From Xela, the IRTRA parks start with a one-way morning shuttle; for the way back, ask Altiplano’s for a private shuttle or stay a night at Los Hostales: Altiplano’s lists Quetzaltenango to Retalhuleu at 07:00 for $30 but no departure back, and the parks open only Thursday to Sunday and holidays. Book Los Hostales through IRTRA’s own Xela office, travel on a park day, and settle the return before you leave.

In short: Altiplano’s 07:00 shuttle, read 10 November 2026, prints Retalhuleu as the destination, no journey time and no return. Xocomil opens 09:00 to 17:00 on Sundays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and holidays. Los Hostales check-in is from 15:00; Altiplano’s prints no journey time, so if the morning shuttle arrives before then, plan the park first and the room afterwards.

The Altiplano’s shuttle from Xela

On its shuttle page, Altiplano’s lists Retalhuleu under its departures from Quetzaltenango at 07:00 for $30, printed with a dollar sign and no per-person basis. Its general notes say its shuttles can run any day, that some routes have a minimum number of people, and that all shuttles pick you up door to door at your homestay, hotel or other address. It also sells private shuttles at the time you choose, with stops on the way, but prints no private fare for Retalhuleu.

What you needWhat the sellers printSource, read 10 November 2026
Xela to Retalhuleu, shared07:00, $30; no journey timeAltiplano’s shuttle page
Drop-off pointRetalhuleu; door-to-door at the Xela endAltiplano’s shuttle page
Retalhuleu to XelaNo row on the shuttle pageAltiplano’s shuttle page
IRTRA transportTransfer between the hostales and the parks; transport from Guatemala to RetalhuleuIRTRA Xocomil page
Los Hostales locationKm. 180.5 on the road to Quetzaltenango along the south coast, San Martín ZapotitlánIRTRA lodging rules and lodging page

The two IRTRA services are worth knowing about but neither starts in Xela: one links IRTRA’s own lodging to its parks, the other starts in Guatemala City (the Litegua tourist bus from the capital is on Guatemala City to Retalhuleu and IRTRA). The chicken-bus route down from Xela through Retalhuleu is described on Xela to Champerico.

Travel on a park day

IRTRA’s Xocomil page lists the water park open Sunday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and holidays from 09:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. IRTRA’s 2026 tariff PDF lists its park blocks as open Thursday to Sunday and holidays, with a 16:00 last entry on some blocks. A shuttle that will run any day does not help on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday that is not a holiday.

Non-affiliate admission at Xocomil is printed as Q.100 for adults over 1.40 m and Q.50 for children up to 1.40 m and for adults 60 and over; children under 1.00 m enter free. The full park price list, ride bracelets and the Xetulul hours are on our Xocomil and Xetulul guide.

The night at Los Hostales

IRTRA’s lodging page describes Los Hostales y Aldea de la Selva as open to the public all 365 days, in San Martín Zapotitlán, Retalhuleu, 180 kilometres from Guatemala City. The hostal names it lists are San Martín, Santa Cruz, Palajunoj and La Ranchería, plus tree houses, cabins, suites, tents and wagons, huts and capullos. Santa Cruz prices are per room, not per person; that rate table is on the Xocomil and Xetulul guide.

Three rate classes. IRTRA’s rules define an affiliate rate for card holders, a guest-of-affiliate rate for people with an affiliate (double the affiliate rate), and the full rate for guests without an IRTRA card who are not with an affiliate. Anyone booking without an IRTRA card, and not travelling with an affiliate, pays the full rate.

Check-in and the shuttle. Check-in is from 15:00, and the room goes only to the reservation holder. Check-out is at 12:00, with an hourly surcharge for a late check-out. Coming off a 07:00 shuttle, plan the park first and the room later.

What you cannot bring. The rules prohibit bringing in food and drink, radios, televisions and appliances, except for La Ranchería guests. The hostales’ restaurants serve 7:00 to 22:00 every day, and the pool and jacuzzi areas are open to guests from 9:00 to 21:00. IRTRA’s restaurant page lists La Hacienda, Las Arecas, Kapa Hapa and Los Corozos as serving breakfast, lunch and dinner according to the Los Hostales schedule.

Extra guests. Santa Cruz suites and La Ranchería cabins can take up to 6 adults if no children come, paying for two additional people at Q150.00 per person per night.

New Year. From 28 December to 1 January, the lodging page says rooms are reserved only for the year-end package (Paquete de Fin de Año), with rates on request.

Booking from Xela

IRTRA’s lodging rules list a Xela branch (Sucursal Xela) at Ave. Las Américas 7-62 zona 3, 1er Nivel, oficina 106, Edificio Torre Pradera, tel. 7824-2366 and 67, reservacionesxela@irtra.org.gt. Los Hostales itself answers on (502) 7824-1000 and (502) 7824-1100.

  • Payment: cash, credit card, debit card or cheque, 7 business days before the reservation date.
  • Changes: at the central offices or by email, 5 business days before the date. A change of date or name carries a 10% administrative charge, and a refund request loses 10% of the total.
  • Late cancellation: with 4 business days to go, a one-night booking loses the full amount paid; a longer booking loses one night plus 10% of the total. With 3 business days or fewer, the full amount is lost.
  • Arrival: the rules ask guests to present a valid IRTRA card and the receipt issued at booking. A full-rate guest has no card, so ask reservations what to show at the gate.

Book the room first, then ask Altiplano’s to quote the 07:00 seat to the Los Hostales gate at Km. 180.5 rather than to Retalhuleu town, and ask for a private shuttle or a seat back to Xela for the day after.

Where to stay in San Martín Zapotitlán

Compare Booking.com, Airbnb and hotels on one map. Drag the map and set your dates to see live availability and real prices.

Affiliate links — if you book, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Sources