The Mirador Santiago hike gives you the opportunity to see the beautiful landscape Guatemala has, and the eruptions of one of the most dangerous volcano in the world, while not being out of breath by walking. Moreover, this hike gives people who likes the different vegetation of Guatemala a chance to see different kind of plants, flowers and fruit. The first part of the hike is a bit steep and a lot of rocks as obstacles, but when looking over your shoulder you can see Quetzaltenango city in the early morning and the lights that are lightening the city.
Halfway, the road becomes more flat and easy, which gives you the opportunity to make beautiful pictures of the landscape. When being on the beginning of the flat part you can see the Santa Maria in front of you. This view gives you the feeling of being overwhelmed by the form of the mountain, but also gives you the wrong image of how big the mountain in reality is. When walking further you can see some of the different mountains Guatemala has and there is the possibility that you will pass locals with horses who are going to the city.
At the view point there is a chance that you need to wait for a few minutes to see a eruption but it is worth waiting. Every eruption of the volcano is different and one is more spectacular than the other. Some eruptions are so spectacular, because of the sound the volcano makes, you want to sit and wait to see more eruptions. The guide who will guide you to the view point has a lot of knowledge about the country and can tell you a lot about the area.
