Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Boating
Boaters will find marinas on both Guatemalan coasts. On the Pacific, a new marina was
built with partial backing from Dutch interests near the aging port facilities of
Champer-
ico.
Farther east, the
Marina Pez Vela
caters to sportfishing boats and is adjacent to the
Puerto Quetzal Cruise Ship Terminal.
It has restaurants and good tourism infrastructure.
OntheCaribbeanCoast,you'llfindmanyboatstravelingupthe
Río Dulce
fromtheCarib-
bean Coast and docking at any of a number of marinas in the river's namesake town.
Guatemala has some excellent golf courses, all in or around Guatemala City, housed in
private clubs open to foreign visitors. Some afford excellent views of the city and all enjoy
spectacular locations in the mountains flanking the urban area. New golf courses were in
the planning stages on the Pacific Coast adjacent to IRTRA's theme parks at Xocomil and
Xetulul, near Retalhuleu, and along the coastal corridor between Iztapa and Monterrico.
Fútbol
Guatemalans love their soccer, known as
fútbol.
It is by far the most widely played sport in
the country, with every town or village having at least something that resembles a soccer
field. Almost everywhere you go, you'll find games being played on Sunday afternoons.
As for professional soccer playing, the two most popular teams in the country's four-team
national soccer league, denoted by the colors of their jerseys, are the Rojos (Municipales)
and Cremas (Comunicaciones). The two usually end up going head to head at the end of
the season for the championship title.
Games can be seen at Guatemala City's Estadio Mateo Flores, but be advised it can get
quite rowdy. In 1996, things got so out of hand that a stampede ensued when stands col-
lapsed, killing 100 people. The soccer stadium has been remodeled in the aftermath. If
you've always wanted to see a Latin American soccer match, you might want to check
it out. Guatemala also has a few star players in U.S. Major League Soccer and on some
European teams.
Internationalgamesplayedbythenationalsquadareabigevent,asGuatemalahasnever
been to a World Cup. Guatemala is part of CONCACAF, the Caribbean, North, and Cent-
ral American Confederation. CONCACAF gets three slots for the World Cup, which usu-
ally end up going to the United States, Mexico, and Costa Rica. In 2004-2005, the national
squad (also known as
la bicolor
) got closer than it's ever been, advancing into the Final
Round of the World Cup qualifiers tied in points with Costa Rica after beating Hondur-
