Oh, Huehue — where to begin? There is a certain allure here however difficult it may be to articulate. The sidewalks are narrow, the air stinks of exhaust fumes, the store fronts are anything but inviting and the great majority of the tramp-budget-friendly hotels are anything but comforting.
There is something to be said for a city in such disrepair with a population of over 80,000. The people here are so stoic and apathetic to the state of things, all of which makes Huehue fascinating on its own accord. But it’s certainly a challenge to see this through the thick smog and decaying infrastructure here.
It was raining buckets when we arrived and it never stopped. We spent hours searching for hotels worthy of this site and came up with nothing. We were forced to break out our own blankets and sleeping gear to avoid getting under the covers of the hotel we finally settled on. Even the locals at the bus terminal were perplexed as to why we would be staying the night in this city.
Our advice on this city is to avoid it. But if you decide to check it out and happen to find something tramp-worthy, let us know about it.
Bummed you had a not so great experience! We’ve been here for 4 days and found a fairly new (and as far as we can tell) the only hostel in the city. Hostal El Marquesote was super welcoming, Carlos, the owner is a really rad human, we had great conversations, and there’s a full kitchen available for use. the dorm beds were pretty flat so we used our own ground mats on top of the mattress but otherwise was a great spot to stay and very affordable! We found great food at Cafe Museo and La Tinaja, there’s also good coffee at Fuego Cafe but it just felt too touristy for us.
Huehuetenango produces some of the world’s best coffee, and has the highest non-volcanic point in all of Central America, with lots of hiking and adventures to be had.
It depends on what you look for when traveling, but if you enjoy getting off the gringo trail and seeing some of the most beautiful places in GT, you’ll enjoy Huehue.
Thank you for this! I’ll update the info with what you’ve provided! I think you’re right about Huehue having a lot to offer and our experience there was very much influenced by the weather and our bad luck finding a decent place to rest. I’m glad you enjoyed it and took the time to let us know about it 🙂