After our rendezvous in Nebaj’s Parque Central, my friend Tucker and I rode further north to the tiny town of Chajul. Spending the night there, we were swarmed by curious villagers who rarely see outsiders. The next day we struggled east in almost constant rain to San Cristobal Verapaz.
Our route through the beautiful northern mountains of Guatemala was entirely on dirt roads and, until recently, was closed due to fighting during the long and brutal Guatemalan civil war. Rain, mud, steep switchbacks, deep potholes and a number of major landslides caused by Hurricane Stan made for a challenging off-road ride.
Far from the popular tourist destinations of Antigua and Lake Atitlan, this route revealed the real Guatemala. The combination of route-finding, weather, problem-solving, foreign culture/language, camaraderie and backcountry travel is what distinguishes adventure motorcycling from the rest.
Steep hills + Sticky mud = Slick riding
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