The municipality of Zunil, in Quetzaltenango, has three hot-spring stops: Fuentes Georginas (Q60 for foreigners, Q40 for Guatemalans), Balneario Aguas Amargas (Q25, the lowest published entry of the three) and Las Cumbres, a hotel and spa built on natural steam vents that publishes no price. This page puts them side by side from sources read on 25 September 2026.
All three are thermal sites. The Ministerio de Cultura’s listing for the Zunil municipal park, which the Municipalidad de Zunil administers, says the Zunil volcano shows sulphur deposits, fumaroles and hot springs. What differs is the setting and the price: public pools in the cloud forest, a bathing park that Guatemala.com says has welcomed families for more than 25 years, or a private sauna in a hotel room.
Quick summary
| Fuentes Georginas | Aguas Amargas | Las Cumbres | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Public thermal pools in the forest | Open-air thermal pools, family bathing park | Hotel and spa with natural steam saunas and thermal tubs |
| Where | Km 220, 8 km above Zunil’s town centre | Km 207, aldea La Estancia de la Cruz | Km 211.5, road from Zunil toward Retalhuleu |
| Entry | Q60 foreign visitor · Q40 Guatemalan visitor | Q25 per person | Not published |
| Parking | Q25 | Q10 | — |
| Hours | 8:00-17:00 (Ministerio de Cultura) or 8:00-16:30 (Soy502) | 7:30-18:00, Monday-Sunday | Hotel; no day-visit hours published |
| Overnight | Bungalow Q190 per person, entry and parking included | None mentioned | Hotel rooms, some with a private sauna or thermal tub |
| Payment | Cash | Cash | Not stated |
| Source | Ministerio de Cultura (25 Sep 2026); Soy502 (3 Jun 2026) | Guatemala.com (16 Jun 2025) | Hotel website (25 Sep 2026); Soy502 (23 Sep 2026) |
The Fuentes Georginas parking and cash-only details come from Guatemala.com (July 2025), as set out on our Fuentes Georginas page. See today’s exchange rate for the dollar amounts.
Which one to pick
- On a budget: Aguas Amargas. Its Q25 is the lowest published entry of the three, and Guatemala.com describes open-air pools fed straight from the mountain, a viewpoint and short trails with small waterfalls.
- For the cloud-forest pools Zunil is known for: Fuentes Georginas. Seven thermal pools per the Ministerio de Cultura’s listing, four main sulphur pools per Soy502, more than 2,500 m above sea level (Ministerio de Cultura). It has its own detailed page: Fuentes Georginas hot springs.
- For a private soak and a room for the night: Las Cumbres. It presents itself as a destination hotel; ask whether a day visit is possible, and at what price, before you go.
Fuentes Georginas: the cloud-forest pools
The Ministerio de Cultura’s listing (read 25 September 2026) gives Q40 for Guatemalan visitors and Q60 for foreign visitors, Monday to Sunday 8:00 to 17:00, and bungalows at Q190 per person per night, including entry and parking. Soy502’s 3 June 2026 guide confirms the Q40/Q60 split but gives a 16:30 close, so be out of the water by 16:00 to be safe under either.
Soy502 places the complex at kilometre 220, 8 km from Zunil’s town centre, with four main pools of sulphur water at different temperatures (the Ministerio de Cultura’s listing counts seven thermal pools), ecological trails, picnic areas and food stalls, and a viewpoint over the Almolonga valley. It says the site was last remodelled in 2020 and has a pool with only a few steps for people with disabilities; paths elsewhere are stone and stairs. According to the ministry’s listing, local records credit two Zunil day labourers with finding the springs in 1902. The phone Soy502 publishes is 5704-2959.
Our Fuentes Georginas page has the rest: the storm history of the access road, the crowd clock, what to bring and the one live tour price from Xela.
Aguas Amargas: the lowest published entry
Guatemala.com’s 16 June 2025 guide is the most recent published source we found, and it gives:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Kilometre 207, aldea La Estancia de la Cruz, Zunil |
| Hours | Monday to Sunday, 7:30 to 18:00 |
| Entry | Q25 per person |
| Parking | Q10 |
| Payment | Cash; no electronic payment |
| Open for | More than 25 years |
It describes open-air pools of hot water from the mountain, surrounded by forest, with views of the Zunil and Santa María volcanoes from some areas, a natural viewpoint and small trails with little waterfalls. To get there, it says to take the road that links to Almolonga or Zunil and follow the signs. Guatemala.com recommends bringing a towel, a swimsuit, sandals, shoes for dirt paths, insect repellent, sunscreen and water.
We found no website or official listing for Aguas Amargas, so the June 2025 figures are the latest we can give. Carry small notes in case the price has moved.
Las Cumbres: steam saunas in a hotel
Las Cumbres Eco-Hotel, Termalismo y Spa says on its own site that its main draw is natural steam and mineral thermal water. Its history page tells how it began: a ravine with a pair of fumaroles beside the Pacific highway, bought to grow mushrooms using steam from the Zunil 1 geothermal system to pasteurise them. The first saunas were built in 2001 and the spa opened in 2009.
What its site lists (read 25 September 2026):
- Rooms from standard rooms to superior rooms with a natural mineral sauna in the room, rooms with a thermal-water tub, and rooms with a thermal-water jacuzzi.
- A thermal spa with baths, natural steam and treatments.
- A restaurant, an organic garden and green areas, with the Zunil, Santo Tomás, Santa María and Santiaguito volcanoes as the backdrop.
Soy502’s 23 September 2026 guide adds the address, km 211.5, on the road from Zunil toward Retalhuleu, a restaurant for 150 people, the El Último Vagón bar named for the old Ferrocarril de Los Altos, and event salons for up to 400. Guatemala.com (October 2025) puts it six minutes from Zunil’s town centre and about thirty minutes from central Xela.
Price: not published. The hotel’s pages show no rates, and Soy502 says only that rates vary with the service or experience chosen. Reservations: +502 2507 9989; WhatsApp: +502 5304 2102; email info@lascumbres.com.gt.
Getting there
The Ministerio de Cultura lists three paved ways into the Zunil area: route 9-S from Quetzaltenango through Almolonga, the CITO-180 through Cantel, and the CITO-180 up from Retalhuleu on the south coast. It puts the Zunil municipal park about 9 km from Quetzaltenango.
| Stop | From Zunil / Xela | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Aguas Amargas | Km 207, signposted from the Almolonga-Zunil road | Guatemala.com, Jun 2025 |
| Las Cumbres | Km 211.5; six minutes from Zunil, about 30 minutes from central Xela | Soy502, Sep 2026; Guatemala.com, Oct 2025 |
| Fuentes Georginas | Km 220, 8 km up its own road from Zunil’s centre | Soy502, Jun 2026 |
By public transport, the Xela bus terminal has camionetas to Zunil (see our Xela transport guide); for Fuentes Georginas a pickup covers the last 8 km. We found no published fares for either leg. Coming from Guatemala City, start with our Guatemala City to Quetzaltenango route.
The main road through Zunil (the Cito-Zarco stretch) had landslides at km 210 and km 213 in June 2025, as our Fuentes Georginas page records, so check road conditions in the rainy season before you set out.
Where to sleep
Two choices, both in reach of all three stops:
- In Zunil, at the springs. Las Cumbres is a hotel, and Fuentes Georginas rents bungalows at Q190 per person with entry included.
- In Quetzaltenango. The Ministerio de Cultura puts the Zunil municipal park about 9 km from the city, Guatemala.com puts Las Cumbres about 30 minutes from central Xela, and the Xela tour on our Fuentes Georginas page picks up at hotels in Quetzaltenango.
Live availability around Zunil:
Where to stay in Zunil
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A workable day from Xela
| Step | Time | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Aguas Amargas opens | 7:30 | Guatemala.com |
| Fuentes Georginas opens | 8:00 | Ministerio de Cultura; Soy502 |
| Out of the Fuentes pools | By 16:00 | Earliest published close, 16:30 (Soy502) |
| Aguas Amargas closes | 18:00 | Guatemala.com |
More near Xela
- Fuentes Georginas in depth · Almolonga market, on the road to Zunil · Laguna Chicabal.
- Things to do in Xela · Guatemala’s hot springs compared · Zunil municipality · all activities.
Sources read 25 September 2026: the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes’ Sistema de Información Cultural listings for Fuentes Georginas and for the Parque Municipal Zunil; Soy502 (Fuentes Georginas, 3 June 2026; Las Cumbres, 23 September 2026); Guatemala.com (Aguas Amargas, 16 June 2025; Las Cumbres, 29 October 2025); and the Las Cumbres website. Where a figure is unpublished (the Las Cumbres prices, bus and pickup fares, pool temperatures) we left it out.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What hot springs are there in Zunil?
Three places you can visit: Fuentes Georginas (public pools at km 220, 8 km above Zunil’s town centre), Balneario Aguas Amargas (open-air thermal pools at km 207, in the aldea La Estancia de la Cruz) and Las Cumbres (a hotel and spa at km 211.5 built on natural steam vents). All three are in the municipality of Zunil; the Ministerio de Cultura’s listing for the Zunil municipal park says the Zunil volcano shows sulphur deposits, fumaroles and hot springs.
Which Zunil hot spring costs least?
Of the published prices, Aguas Amargas: Q25 per person plus Q10 for parking, cash only, per Guatemala.com (16 June 2025). Fuentes Georginas charges Q60 for foreign visitors and Q40 for Guatemalan visitors, per the Ministerio de Cultura’s listing (read 25 September 2026). Las Cumbres publishes no price on its website.
What are the opening hours?
Fuentes Georginas: every day from 8:00, closing at 17:00 per the Ministerio de Cultura or 16:30 per Soy502 (3 June 2026). Aguas Amargas: Monday to Sunday, 7:30 to 18:00, per Guatemala.com (June 2025). Las Cumbres is a hotel and publishes no day-visit hours; its reservations line is +502 2507 9989.
How much is Las Cumbres in Zunil?
It does not say. Neither the hotel’s website (read 25 September 2026) nor Soy502’s 23 September 2026 guide gives a price; Soy502 says the rates vary with the service or experience chosen. Its rooms include types with a natural mineral sauna, a thermal-water tub or a thermal-water jacuzzi. Ask on the reservations line +502 2507 9989, on WhatsApp +502 5304 2102, or at info@lascumbres.com.gt.
Can I stay overnight at the hot springs?
Yes, at two of them. Fuentes Georginas rents bungalows at Q190 per person per night including entry and parking (Ministerio de Cultura). Las Cumbres is a hotel with standard rooms and rooms with a private sauna or thermal tub. The Guatemala.com guide to Aguas Amargas mentions no lodging there. Quetzaltenango is the other base.
How do I get to Zunil's hot springs from Xela?
The Ministerio de Cultura’s listing for the Zunil municipal park lists paved access from Quetzaltenango by route 9-S through Almolonga, and by the CITO-180 through Cantel or from Retalhuleu. Guatemala.com puts Las Cumbres about thirty minutes from central Xela. Fuentes Georginas is 8 km up a separate road from Zunil’s town centre (Soy502). We found no published fares for buses or pickups; see our Fuentes Georginas page for the one live tour price.
