PACIFIC BEACH – Monterrico
A special day trip is the bus ride and day’s stay on the Pacific side. Monterrico Guatemala is renowned for its black volcanic beach sand. There’s an undertow so if you do go for a dip, stay close to shore. Pleasant restaurants and bars offer views of the Pacific. A day tour includes the bus ride and lunch, which makes for the perfect day-away. Return shuttle buses charge about $18, leaving around 8 a.m. and returning to Antigua Guatemala around 3 p.m. Or you can stay for a few days in one of the many holiday hotels in this beach town.
Monterrico is a nature reserve, where the mangroves and natural waterways are home to many endangered species exticion includes a boat ride with a stake or pole, plus free time to enjoy sun and sea food
Monterrico is a relatively undiscovered town with a vast stretch of black sand beachs on the west of Guatemala next to the Pacific ocean. Originally a small fishing village, it is now a nature reserve which attracts many weekenders from the capital, and inreasingly tourists visiting Guatemala. Monterrico encompasses an impressive beach of fine black volcanic sand and a maze of lagoons and mangroves with a great wildlife. Eco-tourism and beach activities are the main attractions, however Monterrico is still a small fishing village in a mangrove swamp with chickens pecking around palm thatched mud huts on a remote Central America beach.
Monterrico, on the Pacific coast of Guatemala, has the good fortune of being protected by an offshore sand shelf. This shelf holds off the rain and provides for some spectacular lightning displays from the beach.
Side activities enjoyed at Monterrico include a boat trip through the swamps to look for native wildlife and visiting the animal sanctuary. If you are lucky, you may get to participate in the turtle release program led by the Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii nature reserve. It’s a treat to see the baby turtles collectively make their way towards the ocean. In Monterrico, you will find an internet café and at least one Spanish language school. If tours are your thing, you might consider horseback riding on the beach, going on a whale-watching tour, taking to the water in a kayak or joining the bird or turtle watching tours.
