EL ORIENTE AND IZABAL - Guatemala - page 410

There are no public boat routes between El Estor and any other of the lakeside settle-
ments, but local lancheros would be happy to take you anywhere you like. Bargain hard.
NEAR EL ESTOR
Finca El Paraíso
On Lake Izabal's northern shore, between El Estor and Río Dulce, is the wonderful water-
fall hot springs of Finca El Paraíso (tel. [phone]), a working farm easily accessible from
either town. Here a wide, 12-meter-high warm-water fall plunges into a clear pool cooled
by flows from surrounding streams. If you think soaking in warm water in a tropical cli-
matewouldn'tbeinviting,thinkagain.Abovethefallsaresomecavesworthexploring,for
whichyou'llneedtobringaflashlight.Twokilometerswestfromthefallsisacomfortable
lodge and restaurant. The wooden bungalows have private bathroom and you can catch the
cool lake breezes from a hammock on your very own patio. The restaurant is housed in a
bamboo-and-thatch open-air structure with a menu that includes pasta and meat dishes.
The farm lies along the Río Dulce-El Estor bus route, about an hour from Río Dulce and
40 minutes from El Estor. Buses and pickups go by about every hour in both directions,
withthelast ofthese around4:30P.M.Hacienda Tijax andTortugal, inRíoDulce, canalso
bring you here on a tour.
El Boquerón
RoughlysixkilometerseastofElEstor,thedramaticlimestonecanyonofElBoquerónlies
500metersofftheroadtoRíoDulce.Forabout$3,localscantakeyouuptheRíoSaucein
a wooden canoe to explore the canyon and admire its 250-meter-high rock faces. There's a
small beach in the canyon not too far from where the trip begins. They can leave you here
and pick you up at an agreed upon time. The canyon extends for another five kilometers or
so from here, should you want to do some more exploring.
Bocas del Polochic Wildlife Refuge
This park encompasses the Río Polochic delta and includes wetlands, flooded forests, and
savannas harboring a wide range of resident and migratory bird species as well as Lake
Izabal's remaining manatee and crocodile populations. There are abundant populations of
freshwater turtles and green iguanas. Larger mammals include tapir, howler monkeys, and
three species of cats, including jaguars. The park is managed by Defensores de la Nat-
uraleza (office in El Estor at 5a Avenida and 2a Calle, tel. [phone] or 7949-7130,
www.defensores.org.gt ) , which also manages the Sierra de las Minas Biosphere Reserve
beginning just south of Bocas del Polochic and running west all the way to Baja Verapaz.
Together, both parks account for about 80 percent of Guatemala's biodiversity. Their man-