Bethel

This small, pleasant settlement serves as an option for onward travel to Mexico or down the Río Usumacinta [1]. There is an immigration office here, lodging, and several simple comedores. The best place to stay is at the community-run Posada Maya (tel. 7861-1799 or 7861-1800, $20 d) with simple rooms in thatched-roof bungalows. The restaurant here serves decent meals in a pleasant palapa building.

There is a small Mayan site here about 1.5 kilometers from the village, though its most impressive feature is probably the view of the river from a lookout about 20 minutes’ walk from the site’s core.

Boats leave Bethel downstream for Frontera Corozal, Yaxchilán [2], and Piedras Negras [3]. Five daily buses and three daily minibuses leave the Santa Elena bus depot for the 3–4 hour ride to Bethel. The last of these departs at 1:30 p.m.