THE PACIFIC COAST - Guatemala - page 302

Other areas are dedicated to the cultivation of coffee, cacao, macadamia nuts, and exotic
flowers,amongothers,whichvisitorsarefreetocheckout.Therearethreeroomsinacom-
fortable, well-equipped farmhouse, each renting for $60 d with shared bath. The house has
a kitchen and there is a separate and very pleasant open-sided dining room that fronts the
coffee fields; meals can be prepared for you with advance notice.
The farm itself is on the slopes of Santiaguito Volcano and has outstanding views of its
smoldering cone. It's a great place to get away from it all. For the best views of the sur-
rounding coffee fields, mountains, and volcanoes, climb atop the platform near the farm-
house. You can call the owner, Mario Aguilar, for a pickup ($12) or for directions from the
Cuatro Caminos crossroads just outside of Retalhuleu; from there, it's another 14 kilomet-
ers to the farm.
BirdingpackagescanbearrangedbybookinginadvancedirectlythroughReservaPatro-
cinio or through Cayaya Birding (tel. [phone], www.cayaya-birding.com ) .
Comunidad Nueva Alianza
Locatedabout45minutesnorthofRetalhuleu,ComunidadNuevaAlianza(tel.[phone],
www.comunidadnuevaalianza.org ) is a 300-acre organic coffee and macadamia plantation
owned and operated by a cooperative of 40 Guatemalan families. Large tracts of tropical
foresthavebeenpreserved ontheproperty.Awalkthroughtheplantation will bringyouto
cascading waterfalls and wonderful views of Santa María and Santiaguito Volcanoes. The
communityreceivedlegaltitletothelandin2004afteradrawn-outconflictwiththefarm's
former owner who failed to pay workers' wages for 18 months and subsequently declared
bankruptcy. The community received a loan to purchase the land and is actively making
efforts to fund re-payment of the loan via numerous activities. These include ecotourism,
production of bamboo furniture, sustainable energy production, and coffee and macadamia
nut production.