Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Your base for sailfishing the Guatemalan Pacific Coast will likely be Iztapa,
about 90 minutes from Guatemala City.
Sailfish Bay Lodge
is my favorite place
tobaseatripoutof;it'samongthebestoutfitters,withalodgerightonthebeach.
Another good option is
Casa Vieja Lodge,
near Puerto San José. You can fish
from one to five days (or more), taking a morning for whale-watching in season,
and then tacking on an extra day or two for golf.
WHALE-WATCHING
Guatemala is a stopping point along the migration path of humpback whales and
whale-watchingisarecentadditiontothecountry'stourismofferings.Otherspe-
cies you might spy on a whale-watching tour include pilot whales, whale sharks,
sea turtles, and bottlenose dolphins. Scheduled tours leave weekend mornings
from Antigua Guatemala or Iztapa, beginning and ending in the Puerto Quetzal
marina.
GOLF
Splendidly set on a former coffee plantation just 20 kilometers from Antigua,
La Reunión Antigua Golf Resort
is the only place in the world where you can
enjoy a round of golf with a view of four volcanoes, two of which are active.
Practice your swing at the driving range in the shadow of smoke-belching Fuego
Volcano;its18-hole,PeteDye-designedFuegoMayagolfcoursetakesitsinspir-
ation from the 19-month Mayan solar calendar. The adjacent, 26-suite hotel of-
fers fabulous accommodations and delectable culinary creations. You may never
want to leave.
It's only an hour from La Reunión to Guatemala City, or 45 minutes to the Pa-
cific Coast. You can easily combine a stay in Antigua and/ or Guatemala City
with some golf time, as almost any time of year is well-suited to this activity
thankstoGuatemala'snear-perfectclimate.InthevicinityofGuatemalaCity,the
best place to tee off is
San Isidro Golf Club.
It enjoys wonderful views of the
city from its location in the surrounding hillsides.
Petén
There are many adventure hiking opportunities in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, the most
hard-core being the two-day hike from the village of Carmelita to the ruins of El Mirador
through knee-deep mud along swampy terrain surrounded by tropical forest. The rewards
fortheintrepidarewellworthit,withtheopportunitytoexplorethelargestandhighestpre-
Columbian structures in the New World, the temple complexes of El Tigre and La Danta,
with bases the size of three football fields. Other recommended treks include hiking from
the ruins of El Zotz to Tikal and Tikal to Yaxhá. There are also good opportunities near
the village ofPoptún, in southern Petén, available through the excellent area jungle lodges.
Poptún sits at a comfortably higher altitude than the rest of Petén and offers an interest-
