Sacapulas, on the banks of the Río Negro, sits at the crossroads of newly paved roads heading west to Huehuetenango, east to Uspantán and Cobán (partially paved), and north to Nebaj.

If you need to spend the night here, a decent choice is Tujaal (tel. 5529-8609, $10 s/d), on the right side just before crossing the bridge over the river for the road to Nebaj.

There’s a restaurant on the ground floor serving basic Guatemalan fare. A second option is Hospedaje y Restaurante Río Negro (tel. 5410-8168, $3 p/p) with basic rooms and shared, cold-water bath. It’s on the southern bank of the river next to the Cruz Roja (Red Cross).

If you should need to exchange cash dollars, Banrural is on the north side of the plaza uphill from the bridge.

From here, there are seven daily buses to Nebaj (1.5 hours), two buses to Huehuetenango at 4:30 and 5:30 a.m. (1.5 hours), and seven daily buses to Uspantán, in addition to pickups throughout the day. Buses leave from the north side of the bridge over the river.