Recently we took the half hour ride over to Fuentes Georginas, a beautiful little nearby hot spring resort.
Near the base of the towering Santa Maria volcano are hundreds of these hot springs, due to the huge amount of geothermal activity associated with the neighboring Santiaguito volcano. Covered in clouds in the photo, Santiaguito has been continuously active for more than 100 years.
Fuentes Georginas are at the base of a very steep, lush hillside, from which the piping hot water cascades in little streams. A series of pools at the bottom collects the sulfurous water, creating large baths of varying temperatures, all in a beautiful, verdant setting. Next to the pools are a restaurant and bar, and about a dozen cabins are located on site for those who want to spend the night.
We went on a Thursday (to avoid the large crowds that frequent the place on weekends) early in the morning (to take advantage of the beautiful vistas before the clouds roll in and cover everything by late morning); this is one of the advantages of our current work schedules (Rob teaches at the university in the evening, and Carley’s schedule is always flexible).
This little jewel of a tourist attraction, popular with both travelers and Guatemalans, only costs about $2.50 per person for admission. The cost to spend the night in one of the pleasant-looking bungalows (which we didn’t do) is around $5-6 per person.
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