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Places to Visit in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, America

Places to Visit in Puerto Barrios, Guatemala, America

Puerto Barrios is a capital city of Izabal department in Guatemala located between 15°43′ N latitude and 88°35′ W longitude, within the Gulf of Honduras. It is administrated by Puerto Barrios, located about 315 km from the national capital Guatemala City. Puerto Barrios harbor is located on the bay of Bahia de Amatique.

Most of the youths of neighboring areas arrange a party at night in Puerto Barrios harbor because of its pleasant environment. The major suburbs of Puerto Barrios are los tanques, las champas la veinte, la catorce, la trece, la veintedos and El rastro. Puerto Barrios enjoys a tropical monsoon climate.

Etymology and history of Puerto Barrios:

Puerto Barrios was named in the honor of the former president of the country, Justo Rufino Barrios in 1884. It was damaged strongly by the earthquake on February 4^th of 1976 and then most modern cargo traffic shifted to neighboring Santo Tomas de Castilla port. Presently Puerto Barrios is the centre of Dole and Fresh Del Monte Produce industries.

How to reach Puerto Barrios?

Puerto Barrios has an airport used for both military and public purpose, presently it is not served by any scheduled flights, but it can be accessible by charter flights and the airport is located few kilometers away from the town centre.

Litegua, a national bus company, operates bus services between Puerto Barrios and Guatemala City and it takes around 5 to 6 hours. The company offers first class and second class services which costs Q80 and Q50 per way respectively.

Puerto Barrios has boat services to Belize. Bus costs Q3 and taxi costs Q5 for local travel. Advance booking is offered.

Food and Shopping in Puerto Barrios:

Puerto Barrios is a port city housing many food corners and shopping centres, most of them are situated near the harbor and town centre. La Colombina Forever is a disco centre in Puerto Barrios.

The famous restaurants in Puerto Barrios are:

El Castillo
Fogon Porteno
Pepin Burger
Restaurante y Cafeteria MAXIM
Dona Maria

Things to do in Puerto Barrios:

Gus Tours
Bird watching
Shopping
Boat riding

Places to see in Puerto Barrios:

Puerto Barrios Harbor:

Puerto Barrios harbor is the major tourist site offering different activities like boating, swimming and night entertainment.

Santo Tomas de Castilla:

Santo Tomas de Castilla or Matias de Galvez is a port town located 6 km away from Puerto Barrios. It is located between 15°41′20″ N latitude and 88°36′45″ W longitude. Santo Tomas de Castilla has a sea port which was constructed in 1976 and it is now the favorite spot of youths.

Livingston:

Livingston is a neighboring town of Puerto Barrios well known for its archeological sites and cultural festival “San Isidro Labrador” attracts people from all around the country.

Other places of interest near Puerto Barrios include:

Las Escobas
El Estor
Livingston
Los Amates
Morales
Hot Springs
Playa Sand Bay

Best time to visit Puerto Barrios:

Throughout the year is best, especially during the ending months of the year are ideal to visit Puerto Barrios.

Accommodation Options in Puerto Barrios:

Puerto Barrios hosts many luxury and mid range accommodation centres with world class amenities. Puerto Barrios is a 100 year old hotel located in the old downtown of Puerto Barrios in the proximity of Central Market offering world class hospitality services. The prominent hotels in and around Puerto Barrios are listed below:

Amatique Bay Resort & Marina
Hotel Europa 2
Hotel Marbrissa
Hotel del Norte
Casa Pez Vela Lodge
Valle Tropical
Puerto Libre
Hotel del Puerto
Hotel & Travel Agency Rios Tropicales
Casa de la Iguana
Hotel Rio Dulce
Hotel Dona Alida
Hotel El Viajero
Hotel La Casa Rosada
Vecchia Toscana Resort
Hotel Maya HB

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Playa Grande, Guatemala, America

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Playa Grande, Guatemala, America

Playa Grande is a town and seat of Ixcan municipality in El Quiche department of Guatemala, is situated about 280 km from the national capital Guatemala City. Playa Grande houses the inhabitants of different ethnic groups like Kiche, Ixil, Uspantek, Kekchi and Ladino.

Uspantek and Q’eqchi are the Mayan languages spoken by the natives along with Spanish. The annual festival of Playa Grande is celebrated from the 15^th May to the 17^th May. Playa Grande houses farmers market, airport, schools and general stores.

Geography of Playa Grande:

Playa Grande is placed between 15°59′ N latitude and 90°46′ W longitude.

Connectivity to Playa Grande:

Playa Grande has its own airport connected only with domestic locations, located around 8 km away from the midpoint of the town. Playa Grande is situated about 220 km from its nearest international airport, Mundo Maya International Airport in Flores and La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City is placed about 280 km from Playa Grande.

There are regular buses plying between Playa Grande and its nearby towns and cities. For local travel, tourists can hire bicycles or bike from natives or travel agents.

Culture, Shopping and Food in Playa Grande:

Playa Grande is culturally diverse town housing the population of Roman Catholicism and Evangelicalism and the ethnicities in Playa Grande are Ixil, Uspantek, K’ekchi, Ladino and K’iche. Uspantek and Q’eqchi are the commonly spoken languages in Playa Grande. Annual festival of Playa Grande is held in the month of May from 15^th to 17^th.

Playa Grande is home to all the types of shops including daily usable items, mobile recharge, electrical and electronic, fashion and clothes.

Playa Grande Ixcan Farmers Market is an ideal place to purchase traditional handicrafts, fresh vegetables and fruits and special umbrellas. Other than shops, Playa Grande also hosts many food corners with both traditional and neighboring countries eateries. Most of them are located near the market of Playa Grande.

Things to do in Playa Grande:

Cycling
Shopping
Cultural events
Internet browsing

Places to visit in Playa Grande:

Chichicastenango:

Chichicastenango is a town known for its annual celebrations and is surrounded by mountains and valleys. Thursday and Sunday markets at Chichicastenango sell beautiful traditional Mayal textiles at reasonable costs. Santo Thomas Festival in Chichicastenango is famous for typical traditional dances.

Q’umarkaj:

Q’umarkaj is an archeological site which served as the capital of different kingdoms in earlier times and tourist can now see many big rocks and old houses here.

San Andres Sajcabajá:

San Andres Sajcabaja is located in the Sierra de Chuacus mountain range with an average altitude of 1500 meters. It is a historic town housing many archeological sites from the colonial period.

Other places of interest near Playa Grande include:

Church of Santo Thomas
Pascual Abaj
Santa Cruz del Quiche
Cerro de San Andres
Los Cerritos
La Laguna
Chichicastenango Regional Museum
Nebaj Museum
Santo Tomas Church
Visis Caba Biosphere Reserve

Best time to visit Playa Grande:

During the beginning months of summer season are best to travel Play Grande.

Accommodation Options in Playa Grande:

Playa Grande is a city with many archeological sites and natural attractions. Also the town houses accommodation centres categorizing from home stays to hotels with all the basic facilities. The hotels in Playa Grande and its nearby towns are listed below:

Santo Tomas Hotel
Posada El Arco
Hotel Chalet
Hotel Villa Grande
Hospedaje Salvador
Hotel Ixil
Hotel Chuguila
Hostal de Santa Maria
Mayan Inn
Hotel El Sitio
Hotel Giron
Posada Vetz K’aol
Hotel Turansa
Hotel San Pasqual
Hotel Rey Kiche
Hotel Santa Maria
Chalet Tony
Hacienda San Antonio
MediaLuna MedioSol

Places to Visit in Panajachel, Guatemala, America

Places to Visit in Panajachel, Guatemala, America

Panajachel is a town located in the Guatemalan Highlands belonging to Solola department, about 110 km away from Guatemala City. Its position on the northeast shore of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, Lake Atitlan, makes it as one of the popular tourist destinations in the country. Also it is the major gateway for Lake Atitlan.

There are many non-profit organizations registered in Panajachel such as Maya Traditions Foundation, Mayan Families, Friendship Bridge and Mercado Global.

Geography of Panajachel:

Panajachel is located between 14°44′26″ N latitude and91°9′33″ W longitude at an altitude of 1,597 meters.

Etymology of Panajachel:

The literal meaning Panajachel in Kaqchikel language is ‘place of the Matasanos’. Matasano is a native fruit tree.

History of Panajachel:

The shore of Lake Atitla was the site of the war which was happened between Spanish and Tz’utujils. After the war, Spanish built a church and monastery in Panajachel to convert indigenous people to the Roman Catholic faith. The church is still good in condition.

How to reach Panajachel?

Panajachel is well connected with almost all of the cities of the country through roadways by buses. It is located around 50 km and 110 km from Quiche Airport and La Aurora International Airport in Guatemala City respectively.

There are regular Chicken buses available from Guatemala City every hour from 6AM to 4PM to Panajachel and also tourists can come from Antigua to Panajachel which costs around USD $15. Tuks-tuks are useful for local travel costing around 5-10Q and also there are boats available to reach nearby towns in Panajachel through Lake Atitla.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Panajachel:

The Maya Traditions Medicine Garden is the major cultural centre of the Panajachel and is also the best place to know on herbal medicine.

Most of the shopping centres of Panajachel located at Calle Santander. The prominent food corners in Panajachel are:

La Terrazza
Anubis Grille
Solomon’s Porch
Ricassoli Pizza Steak House

Things to do in Panajachel:

Scuba diving
Kayaking
Los Elementos Adventure Center
Bike rental
Nature Reserve
Boat Tours

Places to see in Panajachel:

Lake Atitlan:

Lake Atitlan is a tourist paradise and one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, liked by many explorers and tourists. This stunning natural attraction is the deepest lake in Central America with a highest depth of 340 meters. Lake Atitlan is visited by millions of tourists throughout the year for its striking beauty.

Casa Cakchiquel:

Casa Cakchiquel was one of the 1^st hotels on Lake Atitlan and it now houses fair trade store, postcard gallery and traditional photos as well.

La Galeria:

La Galeria is one of the ancient galleries in Central America featuring many traditional artifacts and objects related to the history and culture of Panajachel.

Other places of interest in Panajachel include:

Atitlan Nature Reserve
Hotel Atitlan Gardens
Thirteen Threads Fair Trade Store
Iximche
Casa Cakchiquel
The Maya Traditions Herbal Medicine Garden
Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo Museum
Atitlan Butterfly Sanctuary
Circus Bar
La Palapa

Best time to visit Panajachel:

The best time to travel Panajachel is during the months between June and September.

Accommodation Options in Panajachel:

Panajachel is one of the famous tourist centres in Guatemala located on the shore of very popular ‘Lake Atitlan’. It is home to plenty of accommodation centres with world class facilities to serve tourists who come from the different regions of the world throughout the year. Booking hotels in advance will be better otherwise tourists may find difficulty in availing hotel room as per their requirement. The major hotels in and around Panajachel are listed below:

Hotel Utz Rajil
Hotel Regis Panajachel
Porta Hotel Del Lago
Hotel Real Santander
Hotel Dos Mundos
La Riviera Atitlan Hotel
Hotel Playa Linda
Rancho Grande Inn
Hotel K’amol B’ey
Hotel San Buenaventura de Atitlan
Hotel Atitlan
Posada de los Volcanes
Hotel Primavera
Hotel Utz Jay
Jardines del Lago
Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo
Villa Santa Catarina
Posada Monte Rosa

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, America

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, America

Lake Atitlan is a large crater lake placed in the Highlands of Guatemala at 14°42′ N 91°12′ W, with a maximum depth of 340 meters, Lake Atitlan is considered as the deepest lake in Central America and also it is one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.

Lake Atitlan is located around 70 km from World Heritage Site, Antigua and 105 km from Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. It covers an area of 130.1 sq. km. and measures a surface elevation of 1,562 meters.

Lake Atitlan is home to variety of fish species which are the major food source for the native people. Also the lake is well supported for surrounding villages to grow agricultural crops like coffee, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, avocados, pitahaya fruit and onions.

The towns surround the lake are Panajachel, San Pedro La Laguna, San Marcos La Laguna , Santiago Atitlan, Santa Cruz la Laguna , San Juan, San Antonio Palopo, Santa Catarina Palopo, San Lucas Toliman and Tzununa.

Etymology of Lake Atitlan:

The name of Atitlan derives from Nahuatl language and its literal meaning is ‘at the water’. Atitlan Lake was highly liked by the German explorer Alexander von Humboldt and he called it ‘the most beautiful lake in the globe’.

How to reach Lake Atitlan?

Lake Atitlan is surrounded by Santa Clara La Laguna to the west, San Lucas Toliman on the east and Santiago Atitlan towards south. It can be reachable from Santa Cruz La Laguna and Jaibalito by boat. Among all these towns, Panajachel is the best way to reach Lake Atitlan.

The airports located near Lake Atitlan are Quiche Airport (50 km), Quetzaltenango Airport (80 km) and La Aurora International Airport (110 km).

Chicken buses are ideal for those who come from Guatemala City, operating every hour from 6AM to 4PM. It costs around USD $15 per way from Antigua to Panajachel, served by ATI. There are tuks-tuks are available for local travel costing from 5-10Q. Tourists can also reach nearby towns by boat though lake which costs15-30Q per way.

Food and Shopping near Lake Atitlan:

There are many general stores located around the lake offering different textiles, paintings, jewelers and fresh fruits as well.

The major food corners around the lake include:

Las Chinitas
Lazarronis
Circus Bar
Sunset Cafe
Solomon’s Porch

Things to do in Lake Atitlan:

Volcano tour
Bike tour
Coffee tour
Kayak adventure
Bird watching tour

Other places of interest near Lake Atitlan include:

Santa Catarina Palopo Church
The Maya Traditions Herbal Medicine Garden
Cojolya Museum
San Antonio Palopo
Hotel Posada de Don Rodrigo Museum
Tzantizotz Nature Reserve
Atitlan Butterfly Sanctuary
Indian’s Nose
Casa Cakchique
Colonial Church
Mystical Yoga Farm
Hotel Atitlan Gardens
Volcan San Pedro
San Marcos Holistic Center
Atitlan Nature Reserve
Iximche

Best time to visit Lake Atitlan:

From June through September is the ideal time to reach Lake Atitlan.

Accommodation Options near Lake Atitlan:

The hotels located near Lake Atitlan provide all the upgraded facilities including AC, medical service, 24 hour room service and internet access, swimming pool and restaurant. The middle range hotels charge around $50 per night for two persons. List of the prominent hotels and villas near Lake Atitlan are as follows: