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Rokjá Pomtilá - FAQ
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BACK to Rokjá...
 What activities are there?
What are the accomodations like?
What will I eat and drink?
Where will I sleep?
What should I avoid doing to respect the Q'eqchi' culture?
What should I bring?
What is the weather like?
How fit do I have to be to enjoy this tour?
Are there mosquitoes?
Can I take photos?
Do family members speak Spanish?
How do I take a bath?
How will I get there?
WHAT ACTIVITIES ARE THERE?
Upon arrival at the family's house, you will be able to rest and have a typical Q'eqchi' dinner. The following day your guide will take you by boat either downstream to an enormous, rarely visited, cave crammed with sparkling white formations, or upstream to the place where the River Ik'bolay is reborn in a series of fantastic springs, fountains and waterfalls. To get to both you will hike through dense subtropical forest. At the end of the day, you may enjoy a swim in the river.
Throughout your visit you will be able to experience and participate in everyday life with your Q'eqchi' family. If you are interested in participating in household activities such as cooking, carrying water, gathering firewood, etc., just offer your assistance.
RAINFOREST HIKES
Hike along narrow paths through dense subtropical rainforest full of beautiful plants such as palms, vines, ferns, bromeliads and orchids. The forest has abundant birds including parrots, parakeets and toucans. Jaguars are found here and howler monkeys call noisily from the trees above.
You can hike to a look out point (4 hours) from where you can appreciate the forest. Or you can hike to the entrance of a sacred cave (3 hours).
If you are interested in birds, you can accompany one of our trained surveyors as they carry out their daily inventory of the rainforest inhabitants. Departing at 5 am, this is the best time of day to spot some of the abundant wildlife of the forest! Bird watching hikes return about 11am.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Always wear walking boots when hiking in the forest. We also recommend that you wear long pants (trousers). These can be tucked into socks to prevent ants and biting insects from entering.
The pacaya palm is common in these forests. It has large spines - be careful and try to look first before grabbing a tree to help keep your balance! If you get spines in your hands, remove them as soon as you get back, wash well and use antibiotic cream - splinters from this palm can quickly become infected.
Because the rainforest is private property, visitors must have a guide for all excursions.
THE RE-BIRTH FO THE RIVER IK'BOLAY
This deep green river winds its way through the jungle and disappears behind a mountain barrier, continuing underground in caves. The water reemerges blue in a series of natural spring fountains and waterfalls, and is so saturated with calcium that it cements its own path through the virgin forest.
You will take a canoe to the calmer waters beneath the last falls and hike through dense tropical forest to reach the place where the river is reborn. You will need to cross a number of shallow channels on foot, while deeper ones are crossed using natural log bridges. You will then climb up through a series of waterfalls and 'cemented' pools to reach the natural fountains and springs above.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
You will get very wet! Make sure you have all belongings (especially cameras!) inside plastic bags.
During the winter, water levels are higher (often above the knee) and crossing the streams more difficult. Walk slowly and take small steps - your guide will help you across.
THE SACRED CAVE
This cave was used by the ancient Mayans as a burial chamber and remains sacred to the people of Rokjá, who still perform rituals within. Formally an underground arm of the river, it contains an enormous chamber crammed with enormous, spectacular, sparkling white, formations. Entrance to the cave is gained by a steep, slippery, drop beneath an outcrop of rock and is not for the faint-hearted! You will use a rope to help you descend.
To get to the cave it is necessary to hike through dense pristine rainforest - either 3 hours from the opposite bank of the river, or you can hire a canoe to take you downstream to within ½ hour of the entrance.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
No safety equipment is currently provided by PEQ or the community. You enter the cave at your own risk! It is not particularly dangerous, but loose rocks inside can make walking difficult.
Only a small number of tourists have entered the cave and the guides have not yet developed fixed paths to protect fragile formations, which can be easily damaged by feet and hands. Please try not to walk on the formations or touch them unnecessarily. Encourage your guide to do likewise.
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WHAT ARE THE ACCOMODATIONS LIKE?
In this eco-tourism program you will travel to learn about the life and culture of the Q'eqchi' people living near the forest. You will stay in a typical Q'eqchi' home. Their houses are very rustic, usually with wooden walls, a dirt floor, thatched roof made from palm leaves, and an open fire inside the kitchen over which your food will be cooked. The Q'eqchi' people sleep on wooden platforms without mattresses and bathe in the river. Toilets are pit latrines a short distance from the house.
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WHAT WILL I EAT AND DRINK?
The typical food includes beans, corn tortillas and eggs. With the corn and the beans the women also make other typical foods including tayuyos, tamales and atol.
Water is obtained from wells. To ensure your health, the host families have been instructed to boil drinking water for 10 minutes. If you would like water to drink, ask your family for "agua hervida" (boiled water).
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WHERE WILL I SLEEP?
Your sleeping arrangements include a bed or sleeping platform with or without a foam mattress, located in an area of the house slightly separate from the family. You will need to bring a thin sleeping bag or travel sheet as it gets cooler during the early hours of the morning. If you don't have a sleeping bag, most families have blankets.
The number of tourists per family is limited to two because you will be staying in the family's home, and because this limit ensures an equal opportunity for income to all of the host families.
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WHAT SHOULD I AVOID DOING TO RESPECT THE Q'EQCHI' CULTURE?
The Q'eqchi' families are shy about nudity; therefore, please do not show yourself naked in front of the family.
The families are quite protective of their daughters, therefore, male tourists should not be alone with the female daughters.
The families eat nutritional herbs and occasionally use medicinal herbs from the forest. On your tour please do not use drugs.
During celebrations the Q'eqchi' people will drink a special alcohol made from sugar cane. However, please do not take alcohol on your tour.
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WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
1. Sleeping bag or travel sheet
2. Sleeping mat (if you have one)
3. Mosquito net (if you have one)
4. Hiking boots
5. Sandals for inside the house and for swimming
6. Waterproofs or buy a "nylon"
7. Long sleeved shirt
8. Swim suit
9. Flash light and spare batteries
10. Water for the hike in
11. Sun hat and sunscreen
12. Insect repellant
13. Toilet paper
14. Money in small bills
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WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE?
The climate in the subtropical lowlands is generally much warmer and more humid than in Cobán, occasionally reaching 40° C (25 - 30° is more common) and 90 - 95 % humidity during the day. It can therefore often feel uncomfortable. It rains throughout the year, typically in the afternoon or evening, with the lowest rainfall from February to March and the highest between June and October.
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HOW FIT DO I HAVE TO BE TO ENJOY THIS TOUR?
You need to have a good level of fitness to complete the long hike to Rokjá, and a sense of adventure is essential. Forest paths are in some places difficult, but there is plenty of time to take things slowly. You can hire a porter to carry your backpack to and from the village to make things easier. If you find the going difficult along the forest paths, ask your guide to cut you a walking stick.
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ARE THERE MOSQUITOES?
There are many mosquitos here because of the warm, moist, climate. Malaria IS present in this region, as it is in the Peten, so we recommend that you take malarial prophylaxis and are careful not to get bitten. Bring insect repellant and use a mosquito net at night. These can be found in the community so ask your family for one if you do not have your own.
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CAN I TAKE PHOTOS?
Yes, but please ask for permission to take a photo of the people in the community. If you want to photograph the family, you can send a copy of your photos back to the PEQ office. The families really enjoy receiving copies of your photos!
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DO FAMILY MEMBERS SPEAK SPANISH?
The adult men in the family speak basic Spanish though their first language is Q'eqchi'. The women and children in the family only speak Q'eqchi', but the women in the family may be able to figure out your hand gestures.
A list of basic phrases will be given to you with your information pack, and your guide will be happy to teach you a few words of Q'eqchi'.
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HOW DO I TAKE A BATH?
The people of Rokjá bathe in the river. However, it is still a novelty to see tourists in the community, so it is common for children to gather at the river bank when they see tourists there. If you prefer to wash in private, ask your family for a bucket of water and ask them where to go to wash yourself. If they do not have such a place for themselves, one will quickly be prepared for your use! We are in the process of instructing families to provide a private area where tourists can bathe.
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HOW DO I GET THERE?
First, contact us at the office in Cobán one day before you plan to go, so that we can contact your guide via telephone. In the office you register and receive information necessary for your trip. Once you arrive at Rokjá, a community leader will greet you and take you to the home of your family.
Option 1 - Travel direct to Rokjá
A pickup leaves from the main terminal in Cobán at 8 am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday bound for Tzetok via Chisec. (Cost Q 40). Tzetok is the village closest to Rokjá, and, if there are enough passengers, the driver may take you all the way to Rokjá for an additional charge (not known). Otherwise, it is a 1 - 1 ½ walk from Tzetok to Rokjá along a dirt road.
If you plan to spend the night at Laguna Lachuá National Park or Finca Chipantun prior to visiting Rokjá, or you wish to travel directly to Rokjá on a day other than Monday, Wednesday or Friday, you have 2 other transport options:
Option 2 - Playa Grande via Salacuím
Take a microbus from the main terminal in Cobán to Playa Grande via Salacuím. Buses start at 6 am and depart every hour. The journey takes approximately 4 hours as much of the road is unpaved. (Cost Q 40). The entrance to Finca Chipantun is on this road soon after Salacuím. To get to Laguna Lachuá NP, ask the driver to drop you at the junction at San Luis (el cruce para el Parque), from where you can walk or take any available transport east to the entrance of the park 5 km away (cost approx. Q5). The offices of the NP are on the main road and easily noticeable.
Option 3 - Playa Grande via Chisec
A bus leaves from the main terminal in Cobán at 11 am bound for Playa Grande via Chisec. (Cost Q 40). This bus passes through San Benito at the junction of the road to Rokjá and directly in front of the entrance of Laguna Lachuá NP, and also takes approximately 4 hours. Much of the road from Chisec is unpaved.
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© 2002 Proyecto Ecológico Quetzal. All rights reserved.
2a Calle 14-36, Zona 1, Cobán, Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
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