This morning we took a river tour up the Rio Dulce, which was beautiful! Along the way we stopped to bird-watch and look at the mangrove trees. We stopped at a little restaurant on the river that sold homemade bread and coconuts. The coconut milk was refreshing, and after I drank from it, I had one of the gentleman cut up the coconut for me to eat. There were some hot springs to soak in as well. On the ride up the river we saw many fisherman in dugout canoes, and people doing laundry in the river. It is so green and lush here, with limestone cliffs and jungle sounds.
At the end of the river is Livingston, a small town only reachable by boat that lies along the Caribbean Sea and the Rio Dulce. This was such an interesting part of Guatemala to visit, as many of the people who live there are Garifuna people, descendents of African and mestizo Guatemalans who speak Spanish, their own Garifuna language, and English. Here is where I had my most favorite meal of the trip: Tapado: A yummy seafood soup made from coconut milk, curry, seafood and plantains.
From Livingston you can take boats to some beautiful beaches, but we didn’t have the time. You can get to Belize from here too!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.