TCC Territory #13. May 6-13, 2026.
Part One. May 6-8. Rio Dulce lodging
May 6. Punta Gorda, Belize to lodging on the Rio Dulce 45 minutes downriver from Livingston, Guatemala.
My first solo water border crossing! Punta Gorda is tiny and its border patrol office is one unairconditioned room. Customs/immigration took two seconds and was far more casual than anything I’ve ever experienced at an airport.
There was one other person waiting in line for the “ferry” (covered motorboat). She and I spoke in Spanish for about an hour and quickly became amigas. Our 9:30 boat left at 10, and we sped along the very choppy waters of Amatique Bay. Dramamine for the win because that water was rough, and we bounced around like rag dolls.
The temps are in the upper 90s pretty much everywhere in coastal Belize and Guatemala right now with a real feel of 100 in the shade and 110 in the sun. That meant finding the Livingston, Guatemala immigration office, which is about five blocks from the docks, interesting. I arrived at the building a sweaty mess. The officer sat indoors behind a window. He politely took my passport and stamped it without asking any questions or even looking at me. That’s not a complaint. I had heard stories of officers asking for a “tourist tax” (a bribe…there are no entry or exit fees for Guatemala), but thankfully this did not happen to me. Fingers crossed it also won’t when I leave Guatemala in a week.
Livingston is a lively place with music and vendors everywhere, and I look forward to exploring it later this week. There’s a sizeable Garifuna presence and culture here. The Garifuna are descendants of escaped enslaved Africans who migrated to the Caribbean coasts of southern Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras during the 19th century. There’s also a sizable population of Maya descendants.
My immediate goal was to meet a specific boat operator and get to my lodging for the next four nights. I specifically chose a beautiful off-grid place on the water in the jungle for my initial few nights in Guatemala.
I was originally supposed to be here last December, but a family emergency had me rearranging plans, so now I am here in May during the hot and humid season. The upcoming lodging has no electricity (and no WiFi or cell service), but the tree cover and the breeze should keep the steamy temps from feeling unbearable. There’s an outside shower which I will use frequently to cool off.
After a 45-minute motorboat ride inland, I arrive at the beautiful and family-owned residence. Meals are home cooked by the family’s matriarch, and I will eat whatever the family is eating. The family’s home is a ten-minute paddle away from the guest lodging, and I am given a kayak to use at will. There are no roads here, all transport is done via motorboat or kayak/canoe. I am sitting here now on my covered porch enjoying the sound of the bugs chirping and the views of the water and the trees.
May 7. The hut and surroundings are beautiful, but I am going to cut my stay short. The heat is oppressive, and the breeze from the water does not reach my indoor living space. I cannot use the provided mosquito netting around the bed at night because I would suffer from heat exhaustion. I politely let my host know that I would like to leave tomorrow instead of Saturday. This will give her time to make boat arrangements for me to get back to Livingston. She understands and arranges my transport. I spend the rest of the day taking a cold shower every hour and laying low. I am still glad I am here and have had this experience. The jungle is noisy at night, and I have made friends with an iguana who likes to sit on my porch.
May 8. Looking forward to air conditioning, or at least a fan! Tried to do some exploring with the kayak, but didn’t last long due to bugs. This is dengue/Zika/malaria territory, and I sweat off repellent immediately, so spending hours paddling outside is not going to happen. Cannot bring myself to wear long sleeves or long pants, I would faint from the 110 degree RealFeel heat. I do enjoy my short paddle to and from the main house for each (delicious!) meal, though. That in and of itself is scenic. I will spend my remaining four hours here taking a few cold showers and observing birds and iguanas from inside my (mostly) screened-in lodging. I find the Russet-naped wood rail especially beautiful.
Two days here have been plenty. I feel I have enjoyed the area as much as I can given the heat. Even in cooler weather, three days here is probably the max ideally. I don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining. I am grateful I have had this experience.
Part Two. May 8-13, 2026.
Afternoon of May 8. I am now happily ensconced in the hotel Villa Caribe, which is right on the water next to the main dock in the Livingston town center. The air conditioning revives me, and I have a beautiful view of the water and distant mountains from my window. I’ll spend the next few mornings exploring the local streets, then I’ll spend the afternoons in the ac watching the pelicans and egrets from my window. I have a balcony that I might venture out onto for ten minutes at a time. There is also a pool, I might check that out too.
May 9-11. I walk throughout the town each morning. The streets are crowded and lively with locals. I see exactly two other gringos the entire time I am here, except for my last day when a small group of French tourists arrive. Music is everywhere, and people drive closely past on mopeds and tuk-tuks. There are no regular cars as the town is accessible only by boat.
I hear languages I cannot identify, and a Google search tells me Garifuna and Q’eqchi’ Maya are spoken here in addition to Spanish. When I purchase groceries and local treats, my Spanish is answered with English combined with Caribbean Creole. This is a lively, colorful, bustling place.
Google also tells me this is a poverty-stricken and dangerous area. I think that info is outdated. There is no more garbage on the street than I see in many American cities. There are no beggars or pan handlers. No one approaches me asking for anything. I never once feel in danger, though it should be noted I do not drink, and I do not go out at night. I am also extremely cautious in general wherever I go in the world. I don’t carry a purse, and my valuables are well hidden. It is for this reason I find it difficult to take many photos in Livingston. As the only gringo on the crowded street, tall and white and an obvious tourist, I do not like to take my iPhone out of its hiding place. That being said, I am greeted with friendly smiles and am only slightly overcharged for groceries once (gringo tax).
I do see many extremely thin and docile street dogs. I see a couple of cats too, but they look much healthier.
I eat at Las Tres Garifunas for an early lunch during one of my walkabouts. I have tostones, which are twice fried plantain slices, and they are yummy. I also have fish which is served with the head and tail attached, and I feel guilty since the fish “stares” at me while I eat it.
White egrets flock to the mangroves and palm trees by my balcony each night. They settle in before sunset, looking like giant white flowers, and leave, one by one, at daybreak. I see some pelicans here and there too.
May 12. Heavy rain falls every hour and the temperatures cool to what I think is the mid-70s but turns out to be the upper 80s. Guess I am acclimating. This is my last day in Livingston, and I am ready to move on. There is a lot to do in Guatemala with Maya ruins, volcanoes, beautiful lakes, etc. I’ve had all that recently in other Central American countries. Guatemala was for a bit of a river/jungle experience and Garifuna culture.
I eat one more Garifuna dish. It is described as fish soup with a coconut milk base. My plate arrives with a whole intact fish, rice, and a massive bowl that contains an entire crab, four giant prawns, large chunks of plantain, and of course the soup liquid itself. All body parts of the seafood remain intact. It takes me a while to dismember everything, and I feel guilty as I eat.
Tomorrow I begin making my way to Honduras.
