On our way back through the Mayan highlands towards Mexico we stopped at an innocuous looking muddy drive which took us up to Agua Azul, a stunning series of waterfalls and lakes containing clear blue water. The day was particularly hot and the opportunity to splash about couldn’t be missed.
A little father down the road [...]
Another long day driving uphill returned us to Mexico and a small town called San Cristóbal de las Casas, 2300m above sea level. The difference in altitude was immediately apparent as we walked up and down the hilly streets. This was quite a touristy town and whilst clean and pleasant, wasn’t really that interesting and [...]
For the next three days we based ourselves in the small town of Panajachel, beside the beautiful Lago de Atitlán, a 320m deep volcanic lake.
From here we visited the bustling markets of Chichacastenago, a confusing mix of decrepit churches and wealthy looking hotels. After too much shopping and not enough cocktails we headed back to [...]
Back in Guatemala we made our way to Antigua, a moderately large city surrounded on all sides by three volcanos. It was founded in 1543, and was the capital until 1773 (yep…I finally read the guide book).
We stayed in a family house and had a pretty relaxed time, mostly just pottering round the cobbled streets [...]
A long drive was broken up by a visit to the Agua Caliente waterfalls, hot springs where we could have a decent swim and shower.
The all encompassing warmth soon disappeared when we boarded a boat over Lago de Izabal (Guatemala’s largest lake) to our stop for the night – a jungle cabin on a small [...]
This was a highlight for me – two days to spend wandering round Tikal, the crown jewel of Mayan cities. Tikal dates back to 600 B.C. and consists of more than 3000 stepped pyramids, including royal palaces, temples, ceremonial platforms and burial chambers, amongst others.
The ruins are mostly still buried under hills, but those that [...]
