Guatemala is one of my favourite countries. As it is cheap, lots of thing to see like Mayan ruin sites, waterfalls and volcanoes. Guatemala is properly one of the most touristy countries in central America which also means people there are in it for the money. Anyway, I still like it.
Visiting the hot spring waters was one of my unexpected highlights in Guatemala. To get there you need to go to Rio Dulce first. In Rio Dulce, I stayed in hotel Kangaroo, a river side hostel. It cost US$8 for a dorm bed. It is an Okay option. The owner will give you lots of useful advice. But on the other hand, he is running a business so expect to spend some money here. Expect to pay something on top, e.g. extra boat ride, kayaking, water and food when you are there. To save some money, buy some snacks and drinks in town before you go to the hostel.
No matter where you come from (Tikal, Lake Atitian or Lanquin). The shuttle bus should stop you at a parking lot which is near the riverfront. There is a restaurant called Sundog Cafe. If you want to stay in Hotel Kangaroo, you could ask the staff in Sundog cafe to call Hotel Kangaroo to pick you up. The boat ride for check in should be free.
By the way, if you have time, eat in Sundog cafe. The food there is very delicious, no matter the pizza or the sandwich. Much better than in the hostel. As once you arrive in the hostel you can really only eat in the hostel.
The Hostel owner is from Australia. his name is Gary who comes and talks to you and give you advice of what you could do around Rio Dulce. For me, the first day, I was kayaking with 3 other Czech Republic travellers to the castle nearby. The second day, I went with of group of multi national travellers ( Dutch, England, US, Canadian ) to Finca El Paraiso and El Boqueron Canyon.
The second day morning at 8.30am, we took the boat from the hostel to the town. The boat ride at 8.30am is free. At other times, the hostel will charge you 20Q per person. We first stop in a supermarket to get some food and drink for our day. Then we got on to a mini bus, we told the driver where we want to go (Finca El Paraiso). The ride cost 15 Q and took us 45~60 min.
When we were nearly there, there is also a road side stop called Aqua Caliente ( Hot Water). The mini bus drops us off at a cafe. From there it is a 5 minute trek to the waterfall. The woman in the cafe stopped us and asked us to pay an entry fee 10 Q per person. But later we find out she is a scam. She wrote us a piece of paper and pretend this is a ticket. After we pay the ENTRY FEE to the woman, we walk through the trek. So be careful please!
After 5 minutes walk, we meet a REAL person who we should pay for. And once he find out the women take money, he cycle back to the cafe and talk to the woman. And we just go to the waterfall without paying extra.
On the way to the waterfall, I could smell the hot spring. If you been to the hot spring then you know what I mean. After a short walk, we arrive at the hot spring waterfall.
Here is the Hot Spring waterfall. Water is hot. I cant describe how amazing it is in words. May be the photos could tell you you more. I loved it!
You could climb up and jump to the water, in one point the water is 3~5 meters deep. Of course I wont do that.
You could also go to upstream to get some mud to put on your face and body. I did not climb up, but one of the gusy in our group took some mud back for us. So I could put them on to my face. It was similar to when I was in the Dead Sea.
In the mean time, we have our snacks there. We spend around 2 hours relaxing in the hot spring waterfall. At around 1.30pm, we head to our 2nd spot of the day El Boqueron Canyon.
When we left, I saw the REAL ticket man who sat near the cafe. I think he is trying to ensure the woman in the cafe doesn’t charge other tourists. So beware if you go to Finca El Paraiso, do not pay to the woman in the cafe. She is a scam.
I love this Hot Spring waterfall so much. First time I have ever been a waterfall with hot water. The best part of this trip is, you do not need to go with the tour, you can go there easily yourself with public transport and spend as much as time you want. The last mini bus back to town is around 4.30pm. If you ever have a chance come to Rio Dulce. Don’t ever miss this waterfall! You will love it!!
