2 days travelling in La Ruta de Tecpan

Travel Itinerary

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Itinerary by: Sara Giron

3 years ago

Traveller

Duration: 2 days

Itinerary Contents

Day 1
1. Bonanza La Ponderosa
2. La Ruta del Yalu
Day 2
1. Iximche Ruins
2. Pueblo Real - Tecpan

Itinerary Introduction

If you are a person who loves nature, hiking, tasting typical dishes of the region and enjoying outdoor activities, this is an itinerary that you will surely love and want to repeat again and again. In this itinerary you will find activities such as hiking, fishing, climbing, you can visit archaeological sites and places with spaces to shop for local handicrafts. You will surely take back from this trip not only handmade souvenirs but also a unique experience in the countryside. For all this itinerary you will need to wear comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes. On this route you can find a wide variety of restaurants and places with trails that you can enjoy on your way to or from specific points of visit.

Useful information about La Ruta de Tecpan

Best times to visit La Ruta de Tecpan

This particular route is known for having a temperate climate but depending on the time of the year it can get very cold and you may need to bring some warm clothes if you visit from October to February. For a visit with better weather conditions and better use of time due to the climate, my recommendation is that you can visit them in warm season which would be from March to June. The prevailing climate in the region from March to July is hot weather, you can go without being so warm and everything will be fine. But from August to February the weather becomes a bit colder, maximum in the months of November to January, where you will have to wear a good jacket and boots to avoid suffering from the low temperatures and strong wind of the area.

Getting around in La Ruta de Tecpan

A peculiar detail of this route is that you will see much of the country's vegetable production. The road conditions are good, however, as it is a very dirt road area we recommend that this trip can be done in a large car.

Local cuisine in La Ruta de Tecpan

This route is one of the favorites of all travelers visiting Guatemala, as it offers a great variety in gastronomy. All the way from the city to Tecpán you can easily find restaurants in both directions of the road. You can find small roadside restaurants as well as luxurious restaurants with a breathtaking view of the fields, which are worked by all the people of the area.

Making payments in La Ruta de Tecpan

Most establishments accept credit card payments but you may need to carry some cash with you if you want to buy some handicrafts along the way that you might like.

Local customs in La Ruta de Tecpan

In the month of October there is a celebration visited by many people, which is the flight of giant kites. All the towns join together to create majestic kites and at the end of the day the goal is to make them fly in the air, which becomes difficult the bigger they are.

La Ruta de Tecpan - Travel Itinerary

Day 1

07:00 - 13:00

Bonanza La Ponderosa

Km 88 carretera Interamericana Tecpán Chimaltenango, 04006, Guatemala

Bonanza La Ponderosa is a restaurant near the entrance to the ruins of Iximché. It is a restaurant that not only offers a wide range of dishes but also offers a variety of outdoor activities for the whole family or for a person looking for some fresh air and ample space to relax. In the garden area they have a giant chess game, which is free of charge and available to all visitors. It is very entertaining to play a game of chess on a larger scale. They also have paid activities for a small fee, which of course will make your visit more entertaining and extraordinary. Among the paid activities is the mechanical bull, where you will test your skills as a rider and the higher your resistance, the more difficult the level of movement of the game will be. It is so entertaining and even the same people who visit the place get a great show with each person who takes the courage to ride it. They have a cabin area that is relatively new, these cabins have conditioned beds to have a pleasant night, they have a fireplace to keep the place warm and when you rent one of the cabins you have access to the trails and additional activities. One of the most beautiful attractions of the place is an artificial lagoon in which they have pedal boats, with which you can go for a ride on the lagoon and relax with the sound of the water against the pedals of the boat you are driving. They also make sure to provide you with a safety belt and special protection to make the boat ride great. The food, as in all the restaurants along the route, offers traditional food of the area as well as sandwiches, steak, seafood and various dishes to enjoy. A special food of the area is the smoked pork, they offer smoked pork sausages and sausages that have a different touch to what we usually eat. Traditional Guatemalan food can generally be a bit spicy, so if you have any kind of food restrictions, you can feel free to inform the waiter about the conditions you need with your food and they will promptly see what options they can offer you. Our gastronomy is very varied, and you will surely find something delicious to try and take away the taste of our traditional food. The entrance to this place is by dirt roads in good condition, so there is no inconvenience of the time of the year in which you visit. However, we recommend that for this visit you bring comfortable shoes and clothes and even a second set of clothes in case it is necessary. Just in front of the artificial lagoon there is a chapel where you can even go and pray or just have a relaxing time with the sound of the wind among the trees and the birds singing in the nature. All this tour will undoubtedly renew your strength and allow you to return to your daily life with a new charge of energy and good vibes.

Article By: Sara Giron

Price covers: Entry+Meal

Prices for Bonanza La Ponderosa
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	50.00 - 150.00 USD	Plus fee

Getting there

To get from the city to this point, it takes about 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Travel time

2 hours 30 minutes

Bonanza La Ponderosa

From: Day 1

15:30

To: Day 2

09:00

La Ruta del Yalu

San Jose el Yalu, Guatemala

La Ruta del Yalu is located at San Jose Yalu, Sumpango, Sacatepequez. It is a place to spend a full day full of adventures, moments of relaxation, socializing with friends or family and spending a pleasant afternoon surrounded by nature and good food. The farm has ecological cabins in which can sleep from 1 person to 9 people or a maximum of 11 people. All cabins have an outdoor cooking area and a grill that works with logs. They also have private bathrooms and beds ready with sheets for a warm and comfortable night. Activities available at the farm include a blackberry picking tour, mountain bike tour, trout fishing, rock climbing wall, cattle tour and coffee tour among other things. The place is ideal for a visit as a couple, with a group of friends or for a family visit because all areas have adequate space to fully enjoy the day. There are two trails to walk, one that has views from viewpoints at the top of the mountains and is the longest of approximately 6 kilometers long and also has a short route of approximately 3 kilometers that also has viewpoints and lagoons where they have trout breeding and then transfer them to the largest lagoon where trout fishing is practiced. During the night there is the opportunity to light a bonfire and eat roasted marshmallows on the shore while enjoying a starry night, without the noise of the city, without artificial lights and only accompanied by the stars and good company. In the months of May, June and July the blackberries are ready to be harvested and this is when the blackberry picking tour is available. This tour is the most famous of the place because they give you a tour and receive information about the process of planting and harvesting of blackberries and the use given to it in the country's agriculture. Then they receive a basket and instructions for harvesting and are given the opportunity to do it with their own hands. It is a special experience. It is a place where you will definitely not want to leave and will make your visit to Guatemala, an unforgettable one. Picture by Otto Garcia from Pixabay.

Article By: Sara Giron

Price covers: Room

Prices for La Ruta del Yalu
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	115.00 - 200.00 USD	Plus fee
Group	60.00 USD
Kids	50.00 USD	Under 10 Plus fee

Getting there

The estimated time from Bonanza La Ponderosa to La Ruta del Yalú is 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Travel time

1 hour 30 minutes

La Ruta del Yalu

Day 2

Pueblo Real & Iximche Ruins

Day 2 takes us to Pueblo Real to experience Guatemalan nature with a wide variety of activities, experiences and local food. Later, we'll explore the incredible archaeological ruins at Iximche

08:00 - 11:00

Iximche Ruins

P2P3+G36 Tecpán Guatemala, Guatemala

Iximche is one of the most visited ruins in Guatemala. It is located in the department of Chimaltenango, in the municipality of Tecpan. It was a Mayan fortress, which had cliffs on three sides. It was a fortress full of nature and unique architectural constructions. This city was inhabited by both nobles and peasants of the Mayan people. After some confrontations between the Mayan people and the Spanish, the city was burned by the Spanish turning this fortress into an uninhabitable place for the Mayan civilization. To this day, some altars and remains of the temples that were once part of this great city are still preserved. In this place there is ample space for hiking and outdoor walks. It is a place that should be visited with comfortable shoes and clothes for any type of weather. The weather is mostly sunny, with some humidity in the environment. One of the main attractions for tourism is the fact that the remnants of the Mayan people in this area still perform Mayan ceremonial acts in the altars found at the back of this archaeological site. For this reason, it is always recommended to maintain proper respect for these areas and the practices performed by the residents of the zone. In this place there are spaces specifically dedicated to the history of the place and the Mayan culture. There are signs throughout the tour where you can find valuable information about the events of the place and the customs that are still practiced in the town of Tecpan. It is a place where there is a lot of nature which allows a relaxing atmosphere and where you will surely disconnect from all the technology and daily routine. The tour can be done on your own or you can hire a guide who will show you the archaeological sites in more detail and will show you a little more about the Mayan culture and its peculiar customs. On the way to the ruins, you will have the opportunity to visit the town of Tecpan, which is still inhabited by Mayan people who have taken care and preserve this archaeological site in the best way. You will realize that the locals are friendly people and if necessary they can even be of valuable help to locate the areas you want to reach. The area is easily accessible and can even be reached by means of location systems or phone applications, since it is a well-known tourist site. Picture of David Bolander in Pixabay.

Article By: Sara Giron

Price covers: Entry

Prices for Iximche Ruins
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	8.00 - 15.00 USD
Group	8.00 USD

Getting there

Estimated arrival time from Ruta del Yalú to Iximche Ruins is 2 hours.

Travel time

2 hours 0 minutes

Iximche Ruins

11:30 - 18:00

Pueblo Real - Tecpan

P2PP+35F Tecpán Guatemala, Guatemala

Pueblo Real is located in the department of Chimaltenango and is part of a chain of restaurants founded in Guatemala. Pueblo Real is a place in the middle of nature with a wide variety of activities, experiences and food dishes that will not only delight your adventurous spirit but also your cravings for delicious traditional food. In Pueblo Real you can find vegetables grown in the region, from which they prepare the food served in the Hacienda Real restaurant and you can buy take-out if you want to prepare fresh food at home. You can also enjoy horseback riding, ecological trails, games for children, soccer field, a small farm with domestic animals and a cheese tour in alliance with Finca Pasajinak, where they will show you the steps for the elaboration of cheese, which you can then enjoy. The moment you arrive at this place you will realize that there is a great variety of activities and stores that you can visit and from which you will undoubtedly take a wonderful souvenir. Inside the place there are stores where they sell a wide variety of handmade paintings made with the creativity of Guatemalan artists which you can find from very small sizes to sizes suitable to place in a large living room. There are also certain stands where you can get fresh fruit from the region. In the Tecpan region, the peach and strawberry fruit is very famous and without a doubt these are two of the fruits that you will find at every stop you make on your way to and from Tecpan. At the back of the place is the Hacienda Real restaurant which was established in Guatemala and all its workforce are local people, who will serve you with all the warmth and affection of the people of the area. You can taste from traditional dishes of our country as a good piece of grilled meat of the best cuts and enjoy a glass of wine or a cup of hot coffee with your family or friends. In the vegetable harvesting area they also have a greenhouse where you can find a great variety of ornamental plants that decorate every area of the restaurant. In the garden you can find various vegetables such as carrots, cilantro, parsley, sweet potato, cabbage, lettuce and many other things that when harvested, the experience is even more magical. When you arrive you receive a list of all the vegetables they have and the prices of each one and you can choose what you want to take, either they harvest them and prepare them to take away or you can go directly to the land and harvest the vegetable you want to take. If you visit the place on a weekend as we propose in this itinerary, you will surely find additional activities and even live marimba music at the entrance of the restaurant. All this creates such a unique and special atmosphere and welcomes you to the customs and traditions of Guatemala, to such an extent that you will feel part of the place. It is recommended that you wear comfortable clothes and shoes for this visit because you will have the opportunity to visit many areas and walk through an extensive trail. Picture by DEZALB in Pixabay

Article By: Sara Giron

Price covers: Entry+Meal

Prices for Pueblo Real - Tecpan
Category	Price	Restrictions
Standard	35.00 - 100.00 USD	Plus fee
Kids	35.00 USD	Under 12 Plus fee

Notes

As this is the end of the Itinerary, you have to take in count that the estimated time to get back to the city from this last point is of 3 hours (depending on traffic).

Getting there

The estimated time from Iximche Ruins to Pueblo Real is 30 minutes.

Travel time

0 hours 30 minutes

Pueblo Real - Tecpan

Privacy: public

Submitted by: Sara Giron, 3 years ago

About the author

Sara Giron

I am a girl passionate about traveling. But before getting to know everything the world has to offer, I love to discover what my own country can offer me and what it can offer to other travelers. I live in a country where we enjoy of an extensive variety in terms of climate, attractions, flora, fauna and so on. So my contributions will surely fascinate you.