Antigua, Guatemala, Nature Hikes
 

I think that I read, but cannot find it anywhere now, that Antigua had a number of natural areas including a butterfly "park" and other hiking opportunities close to the city. Does anyone know of other hiking and parks within walking distance of the city?

Number two. Does anyone recommend staying in Guatemala City to see the sights there? Or is there just too much else to do that is a better use of our time (11 day vacation)


Thanks!

I don't know of the Antigua area nature things you mention; only thing I've done from that base besides village visits is the Pacaya volcano hike. Do you have a good guidebook? I like the Moon Handbook but the brand new Rough Guide appears to be awesome (just made available 2 weeks so I haven't read clear through yet).

Honestly, I'd head out of Guatemala City as fast as possible. With 11 days you'll barely scratch the surface of this beautiful country and you might as well scratch some of the best bits. Here's a link to my photos and travelogues: http://flickr.com/photos/staceyholeman/collections

Happy trails!

There is not much to see in Guatemala City. I stayed for 2 nights on my recent trip, and although it was interesting for me from a sociological perspective and I am glad that I experienced it, I probably would not spend time there again. I didn't like the feeling that everywhere I went, even in zone 10, I had to watch my back. Shopping at the central market was my favorite part of GC, and I had also visited the Archeological Musuem (which I appreciated seeing after visiting Tikal, but as far as a museum goes, it's quite unsophisticated); and the Presidential Palace (which was a beautiful building, but you can only see it on a tour and the tour was laughable). I think GC is fine if you need to stay one night on either end of your trip; but make sure you have time to hit up the other highlights first.

I will try and finish what is turning out to be a very long and detailed trip report this weekend and post it, which will hopefully be somewhat helpful.

Old Town Adventures offers different hikes in the area. My friends went on the Pacaya night hike. We also went with them for another hike outside of town that was fun. I don't know of the butterfly park and I did a lot of research before I went.Enjoy

I've been digging a little since I'll be spending a week in Antigua this summer studying Spanish with a group in tow and would love to learn more about excursions in the area. There are no references in either the newest Moon Handbook or the brand new Rough Guide to butterflies around Antigua. I also dug through the things I got from the Inguat office in Antigua when I was there a year and a half ago - no butterflies mentioned.

I found an old reference online to butterflies in Jocotenango which is near Antigua, but the Joco listings in the books don't mention butterflies. When I searched the internet in Spanish I came up with this link but don't know if it's current. It says there's a "Mariposario" very near the Azotea Cultural Center in Jocotenango: http://www.turismocultural.com.gt/mariposario.htm

I thought maybe you were thinking of Copán Ruinas, Honduras. There are natural areas including a butterfly "park" and other hiking opportunities close to town. Lots, in fact - I've spent more than a month total there in the last few years and it's an amazing place to visit if you enjoy exploring natural environments.

Please keep us posted and please post a trip report when you get home. Happy trails!