Chicabal Lake, Santiaguito Viewpoint
After seeing more or less everything that I wanted to see in Panajachel, I took a shuttle to Quetzaltenango, which is also known as Xela (I was told it’s pronounced “Shela”). It was quite a bit higher than other places I stayed at in Guatemala so far, and served as a good base for a few hiking options in the area, although I wasn’t sure how many of them I’ll actually do, as I didn’t have much experience with high altitude.
The hostel I checked into was surprisingly empty, and I unsuccessfully spent some time trying to find a hiking partner that will go with me to Cerro El Baúl, which was supposed to be the easiest of the hikes I looked at. However, it was deemed dangerous to go alone due to violence in the area, and as I have skipped it.
Next on my list was Chicabal Lake. In order to get there, I got up early in the morning and hopped on an Uber. I was dropped off seemingly in the middle of nowhere, and started to walk up a steep cobblestone path. The incline was quite a challenge for me, and a few times along the way I had to stop, catch my breath, and drink a bit of water. I wasn’t even at the beginning of the trail, and already facing difficulty. I tried to pace myself and walk a bit slower, until the path finally got leveled. Then it was a matter of easy walking for a little while before I saw the sign for Chicabal.
Once I got to the sign, I was directed to a ticket office where I paid the fee and was given an explanation about the place in Spanish which was a bit too fast for me. I didn’t quite understand everything, so I was counting on the way to be easy to follow. After sitting down for breakfast (and a quick bathroom break), it was time to start the trail to Chicabal Lake.
The dirt path was less steep than the cobblestone path, which made it easier for me, although it wasn’t very well maintained by the looks of it. It was bumpy in parts, with occasional small pits, and due to the rain it was muddy in some parts. Other than that, it was pretty quiet and uneventful, all the way to the top. Short of a split in the road with a sign showing the way to a camping ground, there was nothing worth mentioning.
The top of the hike on the other hand, was definitely worth mentioning. There were two viewpoints there, one overlooking a couple of volcanoes, and the other overlooking the lake. As that was a big deal online, I went to look at the lake first, and was a bit disappointed. It was a nice lake, but it didn’t look special. It was quiet, and empty, and no one was performing any rituals there. I expected more, especially as I was told I want to go early in the morning to get a good view.
Then I headed over to the second viewpoint, which was obstructed by trees. However, a few steps away from there was a sitting area, which had a great view of the volcanoes, Santa María and Santiaguito, with smoke coming out of the latter. To me, that was a lot more exciting than the lake.
As I was already there, I thought it would be a bit of a waste to not get closer, and so I made my way down the long staircase all the way to the bottom. Surprisingly, I found the view of the lake from the bottom to be better than the view at the top, although it still wasn’t that great. I felt like other people would be screaming at me that I should enjoy having the place to myself, just me, the birds, and the insects, but I didn’t. It felt empty, almost dead, and I thought it might have been better to actually come later in the way, with other people around.
I walked around for a little bit, more to say that I did it and less out of genuine curiosity, before going back up the stairs. Soon after I started my ascend I could hear children’s voices. A couple minutes later, I could see them. At first I thought it might have been a school group on a field trip, but then I saw all the adults holding flowers, and it occurred to me they were there to pay their respect.
I passed the group, made my way to the top, and sat down to drink some water while looking at the volcanoes once more. It was a quick stop, and then I made my way back down to the entrance. Other than a few people near the top, I didn’t see anyone else.
From the entrance, I had to make my way back down to where the Uber dropped me, and then walk for quite a bit more until I managed to get to a main road, where I asked around until I found the colectivo that took me back to Quetzaltenango.
On another morning, I set about going to Santiaguito Viewpoint, which was another hike in the area, that didn’t pose much of a challenge although not as easy as Chicabal. Once again, I got up early in order to reach the top before the clouds would come in and make it impossible to see anything. After a short ride I was dropped off at the starting point of the trail, next to an organized group. The trail was splitting down the road, with one path going to the viewpoint and the other to Santa María Volcano, and I assumed they were hiking the latter.
I wasn’t part of that group, and I didn’t see the need to try and have any kind of small talk with them. Instead, I just looked at the map on my smartphone and started walking. The dirt road started more or less the same as Chicabal, with some bumps in the roads and muddy areas. Soon they were accompanied by stones and rocks that functioned as stairs, and painted red arrows showing the way. Other than the group I saw in the beginning, I had the trail to myself. In the early hours of the morning there wasn’t much traffic that I could hear, and even that faded away pretty quickly.
Soon enough, I got to the split in the road, where the arrows pointed to Santa María, while I just kept going straight on the trail on the viewpoint. At that point it felt like the road started to change a bit, with more open space, and a couple of clearings, although the view was still mostly obstructed by trees. Going up the path, I felt like it’s been a long time since I had a hike like that. It wasn’t supposed to be a long hike, but it definitely was a bigger challenge than Chiacabal, and I enjoyed it more before even getting to the viewpoint.
And then the road stopped. I stood in front of a locked gate, and behind it on a tree was a sign declaring it a private property. I followed the single trail the whole time, so I couldn’t understand what was wrong, but I wasn’t exactly on the path of Maps.Me. I was also quite a bit higher than I expected to be. Private property was not mentioned in the information I found online, nor in the hostel.
I was confused, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I went back down the path for a while, trying to get closer to the trail marked on the map without success. I tried a few paths that led to a dead-end before sitting down to eat my breakfast and have a little break.
I didn’t want to give up on the viewpoint easily, and kept trying to find another path. Eventually I found a path which put me right on the path marked in the app, and while carefully monitoring it I started walking along. There were slightly better views, but in that section too the trees got in the way. It was an easier path, which was less steep and lower in altitude, so my progress there was faster, and I kept going all the way until I reached a fence blocking the road.
There were no signs there, but it was pretty clear this isn’t a public road. Without knowing what to do, I gave up on making it to the viewpoint and started making my way back to the main path. It took some time, and just as I was about to leave the side path, I spotted some people heading up the trail.
Without thinking I ran over until I caught up with them. I had hoped that a group would actually know which path to go, and help me find it. It was the group I saw at the beginning of the trail. They were with Quetzaltrekkers, and it turned out they were going to the Santiaguito Viewpoint, not Santa María. I explained the situation, and for the time became unofficially part of the group.
Despite me telling them about the locked gate, they didn’t seem surprised or concerned by it at all. In fact, they told me the property owner, a man named Max, can be a bit weird about which path people are allowed to take, and that sometimes he charges an entrance fee. I assumed they knew better than me, so I went with them all the way to the top. However, when we got there the tour guides seemed as surprised as I was, and said they were thinking about a different gate, which was more of a fence. There was also a small independent group who came up from behind us, and after a brief conversation it seemed that everyone was confused by it. A later chat made it seem like the locked gate was put up there only a few days prior to the hike.
And so, again, I headed down in search of a side path. I was still hopeful, holding on to the logic that the guides would have to find a way to the viewpoint, as the people who were actually in the group had to pay for it. When they found a path, it was a bit further down the road than the side path I found, but it turned out to be the same path.
However, this time the fence was not blocking the road. Being at the back of the group, I didn’t really see what happened, but I assumed one of the guides cleared the road for everyone. I didn’t think I would have done that on my own, and it still felt a bit wrong, but I simply followed those who knew better than me.
There was another gate further down the road, which we climbed over, and then a split in the road. The first option ended in another locked gate, which was not possible to climb over. The second option was longer, and a bit longer, but it did lead us in the right direction.
By that point, I somehow found myself at the front, walking behind one of the guides and chatting with him for a little bit. I was just about to share another story, when we got to the end of the road and the only thing I could say was “wow”. Right below us was a spectacular view, with Santiaguito Volcano as the centerpiece of it. I instantly understood the attraction to it, and was glad I found Quetzaltrekkers along the path. A minute later, and I would’ve missed them completely. With getting lost and finding dead-ends, it took a bit more than three hours to get there, but it was completely worth it.
The guides informed us that about every twenty to thirty minutes Santiaguito will erupt, and so the group sat there to enjoy the view, rest, and wait. It didn’t take long. When the eruption happened, it was quick, and I missed the beginning of it. Nevertheless, it was still incredibly exciting. After it was over, the tour guides set about boiling hot water and preparing some snacks for their group. While it was nice of them, I found it a bit unnecessary, and wondered how much extra the group had to pay for that privilege. But as I was part of the group, it was irrelevant for me.
I just sat down and tried to focus, waiting for another eruption to happen. I think it was less than twenty minutes, which I didn’t complain about, and this time, I was quick to spot it. Once again, it didn’t take long, and there was pretty much only smoke that I could see, but adding the sound of the eruption on top of it made it quite special.
The two eruptions were enough for me, and after thanking the tour guides for letting me tag along for a little while and showing me the way, I bid them farewell and started making my way back down. It was supposed to be simple and straightforward, and yet it wasn’t.
At some point I came across a pile of shrubs and tree branches blocking the way, which I didn’t remember coming across on the way to the viewpoint. I looked at Maps.Me, which pointed the way right through the blockage, so I carefully made my way over it, wondering if I’m on the wrong path. A little while later, while regularly checking the smartphone, I saw a clear waypoint from earlier in the way, and felt relieved. I was on the right path after all.
From there I did my best to follow the path down, although on a few occasions I still had to make sure I’m heading in the right direction. Even after I got to the split in the road between the viewpoint and Santa María, I still hesitated in a few places. Eventually I made my way to the starting point, and walked for a while longer in an attempt to find a bus stop. When I got to a petrol station, I decided to just call un Uber and make my way back to the hostel without any trouble.