81. Getaway around the cenotes of Nenton and Lake Brava

Second getaway in the Huehuetenango region - February 13th to 15th, 2018
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- After giving myself a day of rest with Astrid's host family, my single wish was to continue my exploration of the Huehuetenango region. This time, I will get lost around the Mexican border.
- Here is the plan: Jacaltenango, Rio Azul, cenotes of Nenton, Cimarron Abyss, Lake Brava, maybe the lakes of Montebello before crossing the Mexican border to reach San Cristobal de Las Casas. In three days time, it seems possible!
What is a cenote?
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- Cenotes are large, deep excavations filled with fresh water. They are very numerous in Central America. Their formation is due to the collapse of limestone-like terrain above an underground network of caves and rivers.
- In Yucatán, a ring of cenotes is arranged concentrically around the Chicxulub crater. In addition, most of them are linked together by a system of aquatic caves. For this reason, their formation is attributed to the impact of a meteorite ten kilometres in diameter, which is also believed to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs some sixty-five million years ago.
First pitfalls from the first bus
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- In order not to waste time, I decide to take a bus to La Mesilla. It's a town completely west of Huehuetenango. According to my calculations, I will get off at Camoja, take a bus north, and if possible continue with a direct bus to Jacaltenango. After two hours on the road, my first bus ends up in front of a roadblock! Little by little, my translation efforts and my analyses allow me to understand: there is a demonstration against the Minister of Communication. "Tired of false promises! "The demonstrators demand an asphalt road between Camoja and Los Huistas (a group of villages at the foot of Jacaltenango).
Pedestrian adventures
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- Passengers get off the bus. Another bus for the border is waiting for them on the other side. So I walk with them for a couple of miles before turning north. Three hundred meters further on, a new crowd is waiting for me! Damn it! The only road on the city bridge is blocked by the same group of demonstrators. No vehicle or pedestrian can cross the blockade. I try my luck anyway, arguing that a tourist has nothing to do with it, but nothing helps.
- I then disappear into the crowd and rush into the town. It would be astonishing if there were no other roads in the village to cross this thin river, which has almost dried up. Five minutes later, I cross a kind of ford and join the main road. Result of this whole adventure: half an hour lost ... But finally I find a bus ready to go! Luck is sometimes on my side!
- A little later, I discovered that the road had been reopened during my detour. All my efforts have not been in vain, but it given me a little more confidence in my ability to cope in unknown lands.
All things come in threes
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- Thirty minutes later, we stop again! Just before the Jacaltenango intersection, a third roadblock awaits us. It's impossible for me to get around this one, I've been clearly spotted. So I wait upstream of the roadblock and understand the protocol that the demonstrators follow: every hour, they open the road for five minutes, in order to intelligently disturb the population and be able to make them aware of their action.
- In the sunshine, keeping calm in the face of this situation is not so easy.
Stop in a cement truck
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- We are more than fifty pedestrians to be freed, with no transport solution. Some of them leave for Jacaltenango/Los Huistas, but the majority continue towards Nenton. The accumulated delay has convinced me to abandon my Jacaltenango project. I thus leave towards the Cenotes of Nenton. A truck carrying bags of cement turns into a shuttle for the passengers of our bus. It drops us in front of a shared taxi leaving for Nenton! Perfect!
- I can see the Rio Azul, very beautiful, but I won't go and see it up close!
Lunch break in Nenton
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- Finally I get to Nenton at two o'clock in the afternoon. I had left early in the morning, around eight o'clock, and I am somewhat disappointed at the loss of time in transport caused by these demonstrations. I have a leisurely lunch with rice, beef steak and lemonade. I also take the opportunity to ask a few questions to the owner, Ivan, who kindly draws me a map.
- Nenton, downstairs is where I am.
- Chacaj, a village
- Aldea Chacaj, the centre of the village where I have to take a taxi to the cenotes.
- Ojo, it's a locality at the junction of the cenotes.
- Pool is the "centro communitario Rio Jordan" in front of the cenotes.
- The Union is a village on the other side of the road to the cenotes.
- Carmen, this is the junction to the main road.
- Trinidad is the crossroads to Lake Brava or the Tri-Border Highway...
- Bendicion is the border I'm aiming for right now, near the Montbello lakes.
- This precious source of information allows me to know how to reach the cenotes and return on the main road to visit the north of the route tomorrow.
First stop at the Rio San Juan Center
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- Ten minutes later, I'm in the minibus for Chacaj. I found a girl, who was stuck with me on the second pass. She left Huehuetenango at six in the morning, two hours before me. I am already quite exhausted because of the transport problems, so I don't dare to imagine her state of impatience. It's really incredible to put seven hours of driving for about fifty kilometres as the crow flies!
- About thirty minutes later, people shows me a group of tuk-tuks who can lead me to the cenotes. When it's time to say goodbye, the girl offers me a liquid yoghurt and a fruit for the rest of my trip... What kindness!
- Let's go to the tuk-tuk negotiation phase! I don't like it but this is the compulsory game, a ritual to make the touristic part worth 😂... Let's keep in mind the current rate: one euro equals eight quetzals. Let's start the bidding:
- 120 quetzals for the left tuk-tuk! Who can say better?
- 85 quetzals for the second one! I like that better! Isn't that better?
- 80 quetzals here! I'm sure you can do better!
- 75 quetzals...
- I feel like I'm getting close to the real prize! Nevertheless, I'm not giving up and heading for home. I ask a man who says to me: "Pay 15 quetzals to go to Rio San Juan and then go on alone. "According to the previous estimates of distance, I reduce my walking distance of three hours to forty-five minutes. That's a deal that suits me! Less tuk-tuks, less noise and more economy in my pocket.
- Twenty minutes later, I reach finally at the Rio San Juan center completely deserted. There's a beautiful stream. Nevertheless, I pout in front of the sign: "No swimming in the cenotes and admission for one hundred quetzals".
- I sneak out the front door, but a villager chases me and asks me for a hundred and ten quetzals. I don't like that kind of non official entrance fee. This is a natural place, unless it is somehow preserved for a reason, which we don't seem to do, I don't see why there should be an entrance ticket. Anyway, I show him the twenty-three quetzals I have left in my wallet, to last until the end of my Guatemala trip... Then I ask him if there wouldn't be a cash machine (in a remote village of civilization, really?) Of course not, nevertheless the price suddenly goes up to ten quetzals... He insists that I can't spend the night there. I say nothing and go on my way. Isn't it strange, at two hours before the dust, to enter with a large backpack inside a natural site forty-five minutes away by foot? He didn't notice it, I did.
Plantations around the path
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- The path runs through corn and banana fields.
The "little" cenote of the Candelaria
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- It is huge, very pretty with its blue and green reflections. It is also quite inaccessible: only a steep path leads to it and high grass blocks the access. It's also a pity that food packages were thrown in front of such a beautiful space. I'm going back up to admire the view of the cenote, maybe I'll try again tomorrow.
The Great cenote of the Candelaria
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- Twenty minutes before nightfall, I finally reach my goal for the day. It has been a long road, full of pitfalls, I had to give up several destinations along the way, but the main thing is there. The cenote is waiting for me...
- But what the hell, a car! It's some kind of lumberjack, busy getting wood. I'm keeping a low profile, in order not to be bothered to camp here. I have to wait... I contemplate the view while waiting.
Prohibition of bathing with motor oil
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- I'm finally getting close to the cenote. In front of it, a large sign calls out to me: no bathing with soap or sunscreen or motor oil.
A rainbow
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- The jeep finally decided to leave. Quickly, I must find a place to put the hammock. I arrive in front of a huge pasture and ... I start to feel a few drops. In front of this rainbow, I understood. The rain will quickly calm my desires of wild nature.
My camp
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- I have to choose between the rain and the wind, so I'll bear the wind during this night.
- So I take refuge under the only tin shed big enough to protect myself and to hang the hammock. The rain is getting heavier and heavier. Maybe the guard will come and get me... Let's eat!
- After a hearty dinner, some writing and reading, I fall asleep and hope the wind calms down.
In the early morning
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- The night was eventful, it is true to say! In the hammock, the wind rocked me all night long. Now I can enjoy a cenote all by myself. The swim around the perimeter took me a good thirty minutes, when I told you that they are huge.
Through fields and forests
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- In order to reach the Union village as quickly as possible, I take shortcuts through the valley that take me through pastures and woods.
- I continue my descent and fall in front of an intersection. I haven't caught up with the Union road yet. Let's analyze: on the right, it seems to me that I'm heading back towards the villages at the foot of the cenotes, on the left, in a north-eastern direction, it goes too far north. I decide to go straight ahead. I follow a path that leads to a river to cross. The choice is between fording the river or crossing a tree trunk. Life is made of choices: on a journey, even more. I jump from the last branch to finally reach the other side. I find myself in front of a house with a boy and a girl, who explains to me that there is no more path in front of me. The way to Union is the way to the north-east. Well here we go again!
- There are cacti, and other very funny flowers (oranges or roses with lots of petals).
On the road to Union
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- Here's a picture of the valley!
The journey continues
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- Here I am waiting for a vehicle in order to reach "El Hoyau Cimarron", the Ditch of Glory. Nevertheless, I will have to wait an hour for a vehicle to bring me closer to civilization. I then find myself in the back of a jeep that goes to "Laguna Brava", the Lake of Combat. That was my goal for the day, what a godsend!
- The road cuts through the peaks of the Huehuetenango department, which only reach an altitude of 1200 meters here. I still admire...
Rain and hitchhiking (me in a hat, or the grey valley of rain)
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- https://...when suddenly... the rain comes back. Except that in the back of the jeep, I can only protect myself with anorak, hat, gloves. Seeing big grey clouds to the west and also some lightning to the east, I see an invitation to go straight to the Laguna Brava.
- On the way, I see very few oncoming vehicles. I'm getting tired of changing plans at every turn.
- I'm being dropped off in Yalambojoch. I ask for the direction of the Laguna Brava, but I am pushed towards the "Auxilatura" (local temp agency). I follow the signs, the road to the right, then left, then right... and I find myself in front of a school. In the courtyard, the children are playing ball. I explain that I want to go to the Laguna Brava, they tell me to wait. An hour later, nothing happened. I leave discreetly and go to look for food in the village. On the other hand, there is no "comedor", the local restaurants. That's just my luck! It's a pity.
Road to the lake Brava
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- So I leave, I follow the signs to the lake. But I find people. So I start talking to them. They tell me. The day before yesterday there was a death in the lake. That's why the information at the entrance to the path is empty. Normally, we don't let tourists go to the lake alone. But as there is no one there, a village woman allows me to pass by.
- One to two hours away... and very little prospect of seeing vehicles in my direction. Then that's all right, I've got time. I am preceded by a man with a machete in his hand and his child for the first fifteen minutes. And then, nothing, there is nobody on the way. Sometimes a few vehicles pass by, but as long as I'm not asked to give an account, I'm fine! There's only one that I don't trust...
- The valley gets deeper: the lake is 400 meters lower. From up there, I have a view that dominates a huge set of abandoned valleys. It's unbelievable! I see a kind of hut, in a pasture near the road. At worst, I have a shelter for the night.
- My body asks at pause, I finally decide to prove him right. So that's when a car arrives and takes me to the lake. In front of me, a crowd of vehicles, onlookers, villagers, stirred up by what I understand to be research. The body of the villager, who allegedly fell into the lake, has still not been found.
- Too bad I had to choose the wrong time and the wrong side of Lake Brava. Besides, it's impossible to reach the other side without a boat. I'm forced to advance towards the inside of the lake. I still enjoy the view of the pier.
- At the cabins, I find the victim's relatives waiting for the search.
Lake Brava in all its splendour
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- Largest view of the trip
On the pontoon of Lake Brava
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- Nice view!
Visit Lake Brava
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- I take the time to introduce myself, get a shelter for my bag and sneak out to discover the Brava ruins.
- On the way, I meet Hector, who is eating sugar cane with his buddies. I join them, lend a hand by offering my Opinel.
- It's very special as a taste, you have to trim the stems and then suck the juice out. I also suggest tasting a fruit that was offered to me on the way, which I didn't know how to eat. We start talking in Spanish with Hector, but his friends have difficulty expressing themselves: their mother tongue is Chuj, a Mayan dialect, which is still spoken in the region. I tried to practice...
- I wait quietly, the time of the wake...
- I sleep little and leave very early the next morning. Objective of the day: to go around the lake. Basically, it's forbidden, even more so in view of the circumstances, nevertheless no villager seemed inclined to want to guide me in this journey, so I left discreetly, and alone of course.
On the way to the end of the lake
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- The path is sinuous and especially slippery, it climbs and lets you see parts of the lake which is really huge.
- I finally discover the Inca ruins, a piece of land with worked stones juxtaposed, not really impressive. I continue my walk towards the second part of the lake. On the way, I pick some very bitter oranges, sorts of lemons according to the villagers that I will question on the way. I will have five of them to hydrate and gain strength before my breakfast.
- I climb up the canyon, try to advance along a path that is too little marked, before giving up in front of a dead end. The view of this immense body of water will be my reward.
- I then leave this lost paradise, transformed into a sad place during my passage. I left at 9:30 a.m. and it will take me an hour and a half to walk up the 400 meters to the village.
Direction Mexico
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- I hitchhike back in a jeep to La Trinidad where I have a bite to eat. On the way, I realize that today is Carnival...
- I set off again, still a stop sign and get stopped a hundred meters further at an advanced border checkpoint. I am suspected of wanting to go to the United States and of wanting to illegally cross into Mexico here. The National Guard doesn't know what to do. I can show him my old visa for the United States, my future flight from Cancun to Madrid, but he won't let me pass. This border is mainly used for the passage of Guatemalans and Mexicans. Any foreigner is suspected of illegal migration, which is very common in the region. Finally he tells me to try my luck, but he thinks I will be refused. Twenty minutes later, I quietly wait for my stamp to leave the country. I take the opportunity to watch the Real Madrid - PSG game before leaving Guatemala without any problems.
- I'm always amazed at the inter-border areas.
- I pass immigration, exchange my last quetzals for pesos and get back on a bus to Comitán. It's always fun to follow the path of the migrants. I find speed bumps annoying. What a pain in the ass! And I'm not at the end of my pain.
- And here I am in San Cristobal de Las Casas.
So many experiences in the Huehuetenango region...
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- A lot of transportation, capricious weather, a series of unforeseen events, the Huehuetenango region has been quite an adventure for me. But the landscapes and the encounters were well worth the effort.

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