Xela is the walking capital of the highlands: quieter than Antigua, higher, colder, and surrounded by country that rewards several days on foot rather than an afternoon. The set-piece is the three-day traverse down to Lake Atitlán, but the ridge walks, Tajumulco and the Santa María dawn climb above the Santiaguito lava dome are all done from here.
It is also Guatemala's Spanish-school town, and the two overlap: many schools organise weekend walks, and the trekking outfits are used to people who have been in town a fortnight rather than a night.