Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Chiquimulilla. The pedestrian thoroughfare, officially dubbed Paseo de Don Pedro (after
Pedro Cofiño Kepfer, a key player in masterminding Monterrico's urban facelift who died
in a tragic accident in 2007), has yet to attract the upscale businesses it seems to have been
designed for. Nonetheless, it is a pleasant way to get from town to the beach.
Althoughit'seasytoseeMonterricoasabeachdestination,itshouldbenotedthatitwas
a protected sea turtle nesting site long before it became the haunt of beach-seeking vaca-
tioners. Visitors can contribute to the conservation efforts of the local sea turtle conserva-
tion site via their paid admission to tour its grounds. In addition to the beaches, Monterrico
offers the opportunity to interact with nature in some unique ways, whether it's touring the
mangrove canals, holding a baby sea turtle in your hand before its maiden voyage out to
sea, or watching a mother turtle come ashore to lay eggs in total darkness. Try to engage
in at least one of these ecologically responsible activities while keeping in mind the ecolo-
gical significance of this site. The sea turtles here have a fighting chance, though they are
being wiped out elsewhere by the indiscriminate harvesting of their eggs.
Asforthe beaches themselves, there are, in all honesty,better and cleaner stretches else-
where along Guatemala's Pacific seaboard. The waves break very close to the sand here
and the beaches slope dramatically downwards, which means you don't have a particularly
wide stretch of beach, unlike at Iztapa or Tilapa farther west. The undertow, as along much
of the Pacific Coast, is severe and drownings are not uncommon. Exercise due caution.
Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii
This protected biotope (
www.visitmonterrico.com
)
encompasses the beaches and man-
grove swamps of Monterrico and those of adjacent Parque Hawaii, which are the prime
nesting sites for sea turtles on Guatemala's Pacific seaboard, including the giant leatherb-
ack and smaller olive ridley turtles. Locals are involved in a conservation project with the
local turtle hatchery whereby they are allowed to keep half of the eggs they collect from
nests and turn in the other half to the hatchery. In the heart of town and run by the San
Carlos University Center for Conservation Studies (CECON), the
Tortugario Monterrico
(on the sandy street just behind Johnny's Place, 8 A.M.- noon and 2-5 P.M. daily, $1) en-
compasses a turtle hatchery right on the beach, where collected eggs are reburied and al-
lowedtohatchunderprotectedconditions.There'salsoavisitorscenter.Inadditiontobaby
sea turtles, the hatchery has enclosures housing green iguanas, crocodiles, and freshwater
turtles bred on-site for release into the wild. The staff at CECON is always on the lookout
for Spanish-speaking volunteers.
