Puerto Barrios

This hot, humid port city holds little of interest for travelers except as a jumping-off point to surrounding attractions such as Punta de Manabique Wildlife Refuge [1], Lívingston [2], and resorts across the Bahía de Amatique. It was once Guatemala’s main Caribbean shipping port but has been replaced by Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla [3] across the bay.

Construction of the port that now bears his name was initiated by reformist President Justo Rufino Barrios in the 1880s and was linked to Guatemala City [4] via a railroad completed in 1908. Puerto Barrios was important during the long-past glory days of the United Fruit Company. The company financed much of the railroad’s completion and linked its banana plantations to Puerto Barrios, which served as the company-controlled shipping center for produce bound for New Orleans and New York.

United Fruit was sold to Del Monte in the 1970s and Puerto Barrios sank into a tropical slumber.

Getting to Puerto Barrios

Most of the transport in and out of Puerto Barrios is via the excellent Transportes Litegua (6a Avenida and 9a Calle, tel. 7948-1172, www.litegua.com [5]), which operates comfortable, modern buses departing every half hour to and from Guatemala City [4]. Some buses stop in Morales en route, where you get off for Río Dulce [6].

Boats leave from the municipal dock at the end of 12 Calle. There is ferry service to Lívingston [2] ($1.50, 1.5 hours) Mon.–Sat. at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Try to get there at least 30 minutes prior to departure time to secure your seat.