Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
From Taxisco, the road continues east parallel to the coastline, passing near the town of
Chiquimulilla before heading into higher elevations, from which there are fantastic panor-
amas of the ocean below.
Chiquimulilla is an adequate place to stop should you need to regroup after crossing the
border from El Salvador or if you need a place to stay on the way there. If you need to
hit an ATM, your best bet is the 5B ATM at Banrural (1a Calle and 1a Avenida Zona 3).
There's also a Banco Industrial Visa ATM at 1a Avenida and 3a Calle Zona 2. Should you
need to stay, try the
Hotel San Carlos
(Barrio Santiago, tel. 7885-0187, $13 d).
Outside of town at Km. 99 of the Pacific Coast Highway (CA-2) is
Erhco Park
(tel.
7885-0139), a fairly decent ecological park and working farm occupying almost 70 acres.
There are nature trails, horseback riding, waterfalls, and farm animals. There's a small res-
taurant and you can camp or spend the night here in simple bungalows.
As you head east from Chiquimulilla close to the Salvadoran border, a turnoff from the
Pacific Coast Highway (CA-2) at Km. 144 heads south to the small village of Las Lisas,
which has some nice beaches on the other side of the Canal de Chiquimulilla in Barra El
Jiote. The town itself is unremarkable and the tourism infrastructure virtually nonexistent,
thoughthereareagrowingnumberofhotelsintheareathatmeritmention.Theonlydraw-
back is accessibility. To get to the beaches you must hire a boat from the main dock in Las
Lisas at a cost of $13 each way, though you may be able to arrange pickup service from
the area lodges if you call ahead. It's about a 20-minute ride to the Barra El Jiote from Las
Lisas. As most of these lodges cater to sporadic visitors in these remote stretches of coast-
line, it's always a good idea to call ahead and reserve.
Accommodations and Food
OneofGuatemala'smostexotichideaways,andthearea'spioneeringlodge,
Isleta de Gaia
(tel. 7885-0044,
www.isleta-de-gaia.com
,
$77-84 d), is spectacularly set on a sandy spit
between the Chiquimulilla Canal and the Pacific Ocean. There are 12 attractive bamboo
bungalowsofvaryingsizesfacingtheclean,sandybeachorthelagoon;allarebuiltaround
a nice swimming pool. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and serves
excellent international fare in the $5-12 range. The service is second to none.
Diverswillwanttocheckout
Caleta Azul
(BarradelJiote,tel.5715-2849or5715-4101,
www.caletaazul.net
,
$145 d all-inclusive), fronting a nice stretch of wide, sandy beach. In
the waters just off the coast are the remains of two sunken vessels, one dating to the 1950s,
