Housed inside the Hostal de Doña Victoria, Aventuras Turísticas (3a Calle 2-38 Zona 3, tel. 7951-4213/14, www.aventurasturisticas.com) does the usual day trips to the nearby sites and adventurous options in destinations farther afield, including rappelling in the Bombil Pek caves near Chisec, backdoor treks to Semuc Champey, and trips to Lagunas de Sepalau. This is the place to contact for caving, trekking, inner tubing, and kayaking, among other exciting options. It also does the usual daily tour of Semuc Champey ($35 per person), leaving at 7:30 a.m. and returning by nightfall.

Recommended is Maya’ch Expeditions (1a Calle 3-25 Zona 1, across from Hotel La Posada, tel. 7951-4335), offering one- and two-day trips to Semuc Champey in comfortable vans with breakfast and lunch included. Overnight visitors stay at the outfitter’s lodge, Casa El Zapote, 2.5 kilometers from Semuc Champey. You can also book transport-only to Semuc Champey or a package including round-trip transport and lodging at Casa El Zapote.

Casa D’Acuña (4a Calle 3-11 Zona 2, tel. 7951-0482 or 7951-0484, casadeacuna [at] yahoo [dot] com) also does trips to Semuc Champey and has some excellent guides. It has daily shuttles to Tikal and Antigua leaving at 6 a.m. and costing $28 one-way. Unlike on other shuttles, however, you can get off at intermediate points such as Chisec, Candelaria, Sayaxché, and Flores on the trip north, or at the Quetzal Biotope heading to Antigua.

Proyecto EcoQuetzal (2a Calle 14-36 Zona 1, tel. 7952-1047, bidaspeq [at] hotmail [dot] com, www.ecoquetzal.org) is a local NGO working with indigenous people in two communities near well-preserved areas of cloud and rainforest in Chicacnab (southeastern Alta Verapaz) and Rokjá Pomtilá (near Laguna Lachuá) to offer economic alternatives to deforestation via sustainable tourism.

Guides are rural Kekchí Mayans who know the forest intimately and have received thorough training as nature guides. Trekkers to these remote parts stay in the guides’ homes, which have been fitted with beds, toilets, and boiled drinking water, among other basic comforts. It allows for a true cross-cultural experience as well as a means for providing locals with a viable alternative to the destruction of the fragile ecosystem they call home.

Your chances of spotting a rare quetzal bird are also fairly good. A two-night trip to Chicacnab costs about $45 per person, including guide, food, and accommodations with additional nights available for about $15 apiece. A two-night stay at Rokjá Pomtilá also costs $45.