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Reached down a side road off the main highway between Chiquimula and Esquipulas, the Volcan de Ipala (1650m) may at first seem a little disappointing - it looks more like a rounded hill than the near-perfect conical peaks of the western highlands. However, it's well worth heading for if you yearn for some real solitude: extremely few visitors make it out this way and the chances are that if you visit on a weekday you'll have the place to yourself. The cone, inactive for hundreds of years, is now filled by a beautiful little crater lake ringed by dense tropical forest - you can walk round the entire lake in a couple of hours. It's beautifully peaceful up here and the lake makes a wonderful place to camp , though you'll have to bring all your own supplies as there are no shops or other facilities. It's possible to climb the volcano from the village of Ipala itself, a distance of around 10km, but the easiest ascent (2hr) is from the south, setting out from close to the village of Agua Blanca. If you have your own transport, head for the tiny settlement of Sauce, at Km 26.5 on the Ipala-Agua Blanca road, park close to the small store and follow the dirt track up to the summit. AGUA BLANCA is a ladino moustache-and-cowboy-hat kind of place, with a good little hospedaje, the Maylin (up to US$5), and a couple of comedores, the best of which is the El Viajero . It's a pretty straightforward route to the lake; ask the way to the Finca El Paxte and continue to the top from there. The village of IPALA , 20km to the north of Agua Blanca, down a fast sealed road, is connected by bus with Jutiapa to the south, Jalapa in the west, Chiquimula to the north and Esquipulas to the east. The village itself is a pretty forlorn place with a few shops and three hotels , the best of which is the basic Hotel Ipala Real (tel 923 7107; US$5-10), where rooms have en-suite showers and toilets, plus cable TV if you want it.
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