Tag Archives: Mayan

An Extraordinary Guide to Caribbean Coast of Guatemala: Rio Dulce and Lago de Izabal (Part II)

View from the bridge over the Rio Dulce, Guatemala -- Karina Noriega

Guatemala’s coastal borders with the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea could not be more different.  La Costa, refers to the fertile lands between chains of volcanoes and the Pacific Ocean. It is coarse, black volcanic sand continuously pounded by the raging Pacific. By contrast, Guatemala’s narrow coastline on the Caribbean side is a tropical jungle opening where the Rio Dulce, or ‘sweet river’ follows its path to the sea.

Check out Part I for the seaside, Garifuna town of Livingston and the nearby attractions. 

View from the bridge over the Rio Dulce, Guatemala -- Karina Noriega

View from the bridge over the Rio Dulce, Guatemala — Karina Noriega

Travel Tip:

Take a daytime walk over the bridge for the best views from high above the ‘sweet river’.

Rio Dulce is a sweet water haven surrounded by massive jungles that connects the enormous fresh water Lake Izabal with the open sea on the Caribbean coast. In contrast to the crowded, gateway town of Fronteras, the waters edge is spotted by small and isolated Mayan towns, a few eco-lodges and the weekend homes of Guatemala’s wealthy elite. Beautiful mansions complete with thatch roof ranchos covering enormous luxury boats shine a spotlight on the massively uneven distributions of wealth in this country. Continue reading →

It’s Never Too Late To Become An Explorer

Dad and I in the parque central. Antigua, Guatemala -- Karina Noriega

Dad and I in the parque central. Antigua, Guatemala — Karina Noriega

Adventures with my Dad were always kept pretty close to home when I was little. He would often help me collect gardener snakes to wrap around my neck as I played about in the woods nearby our house. He sat me on his lap when I was 9 years old and taught me how to drive our family van. When he was doing small repairs on the roof of our house, if my mother wasn’t looking, he would allow me to join him. To this day I will never forget the rush brought on by the impending sense of danger, as I hung my legs over the eaves trough and stared down at my friends on the ground below.

From the beginning he always understood the adrenaline junky in me.

Now the tables have turned and I am the one introducing adventure into HIS life. For just over a week my Dad joined Karina and I on a wild excursion in the tropical jungle of Livingston and the Rio Dulce, followed by our exploration of Guatemalan traditions in Antigua. We had the time of our lives together and in order to showcase our little expedition I created a 3 minute video summary of my Dad’s very FIRST backpacking trip.

He is living proof that it’s never too late to become an explorer.

~ An Extraordinary Story by April Beresford ~

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