Tapado
Coconut soup.
Exploraguate — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Padraic — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wiki-Ed (talk) — Public domain
A small Caribbean town at the mouth of the Río Dulce with no road in, reachable only by boat from Río Dulce town or Puerto Barrios. Its character differs from the rest of Guatemala: it is home to the Garífuna people, of African and Caribbean descent, with their own language, drum music and punta dance. Visitors stroll the main street climbing from the dock, past colourful wooden houses and small restaurants serving tapado, a coconut soup with fish, green plantain and seafood. Fishing boats line the shore. The best-known outing is the walk or boat ride to Siete Altares, the «seven altars», a chain of small pools in the forest about an hour away, then on to quiet Playa Blanca beach. Most dishes are fish and coconut, so ask about ingredients if a dish has meat. Avoid isolated beaches alone and be back before dark.
Coconut soup.
Forest pools.
Garífuna.
Mouth of the Río Dulce on the Caribbean, by boat only
By boat only, down the river from Río Dulce town in about two hours, or across the bay from Puerto Barrios.