Coban Tourist Places to Visit in Coban, Guatemala, America

Coban Tourist Places to Visit in Coban, Guatemala, America

Coban is the capital city of Alta Verapaz department in Guatemala, located about 160 km north of Guatemala City is a popular eco-tourism site well surrounded by national parks, caves, waterfalls and coffee plantations. El Calvario Church is the major tourist attraction in Coban.

Geography of Coban:

Coban is placed 1320 meters above sea level, between 15°29′0″ N latitude and 90°22′0″ W longitude covering an area of 2,132 sq. km.

History of Coban:

Coban was established in the year 1543 by Dominican friars and it was nicknamed ‘Ciudad Imperial’ (Imperial City) by Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V. According to one historical source, the name Coban takes from ‘Cob An’ means ‘foggy place’.

Coban geared up towards development during the end of 19^th century after the arrival of German coffee growers. German club and German school were established in Coban in 1888 and 1935 respectively.

Connectivity to Coban:

Coban Airport is situated 4 km away from the heart of the city and other nearby airports includes Los Tablones Airport, Rubelsanto Airport and Playa Grande Airport. La Aurora International Airport is located around 165 km away from Coban.

Monja Blanca bus service is useful to reach Coban from Guatemala City and it takes around four hours and costs 55 Quetzales per way.

From Quiche is another way to reach Coban and there are frequent microbuses plying between Quiche and Coban and they pass through Sacapulas and Uspantin before arriving at Coban. It takes more time than Guatemala City way, around 6 hours.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Coban:

La Fiesta Nacional Indigena de Guatemala is a festival of Guatemala celebrated by all the region people of the country in the end of July annually including Coban. Fiesta Titular and the International Half-Marathon of Coban are other events held in Coban.

Coban hosts small crafts market in the heart of the city in every Sunday and Huipil clothes are very special here. The major food corners in Coban are:

Equinoccio
El Meson
La Abadia
Cafe La Granja
El Penascal

Things to do in Coban:

Coffee Tour Chicoj
Antik”s Antik”s Sports Bar
Chirrepeco Cooperative Tea Tour
Maya’ch Expeditions – Day Tours

Places to see in Coban:

El Calvario Church:

El Calvario Church is the most important landmark as well as tourist attraction in Coban. This most sacred site of the country draws pilgrimages throughout the year for its holiness. The terrace of the church is a great view point offering top views of entire city, Rocja Mountains and Xucaneb.

Plaza Magdalena:

Plaza Magdalena is a yellow painted big shopping mall known for its richness and different activities. It is best place to spend free time and to buy colorful modern products related to fashion and electronics.

Las Victorias National Park:

Las Victorias National Park is situated on the north-western outskirts of the Coban city is maintained by the National Forestry Institute and was declared as a national park in 1980, spans over an area of 82 hectares. Las Victorias houses rich local and exotic flora and fauna.

Other places of interest in Coban include:

Principe Maya Archaeological Museum
Dieseldorff coffee plantation
San Jose la Colonia National Park
Laguna Lachuá National Park
Biotopo Mario Dary Rivera
Vivero Verapaz

Best time to visit Coban:

Between November and April is the ideal time to visit Coban.

Accommodation Options in Coban:

Coban is well known for ecotourism as well as top class hotels and hostels. Casa d’Acuna is a very popular accommodation centre in Coban which is good in service and price. Generally mid range hotels in Coban charge around Q80 per night. List of prominent hotels in Coban include: