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Beyond Castillo de San Felipe, the broad expanse of Lago de Izabal opens up before you, with great views of the highlands beyond the distant shores. Hotels in Rio Dulce town, including the Hacienda Tijax and Hotel Backpackers , can arrange a tour around the lake with a local boatman, or you can easily explore the north shore along the new road to El Estor. The hot spring waterfall (daily 8am-6pm; US$0.65), 25km from Rio Dulce and 300m north of the road, is one of Guatemala's most remarkable natural phenomena. Bathtub-temperature spring water cascades into pools cooled by a secondary flow of chilly fresh river water, creating a steamy, spa-like environment where it's easy to soak and bathe away an afternoon. Above the waterfall are a series of caves , their interiors crowded with extraordinary shapes and colours - made even more memorable by the fact that you have to swim by torchlight to see them (bring your own flashlight). Two kilometres south of the hot waterfall on the lakeshore, the Finca El Paraiso (tel 949 7122; US$25-60) has two rows of large, comfortable, but rarely occupied cabanas and a reasonable, if overpriced restaurant. The hotel enjoys a delightfully peaceful location and there's good swimming from the black-sand beach. Buses and pick-ups between Rio Dulce and El Estor pass the hot springs and hotel hourly in both directions. Continuing west along the lakeshore it's a further 7km to the Boqueron canyon , just 500m from the road but completely hidden. Near-vertical cliffs soar to over 250m above the Rio Sauce, which flows through the bottom of the jungle-clad gorge, the river bed dotted with colossal boulders. To see Boqueron, you'll have to find Hugo, a campesino-cum-boatman who lives at the base of the canyon at the end of a signposted track from the main road; he will paddle you upstream in his logwood canoe for a small fee. The return trip takes around thirty minutes, though it's possible to continue exploring Boqueron - which extends for a further 5km - on foot if you have sturdy footwear and don't mind a scramble.
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