Rio Dulce Gorge

The approach to Livingston by boat from Rio Dulce town is one of the best journeys in Guatemala. The two-hour lancha ride passes through the Rio Dulce gorge, where the river narrows between walls of jungle-covered limestone rising hundreds of feet on both sides. Hot springs seep from the cliff faces; the water turns from green to black in the shadows; birds work the canopy overhead.

The gorge cannot be seen from land — it is accessible only by boat. Even if you are not staying in Livingston, the round trip from Rio Dulce town to see the gorge (and eat tapado in Livingston) is worth a day. Most lanchas stop at the hot springs and at the Castillo de San Felipe at the entrance to the lake.

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The Rio Dulce narrows into a spectacular gorge — the Cañón del Golfete — just above Livingston, where 330-foot jungle cliffs drop directly into the river. Manatees live in the warm springs at the base of the cliffs, and the air in the canyon is warmer and more humid than the surrounding coast. The gorge was so impressive that it convinced Spanish colonizers to use it as a defensive waterway, building a fort at its mouth.

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