Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Most El Remate accommodations can book two-hour boat trips for
bird-watching
or nocturn-
Ami; (
Click here
)
the latter also offers sunset lake tours with detours up the Ixlu and Ix-
pop rivers (Q150 per person).
Ascunción, found by the second speed bump from the north shore junction, rents
kayaks (Q35 per hour) and bicycles (per hour/day Q10/70). He also guides horseback
rides to Laguna Sacpetén and a small archaeological site there (Q150 per person, 2½
hours).
NATURE RESERVE
Biotopo Cerro Cahuí
(admission Q40; 7am-4pm)
Comprising a 7.3-sq-km swath of subtropical forest rising up
from the lake over limestone terrain, this nature reserve offers mildly strenuous hiking and
excellent wildlife watching, with paths to some brilliant lookout points. As a bonus,
there's an adjacent lakeside park with diving docks for a refreshing conclusion to the tour.
More than 20 mammal species roam the reserve, including spider and howler monkeys,
white-tailed deer and the elusive Meso-american tapir. Bird life is rich and varied, with
the opportunity to spot toucans, woodpeckers and the famous ocellated turkey, a big bird
resembling a peacock. Trees include mahogany, cedar,
ramón
, and cohune palm, along
with many types of bromeliads, ferns and orchids.
A network of loop trails ascend the hill to two lookout points, affording a view of the
whole lake and of Laguna Sacpetén to the east. The trail called Los Escobos (4km long,
about 2¼ hours), through secondary growth forest, is good for spotting monkeys.
The admission fee includes the right to camp or sling your hammock under small thatch
shelters inside the entrance. There are toilets and showers. The reserve is 1.75km west
along the north-shore road from El Remate.
Project Ix-Canaan
(
www.ixcanaan.com
)
This group supports the improvement of health, education and opportun-
ities for rainforest inhabitants. Operating here since 1996, they runs a community clinic,
women's center, library and research center. Volunteers work in the clinic, build and main-
tain infrastructure, and assist in various other ways.
VOLUNTEERING
Tours
