X

Hi! Hola! Previt! Bon Jour! Ciao! Guten Tag! Sign up Now! for fun info on traveling to Latin America!

Cobán is the most important city in the Verapaz region, and serves as the social and commercial hub for all the surrounding towns, villages, and tourist destinations. Cobán is still known as the “Ciudad Imperial,” as it was dubbed by the Spanish crown when it was founded in 1538. The city sits at more than 1,300m (4,000 ft.). Cobán is also the gateway for some of Guatemala‘s best eco- and adventure-tourism destinations and activities.

Some Facts:

Most hotels have their own Internet cafes, and there are many around downtown Cobán, such as the ones at Café El Tirol and Hostal Doña Victoria. So you won’t have problems with getting in touch with your loved ones at home.

Grown primarily in the Alta Verapaz mountains near Cobán, cardamom was brought to the region as a cash crop by German immigrants in the mid-20th century. Like coffee, this aromatic spice thrives in the area’s cool, moist mountain climate. Today, cardamom is Guatemala‘s fourth-most-important cash crop behind coffee, bananas, and sugar. Some 200,000 people earn all or part of their wages in the industry.

Cardamom is an important ingredient in the curries and cuisine of India, where it’s also believed to be a medicinal herb and an antidote for snake and scorpion venom. In Scandinavia, the spice is used to flavor bread and pastries, and across the Middle East, it’s often added to coffee and thought to be a powerful aphrodisiac.

Where is it?

See the map

213km (132 miles) E of Guatemala City; 583km (362 miles) South of Tikal

How’s the weather?

It enjoys a cool, yet wet, climate. Cool mist or outright rain are common here.

Where to go:

• Semuc Champey
• Lanquin Caves
• Candelaria Caves
• Biotopo del Quetzal
• El Calvario Church
• Las Victorias National Park
• Mayan Prince Museum
• Finca Santa Margarita
• Vivero Verapaz (orchid garden)

For More Great Info Get Your Book NOW!

.

Posts Related to Travel Experta’s Interesting Facts - Coban Town, Central Highlands

• 

  Travel Experta’s Interesting Facts – Guatemala’s Central Highlands

  The Verapaces, Central Guatemalan Highlands, are mountainous regions with cloud forests, El Biotopo del Quetzal - where you'll find the Resplendent Quetzal, the gorgeous national ...

• 

  Travel Experta’s Interesting Facts – Lanquin Town, Central Highlands

  Lanquin is a small town located on Guatemala’s central highlands. The most common way to get there is from the nearby town of Coban. The ...

• 

  Travel Experta’s Interesting Facts – Towns Worth Visiting in the Central Highlands, Guatemala

  The central highlands of Guatemala are famous for being home to Semuc Champey and the Lanquin Caves. But there are some other towns in the ...

• 

  Family Travel – Coban Guatemala

  To continue with our family adventures in Guatemala my husband and I decided that we wanted to visit Semuc Champey and the Lanquin Caves. For ...

• 

  Family Travel – Semuc Champey

  I have been promising a post about my family adventures in Semuc Champey, Guatemala and finally, here it is: As you guys know we were ...