Trek Length: 1 Day
Price: Q300
Trekking Distance: 14km or 15km
Highest Elevation Reached: 3400m or 3542m

Whether it is done in one or two days, our trek from Xela to Fuentes Georginas packs an incredibly diverse hike into a small time-frame. The best of the highlands is on show here: expect cloud forests, bamboo forests, alpine rainforest and rugged high-altitude ridgelines. During a long-section of the trek, you will be treated to panoramic views of Lake Atitlán, the Pacific Slope and the majestic Guatemalan chain of volcanoes. On a clear day, you can even see volcanoes simultaneously erupting on your left and right hand side!

And the destination is almost as good as the journey. The trail ends at the famous Fuentes Georginas where you can bath in the naturally-heated hot springs surrounding by rainforest.

Warning: This is a difficult trek. The trail to the top is steep and the descent may be slippery. Good physical condition and the willingness to fall on a rocky trail are a must. The pay-off, though, is some of the most stunning views in the Quetzaltrekker portfolio.

We meet in the office before dawn for a delicious breakfast and then make our way to Xecam, a small village about 25min from Xela and our starting point for the trek. Not far out of Xecam, we ascend through a magnificent pine forest - passing some of the oldest trees in the region. The postcard views from the top are more than a just reward for the tough ascent. Looking east, the distant Antigua volcanoes (Agua, Acatenango and Fuego) seem surprisingly close, as do the Atitlán volcanoes (Tolimón, Atitlán and San Pedro) with their bases disappearing beneath the Lake. To the right, the entire volcanic chain fades away into the Pacific Slope.

From this viewpoint we continue up onto the Siete Cruces Ridge - a bald crest that we follow for the next three hours. From our exposed position, we get spoiled with views of volcanoes, lakes and valleys to our left and right. On a clear day, we can see all the way to Tajumulco and watch Santiaguito erupt from behind Santa María.

We have lunch at the end of the ridge and say goodbye to the views before descending into another cloud forest. The descent gets quite steep after a while and the cloud forest becomes rainforest and finally bamboo forest as we wash off the altitude.

In the late afternoon, we literally emerge from the jungle onto the back doorstep of Fuentes Georginas. Here, we can round out a big day’s hiking by soaking our sore feet in the hot pools before catching a pick-up back to Xela at dusk.

The two day version of the Fuentes trek follows much the same route as the one day version of the trek albeit over a much more relaxed timetable. We meet at the office at 6:30am and have breakfast before catching our bus to Xecam. We tackle the first hill at a comfortable pace and take plenty of stops to enjoy the pristine forest on the way up. We can also take a long break at the top of the hill to take in those amazing views. We then have lunch at a high-point along the Siete Cruces Ridge with a fantastic, 360 degree view!

We arrive at our campsite on the top of Pico Zunil (3542m) in the afternoon, giving us enough time to set-up and watch the sun as it sets behind Volcán Santa María and the Pacific Ocean. The guides then cook up a hot meal before we all gradually slink off to our tents.

The real gem of the two-day trek is the breathtaking sunrise from Pico Zunil that we can watch from the comfort of our campsite. From our ‘advantageous’ vantage point, we see the red glow slowly creep over the distant Antigua volcanoes before lighting up Lake Atitlán below us and the volcanoes behind us. This is one quality sunrise!

When the show is over, we have some breakfast and pack up our campsite before spending the rest of the morning negotiating the steep descent through the forest and jungle. We can then chill out at Fuentes Georginas and take a gratifying soak in the pools before returning to Xela in the afternoon.

Price includes: all meals, snacks, water, equipment, transport, guides and entrance to Fuentes Georginas.

When: We generally schedule the 1-day trek to run mid-week and the 2-day trek to run on weekends. On-demand treks are often possible. See our online schedule for details or contact us.

What to Bring:* Warm clothes for the morning Light/breathable clothes for trekking Rain coat/ poncho Bathing suit and small towel Comfortable shoes for hiking (ie. tennis shoes) Small backpack

2-Day trek add: Large backpack Extra warm layer Sleeping bag/mat Camping gear Flashlight

*Don’t have all this stuff? No problem – we’ll lend you what you don’t have