Things to do & places to visit in San Marcos Department, Guatemala

San Marcos Department #13 destination in Guatemala 2023. The average rating score is 4.93 based on 70 traveler reviews, of 6 attractions. Timezone: America/Guatemala, current date and time: Thursday, May 09, 2024, 10:21.

Top things to do

• Volcanos
• Waterfalls
• Nature & Wildlife Areas
• Parks
• Points of Interest & Landmarks

Top places to visit

1. 5.0 Tajumulco Volcano (55 reviews)
   - Tough climb. Stunning views. No need for a Guide!
   Volcanos
   
   
   I was in Quetzaltenango (Xela). I heard from others it was possible to do the hike with no guide. Myself and 4 other random travellers decided to climb it on our own, and also travel to the site via public transport. Instead of paying 350-600Q for the trek, we paid... about 60-80Q perhaps. I also heard that even if you pay lots of money, you still go with uncomfortable public transport. Travel to the volcano - 2.5 - 3 hours with public transport. We woke up at 03:50. Met up at 4:20 in Xela. Took a taxi to the bus terminal in Xela at 4:40. Took a bus at 05:00 to San Marcos, to arrive at about 07:00. At San Marcos we took another bus to Tajumulco, to arrive at about 08:00. Some 12 year old kid driving a pick-up track came over to try to charge us 20Q each for entrance. I told him I don't know who he was, and we dully began ascending. The climb - 3 hours up at good pace. We were 5 men in our 20s, none of us overweight. Guided trips take 4-5 hours. Views are amazing constantly. You start following a road, then you are treking/hiking uphill across woodland. Then at the end you scramble some rocks. Hard hike, but totally worth it. The hike down the volcano took us 1 hour and 40 minutes. Then we travelled back for 3 hours, to arrive back in Xela at... 6-7pm. Cheap, tough, beautiful views - worth it. See more..
   
2. 5.0 Volcan Tacana (4 reviews)
   - Aventura..!!
   Volcanos
   
   
   El lugar posee una flora hermosa, existe una gran variedad y la imagen es simplemente hermosa; con ayuda de un Guia te encaminas a una aventura que nunca olvidaras :) See more..
   
3. 5.0 EcoPark La Igualdad (3 reviews)
   - Stunning Waterfalls - Amazing Experience
   Spent 2-3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Parks • Waterfalls
   
   
   The hike up and back to this waterfalls is worth it, even if you don't see the falls. But the falls itself is a gorgeous site to behold. I was in Iceland last summer, and the waterfalls there are beyond amazing. But this one could rival what we saw there. It is breathtaking. And unspoiled. And hardly anyone there. We stayed for maybe an hour, and much of that hour we had the place to ourselves. A site to behold, for sure. See more..
   
4. 4.5 Refugio del Quetzal (6 reviews)
   - Visit Feb-May for best chance of seeing quetzales
   Thursday: 6:00 AM - 4:00 PM Spent 2-3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas
   
   
   Breeding season for the Quetzal bird is February to May, so that is the best time to see them. We visited the Refugio del Quetzal on a Friday morning in early March. We pulled into the parking area at about 6:20 a.m. and were the first ones there. The guardarecursos (park ranger) was waiting near the parking area by an overlook. He said that the quetzals were signing in the ravine below. After he described their call, we could hear them too. We then walked quietly down the path into the ravine. After about 20 minutes of walking around, looking for the quetzals (the ranger knew where they usually hang out, and would occasionally stop and listen for their call), another group of about 8 people arrived and joined our group. We spent another 45 minutes hiking around and looking for them. Our guide was certain that eventually we would find and see one, but we had some young kids in our group, we were getting tired, and the day was getting brighter. We decided to leave, so we never saw any of the birds, even though we knew they were there. Even though we didn't see any quetzals, we enjoyed the visit. It's a small area with paths criss-crossing the ravine. There was a clear mountain spring and stream and rustic bridges. There were also amazing vines that we swung on (Tarzan-style) after we gave up looking for the birds. See more..
   
5. 4.0 Parque José Ignacio Juárez (2 reviews)
   - Paseo para distraerse a pocos kilómetros de Xela
   Points of Interest & Landmarks
   
   
   El Parque Central de San Marcos es un lugar donde se respira mucha tranquilidad. Tiene un Kiosco del siglo XIX, emblemático detalle arquitectónico del pueblo marquense. En un espacio de una manzana, se puede caminar al rededor de la fuente, jugar ajedréz en los tableros públicos y visitar el kiosco. El escenario es excelente para fotos, especialmente a la entrada de la noche. Los pasillos del parque entre los jardines son amplios, así que es adecuado para personas con capacidades especiales. See more..
   
6. La Castalia (0 review)
   Thursday: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent More than 3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas
   
   
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