Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you should need to exchange cash dollars, Banrural is on the north side of the plaza
uphill from the bridge.
From here, there are seven daily buses to Nebaj (1.5 hours), two buses to Huehuetenango
at4:30and5:30A.M.(1.5hours),andsevendaily busestoUspantán, inaddition topickups
throughout the day. Buses leave from the north side of the bridge over the river.
Uspantán
A very scenic road leads east toward Alta Verapaz. If you're traveling by bus, you'll prob-
ably need to overnight in Uspantán, a small town nestled in the Cuchumatanes Mountains,
which is actually a very pleasant place with clean streets and friendly folk. Hoping you may
wind up staying here by choice, the local government has installed a
Municipal Tourism
Office
(Municipal Palace, 1st Floor, tel. 7951-8125,
www.uspantan.com
)
to help you make
the most of your visit. Recreational opportunities include hikes through the backcountry to
the wonderful waterfall of
Los Regadillos,
hikes to
Peña Flor
and the neighboring site of
Tzunun Kaab'
along streams to another waterfall, witnessing a Mayan ceremony on the
Xoqoneb'
hillside just outside of town, and hiking or biking to the agricultural village of
Cholá,
where you can bathe in a refreshing spring-fed pool. Perhaps the most alluring op-
tion is a visit to
Laj Chimel,
the birthplace of Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú
and the gateway to Guatemala's fourth-largest cloud forest, where you can try your luck at
spotting the elusive quetzal.
Therearesomegoodoptionsforaccommodations,allexceptoneintherangeof$10-15d,
including
Casa Blanca
(2a Avenida and 6a Calle Zona 3, tel. 7951-8049), where the rooms
have cable TV and hot water. There's also ample parking if you've brought a car.
Hotel
Montana
(5a Avenida 4-60 Zona 3, tel. 7951-8025) has clean rooms with hot-water private
bath and cable TV housed in a pleasant peach-colored building. Offering minibus service to
Cobán at 5 A.M.,
Hotel La Villa
(tel. 7951-8046) has rooms with private or shared bath-
room centered around a patio/parking lot. Centrally located
Hotel Posada de Doña
Leonor
(6a Calle 4-09 Zona 1, tel. 7951-8045) has well-furnished rooms around a garden
courtyardwithsharedorprivatebathandcableTV.Entirelywithshared-bathrooms,agood
budget option is
Hotel Uspanteka
(4a Calle 5-18 Zona 1, tel. 7951-8078, $6 d).
For food, there's
Café Don David
(5a Calle 3-27 Zona 1, tel. 7951-8169) serving light
meals, dinners, and snacks that include sandwiches and Guatemalan food.
Comedor San
Miguel
(4a Avenida 3-29 Zona 1, tel. 5592-1833) serving basic Guatemalan fare is another
decent option. Across from the soccer stadium,
TV Café El Golazo
(tel. 7951-8027) is a
good place for breakfasts, cakes, and sandwiches.
Banrural (7a Avenida Zona 4), two blocks from the central plaza, changes cash dollars.
