7 Best Sights in Las Verapaces, Guatemala

The whitewashed church bordering the main square is worth peeking into, although it is quite understated. To the right of the cathedral is the convent. Built in the late 1500s, it is one of Cobán's oldest surviving buildings, and now serves as the diocesan offices. In front, an odd, modern orange-and-yellow bandstand mars the central park and blocks your ability to get a good photo of the cathedral. Residents have dubbed it "the tortilla press," and most would be just as happy to see it torn down.

For a nation so involved with the coffee industry, Guatemala offers few opportunities for visitors to watch its principal export being produced. The Finca, three blocks west of Cobán's Parque Central, is a pleasant exception. Here you can take a 45-minute tour of an operating coffee farm and witness the process of planting, growing, harvesting, and processing coffee beans. Owned by the Dieseldorff family, which has lived in Cobán for more than a century, the wooden buildings have a distinct Old World feel.

This very pleasant balneario, or "resort," is located in the town of San Pedro Carchá, 6 km (4 mi) east of Cobán. On a clear-running river, Las Islas ("the islands") tempts bathers with a variety of natural and man-made falls and pools, as well as a water slide. The grounds are spacious and well maintained, with picnic tables, changing rooms, and a restaurant that opens on weekends. On Sundays there's also a small handicrafts market with half a dozen vendors.

A 10-minute walk from the plaza, this museum has a private collection of ancient Mayan artifacts recovered from El Petén, Alta Verapaz, and Quiché. Though the exhibit is relatively small, the variety of pieces is impressive. Known for its miniature Olmec quartz figurines, the museum also has fearsome masks, giant sacrificial pots, a reconstructed tomb, jade jewelry, and weapons.

Near Templo El Calvario, the park sits on what used to be a privately owned plantation. Today it is filled with lush vegetation and winding paths that have great views of the town. There are also picnic facilities and a play area for kids. Robberies have occurred here; we advise against making the visit without a guide. Aventuras Turísticas leads daily tours to the park.

A short walk from the modern markets of central Cobán sits the city's best known sight, which offers one of the best views in the area.

Tradition holds that an indigenous hunter happened upon a pair of sleeping jaguars here, but decided not to kill them. He later returned to the location to find an image of Jesus, which town elders took as a sign that a church should be built at the site. The present El Calvario is not that original church; the structure you see dates from 1810, and sits at the top of a cobblestone path with 130 steps, each representing a bead of the rosary. A series of small shrines, each sheltering a cross darkened with ash, lines the path up to the church. The lowest shrine is traditionally devoted to prayers of any type. The middle stop is for requests related to affairs of the heart. The highest shrine, near the church entrance, is the place to pray for good health. If you light a votive candle, pay attention to the way the flame burns: local belief says an upright, vertical flame is a sure sign your prayer will be answered; any flickering of smoke or tilting of the flame portends a less certain response.

Run by the friendly Millie Mittelstaedt de Hernández, this magnificent orchid farm is a good place for an afternoon jaunt. The farm grows 400 different species native to Guatemala, and Mittelstaedt clearly enjoys sharing her passion with visitors, pointing out breathtaking blossoms and describing the painstaking process of coaxing the temperamental ornamentals to bloom. The orchids flower in late November through February; Cobán's International Orchid Festival is held annually the last week of November.