Finca Tatín

Finca Tatín (tel. 5902-0831 or 5776-5156, www.fincatatin.centroamerica.com) is a wonderfully secluded jungle camp and backpackers’ haven about half a kilometer up the river where you’ll find a variety of accommodations, including shared-bath dormitory beds for $5 per person, shared-bath doubles for $12, and bungalows with charming stone showers in the private bath for $20 d. Couples might want to splurge for the bungalow, as the shared-bath double rooms have very thin walls. All rooms have mosquito netting and fan.

The lodge gets major props for ecological consciousness. Water for the showers comes from the river, while water for the bathroom sinks is collected rainwater. All the bungalows have their own septic tanks with all waste material being buried.

Excellent meals are served in the lodge’s open-air restaurant housed under a thatched roof. Dinner is a family-style affair, allowing for opportunities to meet fellow travelers. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner cost $3.50, $4.50, and $6.50. The menu is a varied palette of creative vegetarian, Guatemalan, and international dishes.

Activities include bird-watching in the surrounding forests, hikes lasting from 30 minutes to four hours all the way to Lívingston, and kayaking in the Chocón Machacas Biotope or down the Río Dulce to Lívingston. A two-person kayak rental costs $6 per day plus gas for the return lancha pickup. The lodge is run by a friendly Argentine. Italian, English, and French are spoken.

Rancho Corozal

Rancho Corozal (tel. 5309-1423 in Guatemala, 866/621-4032 toll-free U.S., www.quintamaconda.com) is an absolutely astounding private villa that can be yours for $250 d per night including breakfast. The owners are quick to point out that it’s not a hotel but rather a private hideaway. It can sleep up to 10 people in five double beds with stylish safari netting.

The beautiful house, designed with soaring thatched roofs and attractive ceramic and stucco accents, is set right beside the river on its own 20-acre forest reserve. There are tastefully landscaped tropical gardens, a short nature trail, open-air living and dining rooms, and a hammock patio. The house is wonderfully watched over by its live-in caretaker, Sabino, who can show you around and take you to area attractions aboard the house skiff ($125 per day). At night, the villa is lit by the warm glow of gas lamps and torches. Food can be arranged at the house or at one of a few local eateries. Try the freshwater crab cooked in coconut milk at neighboring Doña Lola’s.

Ak’ Tenamit

Heading back downstream toward the Río Tatín’s confluence with the Río Dulce, you’ll find Ak’ Tenamit (tel. 7908-3392 or 7908-4358, www.aktenamit.org), a grassroots health and development organization helping to provide a better living for the local Q’eqchi’ Maya who inhabit the area in several villages. Thanks to this organization’s efforts, these extremely impoverished communities now have access to health care and education, among other basic necessities.

There is a women’s handicraft cooperative, a 24-hour clinic, primary and secondary schools (including curricula in tourism and social welfare), and an ecotourism center.

At the visitors center you can buy locally made crafts and enjoy light meals in a pleasant palapa-style café, which is open 7 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Volunteer doctors, dentists, and nurses who can commit for at least one month are always welcome.

© Al Argueta from Moon Guatemala, 3rd Edition. Photos © Al Argueta www.alargueta.com