Hiking in Guatemala’s Mountains of the Ixil Region

Central America’s steep and often volcanic terrain abounds with hiking opportunities, but the higher-elevation scenery of the Ixil region in Guatemala offers an exciting chance to escape from the usual lowland tourist trails. Departing from Nebaj, the main city in the Guatemalan department of El Quiché, hikers can hire a guide or, if equipped with good maps, strike out on their own for treks in the country’s Cuchamantan Mountains, a rural highlands where locals still adhere to…