Arriving in Guatemala City

We recommend to our new students and volunteers coming from abroad to book a flight that arrives at the La Aurora International Airport (Guatemala City) in the morning and then to take a bus to Xela on the same day. Arriving in the morning will give you plenty of time to collect your bags, exchange some money and to take a taxi from the airport to the bus station. Before you leave we recommend that you print this PDF which has all the information you need to tell your taxi driver as well as the locations in Xela where they let you off.

Take the Bus!

There are several bus lines that travel daily from Guatemala City to Xela. The journey can take between 3.5 and 5 hours depending on traffic and road conditions. Please keep us updated of you plans of arrival so we can know when to expect to meet you at INEPAS. Also if you choose a home stay with a local family they will meet you when you arrive. Here is the contact information about the bus lines.

Recommended Bus-lines

• Transportes Álamo
• Transporte Fuente del Norte
• Autobuses Cristóbal Colón (from ‘Estación central‘ to ‘Quetzaltenango‘)

The Shuttle Bus Gets You Here

There are several shuttle companies that run ‘services’ from San Cristobal de las Casas. This trip can take between 8-12 hours with several bus changes depending on road conditions. Usually you can arrange a shuttle that will pick you up with your hotel.

Once you arrive in Xela you can take a taxi, which should cost about 30 to 40 quetzales and take about 5 to 10 mins. Let us know about when you expect to arrive beforehand so someone is waiting for you in the school, or your host family is waiting for you when the bus arrives.