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The setting of MONTERRICO is one of the finest on the Pacific coast, with the scenery reduced to its basic elements: a strip of dead straight sand, a line of powerful surf, a huge empty ocean and an enormous curving horizon. The village is friendly and relaxed, separated from the mainland by the waters of the Chiquimulilla canal, which weaves through a fantastic network of mangrove swamps . Mosquitoes can be a problem during the wet season, but that said, Monterrico is certainly the best place on the coast to spend time by the sea, though take care in the waves as there's a vicious undertow - lifeguards are on duty at weekends. Beach apart, Monterrico's chief attraction is the Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii nature reserve , which embraces the village, the beach - an important turtle nesting ground - and a large slice of the mangrove swamps behind, covering a total area of some 28 square kilometres (sadly, however, the reserve's protected status does not stop the dumping of domestic rubbish and the widespread theft of turtle eggs). The reserve encloses four distinct types of mangrove, with dark, nutrient-rich waters flowing between a dense mat of branches, interspersed with narrow canals, open lagoons, bulrushes and water lilies. The tangle of roots acts as a kind of marine nursery, offering small fish protection from their natural predators, while above the surface the dense vegetation and ready food supply provide an ideal home for hundreds of species of bird and a handful of mammals, including racoons, opossums, ant-eaters and armadillos, plus iguanas, caimans and alligators. The best way to travel is in a small cayuco (kayak); ask around at the dock for a boatman or organize a trip through Iguana Tours (tel 238 4690), on the main street close to the football field. The reserve's visitor centre (daily 8.30am-noon & 2-5pm), just off the beach between Hotel Mangle and the Pez d'Oro , has plenty of information about the environment (Spanish only) and an important turtle hatchery; caimans and iguanas are also bred at the centre for release into the wild. Monterrico, like most places on the Pacific coast, is very quiet during the week but fills up at weekends with Guatemalans from the capital and increasing numbers of language-school students from Antigua. Though the beach is far too expansive to get packed, the atmosphere tends to be raucous, with some of the more frenzied visitors ripping up and down the sands on their motorbikes.
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