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Beyond the quetzal sanctuary, the main road crosses into the department of Alta Verapaz, and another 13km takes you beyond the forests and into a luxuriant alpine valley of cattle pastures, hemmed in by steep, perpetually green hillsides. The first place of any size is TACTIC - a small, mainly Poqomchi'-speaking town adjacent to the main road, which most buses pass straight through. The colonial church in the centre of the village, boasting a Baroque facade decorated with mermaids and jaguars, is worth a look, as is the Chi-ixim chapel high above the town. If you fancy a cool swim, head for the Balneario Cham-che, a crystal-clear spring-fed pool , on the other side of the main road, opposite the centre of town. The simple Pension Central (up to US$5), on the main street north of the plaza, is a reasonable budget bet, or for a little more comfort try Hotel Villa Linda (tel 953 9216; US$10-15) close by, where the rooms have private baths. About 10km past Tactic is the turn-off for San Cristobal Verapaz , a pretty town almost engulfed by fields of coffee and sugar cane, set on the banks of the Lago de Cristobal. From here a rough road continues to Uspantan in the western highlands, from where there are connections on to Santa Cruz del Quiche, Nebaj and Huehuetenango. To get from San Cristobal Verapaz to Uspantan you can either hitch or catch one of the buses that leaves San Pedro Carcha at 10am and noon, passing through San Cristobal about forty minutes later.
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