Xetulul Park

When adventure and fun call, Guatemala is the place to visit and fill yourself with fabulous memories and good company and the place for this is Xetulul theme park located in Quezaltenango which is on the south coast of Guatemala.

When you go into the park, you're overwhelmed by fun because there are a lot of mechanic games which fascinate you. You want to go on all of them and experiment to see what emotion they bring out of you from shouting, crying and getting dizzy from excitement.

The surprising turn of the roller coaster "avalanche"

Firstly, I went on the swings... Just a minute! Don't think that they're just a simple set of "swings or flying seats", these elevate bit by bit, inclining and declining, so much so that you can almost see the whole park on the last elevation and you scream until you start going crazy from the excitement and if these swings give you goosebumps, imagine how you'll feel on the "Avalanche" which is a roller coaster which twists and turns at extraordinary speeds of 85km per hour, or the "Estrúguense" which flings you up and down in a single motion, agitating all your nerves, or the "Gondola" which seems harmless, but when you get on, it becomes magic because it's preparing to go down at an impressive speed, soaking you with water as the rails on the rapid descent are surrounded by water. Or how about the "carros chocones" (bumper cars) where you're on a track and you have the liberty to drive and crash how you want and as many times as you want. If you're good at shooting, there are a lot of games to play where you have to hit a fixed target and you can win a great prize like a toy bear.

The Gondola and Plaza Maya in the background.

For the lovers of carousels with its horses and carriages. For adults, it is the worm which is a mechanical game that looks harmless to the naked eye, in the shape of said animal, but when you get on it, you know what your imagination is capable of. As well as there being worms for the adults, there is also a lot of fun for the kids - there are children's games so they don't stop smiling and eating delicious candy floss which come in all sorts of colours.

The carousel and on the left in the background, the Plaza Italia.

There is also time for a well deserved break and for that, the park has a variety of restaurants which serve all kinds of food, whether it's national or international. They serve Italian, French, Spanish and American dishes all in a harmonious setting accompanied by good music and live dance acts.

And the arts? Equally, there is a place for art, well, there is a magic show in the "Grand There" theatre and if you carry on walking, you will find a Guatemalan "Marimba" concert. The Marimba is a percussive musical instrument which is very famous in Latin America.

Xetulul is also a theme park, so there are 7 squares which are exact replicas of the Guatemalan culture and other European countries which influenced the country in the colonisation period. Between them, there is: Plaza Chapina, Plaza Guatemalteco (Guatemalan Square), Plaza Maya (Mayan Square), Plaza España (Spanish Square), Plaza Alemania/Suiza (Germany/Switzerland Square), Plaza Italia (Italy Square), Plaza Caribeño (Caribbean Square), Pueblo Fantasiá (Fantasy town).

Plaza Maya

One day is not enough to see the park, unless you get on the train which takes you to admire a complete panoramic view and makes you realise that you have to stay to continue having fun and getting to know about a lot of cultures with good restaurants, commercial shops, mechanical games and a lot of surprises.

To go to Xetulul, you should first get to the capital of Guatemala, or to whatever area of the country, and you can contact the IRTRA (The recreation institute of workers) by clicking here. It's the company which owns the park and they will tell you how to arrive and plan your day which can be modelled around your necessities. Entry costs 140 Quetzals for adults which is approximately $18USD (depending on the exchange rate) and for kids it costs 70 Quetzals which is around $10USD. You can also get there on your own in whatever vehicle or in Guatemalan buses which drop you off close to the park and you can get on in Guatemala City or in Quezaltenango.

You want to experiment with the emotion, so come to Guatemala. Live the experience, live it from Latin America!