Located about 4-hours 30-minutes hours south from Tikal towards the Guatemalan border with Honduras, you can find the secluded and peaceful Rio Dulce. There are numerous rustic cabins that line its shores as well as boats and yachts; many of which belong to ex-pats who have chosen this beautiful area for their retirement. The cabin our group stayed in was Tortugal which is the perfect place to unwind after a long trip and take a break from days filled with long walking tours. You could easily spend the day on the deck by the river reading a book or catching up on some emails. The freshwater river is also great to go for a swim and cool down from the hot Guatemalan weather.
A Riverside Fort
If you’re not one who likes to take a break from activities whilst on vacation like myself, then you could go kayaking in the river. It is possible to kayak to the National Park of Castillo San Felipe which is about 30 minutes away. The current of Rio Dulce is quite strong so it can be a tiring journey depending on whether it works against or in your favor. There’s an area on the shoreline where you can secure your kayaks with some rope. The park’s guard has a clear view of the kayaks so they are perfectly safe here whilst you venture through the park. Entrance for foreign nationals is 20 GTQ1 and your admission ticket is an A4 information sheet with the fort’s history albeit it is in Spanish only. The national park is quite large and has many well-maintained facilities which include a pool, barbecue areas, and restrooms. There were several local families having picnics and swimming in the river. If you didn’t bring any food, then there are several stalls which sell snacks and small bites to eat. The fort is located on the peninsula at the narrowest point of the river making it a strategic defensive position. At the entrance, a staff member will punch a hole in your ticket and tell you to follow the signs around the fort.
It’s easy to find your way around and you can finish the site in about an hour. Throughout the 16th and 17th century, there were warehouses in Lake Izabal storing goods that were traded with Spain. Rio Dulce is the only way in and out of Lake Izabal, so this fort was built to defend from pirate attacks who attempted to raid the warehouses. Many of these attacks were successful and the fort was even taken over and burnt down at one point. Due to its strategic position, the fort was rebuilt and fortified many times. It was also used as a prison during a period when there were no attacks. In 1955, the fort was restored and reconstructed based on historical documents and excavations done in the area. The result is a collection of rooms, towers, and dungeon from the different time periods.
A Unique Waterfall Adventure
The locals told us about a nearby waterfall which was near our cabin in Tortugal. It was not walking distance and the only available public transport is a colectivo. These are small minibusses that have been adapted to carry passengers. To get to the colectivo2, we were told to walk 20 minutes down to the highway and simply wait by the road since there are no bus stops. They said the colectivos normally come every 30 minutes and to ask the driver to drop us off at Finca El Paraiso. You can identify a colectivo because there’s a guy hanging out the door shouting out the destinations. When one arrived, there were 2 empty seats for 3 of us so we thought we’d have to wait for the next one. However, in Guatemala, there is no such thing as a full colectivo and they just squeezed me in. The locals take these colectivos and some of them bring massive baskets and bags from the market. Now you’d think this is as full as it gets, but along the way, the colectivo made stops and kept picking people up. The vehicle probably had a capacity for 15 people and I counted 26. It was so overpacked that it couldn’t make it up a slight inclined slope and the assistant had to help push it up.
Our journey to the waterfall took 40 minutes and cost us 15 GTQ. You then pay 20 GTQ for the entrance at the Finca Paraiso and then walk about 20 minutes along the trail which is easy to follow; you can’t get lost. This is a completely natural place with no facilities whatsoever so wear your swimwear underneath your clothes. Do not bring any valuables either as you’ll be leaving everything by the riverside. What makes this waterfall so unique, is that you get a scorching hot waterfall flowing down into a cold river. You can also go under the waterfall into a cave and the heat makes it into somewhat of a natural sauna. We met a local who turned out to be family of the owner and he showed us around the maze-like underwater caves. He even showed us that you could jump off from the waterfall into the river but we didn’t dare to attempt that. It was a magical and relaxing experience that was definitely worth the journey.
