Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you're coming for the waterfall, head north (away from the lake) where the bus drops
you off - you pay the admission fee there, from where it's about a 2km walk to the falls.
To get to the restaurant and hotel, head south (towards the lake) for about 3km.
A slightly humbler, but completely adequate overnight option can be found by turning
right just before the
finca
house - follow the signs for
Brisas del Lago
( 7958-0309; cabin per
person Q100)
. There is a good restaurant here and plenty of hammocks strung around, catch-
ing the lake breezes.
The
finca
is on the Río Dulce-El Estor bus route, about one hour (Q10) from Río Dulce
and 30 minutes (Q7) from El Estor. The last bus in either direction passes at around
4:30pm to 5pm.
El Boquerón
This beautiful, lushly vegetated canyon abutting the tiny Maya settlement of the same
name is about 6km east of El Estor. Pay your Q5 entry fee, and for around Q15 per per-
son, villagers will paddle you 15 minutes up the Río Sauce through the canyon, drop you
at a small beach, where you can swim and if you like scramble up the rocks, and wait or
return for you at an agreed time. Río Dulce-bound buses from El Estor will drop you at El
Boquerón (Q7, 15 minutes), as will El Estor-bound buses from Río Dulce.
El Estor
POP 21,100
The major settlement on the northern shore of Lago de Izabal is El Estor, a friendly, som-
nolent little town with a lovely setting which provides an easy jumping-off point for
Bocas del Polochic, a highly biodiverse wildlife reserve at the west end of the lake. The
town is also a staging post on a possible route between Río Dulce and Lanquín.
Sleeping & Eating
Restaurante Típico Chaabil apart, the best place to look for food is around Parque Central,
where
Café Portal
(mains Q30-50; 7am-9pm)
serves a broad range of fare with some vegetarian
options. On the other side of the park,
Restaurante del Lago
(mains Q40-80; 8am-8pm)
, on the
2nd floor, catches some good breezes and a bit of a lake view - it has the widest menu in
town.
