Chasing the elusive Quetzal

This past weekend we headed back up into the Sierra de las Minas to scope out logistics to re-open our "Trail of the Quetzal" trip.  Our trek  into the sierra is a unique opportunity to get out in to very remote and pristine Guatemalan backcountry. The Sierra encompasses more than %60 of Guatemala's remaining cloud forest.  It is home to the highest concentration  of the elusive Quetzal, the national bird, icon and currency, tapirs, monkeys and other large mammals.   The park is the key attraction of the conservation organization Defensores de la Naturaleza who are largely responsible for its creation as well as management.  

Working with the Defensores, we have create two different trips into the park.  Both trips start in a local community high up in the mountains at the base of the park.  One itinerary is a three day trip will focus of those who want to get into the core area of the park called the "zona nucleo" where we will have great chances to see Quetzales.  The "zona nucleo" stays high up on the ridge in prime cloud forest.  We will take two separate day hikes out to beautiful rock formations and high points to get an amazing view out over the park dominated by what seems to be a million shades of green.
  

Our second itinerary is a 4 day trip that will not only focus on the "zona nucleo" but will push further through the park.  We will have the opportunity to trek through areas that almost no visitors see. We'll stay in small rustic "park ranger cabins" nestled around the park.  This is a much more intense trip, not for the faint at heart, but the payoff is amazing!  Hiking deeper into the woods you will have more opportunity to see the abundant wildlife that make the Sierra las Minas so unique.  Troops of monkeys swing through the trees above, birds seem to be everywhere, and follow fresh tapir y puma tracks.  

While in the park we walk each day with locals from nearby communities who are employed by the Defensores to act as resource officers.  These guys really know the park!  They point out everything of interest along the trail as well as help us to identify the songs of the birds overhead.  They know where to look to find the Quetzal, how to follow tracks on the forest floor and everything else about the forest.  We stay each night in the cabins that they use while out on patrol.  There are cabins places strategically around the park.  The nicest of which are located on the ridge in the "zona nucleo".  The rest of the cabins are more modest and rustic but still serve their purpose: to give us shelter for the night, a nice cozy warm place to dry out and tell stories around the campfire.  

The Sierra las Minas is currently not a major well-known attraction like Tikal, Antigua or Lake Atitlan and is thus often time passed over when planning a trip to Guatemala, which is a huge shame.  The Sierra is a world class destination, ground zero for Guatemalan wilderness.  It should be part of your next visit to Guatemala.  Get in touch with us at Old Town Outfitters if you are interested!

See ya on the trail.

Nebaj to Todos Santos Trek

So we went and got ourselves back on the road to Quiché, one of Guatemala’s most populous departments. The work at hand was to scout out the “Nebaj to Todos Santos trek”, a trip that is essentially a traverse of part of the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes. This mountain range runs for 400km in west-east direction through the neighboring departments of Huehuetenango and Quiché. With peaks clearing 3800m, it is considered the highest non-volcanic sierra in all of Central America. The name “Cuchumatán” btw is derived from the Maya Mam words “cuchuj” (=to join) and “matán” (=with great force), and thus means “what has been joined with great force”.

When crossing the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes, we set out from Nebaj, one of the villages that form part of the so-called Ixil Triangle. This is the first hint as to the historic cross references that come into play on this trek. The hike entails clearing roughly 70km of trail in 6 days, most of which while crossing the flats of the “altiplano”, the Guatemalan highlands. The initial climb onto the plateau contains most of the elevation gain (ca. 1300m/5600ft.), with the rest coming as part of the ascent to La Torre, one of the highest points of the sierra (3832m/12.646ft.) 

The trail on this hike comes in all kinds of terrain, from pine-needle strewn forest floor, to limestone scattered over dirt roads, to grass-covered flats. The occasional mudfest is also not unlikely, as we learned this time around: After some torrential downpour in the night, descending through Pajuil País became somewhat of a unexpected challenge. As we were going downhill, our boots, caked in mud, were about as useful as soaped up cement blocks on our feet.

The Cuchumatanes are something else. I still can’t quite put my finger on it, even after two visits it’s hard to describe. Hiking there is not a spectacle, not a show as, say, hiking up Acatenango to see Fuego erupt. Some of the most gifted turns of phrase (and most of the lesser gifted; this very piece here not excluded) about Guatemala revolve around its beautiful landscapes, so I wonder if it bears repeating: but there really is no way around acknowledging the views, and to a great degree, it is the remoteness of the area and the vastness of the views that make up the lasting impression. They give the hike an even more contemplative quality than usual, especially when you happen to walk flat, green pastures in a soft rain with sheep in distant sight.

But it’s really when you’re walking through the villages that the slower pace of life becomes strikingly apparent. In so many cases, you get sensory overload from all the sensations around you before you can really get a sense of place, and by the time you’re leaving, you’ve forgotten half of them. Hiking the Cuchumatanes provides a good balance between perceptive details and ample time to process them. Here you have distinct notions of architecture, clothing, and pastoral lifestyle that you can observe and grasp in order to get this area’s unique geographic and cultural identity.

Would you like to know more abut this trip.  Check out the 5 day Nebaj to Todos Santos hut to hut trip on our website. See ya on the trail.

Eventually useful bit of random trail advice: when you come across a sheep that's tied to a tree trunk and effectively stretching the rope across the trail, don't step over the rope. Because once you spook the sheep, which you will, it will try to cut across into the field while still ahead of you and, with the rope, take your feet right out from under you. See the sheep understands the implications of being tied to a tree just about as much as the courtesy behind trying not to spook it. And since you're going to do that anyway, there is no sense in trying to be polite about it.

Cuchumantanes trekking

About five hours to the west of La Antigua, Guatemala lies Central America's highest mountain range, the Cuchumantanes.



These mountains have a feeling of remoteness similar to some of it's South American cousins. Life in many areas of these mountains goes in as it has for centuries. Mayan farmers and sheep herders work and walk the land. There are very few villages up here in these mountains, most of which only comprise of a few houses.


Taking advantage of the low population density, open space, huge views and most importantly, abundance of trail, Old Town Outfitters offers many different walks across these remote mountains. We can build day walks into an existing itinerary or build a custom five day walk across the altiplano from Nebaj to Todos Santos.



This past weekend we were fortunate enough to head out on an amazing three day trekking circuit taking in some of the best trail in the area. We stayed in community hostals and locals houses to fully immerse ourselves in the local surroundings. There is no better way to really experience the area than to gather around the hearth at meals times and talk to the folks from the area.



There is an amazing opportunity to take in more than just the natural beauty of an area when you are invited into their homes.
On day two we reached our treks objective of Laguna Magdalena, a hidden alpine lake that impossibly sits in a steep valley overlooking the low-lands below. It was a tough walk across the limestone studded hills but the Laguna made it all worth while.



The trails that cross cross the western highlands of Guatemala weave their way in and out of beautiful valleys, wide and vast plains and amazing pine studded hills. As you walk you are constantly reminded of a time long past, villages with no roads to get to them, houses with no power, and candle lit meals by the hearth.



This is truly one of the last untamed expanses in Guatemala. A place where back country lives up to its name.
This is a place that although requires a bit of effort to get to, pays off ten fold in what it gives back.


Come check it out! Get in touch with Old Town Outfitters and let us put together a trek for you that is for sure to leave a lasting impression.



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