Guatemala · Quetzaltenango department

Quetzaltenango.

Santa María volcano, Chicabal lake, Fuentes Georginas and central Xela.

4 places
4 unconfirmed
checked Oct 2026
13 sources

Before you go,
understand the place.

Quetzaltenango (Xela) has the Natural History Museum, in the Casa de la Cultura de Occidente, and, in Zunil, the Fuentes Georginas hot springs.

Best time to go: According to the United Kingdom, the rainy season normally runs from May to November, with frequent flooding and landslides; poorly maintained roads and bridges have been known to collapse.
Getting there: This guide does not calculate road routes or travel times. According to CONAP, the Santa María climb starts from Llanos del Pinal and the El Polígono estate, although whether it is permitted has not been confirmed (see the tips); Chicabal lake is 25 km from Xela plus 5 km of dirt road.

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Destination map

4 places with their status. Open a pin for details and sources, or use the list.

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Status unconfirmed

Groups: the number in the middle is the total of places; the ring shows their statuses. Open a group to see the breakdown.

The “Open and seasonal” filter covers open (0) and seasonal (0) places. Check dates and conditions on each place.

Map: © Stadia Maps © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap

Two ways to explore

Themed guides

Places grouped by theme, to plan your day.

2 places
Volcanoes and lakes
Santa María volcano and Chicabal lake, with unconfirmed status. INSIVUMEH's bulletin of 3 October 2026 keeps the ban on going within 5 km of the Santiaguito domes; the Santa María summit is about 2.5 km from the Santiaguito point it publishes, and whether the climb is permitted has not been confirmed.
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2 places
Xela and Zunil
The Natural History Museum, in central Quetzaltenango, and Fuentes Georginas, in Zunil; their hours and fees are not confirmed with whoever runs them.
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The place, in context

Everything you can do

Closed or restricted places are included and flagged, so you know what to expect.

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Showing 4 of 4 · 4 unconfirmed, flagged

Nature and jungle · 2

NatureStatus unconfirmed
Chicabal lake
San Martín Sacatepéquez, Quetzaltenango. According to ASAECO, the «Laguna Seca» visitor centre is 3 km up a dirt road from the hamlet of Toj Mech. The pin is the lake in OpenStreetMap, linked to Wikidata; it is not the entrance.9.5 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not confirmed
Hours
Not confirmed
Booking
Not stated
The lake of Chicabal volcano, at 2,712 m, in San Martín Sacatepéquez. For the Mam Maya worldview it is one of the most important sacred sites: every year, 40 days after Holy Week, the Rain Petition is held there, according to the ASAECO association.
Status not confirmed: according to its website, ASAECO runs the volcano and the lake; CONAP's listing names CONAP as administrator and says ASAECO handles the activities. Neither gives a fee on the pages consulted, and whether the hours still apply is not confirmed. Check before you go.
Source: ASAECO – Laguna de Chicabal (consulta oct. 2026) · 2026 · +2
Practical details and sources
Entry
guatemala.com (June 2025) gave foreign visitors Q75, Guatemalans Q20, children Q10, parking Q20 and camping Q20. Not confirmed with the administration.
Hours
Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., according to CONAP.
Tip: According to ASAECO, a trail leads from the visitor centre to a viewpoint and then 570 steps go down to the shore; another 1.8 km trail circles the lake. guatemala.com (2025) says swimming is forbidden because the lake is sacred.
Nearby: Santa María volcano (11.7 km)
Sources: ASAECO – Laguna de Chicabal (consulta oct. 2026) · CONAP – Zona de veda definitiva Volcán Chicabal · guatemala.com – Volcán y laguna Chicabal (27 jun. 2025)
AdventureStatus unconfirmed
Santa María volcano
Llanos del Pinal, Quetzaltenango. The pin is the volcano's summit in OpenStreetMap, linked to its Wikidata entry; it is not the start of the climb. The Manhermans viewpoint over Santiaguito has no pin of its own.4.1 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not stated
Hours
Not confirmed
Booking
Not stated
A volcano south of Quetzaltenango that, according to CONAP, is run by CONAP and the Municipality of Quetzaltenango. CONAP describes a 2.5 to 5 hour climb from the El Polígono estate, but how the 5 km restriction around the Santiaguito domes applies to it has not been confirmed. At its foot is the Santiaguito dome complex, whose Caliente dome is active according to CONAP.
Status not confirmed with CONAP and the Municipality. The mapped Santa María summit is about 2.5 km from the Santiaguito point published in INSIVUMEH's daily volcano bulletin of 3 October 2026. That bulletin calls for a 5 km restriction around the domes to remain in place, under record 141-2024 of the Municipality of Quetzaltenango. How it applies to the Santa María climb, and whether that climb is permitted, has not been confirmed; check with the Municipality and CONAP before planning it. Spain reports occasional robberies on the Santa María climb (update of 8 May 2026).
Source: CONAP – Zona de veda definitiva Volcán Santa María · 2026 · +3
Practical details and sources
Hours
Whether the climb is permitted has not been confirmed: the summit point is about 2.5 km from the Santiaguito point in INSIVUMEH's 3 October 2026 bulletin, which calls for a 5 km restriction around the domes to remain in place. For the park, CONAP gives Monday to Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Nearby: Fuentes Georginas (7.9 km) · Víctor Salvador de León Toledo Natural History Museum (9.2 km) · Chicabal lake (11.7 km)
Sources: CONAP – Zona de veda definitiva Volcán Santa María · CONAP – Volcán Santiaguito y mirador Manhermans · INSIVUMEH – Boletín vulcanológico diario (3 oct. 2026) · Gobierno de España – Recomendaciones de viaje: Guatemala (8 may. 2026)

Volcano and mountain · 1

WellnessStatus unconfirmed
Fuentes Georginas
Zunil, Quetzaltenango. The pin is the resort in OpenStreetMap; it is not the entrance.10.6 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not confirmed
Hours
Sources disagree
Booking
Not stated
A hot-spring resort in Zunil (Quetzaltenango), with bungalows, according to the Ministry of Culture's cultural directory, which does not say who runs it.
Status not confirmed: the operator could not be identified and the sources disagree on closing time. Living in Guatemala (August 2026) notes that the access road has failed in the rains. Check before you go.
Source: SIC (Ministerio de Cultura) – Fuentes Georginas · 2026 · +1
Practical details and sources
Entry
Foreign visitors Q60 and Guatemalans Q40, according to the Ministry of Culture's directory, which gives Q190 per person per night in a bungalow, including entry and parking. Living in Guatemala (August 2026) agrees and adds children Q25 and parking Q25, cash only.
Hours
The Ministry of Culture's directory gives Monday to Sunday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; Living in Guatemala (August 2026) reports a 4:30 p.m. closing published by Soy502.
Nearby: Santa María volcano (7.9 km) · Víctor Salvador de León Toledo Natural History Museum (10.3 km)
Sources: SIC (Ministerio de Cultura) – Fuentes Georginas · Living in Guatemala – Fuentes Georginas (24 ago. 2026)

Living culture · 1

CultureStatus unconfirmed
Víctor Salvador de León Toledo Natural History Museum
Parque Centroamérica, Quetzaltenango. The pin is the museum building in OpenStreetMap; it is not the entrance.7.1 km in a straight line from the regional map centre
Entry
Not confirmed
Hours
Not confirmed
Booking
Not stated
A museum founded in 1952 in the Casa de la Cultura de Occidente, in Quetzaltenango, with zoology, Maya culture and marimba history collections and an archaeology room, according to the Ministry of Culture's directory.
Hours and fee not confirmed with the museum: they come from the Ministry of Culture's directory, with no visible date. Check before you go.
Source: SIC (Ministerio de Cultura) – Museo de Historia Natural «Víctor Salvador de León Toledo» · 2026
Practical details and sources
Entry
Guatemalans Q1 and foreign visitors Q6; Guatemalan students free except university students, according to the Ministry of Culture's directory.
Hours
Monday to Friday 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 to 6:00 p.m.; weekends 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 to 5:00 p.m., according to the same directory.
Nearby: Santa María volcano (9.2 km) · Fuentes Georginas (10.3 km)
Sources: SIC (Ministerio de Cultura) – Museo de Historia Natural «Víctor Salvador de León Toledo»

Quetzaltenango · Practical guide

The essentials

Chicabal lake and its stepped trail
The Fuentes Georginas hot springs

Quetzaltenango · Practical guide

Where to stay

Central Quetzaltenango: According to the US Department of State, tourist assistance (ASISTUR) works with the tourist police in areas such as Quetzaltenango.
Zunil: The town on the way to Fuentes Georginas; Living in Guatemala (August 2026) warns that the road has failed in the rain.

Quetzaltenango · Practical guide

Practical tips

The mapped Santa María summit is about 2.5 km from the Santiaguito point published in INSIVUMEH's 3 October 2026 bulletin. That bulletin calls for a 5 km restriction around the domes to remain in place. How it applies to the Santa María climb, and whether that climb is permitted, has not been confirmed; check with the Municipality and CONAP before planning it. Going with a guide does not authorise entering the restricted area.
At Chicabal lake, guatemala.com (2025) says swimming is forbidden and camping is allowed only in marked areas.
Fuentes Georginas takes cash only, according to Living in Guatemala (August 2026).

Safety and precautions

According to the United Kingdom (advice current on 3 October 2026), Guatemala has one of the highest violent crime rates in Latin America, and incidents can also happen in tourist areas.
This guide does not suggest visits in Huehuetenango department: the United States advises against travel to the whole department (level 4, advisory of 12 March 2026) and Spain rates it high risk because of organised crime (update of 8 May 2026), while the United Kingdom limits its advice to the 5 km strip along the Mexican border, from the Pacific coast to the Gracias a Dios crossing, and to three Huehuetenango municipalities (Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia).
The United Kingdom advises against all but essential travel within 5 km of the Mexican border, from the Pacific coast up to the Gracias a Dios crossing, and to Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia (Huehuetenango). Spain rates the departments of San Marcos and Huehuetenango as high risk because of organised crime.
The US Department of State advises reconsidering travel to Guatemala because of crime and terrorism (level 3, advisory issued on 12 March 2026). It advises against travel to the departments of San Marcos and Huehuetenango, zone 18 of Guatemala City and Villa Nueva (level 4).
Spain (update of 8 May 2026) lists among the risk areas to avoid zones 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12 and 18 of Guatemala City, Villa Nueva and Mixco, and the departments of San Marcos, Huehuetenango, Escuintla, Petén and Izabal; it rates the rest of the country as medium risk and warns that there are no completely safe areas.
Before climbing a volcano, the United Kingdom advises checking with INSIVUMEH and CONRED: there is no mountain rescue service and local organisers tend to underestimate the risks. Spain reports occasional robberies on the climbs of Pacaya, Santa María and Agua, and recommends doing them in a group, by day and with a professional guide.
According to the Ministry of the Interior, a 15-day state of prevention came into force on 21 April 2026 in the departments of Guatemala, Escuintla, Izabal, San Marcos and Huehuetenango (Government Decree 6-2026). This guide does not confirm whether one is in force now: check the current situation before you travel.
INGUAT tourist assistance: 1500, free and 24 hours. National Civil Police: 110 and 120.

Frequently asked questions

Why are there no places in Huehuetenango?

This guide does not suggest visits in Huehuetenango department: the United States advises against travel to the whole department (level 4, advisory of 12 March 2026) and Spain rates it high risk because of organised crime (update of 8 May 2026), while the United Kingdom limits its advice to the 5 km strip along the Mexican border, from the Pacific coast to the Gracias a Dios crossing, and to three Huehuetenango municipalities (Santa Ana Huista, San Antonio Huista and La Democracia).

What restriction applies at Santiaguito?

INSIVUMEH's daily volcano bulletin of 3 October 2026 asks that the ban on entering the 5 km area around its domes be kept, under record 141-2024 of the Municipality of Quetzaltenango. CONAP lists the Manhermans viewpoint and recommends a certified guide, but neither a listing nor a guide authorises entering a restricted area, and current permission for that visit is not confirmed. Based on the published points, the Santa María summit is about 2.5 km from the bulletin's Santiaguito point; how the restriction applies to that climb has not been confirmed.

How much is Fuentes Georginas?

Q60 for foreign visitors and Q40 for Guatemalans, according to the Ministry of Culture's directory; not confirmed with the resort.

Quetzaltenango · Practical guide

Sources consulted

Information checked in October 2026. Prices, hours and rules change: confirm them with the official source before you travel.

Before you go,understand the place.

Themed guides

Volcanoes and lakes

Xela and Zunil

Everything you can do

Nature and jungle · 2

Chicabal lake

Santa María volcano

Volcano and mountain · 1

Fuentes Georginas

Living culture · 1

Víctor Salvador de León Toledo Natural History Museum

The essentials

Where to stay

Practical tips

Safety and precautions

Frequently asked questions

Sources consulted

Other destinations

Before you go,
understand the place.