Trek Xela-Lake Atitlán

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You like adventure and contact with nature, hiking on trails, volcanoes and other beautiful places. Icaro Tours offers the best hiking and all of Guatemala and Latin America.

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Trek Xela-Lake Atitlán

trek-lago-atitlan An encounter with Guatemala´s natural beauty and culture.

Lake Atitlán (Lago de Atitlán) is a large endorheic lake (one that does not flow to the sea) in the Guatemalan Highlands. Atitlan is recognized to be the deepest lake in Central America with maximum depth about 340 meters. The lake is shaped by deep escarpments which surround it and by three volcanos on its southern flank. Lake Atitlan is further characterized by towns and villages of the Maya people. Lake Atitlán is about 50 kilometres (31 mi) west-northwest of Antigua. Lake Atitlán should not be confused with Lake Amatitlán. Lake Amatitlán is located about 65 kilometres (40 mi) southeast of Lake Atitlán and 16 kilometres (10 mi) southeast of Antigua. Lake Atitlán is much larger than Lake Amatitlán.

The lake is volcanic in origin, filling an enormous caldera formed in an eruption 84,000 years ago. It is renowned as one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and Aldous Huxley famously wrote of it: "Lake Como, it seems to me, touches on the limit of permissibly picturesque, but Atitlán is Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing."

The lake basin supports extensive coffee growth and a variety of farm crops, most notably corn. Other significant agricultural products include onions, beans, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, garlic, chile verde, strawberries, avocados and pitahaya fruit. The lake itself is rich in animal life which provides a significant food source for the largely indigenous population.

Fuente: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lago_de_Atitl%C3%A1n

Itirenary

DAY 1

8:00 am Meet to prepare the equipment.

By 8:45 am Leave for Xecam from where we start walking.

By 9:30 am Start the hike of approximately 3 hours, then we continue through a vast valley to the summit of a mountain.

13:00 Have lunch in a viewpoint inside the cloud forest of Santa Catarina Ixtaguacan.

2:00 pm Descend until we arrive to the community Xe'Tinamit (which means "below" in Kiche) Here we always have two options: Camping in the country or spending the night with some local families. In both cases, we have dinner and breakfast with the families.

The food can be a delicious traditional dish (called ram); prepared specially with a delicious Guatemalan sauce and a lot of chili pepper from Cobán (Cobán is famous to produce the hottest chili in the country). For breakfast, we have eggs and beans.

7:00 pm we camp and have dinner.

DAY 2.

7:00 am Breakfast.

8:00 am Hike through several small crystal rivers, where we can refresh ourselves and then rest in the town "Santa Catarina Ixtaguacan". Afterwards we descend from the village until we reach the river Nahualate. From there we hike about 2 hours in order to get to the town of Suk'ubal to have lunch nearby.

By 2:00 pm we will start a hike that crosses a small river 14 times. Even though most of it is flat, we will encounter some little hills. The last part is steep and takes about an hour and a half.

Finally we hike to the road where we catch a public bus which takes us to our shelter, 15 minutes away. At this time it is almost dark.

7:00 pm Dinner.

DAY 3.

7:00 am Breakfast.

8:00 am Leave for San Pedro. This is the last part of the hike, we descend for about 2 hours, hiking on a trail called "La nariz del Maya" ("The nose of the Maya"). Two hours later we arrive at the "Cristalinas" (crystal waters), one of the most beautiful places at the lake. It is almost obligatory to swim here.

Finally we catch a public bus to San Pedro La Laguna where we celebrate one of the greatest experiences of community with nature and local people.

Note: For those who want to come back to Xela, we will be leaving after lunch.

You will not be able to study on Monday since we are coming back on Monday evening. If you like, you can "make up" your class time with your teacher in the afternoons later in the week.

Expenses Included

-Camping Equipment: Tent, Mattress and Sleeping Bag.

-Two Meals for the first day, three for the second day and one for the third day.

-Public transportation to the place where will we start walking.

-Water and guide.

Tips.

-Accidents and sicknesses are rare, and in the event that a problem occurs, your guide will assist you as much a possible, but Icaro Tours nor your guide can pay for the costs incurred from these incidents.

-Transportation for luggage to San Pedro (if you are not coming back to Xela).

-Transportation back to Xela for those who want to return.

Payment is required in advance. Because we will have already hired guides, we cannot refund payment within the 2 days before the trek.

Note: There are indigenous saunas along the hike you could use; however, this cost is not included in the price.

What do you need to bring?

Flashlight, chocolate bars, sun cream, boots, a hat, water shoes, personal items, camera, swimsuit and a sturdy backpack. (If you do not have a good backpack, please inquire; Icaro can sometimes help provide these.

Price

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Itirenary

Expenses Included

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