Puerto Barrios Guatemala - close to Belize

Southern Belize, the Stann Creek District and the Toledo District, are little-known jumping off points for adventurous travelers wishing to explore Eastern Guatemala - namely Puerto Barrios and nearby Livingston and the fabulous Rio Dulce - all which fall in the Department of Izabal..

The Department of Izabal, Guatemala is located in region III or Northeastern region. Its departmental capital is Puerto Barrios. It is bordered on the north by the department of Petén, the country of Belize and the Caribbean Sea; to the South with the departments of Zacapa; to the East with the Republic of Honduras; and to the West with the department of Verapáz.. Izabal is located at latitude 15° 44' 06" and longitude 88° 36' 17".

Izabal has a land area of 9,038 square kilometres. It’s topography is varied ranging 0.67 metres above sea level at Puerto Barrios, 1.65 metres in El Estor, 4.0 metres in Moralez, and 77 metres at Los Amates. The climate is generally warm, with heavy rains during the rainy season..

The capital of Izabal, Puerto Barrios, is 308 kilometres from the capital Guatemala City - about a five hour bus ride.

The territory of Izabal is divided into 5 municipalities:

1. Puerto Barrios (departmental capital). 2. Livingston, 3. Estor, 4. Moralez and 5. Amates.

Puerto Barrios has many excellent swimming spots such as this one in the Las Escobas area.

Above: Nice swimming spot at natural pool at Las Escobas near Puerto Barrios.

The official spoken language is Spanish, but since 1800 the Garifuna language is widely spoken. The Gariganu are the result of inter-marriage among three ethnic groups: the indigenous Indians of the area, the Arawak people from South America, and Africans.

Quiche is widely spoken in Estor and parts of Livingston since the Quiche Indians inhabit the western part of Izabal.

Belize-based Speedboat ferries depart from Independence, Stann Creek District, and from Punta Gorda, Toledo District, every day for Puerto Barrios, Guatemala. .From Punta Gorda in Belize it is a 35 minute boat ride. For those who prefer to go by road from western Belize you can cross the western border into Melchor de Mencos early, say at 6 in the morning.

Catch a mini-bus to Santa Elena, Flores (about one hour. From their you can catch buses headed to San Marcos, disembark at the crossing located at La Ruidosa, and catch a mini-bus or regular buss to Puerto Barrios. This is about a five hour trip from Belize. Less if you charter a mini-bus or drive yourself. Going by road allows you to stop at Rio Dulce in Livingston - a top tourist destination for mariners and those looking for sports fishing, excellent seafoot and tranquility.

Puerto Barrios was founded in the 1880s by President Rufino Barrios. The boom days are back as cruise ships now make Puerto Barrios a regular port of call. Another port town, Santo Tomas de Castilla is a few miles away. Puerto Barrios is now a bustling and growing city of about 80 thousand inhabitants and offers much for the visitor to see.

Above: Overhead view of Rio Dulce from the bridge on the way to Puerto Barrios. Note catamarans and yachts in the background.

There is excellent shopping at the new Pradera Mall complete with a McDonalds, dozens of shops, boutiques restaurants and a movie theatre. The north side of Puerto Barrios features a modern water park complete with olympic size swimming pool and several surrounding seafood restaurants on the Caribbean sea. At night you can see the glimmer of neighbouring Belize.

Being a port town, Puerto Barrios has excellent nightclubs catering to most any taste. Try the Colombina or Casa Madrid among others.

As you look around you might find it easier to use our search box above to quickly find what you are looking for.

If you live or have visited Belize and have travel report or article you may want to contribute to this section please Contact Us.

Note: Our web site is constantly being updated - if any links are not yet functional just use the Home link or our Search Box at the top right of our menu.

More Belize Links

Puerto Barrios Guatemala - close to Belize

Column One