Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Orientation & Information
From where you alight from the La Avellana boat, it's about 1km to the beach and the ho-
tels. You pass through the village en route. From the
embarcadero
(wharf) walk straight
ahead and then turn left. Pickups (Q5) meet scheduled boats or
lanchas
.
If you come by bus from Pueblo Viejo, from the stop walk about 300m toward the
beach on Calle Principal.
Banrural, just off the main street on the road to Parque Hawaii, changes cash and may
change traveler's checks. There's an ATM in the Supermercado Monterrico. The
post office
(Calle Principal)
is on the main street.
Getting There & Away
There are two ways to get to Monterrico. Coming from Guatemala City or Antigua, it's
most logical to catch a bus which, with the new bridge at Pueblo Viejo, goes right through
to Monterrico. The Pueblo Viejo-Monterrico stretch makes for a pretty journey, revealing
local life at a sane pace.
The other option is to head to La Avellana, where
lanchas
and car ferries depart for
Monterrico. The Cubanita company runs a handful of direct buses to and from Guatemala
City (Q40, four hours, 124km). Alternatively, you reach La Avellana by changing buses at
Taxisco on Hwy 2. Buses operate half-hourly from 5am to 4pm between Guatemala City
and Taxisco (Q35, 3½ hours) and roughly hourly from 7am to 4:30pm between Taxisco
and La Avellana (Q5, 40 minutes), although taxi drivers will tell you that you've missed
the last bus, regardless of what time you arrive. A taxi between Taxisco and La Avellana
costs around Q70.
From La Avellana catch a
lancha
or car ferry to Monterrico. The collective
lanchas
charge Q5 per passenger for the half-hour trip along the Canal de Chiquimulilla, a long
mangrove canal. They start at 4:30am and run more or less every half-hour or hour until
late afternoon. You can always pay more and charter your own boat. The car ferry costs
Q85 per vehicle.
Shuttle buses also serve Monterrico. The most reliable leaves from outside the Proyecto
Lingüístico Monterrico at 1pm and 4pm and charges Q70/150 to Antigua/Guatemala City.
Book tickets and enquire for other destinations at the school (
Click here
)
.
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