely visited by travelers because it was an active,
violent area during the civil war and the road was in pathetic disrepair. Now it fills up quickly on weekends and
public holidays, and if you're thinking about coming at these times, it's a good idea to call and reserve a space.
Overnight visitors can use the cooking facilities, so come prepared with food and drink. There is only one shower.
You can no longer rent canoes for exploring the lake, but there are about 4km of interpretative trails to explore.
The Cobán tour outfits offer two-day and one-night trips for Q650 per person. If you don't want to stay in the
park, there are hotels and restaurants in nearby Playa Grande. There's also a community tourism initiative in
Rocjá Pomtilá
( 5381-1970; rocapon@yahoo.com; r for 2 nights, incl guide & 4 meals Q320-400) on the
eastern edge of the park. Contact the community directly or Misterio Verde (
Click here
) in Cobán to make ar-
rangements.
A new road means you can get to the park entrance from Cobán in a bit over two hours by bus (Q55). Take a
Playa Grande (Cantabal) bus from Cobán via Chisec and ask the driver to leave you at the park entrance, from
which it's about a 2km walk to the lake. From Playa Grande there are buses and pickups leaving for Barillas
(Q60, five hours), the first stop on the backdoor route to Huehuetenango in the Western Highlands.
Getting There & Away
Overnight tours to Grutas de Lanquín and Semuc Champey, offered in Cobán for Q300
per person, are the easiest way to visit these places, but it's really not that complicated to
