US$1 = 6 Quetzals

Fuente del Norte is the bus line serving Rio Dulce from this region & it is located in the center of Santa Elena. The fare is 50 Quetzals & it's best to board the aging Greyhound early as it fills to standing room only before departing. The road is dirt & full of bonejarring ruts all the way to San Luis some four hours away.

There the bus thins out & then takes on a more international flair of riders at the Poptun ruins. The ride hereon is fairly smooth & the scenery is enjoyable; interrupted only by a 10 minute military (get off the bus) check an hour outside of Rio Dulce.

There's a few budget places to stay in Rio Dulce with prices ranging around 20Q for a room without bath, & 50Q for one with. The best bet though is found at the Hotel Backpackers which necessitates a cross over the bridge, & a 300 meter walk underneath the bridge on the west side to the river's edge...Or...for a few Quetzals you can catch a few minute water taxi ride next to the Hollymar bar & cybercafe. The Hollymar is the "in" place. It was shut down briefly for some marijuana infractions recently, but was back to business as usual in no time.

Backpackers is operated by the Casa Guatemala home for abandoned malnourished & orphaned children. All of their profits go directly to support their children's home on the Rio Dulce. It's situated right on the water's edge with a beautiful view of the Rio Dulce, & its spacious deck is a great place to trade travel tales, read, or simply unwind while quenching your thirst with a less than a buck rum & coke.

The price for a dormitory room is 25Q...space for a hammock 15Q, the hammock another 10Q. I paid 50Q for a room with a bath situated over the water & fell asleep listening to its gentle lapping at the underpinning pillars. The entire place is kept spotless by the older charges from Casa Guatemala who do the daily housekeeping.

Casa Guatemala also provides free board & room for volunteers who pledge to a three month tour of duty at the orphanage. All the volunteers I talked to loved their time spent there & the chance to help the children. Increasing their Spanish fluency was an added benefit.

Backpackers makes it easy to connect with others wanting to join up & cut costs for different adventures. I got together with 14 travelers, via the free use of Backpackers' VHF & others staying there at the hotel. Together we put together our own private tour of the Rio Dulce incorporating it into a trip to Livingston on the Carribean.

The 840Q trip took 4 hours as our 14 person party (party is the right term) from 9 countries directed the pilot along the way. The lush scenery was magnificent...staying the same yet changing. Dotting the landscape at first were modern homes & luxury yachts, intermingled with the more modest native dwellings & paddle powered water craft. Then civilization gave way completely to the jungle & our only visible companions were the fowl hovering above & those nestling in the trees that hugged the shore.

We made a food stop, & another at some hot springs shortly after for a refreshing dip in its heated waters. Our bodies were now full, limp & ready for the laid back reggae town of Livingston.

Email: casaguatemal@guate.net
fax: 502-331-9408
VHF : channel 68

Questions?
If you want more information about this area you can email the author or check out our Central America Insiders page.