Like lots of travellers heading through central America, Dennis heard about Quetzaltrekkers through other backpackers who’d hiked through the Guatemalan highlands with us. 

So the Dutch social worker on a long career break signed up for a two-day trip up to Volcán Zunil, finishing at Fuentes Georginas hot springs. 

“The Zunil trip had a lot of changes during the day, going through the jungle,” he said. “On the summit it was cold and we had some rain, but there were super good vibes the whole day and luckily the views were amazing when we got to our campsite.

“It was a really nice group with good vibes.”

Upon his return to Xela, he immediately signed up for the following week’s three-day trip from Xela to Lake Atitlán.

Before embarking on his next hike, he joined with others from his Zunil trek for the weekly trivia night organised by Paddy, another former Quetzaltrekkers guide who runs Xela’s Irish pub. (And learned how fiercely competitive the current troupe of Quetzaltrekker guides are at trivia!)

Then he attended the Quetzaltrekkers fundraising party to buy paint for a school in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan, one of the villages our hikers stay at on the way to Lake Atitlán.

And then he partied into the early hours with QT guides celebrating Guatemala’s 204th independence day, before joining the hike to the lake.

“It’s a really cool organisation and I like to support this kind of organisation if I can do it,” he added. 

“You know the money is going to a good place so that motivates me to do more treks.” 

On the Lake Atitlán hike, it was “really nice to stay with families in their homes, and really cool to hear their stories”.

And then there was his introduction to the temascal, the rejuvenating traditional Mayan sauna.

And he’s not done yet! After returning from his hike to Lake Atitlán? He signed up for the five-day hike from Nebaj to Todos Santos, which is in a part of the country he hasn’t visited yet. 

“On Todos Santos I’m expecting even more cultural differences than I’ve seen so far in Guatemala, different things you could only see there,” he added. 

“I’m curious about the cultural things of the area. 

“Everyone told me that Todos Santos was the coolest hike but for me it initially seemed too far away. But now I’ve brought two friends.” 

Thanks for your commitment, Dennis!

And who knows – maybe our two-day trek to Volcán Tajamulco is in your future too, and you can cement your legacy as a QT trekking legend 🏆