Chicabal Crater Lake

Chicabal crater lake sits an hour or so south-west of Xila in Guatemala's volcanic highlands.

From the maze of lanes above the QUE-03 road, a steep cobbled track heads straight up the pleasing wooded hillside to a pass, from which a gentle descent gets you to a peaceful spot, but for the music playing in the scruffy but characterful tourist cabins that are plonked there.

Another steep dirt track has you panting your way up to the crater rim, through attractive cloud forest (indeed quite possibly cloud), which harbours some inappropriate-looking fields for a reserve. Enjoy your first view across the crater, if the clouds allow. The crater walls are covered in jungly cloud forest, with the wide and beautiful lake at its base.

The descent to the crater floor (at 2,712m) is either down 600 steps or along a winding and gentler path. The climb back is pretty brutal if you take the steps.

The lake occupies the whole floor, but is shallow-edged, with a long beach and a (flat! - a new experience here) 2km path circling the shore. It is all a curious mixture of manicured and jungle.

The lake is beautiful, quiet, mysterious and slightly numinous, so it no surprise that it it is sacred (no swimming, to Walko's disappointment), and people come to worship in Mayan-descended ceremonies. Bunches of luxurious tropical flowers are planted in the wet sand and seem to live a long time, although someone clearly comes to dispose of the wilting aftermath. There are slightly voodooy-feeling sites for ceremonies in the undergrowth. The cloud often comes down to kiss the lake, spawning legends while they’re at it.

Retrace your steps. You are well walked by the end; Walko estimates a total of perhaps 700m of generally steep climb and descent are involved.

We’d love to share more! Please help us by making suggestions and sending photos! Thank you!

For more information and photos, including detailed practical information and some warnings, see our Guatemala’s Volcanoes walk page.