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A very good reason for coming to Livingston is to venture up the Rio Dulce , a truly spectacular trip that leads eventually to the town of the same name about 30km upriver. The total journey takes some two to three hours and can be organized through any of the travel agents in Livingston. From Livingston the river heads into a system of gorges between sheer rock faces 100m or so in height. Clinging to the sides is a wall of tropical vegetation and cascading vines, and here and there you might see some white herons or flocks of squawking parakeets. Six kilometres from Livingston there's a delightful river tributary, the Rio Tatin , which some boatmen will venture up if you ask them, where there's a good guesthouse, the Finca Tatin (tel 902 0831, www.geocities.com/fincatatin/index.htm ; US$5-10), set in dense shoreside jungle and only reachable by boat. Run by hospitable Italians, the four wooden huts are very basic, but the remote, peaceful location is the real draw, and there's excellent healthy food, kayaks for hire, walking trails and Spanish classes available. Continuing up the Rio Dulce for another kilometre or so, you'll pass an excellent place for a swim, where warm sulphurous waters emerge from the base of the cliff. Past here, the river opens up into the Golfete lake, surrounded by swampy lowlands, the north shore of which has been designated the Biotopo de Chocon Machacas (daily 7am-4pm; US$5), designed to protect the manatee - though the huge mammals are extremely timid and you'll be very lucky to see one. The reserve also protects the forest that still covers much of the lake's shore, and there are some specially cut trails where you might catch sight of a bird or two, or, if you've plenty of time and patience, even a tapir or jaguar. Heading on upstream, the river closes in again and passes the marina and bridge at the squalid town of Rio Dulce (also known as Fronteras). This part of the Rio Dulce is a favourite playground for wealthy Guatemalans, with boats and hotels that would put parts of California to shame. The area is also popular with European and North American yachties on account of its sheltered waters, stores and repair workshops. The road for Peten crosses the river here and the boat trip comes to an end.
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