PETÉN - Guatemala - page 551

Treks begin in the village of Carmelita, inside the biosphere reserve at the end of the
line for the road from Flores. Carmelita is a small cluster of houses grouped alongside the
roadwith afewbasic services suchasa comedor, asmall general store, andsimple accom-
modations. The journey usually lasts five days. The first night is spent at El Tintal and the
next day is a grueling hike that puts you at El Mirador close to nightfall. You spend two
nights at the ruins before the two-day hike back to Carmelita. Trip prices vary, but expect
to pay about $250 per person for two people. Some outfitters do the trip in seven days, al-
lowing more time at El Mirador and stopping en route at Nakbé and Wakná. Mules carry
thesupplies,butyoucanalsorentadditional mulesorhorsesforriding.Thisisparticularly
recommended if you make the journey in the wet season. Expect to pay an extra $10 per
day for riding horses.
BeverycarefulinyourselectionofanoutfittertogetyoutoElMirador.Thecommunity
of Carmelita, with help from NGOs, has trained and licensed guides to take visitors on the
hikeaspartofasustainabletourisminitiativecontributingtotheecologicallyfriendlylive-
lihood of local residents. While it's a nice idea in theory, it may not always be the best way
to go. Not all of the local guides have the same skills or experience in running the trek and
you run the risk of getting one of these lesser-experienced guides if you book your trip dir-
ectly through the community. The task invariably falls on whoever is available to take you
at that particular time. Further complicating the scenario is the presence of “gypsy” guides
falsely claiming to be part of the local tourism committee.
That being said, you can save some money by taking public transport to Carmelita and
then hooking up with the local Comité de Turismo (tel. [phone], Spanish-only, ask for
Brenda Zapata). The trip should cost about $235 per person for two people. Book at least
a few days in advance, as the supplies and food must be brought in from Flores and the
guidesmustgointotowntogetthem. Ifyoudogothisroute,make suretheguidebuysad-
equate amounts of food for the duration of the trip. A common complaint is that food runs
low halfway through the trek. You should also verify that there is enough water. Have the
guide unpack all the supplies and show you exactly what you're taking. Don't hesitate to
tell the guide if the food supply is inadequate for the trip's duration. In the worst of cases,
you might buy a chicken to eat from the guards at the site, though it won't be cheap and
there's no guarantee they'll have one to sell to you.
A final consideration if booking directly through the community is that the guide will
want the money up front so as to buy food and supplies. This may or may not be an in-
convenience to you, but it bears mentioning nonetheless. The more established Flores tour
operators take credit cards and arrange everything for you in advance.
This leads us to your second option, that of booking the trip from Flores through one
of several recommended outfitters. Although any Flores travel agency will claim to offer
the trip, the quality of the service is not the same and you run the risk of getting set up
with an inferior guide at premium prices. These outfitters may or may not contract the ser-