Why You Should Visit Xela, Guatemala

Xela is the local Mayan name for the city of Quetzaltenango, which is the 2nd largest city in Guatemala. It doesn’t attract quite as many tourists as the nearby Antigua or Lake Atitilan, so if you like a more off-the-track destination Xela is the one for you.

The main reason we ended up going to Xela was to learn Spanish, we booked to do 2 weeks at Utatlan Spanish School, I’ll go into more detail about this later, but I’m so glad we did this. Xela is also popular among outdoor adventures for its close proximity to many volcanos and popular hiking trails.

It’s worth noting that Xela is around 2300m above sea level, making it one of the highest cities in Central America. And for this reason the tropical weather you might have gotten used to from other parts of Guatemala doesn’t really exist here on an average day it is in the low 20s (celsius).

But don’t let this put you off visiting, just make sure you are well equipped with a fluffy jumper, coat and long trousers/jeans. I want to convince you to add this city to your Guatemalan itinerary and below you will find my reasons why you should visit Xela.

Reasons you should visit Xela, Guatemala

To Learn Spanish

Xela is a fantastic place to learn or improve your Spanish, we opted to do 2 weeks at Utatlan Spanish School and I highly recommend it. We did 20 hours of immersive classes per week from 8 am to 12 pm, you get a short break around 10 where you’ll find free hot beverages and a snack.

Before you start school you will fill out a form about your prior knowledge of Spanish and any areas you want to focus on, so it’s completely tailored to your needs. Expect to speak entirely in Español for the lessons as they really try to push the full immersive side. And honestly, I think it was an effective way of learning, especially in improving your listening skills. We found this a little overwhelming on Day 1 but you quickly start getting used to it.

Massive shoutout to our teacher Cynthia, not only was she a fantastic teacher, but she also taught us so much about Guatemala’s history and present. Travelling is more than just seeing places if you stop and talk to the people that live there, it makes a travel experience much richer. So go to Utatlan Spanish School and ask what life is like for your teacher and learn more than what the guidebooks say.

The school also plans activities for most of the afternoons, which allows you to meet other students studying and even practice your Spanish further. My favourite activity we participated in was the trip to Salcajá, a small town a short chicken bus ride from Xela. We actually found ourselves here on a holiday called ‘El Dia del Diablo’ which sort of translates as the day of the devil. In towns all over Guatemala, you may see bonfires and people burning devil piñatas/statues in effigy but in Salcajá there was a parade of people dressed as the devil running up and down the street, whipping people and throwing down bombas (really giant fun snaps) everywhere. Truly a once in a lifetime experience and felt pretty off the beaten track.

You may be asking yourself at this point, I get it, you need to speak a little Spanish whilst travelling Guatemala but why learn in Xela?

Well first of all you will find many lower-priced Spanish schools in Xela than in the nearby Antigua or Lake Atitlan. And secondly, as Xela is not as touristy as the aforementioned places, you will find a lot fewer English speakers here, so you end up putting all those lessons into practice. I get nervous practising my Spanish in case I say the wrong thing, but in Xela, I had no choice but to practice otherwise I wasn’t getting my morning caffeine fix.

Like I’ve said a few times now I adored learning Spanish at Utatlan Spanish School and loved the city of Xela just as much. So keep reading for more things to do when you’re not in the classroom.

To Hike

The few tourists that do visit Xela mostly come to tackle one of the many hiking trails Xela has to offer. Guatemala is home to 37 volcanoes so if you are feeling daring why not climb nearby Volcan Santa Maria or Volcán Tajumulco (the highest point in Central America) whilst you’re in Xela?

I would say the most popular hike is the 3-day trek from Xela to Lake Atitlan, you can expect to walk through cloud forests, crop fields, and coffee farms and stay 2 nights in local Mayan communities. When you get to Xela you will find a few tour companies that offer this hike however Quetzaltrekkers are the people you want for this, and their profits go back to helping the local community. The hike itself is achievable for most people and you also don’t have to worry about carrying your big bag, which will meet you at Lake Atitlan.

The same company Quetzaltrekkers offers many other guided hiking tours from day trips to overnight stays, check them out here.

Other Things to do in Xela, Guatemala

Look over the city at Cerro El Baul Mirador

Just a short 45-minute walk outside of the centre of Xela you will find this gorgeous viewpoint looking over the city and its surrounding volcanoes. As Xela is at a fairly high altitude we expected this up-ward hike to be a little more difficult but it was relatively easy. My best advice would be to head up in the afternoon as this seemed to be when the clouds disappeared in Xela.  Just make sure you have the maps.me app downloaded as you can follow the trail up to the viewpoint so you don’t get lost.

Relax with the Locals at the Fuentes Georginas Hot Springs

We had a very hungover Sunday after the football when we were in Xela so we opted for a trip to relax in the hot springs. These pools are heated by the Zunil volcano nearby and are surrounded by gorgeous views of the mountainous landscape. You can ask your accommodation or Spanish school about arranging a trip to visit them, as it’s about a 45-minute drive outside of Xela.

Go Thrift Shopping at Megapaca

Have you ever been to Xela if you don’t go shopping for warmer clothes at Megapaca? The answer is no in case you were wondering. Megapaca is a very popular thrift store in Xela that mainly sells clothes but you’ll find other bits and bobs here too. There were a lot of well-known brands on offer too, I picked up a north face jumper for just £1.

Have All Senses Overloaded at Mercado La Democracia

If you’ve travelled to Central America before you’ll be no stranger to an overwhelming market, it’s noisy, there are all sorts of smells and there’s chaos to be found on every corner. Xela is no different, check out Mercado La Democracia for local souvenirs, fresh produce and really anything you could ever want.

Learn How to Weave at Trama Textiles

Trama Textiles is an organisation that was set up to provide fair wages to female weavers with fair wages around Guatemala. They offer tours where you can learn more about their mission and the weaving process. But if you really want to get stuck offer a weaving school in which you can weave your own scarf or table runner.

Find out more about Trama Textiles here ->

Stroll around Parque Centro

I think I did this nearly every day we were in Xela as our accommodation was literally a street away from Parque Centro. You’ll find the beautiful Quetzaltenango Cathedral here and often there were various food stalls and live music surrounding the park. It felt like a very lively and busy hub of the city and I enjoyed just watching people go about their days sitting on a park bench with a good hot chocolate.

Whilst we were there Parque Centro was covered in Christmas decorations, with a big tree a nativity scene and so many fairy lights, it was the perfect place to get in the festive spirit.

Cafes I Loved in Xela

With all the Spanish homework you’re going to need a good cafe to motivate you, so here are my favourite 2 spots in Xela:

Getting to and from Xela

Honestly transport around Guatemala is fairly simple if you stick to tourist shuttles. I know some people want to be more adventurous and opt for chicken buses, we tried to partially do this to get from Lanquin to Xela and I regret it.

So turns out Lanquin to Xela isn’t a super common route for tourist shuttles and we were told by our hostel in Lanquin the journey wasn’t possible in 1 day. But we decided to not take no for an answer, so we went on a hunt for a tour company offering shuttles in the town of Lanquin.

That’s when we came across our mate Luis who told us it was possible we just had to swap buses at Los Encuentros. So he booked us onto the shuttle heading to Panajachel and told us the bus driver would kick us off at the right point. He also said the last chicken bus to Xela from Los Encuentros was at 6 pm.

So when it was 6:30 and we still hadn’t made it to Los Encuentros safe to say we panicked a little. Fast forward 30 minutes we made it to Los Encuentros and the shuttle driver helpfully pointed out which chicken bus we were to jump on, I felt a false sense of relief. The chaos began when the first chicken bus dropped us off on the side of a highway for us to swap buses, bear in mind it’s pitch black, I’m ridiculously hangry and we don’t really understand all the Spanish at this point.

Anyway on to chicken bus number 3 and we start to feel more confident when everything looks more like a city. No no no that confidence was false. Again we get kicked off the bus at a random street corner and yelled some instructions in Spanish that again we don’t understand.

I spot the shining lights of Dominos and as I was at a point of desperation we head there to regroup, pee and hopefully get some wifi to work out where the hell we were. Turns out we were about an hour’s walk from our Air BnB, in the pitch black, in the middle of a completely unknown city, safe to say it was a stressful hike to the Air BnB.

The moral of the story is just to opt for the tourist shuttle, it turned out that had we just contacted our Spanish school and they would have just arranged a direct shuttle for us.

You’ll be able to find many shuttles to Xela running from Panajachel, Antigua or San Pedro and vice versa. I would personally advise not trying to get from Lanquin to Xela in one day unless you have a bladder of steel and a world of patience.

I loved my time in Xela and I hope I convinced you to add it to your Guatemala itinerary. If you want to visit an authentic Guatemalan city it’s the place for you, just be prepared for the noise, this city never stops.

Have you been to Xela, I’d love to know more about your experience in the comments below!

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