Guatemala Guide
The western highlands
Volcán Santa María
Due south of Quetzaltenango, the perfect cone of the Volcán Santa María rises to a height of 3772m. From town, only the peak is visible, but seen from the rest of the valley the entire cone seems to tower over everything around. The view from the top is, as you might expect, spectacular, and if you're prepared to sweat out the climb, you certainly won't regret it. It's possible to climb the volcano as a day-trip, but to really see it at its best you need to be on top at dawn, either sleeping on the freezing peak, or camping at a site part of the way up and climbing the final section in the dark by torchlight. Either way you need to bring enough food, water and stamina for the entire trip, and you should be acclimatized to the altitude before attempting it. For more information on climbing Santa María, or any of the volcanoes in the region, ask at the tourist office in Xela. Sadly, you should also check the current security situation at the tourist office or on the forum of 
www.xelapages.com , as robberies have been reported.
To get to the start of the climb, you need to take a pick-up (approximately hourly between 7am & 5pm) to the village of Llanos del Pinal; pick-ups leave from the El Calvario church, beside Quetzaltenango's main cemetery on the south side of the Calzada Sinforoso Aguilar road. The village is set on a high plateau beneath the cone, and drivers will drop you off at the right spot. From here, the road heads uphill, soon becoming a trail. Painted arrows mark the way along this first section. As you push on, the path soon arrives at a flat football-pitch-sized grassy area, about ninety minutes to two hours from the start – an ideal place to camp. The path cuts off to the right from here, heading more or less straight up the side of the cone, a muddy and backbreaking climb of two or three hours.
At the top the cone is a mixture of grass and volcanic cinder, usually frozen solid in the early morning. The highest point is marked by an altar where the Maya burn copal and sacrifice animals, and on a clear day the view will take your breath away – as will the cold if you get here in time to watch the sun rise.