Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Campingisallowed.Thereefisparticularlywellpreservedwithexcellentopportunitiesfor
scuba diving.
Several of the Lívingston travel agencies go out to the cayes with a minimum of four
people.
Exotic Travel
(tel. 7497-0133 or 7497-0151,
www.bluecaribbeanbay.com
)
runs a
day trip to the cayes, taking two hours to get there from Lívingston by a fast boat and in-
cluding a stop along the way for deep-sea fishing. A box lunch and snorkel gear are also
included. The trip costs $40 per person with a five-person minimum, plus a $10 entry fee
tothepark.You'llhavetocheckoutwithimmigration andpaya$10exittaxforyourbrief
departure from Guatemala, something that has only recently begun to be enforced. Have
your group together by 5 P.M. the night before, along with your immigration formalities.
Overnight stays are available by booking highly recommended sailing adventures start-
ing in Río Dulce, taking you up the lush jungle river and out to the cayes for a memorable
weeklong experience. Booking is available through
Aventuras Vacacionales
(tel.
7832-6056,
www.sailing-diving-guatemala.com
, $380 per person, double occupancy) and
on
“That”
(tel. 5529-0829), a 62-foot trimaran.
One of Guatemala's oldest parks, the waterway connecting the Caribbean Sea with Lake
Izabal is protected as Río Dulce National Park, covering 7,200 hectares along the river's
30 kilometer (19-mile) course. Much of the riverbank is shrouded in dense tropical forest
punctuated at its most dramatic point by a large jungle canyon with hundred-meter rock
faces known as
La Cueva de la Vaca.
The canyon is a 15-minute boat ride upstream from
Lívingston. Along this route you'll also come across a graffiti-covered rock escarpment
known as
La Pintada
with the earliest painting in evidence dating to the 1950s.
ThissmalltributarydivertsnorthfromtheRíoDulcejustupstreamfromthecanyon.Along
itscourse,you'llfindsomeexcellentaccommodationsbuiltintothesurroundingjungleand
in complete harmony with their environment.
Finca Tatín
Finca Tatín
(tel. 5902-0831 or 5776-5156,
www.fincatatin.centroamerica.com
)
is a
wonderfully secluded jungle camp and backpackers' haven about half a kilometer up the
river where you'll find a variety of accommodations, including shared-bath dormitory
beds for $5 per person, shared-bath doubles for $12, and bungalows with charming stone
