Day Trips Around Xela
There are many places to visit around Xela for a day or a half day. Here are just a few examples of some of the most popular excursions around the city.
Zunil
Zunil is a town within a thirty minute bus ride from Xela. There is a women's weaving cooperative there where it is possible to buy clothes as well as a church with the Santa Catalina's virgin. A Mayan god called San Simón or Maximón resides in a house in the town. They have daily ceremonies in the house in which he inhabits where people offer cigarretes and rum and light coloured candles.
Almolonga
Six kilometres from Xela, Almolonga is an indigenous town also known as “La Hortaliza de América” , since the earth is so fertile and produces some of the best vegetables in Central America. Whilst here, you can also enjoy a thermal bath (Cirilo Flores baths) whose boiling waters come directly from the hill "The Trunk." The local church, Iglesia de San Pedro, is also well worth a visit with its guilded alterpiece and walls adorned with huge paintings.
Fuentes Georginas
Considered the prettiest and most popular natural spa in Guatemala, Fuentes Georginas has four pools of varying temperatures framed by a steep high wall of tropical vines, ferns and flowers. You can spend the night in one of the cottages, each with barbeque area and fireplace to help ward off the evening chill.
Los Vahos
Los Vahos (The Vapours) is a natural eucalyptus steam sauna located in the hills above Xela. As you climb, the views of the city on a clear day are remarkable. Occasionally the vents are carpeted with eucalyptus leaves, giving the steam a herbal quality. Straight in front of the steam bath entrance is a rocky hillside where you can climb to some caves.
Salcajá
Salcajá´s Iglesia de San Jacinto was the first Christian church in Central America and dates back to 1524. The façade still retains a lot of character with ornate carved lions and bunches of flowers. Salcaja is also famous for its traditional ikat-style textiles, and it is also possible to visit the workshops and see the textiles being produced.
Volcan Santa Maria
Volcan Santa Maria, to the south of the city measures 3,772 metres. A crater on its slope, Santiaguito, was formed in 1902 and is in a state of constant eruption. Santa Maria takes about 4 hours to scale. A popular excursion offered by several tour operators located in the city centre is to climb at night under the light of the full moon then watch the sunrise from the summit.
San Andrés Xecul
This small town, boxed in by fertile hills, boasts perhaps the most bizarre and stunning church imaginable. A colonial temple whose façade mixes elements of the aboriginal wardrobe with Christian figures. Flowers, fruits, felines, archangels and simians are part of the rich decoration. Surprisingly another temple doesn’t exist in America with characteristics so peculiar.
El Baul
El Baul is a hill located approximately an hours walking distance from Xela It has a viewpoint from which you can appreciate the entire city of Quetzaltenango. It also has a park with swings, slides and grills where you can prepare food.
San Francisco El Alto
High on a hilltop overlooking Xela stands the town of San Francisco El Alto. It´s market is regarded as the biggest and most authentic market in Guatemala. Around mid morning, when the clouds clear, panoramic views can be had from around the town but most impressive are from the roof of the colonial church.
