06 Jul 2023
With almost no reviews online, this is my honest experience of the Guat2Do Mirador Trek. Guat2Do organizes this trek through the Carmelita Mirador Cooperative, which uses local guides and supports the community. As such, it may be less-than full-service compared to other companies The trek experience was for the most part as advertised on TripAdvisor with two notable exceptions, which is why I can only give it 3 stars. If I had asked the right questions I might have alleviated the biggest problem- my guide didn't speak a word of English and I don't speak Spanish except at a very basic tourist level. There was one other traveler on the trek who also didn't speak Spanish, so there was almost no translation help. Another trekking service offers a guide AND a translator. We somehow made it work over 5 days, but missed out on much of the knowledge the guide had to offer. Our guide Ambrosio can't be faulted and he tried his best. There were some last minute scheduling changes (see more) but I was told there would be an English speaking guide the day prior. That was not the case. I can guess maybe why, but will never know. The second problem is that the cancellation policy on TripAdvisor says 24 hours prior for full refund- that is not true. Guat2ToDo told me 15 days minimum. As a solo traveler, I wanted to go ONLY if there were others on my trip- that fell apart at the last second when the other trekkers changed dates. To be fair, Guat2Go doesn't guarantee anything but the trek and guide service. Instead of traveling all alone I decided to move dates to what I thought was a larger group, instead of cancelling (my first instinct) with no refund. That turned out to be just one other trekker. The trek description does not guarantee an English-speaking guide, but again, this should have been stated clearly in the description, especially knowing I was from America. Also, plan on carrying extra water and snacks, as this is basically an unsupported hike until you get to the campsites. To be fair, Guat2Do would have taken me alone with the guide on the original date as agreed If I desired, for the agreed upon price. Make sure you have all your questions answered beforehand, especially if you are an English-only speaker.