The Caribbean | Porta Hotels

The Caribbean

Next to the Verapaces, the department of Izabal is the threshold to the Caribbean Sea. The greenery of its plains and the beauty of its rivers won it the name "Costa Esmeralda", The Emerald Coast. At the foot of the mountains, Izabal is a vast and fertile territory crossed by majestic rivers and covered with pineapple, banana, cacao and other very important plantations. Among the treasures that Izabal can show the traveler are its two most beautiful rivers: the Polochic and Río Dulce, both navigable and magnificent. Each one has important effluents that are sanctuaries for migratory and local birds, many species of reptiles and mammals, among them the manatee, a protected species.

The gentle course of the Polochic river, travelled either by boat or following a parallel road to the riverside, is one of the most beautiful landscapes, and it contrasts with the vast Río Dulce, crossed by sailboats and many other vessels. It is a main character in the history of Guatemala since the time of the arrival of the Spanish conquerors, who built diverse watch posts and a fortress to protect it from pirates: the castle of San Felipe De Lara, a fortress that to this day watches over visitors like a silent witness of legendary battles, in the exact spot where the river opens up into a beautiful gulf that widens until it reaches Lake Izabal, the largest lake in the country.

Following the current of the river you can reach Livingston, the center of the Guatemalan Caribbean soul. In this paradisiacal place the garífuna community lives, with their African-Caribbean roots, ancestral beliefs, exotic taste for music and party and a historical legacy that dates back to the XVIII century. Their food, folklore and relaxed enticing to visitors of the Guatemalan Caribbean.   

Izabal possess many of the most beautiful private and public beaches in the country. Among them we can mention Mariscos Beach in Lake Izabal, Punta de Palma, Punta de Manabique and Amatique bay, visited by international cruise ships. This department hides among its forest, beautiful rivers with cascades of impressive beauty, such as Siete Altares—Seven Altars—, and protected areas such as Cerro San Gil. The department’s commercial importance also stands out, being the door to the Atlantic through Santo Tomás de Castilla Port in Puerto Barrios, the department capital.   

Among the historical treasures that Izabal offers is the Quiriguá archaeological site, one of the most important Mayan cities of the Late Classic Period, governed in its time by Mayan warlords that gave battle to neighboring cities like Copán, in Honduras. Quiriguá preserves monoliths and zoomorphic monuments that to this day have been only partially deciphered. Many of its treasures are still hidden, preserved among the banana plantations, the commercial heart of Izabal, an important element for the export of this fruit to the United States and Europe.   

Izabal offers aquatic and archaeological adventures, close contact with nature and unparallel beauty, as well as music and exotic food, all set in the perfect place to find total rest and peace.