Explore and Tour the Beautiful Rio Dulce Guatemala

Is Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala, a port-of-call on the cruise itinerary? One of the best things to do is a Rio Dulce tour.

Don’t know about you, but finding information geared towards cruisers on the Santo Tomas de Castilla cruise port was challenging.

But, exciting nonetheless to have Guatemala as a port destination.

Compared to other popular cruise ports, we found little information online regarding the Santo Tomas de Castilla cruise port. Any information we did find was old and didn’t offer much guidance, even on TripAdvisor.

The little we found was that this port is an industrial area, so booking a shore excursion is ideal.

Later, we learned from our local travel guide that they receive a cruise ship weekly. No wonder.

In this post, we hope to guide you on what to expect when your cruised docks in Santo Tomás de Castilla. Also, share our wonderful experience taking a Rio Dulce Guatemala Tour with lunch in Livingston. 

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we earn a commission at no extra cost. Please refer to our full disclosure for details.

Santo Tomas de Castilla Cruise Port

The Santo Tomas de Castilla cruise port (also known as Puerto Barrios) is the gateway to some of Guatemala’s most popular attractions, like the Rio Dulce.

This port is located in the Izabal department in Guatemala. It serves as a trans-shipment terminal for cargo ships operated by the port authority and a cruise port.

Unfortunately, the cruise terminal here is not set up to accommodate large numbers of tourists like some other ports are. That said, there are some interesting things to do near the area, and many cruise ships offer shore excursions from this port.

We had an independent tour booked with Happy Fish. We found them inside the visitor center and checked in with them. They provided stickers with their logo to identify us and explained where we’d meet outside near the dock.

In the meantime, we checked out the souvenirs and made mental notes of what we’d like to purchase when we were back in case we didn’t find anything during the tour. 

Book a Tour

You may be tempted to stay on the ship. However, this is one of those ports that seems like there is much to see, but we disagree. If you’re looking for culture and nature, Guatemala is worth leaving the ship, so booking a tour is best.

As someone who loves to explore independently when cruising, Santo Tomas de Castilla Cruise Port is one of those ports where you’re better off booking a tour so you can enjoy the best it offers.

If not, you’re missing out. After our day, we truly believed this was the best experience out of our Western Caribbean itinerary that week.

You can book via the cruise ship or find a shore excursion independently.

At first, we booked a tour with the cruise ship and ended up canceling after finding a similar tour with Happy Fish Travels.

The most popular tour from Santo Tomas de Castilla is to the Rio Dulce, often combined with a visit to Livingston.

While we highly recommend an organized tour, if an organized tour isn’t your thing, you can negotiate with a water taxi at the dock and have them take you to Livingston to have some lunch, perhaps, and walk around. Try to get them to give you a quick tour of the “Rio Dulce.”

Happy Fish Travel

During our research, Happy Fish Travel offered a similar tour for about the same cost as the cruise ship shore excursion, but with lunch included in Livingston.

Santo Tomás de Castilla, Guatemala, was day 6 of our cruise itinerary and another first for us. We had never been to Guatemala.

Since we had limited time here, we strived to make the most of our day. We contacted Happy Fish regarding their RIO DULCE CANYON /AK-TENAMIT / LIVINGSTON TOUR (they have many others) and received a prompt response.

You can pay via their site pay portal online to secure your spot, or you can reserve them and pay upon checking in with cash.

We chose to pay in advance with a Visa card, so we didn’t have to carry more cash than we needed on the day.

Note: the charge will be in their local currency. We had no issues with our credit card payment.

– Don’t Miss: Helpful Tips for Booking Independent Shore Excursions –

Tour of Rio Dulce Guatemala

After checking in with Happy Travel at the visiting center, we met by the docks with our tour guide, René. There they fitted us with life vests (a little uncomfortable on a hot, humid day, but a must) and helped settle us into the boat.

Tip: If you have back problems, sit towards the back of the boat. It is a bumpy ride entering Rio Dulce, but worth every bump.

Our journey into the Rio Dulce began. We drove by some villages that lined the banks and saw wreckages and lush vegetation, all with René explaining life in Guatemala.

Let me preface this by saying that words, video clips, and-or photography honestly don’t do this beautiful country justice. We toured only a small part of the Rio Dulce and only spent half a day there, but it was an absolute pleasure and privilege.

Here are a few Rio Dulce fun facts:

• Rio Dulce translates to “Sweet River.”
• It connects to Guatemala’s largest lake – Lake Izabel.
• You can reach Castillo de San Felipe from the Rio Dulce.
• It’s the principal transit point to Livingston.

We visited the local children’s school and walked around their beautiful lush campus. Students were off from school that day but are usually eager to welcome their visitors on a normal school day. 

Part of this tour included a natural hot spring for about 20 mins. We never were planning to get in. The hot spring was not impressive. It was connected next to a bar that we docked at. While there where we picked up a fresh coconut drink and a homemade local dulce de coco, which we enjoyed.

Leaving the hot springs, we were taken into a beautiful lagoon filled with lily pads and water lilies that created a picturesque view.

Local kids in canoes emerged to sell us souvenirs. While this is the sort of sales tactic we try to avoid when we travel, it was acceptable this time – we were charmed into a purchase.

As you’re flanked by the magnificence of their national forest, riding through the Rio Dulce, you are reminded once again how incredible the world is, and we haven’t even scratched the surface.

Tip: As you prepare for this trip, don't forget the sunscreen. 

Lunch in Livingston, Guatemala

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A post shared by Kathy | Travel & Foodie Tips (@tastyitinerary)

Lunch was included with our tour at the Happy Fish Restaurant in Livingston. We chose chicken or fish; I had the fish and hubby the chicken. The dishes were served with rice, beans, and vegetables. It was a tasty lunch. The fish was fresh and grilled perfectly. And I ordered a coco loco to go with my lunch.

After lunch, we had time to walk around Livingston. Many local shops were open selling their fruits and vegetables for the day. Plenty of souvenir shops too.

Many of the women were dressed in traditional clothing that represented their culture.

Part of the main street was closed down to vehicles; not sure if that’s the norm or if they do that for the tourist’s safety.

Soon we returned to the boat to return to the Santo Tomas de Castilla cruise port.

Our tour guide, Rene, from Happy Fish Travel, did a terrific job as our guide. We hope to return and perhaps rent one of those huts you find along the Rio Dulce and get to explore it further one day.

Once we were back at port, we purchased jade charms, Guatemalan coffee, and local chocolate at the visitor center to take back home before boarding the Norwegian Pearl.

Fun Fact: Did that jadeite can be found in Guatemala? You'll see necklaces, rings, and other jewelry made with jadeite.