Visit Hound Heights!

The Shelter is open to the public every Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 12 noon. Come and visit! If you are looking for a cat or dog to adopt, or if you have an animal that you would like AWARE to take in, please call Xenii (+502) 5401 3148 before you come.

The Shelter is located 800 metres south of the Pan-American Highway at Kilometre 40, close to the village of Sumpango in the department of Sacatepéquez. This is half-way between San Lucas (Sacatepéquez) and Chimaltenango, and is the junction with the road to Santo Domingo Xenacoj.

If you’re travelling by bus, – NB: there are NO buses running in Guatemala during the Covid situation – it’s approximately a 45-minute ride from Antigua, and 35 minutes from Guatemala City. As of June 2018 the journey costs 8 quetzales (about US$1.) From Antigua to San Lucas = Q5 and from San Lucas to Km 40 = Q3. Take any bus going from Antigua to Guatemala City and get off at the first gas station in San Lucas (the name of the stop is Entrada Santiago.) Cross the road and take any bus going to Chimaltenango. From Guatemala City you need any bus serving destinations on CA1, and the fare is usually 5 quetzales. Ask the driver to let you off at Km 40 (Kilometro Cuarenta.) Cross the footbridge.

At the bottom of the footbridge follow the dirt road on your left. Keep going straight uphill for 800 metres of strenuous walking until you come to a green metal gate on your left. Go through the gate and continue up the lane until you get to another gate and the barking dogs. You have arrived!

Here’s a map showing Km 40 and the dirt road heading uphill (south) to AWARE’s main entrance:

(click on the map for larger image)

This is a road map of the local stretch of CA1, that includes Sumpango

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR THOSE ARRIVING BY CAR

As of March 2017, the Highway Department has blocked all left turns from CA1, except the one at Km 39.8. Vehicular visitors to Hound Heights now have a choice.

1) Do a smart U-turn without leaving CA1 at Km 40, and immediately right onto the dirt road at Km 39.8 leading past the Block Factory and up to Hound Heights. (See Map)

– OR –

2) Turn right at Km 40, turn around somewhere in the space by the bus-stop, turn left onto CA1 and immediately right onto the dirt road at Km 39.8 leading past the Block Factory and up to Hound Heights. (See Map)

– OR –

3) Don’t stop or turn at Km 40, but continue to the turnoff to Sumpango (Km 42) (where there’s a special lane that allows you to turn left into the town). Turn around in the gas station or elsewhere in the entrance to Sumpango, take CA1 heading back the way you came. At Km 39.8 turn right onto the dirt road leading up to Hound Heights. (See both Maps)

– OR –

4) Don’t stop or turn at Km 40, but continue to the turnoff to Sumpango (Km 42) (where there’s a special lane that allows you to turn left into the town). Drive up through Sumpango, turn LEFT when you get to the junction with Sumpango’s other main street (there’s a Traffic Control Officer directing traffic at this junction), follow the road up through town and take the dirt road leading downhill which is straight in front of you as the paved road bends right and heads out of town. This is the dirt road that leads back down to CA1. The entrance to Hound Heights is on your right (green metal gates), just before the fork in the dirt road (left fork to CA1 at Km 40, right fork to CA1 at Km 39.8). (See both Maps) If you need directions, ask for ‘La Perrera’ (‘The Dogs’ Home’).