The OTO Underground

Its not every weekend that we are lucky enough to make it out to the sleepy mountain town of Lanquin, but when we do, it certainly always puts a smile on our faces.  This past weekend was that weekend.

The drive to get there is long, but once you leave the congestion of Guatemala City behind the scenery changes and so does your mood.  Along the way we stopped off to break up the drive with a cool hike to a remote waterfall for a picnic lunch and a swim.  This part of Guatemala is incredible!  Full of rivers, waterfalls, big hills and more shades of green that you thought was possible,and the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the elusive Quetzal.

After an hour at the swim hole, we loaded up and pushed further into the back-country and finally made it to Lanquin just in time to pull into the local cave system to watch thousands of bats come pouring out at sunset.
After checking into our digs for the night at El Retiro  we had a drink down by the river and then headed over to pour friends place at  The Zephyr Lodge for good eats and and some quality time overlooking the river.

This being a 4 day trip we are definitely able to take advantage of all the amazing things there are to do in the this adventure travelers play ground.  The limestone geology of the Lanquin area means that rivers and caves abound.  We stopped into the Lanquin caves and crawled our way past where the lights end and tourist trail stops.  Here we found ourselves at the edge of a dark cliff.  Our headlamps just barely making out the stalagmites at the bottom some 50 feet below.  We set up the repel and headed down into that dark cavern below.  There's something special about lowering off tierra firma and dropping into the unknown.

Our next objective was the cave system of Can Ba.  Can Ba is a water cave so we pull on wetsuits to be able to go well past the candle holding bikini clad tourists and push deep inside the mountain.  Up and over waterfalls, swimming dark channels, and scaling around rock formations we plunged some 3 hours into this seemingly never ending cave until we came to our turn around time at "La Playa" a nice sandy beach inside the cave where we had lunch.

Emerging back out into the warm sunlight we strolled across the Cahabon River to the pools of Semuch Champey.  This is a place like no other!  A raging river disappears under a limestone mesa formed by multiple creeks that have dropped their mineral loads forming the terraced pools of Semuc Champey.  Each pool cascades into the next before returning to the raging torrent of the Cahabon exiting the cave formed by la mesa.

This place is worthy of a National Geographic cover!  We soaked up the warm sun and lounged on the rocks separating the pools until thoroughly water-logged.  We headed back over the bumpy road to Lanquin for a huge Mexican BBQ feast at the lodge and fell into hammocks for the rest of the evening.

If you got a few days and want to see a unique part of Guatemala, a world away, underground, floating rivers, and chasing the Quetzal, this is your place.  Get in touch with us at the shop and we'll pull a trip together for you.

See ya out on the trail or perhaps under it...

                                                                    Mateo

Canyoneering on the Rio Xaya

Always looking to forge new ground, we headed out on an expedition to the Rio Xaya.  We were looking to get a first descent of thie upper part of the river and scout it out for a future kayak run later on in the year when the rains come.

It was pretty tough going but we found sweet tight canyons and fun rapids and managed to make it out with only a torn pant leg.  The run during the rainy season looked do-able although you better bring your A game as its a steep canyon all the way to the take out.  

Rio Dulce - "Paddling in Paradise"

Just back in from the field!  Old Town guides just brought in pictures and stories from the trail, our most recent trip out the to Rio Dulce, an amazing jungle river on Guatemala's Caribbean coast. 

 This is must hit do-it-all outdoor excursion for the adventurer who wants a good mix of culture, adventure and nature all rolled up into one fantastic 4 day tour.

 This part of Guatemala is riddled with limestone river canyons, beautiful lakes and plenty of other cool stuff stuff to do like caves, waterfalls and even a stop in at a thermal waterfall hot-spring! 

The trip starts out with an early leave from Antigua to beat the traffic in Guatemala City.  As we drop out of the city we start to leave the mountains behind and move into a Caribbean the landscape past vast banana plantations and covered Mayan temples

 Arriving to the River we detour for a stop in at "Finca Paraiso" where there is the most unique oppotunity to shower under a natural thermal waterfall.  The falls cascade into a cold river that comes out of cave just upstream.  You are able to mix the hot and cold of the falls and river to find just the right balance.   

After a picnic lunch we river walk upstream to a hidden cave entrance in the forest where we don headlamps and navigate our way to where the fresh water river exits the cave and float back to the hot-springs!  Pretty insane really.

Each night we move on to a new and unique riverside jungle hostal  as we paddle our way down the Rio Dulce towards Livingston, Guatemala's only Garifuna village.  The paddling on the river gives us plenty of opportunity for bird-watching and if we are lucky enough perhaps a glimpse of the endangered manatee.  As we float down stream we'll pass local fisherman out for looking for the days catch, which most likely will end up on our plates that evening.

 As the river gets closer to Livingston we float through perhaps the nicest part of the, the Canyon, where the river narrows and steep limestone walls rise out of the water hundreds of feet over head.  It is a truly amazing site.  

The town of Livingston with its funky mix of Guatemalan and Caribbean culture is at the mouth of the Rio Dulce and the Caribbean ocean.  It is an amazingly vibrant town with the sounds of steel drums in the air, open cafes and cool Garifuna culture. 

 To round out the trip to Guate's Caribbean coast we stop in at the Mayan ruins of Quirigua on the way back to Antigua.  These ruins once controlled the Mayan lowland area between Copan las Ruinas, Honduras and the mighty ruins of Tikal.  Quirigua boasts the largest stelae known in the Mayan world.

If you are looking for something different and off the mainstream tourist track this is certainly a great option.  Get in touch with us at the shop and we'll help you  put together a custom trip out this way.  There's loads more to do out here than this and we know it all!   

Eco Filer Hike For Water

Pacaya Volcano

Don't forget, this Saturday is the Eco Filter "Hike for Water" climb on Pacaya Volcano.  Spaces still available.  If you are interested stop by the shop for more details.

Help us help to locals.  Sign up, hike, donate filters.  You get to hike Pacaya, you have fun, Guatemalans get a filter, everyone wins.  Come by Old Town today and sign up.

If you cant make this weekends hike, there are two opportunities to get involved.  Old Town Outfitters will be guiding two more hikes, one on active Fuego volcano and the other an overnight trek on Acatenango Volcano.  
See ya on the trail

Highlands Ride

When the man upstairs created Guatemala, he must have had mountain biking on his mind.  The Guatemalan altiplano is evidence of this.  If you are looking for some real, out of bounds back country riding, the highlands outside Huehuetenango is the place to go. 

As its a bit of a haul to get to, we normally hang out for a few days.  There is just so much single track to ride that you could stay here a month.  Outside of the odd hiking group, you probably wont see any other gringos out here the entire time.  This is a unique opportunity to ride in countryside among people whose traditions are very much still alive and present.
Our favorite ride is a 5 day epic ride that crosses the most remote section of the mountains called the "Trans Maya"
Come by or email the shop today and get on the next ride.
See ya on the trail

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.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

El Zur DH tour **NEW TRIP**

A few years ago some of our friends bought a mega swath of the south slope of Agua Volcano.  Being real estate developers, the idea was to create a mountain community much like the ones that we all covet back home.  These guys had the vision to take an immense piece of a giant volcano and turn it into an outdoor enthusiasts playground.



The vision was robust, the landscape enormous but the possibilities endless.  They got in touch with Old Town as they knew we were the premier mountain bike outfit in Central America to help create the mountain bike park aspect of the project.  Over the course of the next 2 or 3 years we toiled to carve out epic world class single-track bliss from as high up on the mountain as we could get our machines all the way down to the highway.  The trail was thoughtfully planned and cut in following IMBA trail building standard and concepts.

The result, over 25 kilometers of Downhill and Cross-country flow, so fun you might forget your on a bike and mistakenly take your hands off the bars as if you were on a roller coaster as a kid.
Starting this summer El Zur will be opening its doors exclusively to Old Town Outfitters to start running DH and XC tours there.  Our idea to make a day of it so we'll be packing a cooler full of beer and snacks for the end of the ride.

Call or come by the shop, or even email us for more information, tour departures and prices.
This really is a one of a kind place, not just by Guatemalan standards either.  Come with us and check out what 25 KM.s of handmade, purpose built mountain bike trail feels like.

See ya there,