THE PACIFIC COAST - Guatemala - page 306

also arrange bird-watching and visits to the Manchón Guamuchal Wetland Preserve and
Chicabal Lagoon.
From Takalik Abaj archaeological site's roadside entrance, it's a further two kilometers
up the main road to Takalik Maya Lodge, about 30 minutes' walking.
Coatepeque
This rather unattractive town lies farther west toward the Mexican border and, as such, is
thehauntoftheusualrag-taggroupoffelonsinhabitingshadybordertowns.Italsodoubles
as a busy commercial center for the surrounding coffee farms. If you need to stay here,
your best bet is the Hotel Villa Real (6a Calle 6-57 Zona 1, tel. [phone], $20d), housed
in a building dating to the early 1900s, featuring very clean rooms with ceiling fan, cable
TV, and comfortable beds. There is also an anexo down the street with newer, single-bed
rooms. The owner claims 80 percent of the local population is armed in this Guatemalan
“red zone” and may be closing his doors in the next few years.
Manchón Guamuchal Wetland Preserve
This wild, 13,500-hectare private wetland reserve harbors the last remaining undisturbed
mangrove swamps in the country. The Manchón Guamuchal is included in the Ramsar
ConventiononWetlands,encompassingalistofgloballyimportantsites,particularlythose
that provide habitat for aquatic birds. The convention was adopted in 1971 and signed by
more than 100 countries. Guatemala ratified the convention in June 1990, and in 1998 the
Manchón Guamuchal was added to the list of sites with international importance.
According to a recent study by a Brazilian biologist, the wetlands are an important stop
along the path of migratory birds coming from Canada and the United States. Among the
varied bird life are 14 duck species, 12 of which are migratory, sparrow hawks, buzzards,
falcons, and 20 species of egrets. Birds arrive sometime in October to November, leaving
in March after wintering in the lagoons. In addition to birds, there are crocodiles, iguanas,
and an abundance of fish.
The reserve is just now being made accessible to tourism, though access to the park is
fairly straightforward. The only facilities are in the towns of Tilapa and neighboring Til-
apita. You'll find several simple comedores lining a pleasantly clean stretch of black-sand
beach in Tilapa. For tours of the mangrove swamps, negotiate with one of the local boat-
men found at the dock.
You can catch a boat through the mangrove lagoons over to Tilapita for $0.50 or hire
your own boat for about $3. There you'll find the wonderful El Pacífico beach hotel (in
Tilapita village, tel. [phone], $20 d) with large, screened-in rooms with fan and private
bath. There's decent food on offer, including fresh seafood and cold beers.