Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The town of Río Dulce is the community centered around a long bridge crossing over the
river near its meeting point with Lake Izabal. You'll find most of the town's accommoda-
tions on the north side of the bridge, also known as Fronteras.
RECREATION
Although the river and jungle are all around you, exploring this area may not be so easy
on your own. It's always possible to hire a lanchero to take you around. Bargain hard. A
more viable alternative is to stay at one of the more ecologically oriented lodges, which
usuallyofferafullrangeofoptionsforexploring.Thetwobestplacestostayinthisregard
are Hacienda Tijax (tel. 7930-5505/6/7, VHF channel 09, www.tijax.com ) and Tortugal
(tel. 5306-6432 or 7742-8847, VHF channel 68, www.tortugal.com ) , which both do an ex-
cellent job of providing engaging nature hikes as well as supplying equipment (kayaks, for
example) to explore on your own.
Sailing to the Belize Cayes
Aventuras Vacacionales (tel. 7832-6056, www.sailing-diving-guatemala.com ) offers sail-
ing trips up the Río Dulce and out to the Belize cayes on Las Sirenas, a 46-foot Polynesian
catamaran. Sailing adventures are also available on “That” (tel. 5529-0829), a 62-foot tri-
maran.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Most of Río Dulce's accommodations can be found on the north side of the bridge,
starting from there and spreading east and west a few kilometers along the riverbank.
Directly underneath the bridge is Bruno's Hotel and Marina (tel. 7930-5175,
www.mayaparadise.com ) , a popular establishment with the sailing set containing rooms in
shared-bathroom dormitories for $5 per bed, rooms with shared bath for $20 d, or rooms
with air-conditioning, hot-water private bath, and porch overlooking the gardens and river
for $40 d. There's a small swimming pool next to the river, which makes a great place to
hang out. A few doors down along the busy road leading out of town, the Riverside Hotel
(tel. 7930-5668) makes an acceptable budget choice with shared-bath rooms on the first
floor going for $5 d or upstairs with private bathroom for $10 d. All rooms are bare-bones
but clean enough.
About one kilometer farther east along the river is Hacienda Tijax (tel. 7930-5505
/6/7, VHF channel 09, www.tijax.com ) , one of Guatemala's most enjoyable places to stay.
Theleastexpensiveroomsareabovetherestaurantandcost$13dwithsharedbath,though
the quaint little A-frame cabins on the riverfront are what this place is all about. Cabins
 
 
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