laguna chicabal

I was shocked at how awfully brutal this hike was, i'm an athlete and work out all of the time, but we got dropped off down 45 minutes below the Park area which i highly recommend you don't do! By the time you've climbed a steep mountain for 2.5 hours, then your knees take a serious beating as you go down 600 wooden steps. The lagoon is gorgeous, sacred and a beautiful site! But, then you proceed to go back up. I actually ended up hopping in the back of a guatemalan pick up truck b/c i was worried for my knees on the way down- it's so bad on your limbs to hike in such steep terrain, and typical guatemalan fashion the road isn't paved and it's not easy.

We went to laguna chicabal this morning. It's a nice activity and easy to do by yourself. We usually do hikes with guides, because of me being scared of robberies of being lost. But we did this one ourselves and it felt really safe and was easy to find the way because of all the signs. Details of our trip:-7.00: took the bus to San Martin / Chile Verde, told the bus driver that we wanted to go to Laguna Chicabal. That way he will show you were to get out. Costs:10Q each. Unfortunately our busdriver took quite some time (ate breakfast and repaired the bus). The same busride back to Xela only took 40 minutes.-8.50: Arrived at the bus stop nearest to chicabal. Busdriver told us which way to start (downwards into village)-9.45: After a sometimes very steep hike we arrived at the entrance of Chicabal. We are in reasonable shape and found it sometimes quite challenging. But easy to find the way because of the signs. Ofcourse, if uou don't feel like walking, you can take a pick up from the bus stop to the entrance of chicabal. Costs of entrance: 25Q each (internationals).-10.30: Arrived at the laguna. It took us 45 minutes to hike from the entrance to the lake. And again, this hike is sometimes quite steep and challenging! First part when you have to go up, and afterwards a bit down to get to the lake. At some point (about 30min into our hike) you can go left to the mirador or right to the lake. We took the right turn. But most people go the mirador, and from there descend with the stairs to the lake.After arriving at the laguna, we had clear blue sky amd walked around the lake (30min walk) and saw some maya praying (it was a sunday today). After finishing our walk, the clouds came in and it was amazing to see how they covered the lake and blocked our sight of it. Very special.Because of the clouds, we didn't go up to the mirador, because we wouldn't be able to see anything anyway. If you're coming for the views, the laguna isn't spectaculair at all, so then it's probably wisest to visit the mirador first!So a very nice trip, which only cost us 45q pp in total (20q return bus and 25q entrance). So just do it on your own, no guide needed!

I travelled to the laguna from Xela (Quetzaltenango).Left home at 8. Around La Democracia market, at Parque Benito Juarez, catch a bus to San Martin. Ask to be dropped off at Laguna Chicabal.From there, you hike up the mountain, through semi-rural outskirts of San Martin town. Eventually the paved road ends, and you follow a dusty road. 1.5-2 hours hike up.The laguna is beautiful. From the top of the volcano you can see Santa Maria and Santiagito erupting (if you get there before it gets cloudy in the afternoon).If you get to the laguna when it's cloudy, you may be able to watch how clouds come in to the laguna and then leave - in the space of 15 minutes - this looks incredible, and no wonder the site is holy for Mayans.Lots of Mayan ceremonial altars. You can see Mayans carrying out ceremonies.Beautiful, easy hike, cheap (entrance 20Q), cheap transport (6Q each way), off the beaten track - worth it.Enjoy

Great place to spend the night and enjoy nature, if you are not up to camping out at the side of the lagoon in the volcano there are affordable bungalows hostel style.

Beautiful views and a great mist sets over sometimes about 1pm. We went to chikabal in November. Get re early. Before midday

Tough hike up for quite worthwhile views and scenery. I used Altiplano tours in Xela who were prompt, organized, spoke English, and professional. The lake itself is quite beautiful. I got lucky and had a wonderful experience watching a local religious ceremony on the shores of the lake. Got to see santiaguito erupt as well. Wear comfy shoes and prepare to walk! Not as difficult as Santa Maria.

A perfect hike to a sacred lake, a steep climb but worth the beautiful views and serenity. Make sure to go to the mirador, you can see Santaguito erupting and Santa Maria.

Our first visit was a few years back in March. The weather was brutal and we never caught a glimpse.Our second visit in October was good. There were still clouds scurrying across the crater, but by the time we walked down to the lake, things had improved. We were the only ones there for about 2 hours. Santiaguito could be heard in the distance. It was a very atmospheric visit. This is a nice day trip from Xela.

Quite steep, but not too challenging, a good alternative to Santa Maria. From the top we got to see the volcano erupting across the valley, which was incredible. The lake itself is very peaceful and there are numerous ceremonies going on as you walk around.

This is a small lake at the top of an extinct volcano. The views are stunning; the hike up is a bit challenging if you're not used to strenuous hiking, but definitely worth it. (I think you can also get someone to drive you all the way to the top.) It's easy to get there on a day trip from Quetzaltenango (if you do that, check with locals on best time of day to go, IIRC it's cloudier in the afternoons), but they also have overnight accommodations (rustic/primitive cabins as well as camping). There's a restaurant and even though I was the only guest for part of my stay, they fixed it up really nice with candles, a pretty place setting, and great food. Bring warm clothes and be prepared to amuse yourself without electricity. There is a small shop with snacks, agua pura, etc. You'll need sturdy shoes if you take the hike. A benefit of staying overnight is that you can hike up early and see the sun rise over the volcanoes. There are other nice trails around the office/cabins, too, and very scenic (to this city girl at least) corn and potato fields. Well worth a visit!

This was a nice half day hike to get off the trail a bit near Xela. The crater lake is very pretty and you get some cracking views of Santa Maria if you go early enough. Apart from a few steep hills, the trek itself is fairly easy and not that long. It's also really cheap, maybe 10Q in transport and 15Q entrance, bargain! x

I went to the lake with a friend as a day trip from Xela. This was a long but not difficult uphill walk after a bus ride out of the city. The lake itself is very beautiful and one can appreciate its cultural significance. As a foreigner I also loved walking through a local community on the way up and seeing the houses and children and animals - it was a real insight into life in Guatemala that can't be had in Xela itself.

It is an easy hike from base camp, and on a nice day you can see neighboring volcanos Santa María and Santiaguito from a rarelly seen angle.

is one hour from xela to the village san martin chile verde then take a pick up trukc el toro rojo to entrance ! super view

In city Xela there are many hiking places, this one is one of them, I went with a small group of Spanish school student. It was a nice day trip; the view is very beautiful and peaceful. I enjoyed the hike a lot!