riding in guatamala
 

any suggestions for fun and safe roads in guatamala. heading coban to antigua tomorrow and crossing into honduras after lake atitlan. thanks

Chipster in Texas just up from Costa Rica
 

Hi Dirt Girl. I just rode up and crossed into the states yesterday. I'll be here a few days had will be heading back down. I live in CR and am a motorcycle tour guide for Moto tours CR. Where are you now? Chipster

Lake Atitilan
 

I loved Guatamala, just be careful to be off the road at night. In Antigua, Guatamala I'm sure I heard 5 gunshots one night, and the coach driver on our evening vocano trip had a sawn off shotgun that never left his side, even when he talked to the police, but during the day I felt perfectly safe.

There is also a section of the road that goes around the lake that is very difficult unless you are an accomplished rider in deep sand. It is just after Santiago Atitlan, (travelling clockwise) you will know it because of all the volcanic ash that has wiped out the road!! Then the road gets worse and you end up facing a 45* slope that is deep sand over cobbles. I had to stop the engine in gear to hold the bike at rest as the front brake was insufficient on its own. Took me over ten minutes to turn around, but the bike was fully loaded (BMW f650) and I'm crap off road anyway.
I returned to a very nice, but expensive, hotel I had seen on the way into Santiago Atitlan and there they told me that a week before an Australian had near as dammit broken his leg on the same slope, and that their had been several night time armed robberies.

I'm not sure that the rides in Guatamala were anything special, (except around the lakes) but the Maya ruins and colonial towns at the end of a days riding are wonderful. Take a trip to Tikal in the North, you won't regret it. Stay at the Gringo Perdido on Lake Peten Itza for a couple of days (just after the Tikal Road branches off from the main CA13 Highway) Ask the locals, there or loads of Europians in the area. Then spend a day at the fantastic ruins at Tikal.

That would be my favorite.

Make sure you go and see the Pacaya's lava flows in the evening (on a bus) while in Antigua. Pacaya photo - rtwrider photos at pbase.com

I met an American couple who rode around Atitlan on a Harley only to be told afterwards by the police that this was unwise...or more specifically that the police were afraid to go there.

I liked the paved mountain roads and sampled some the dirt riding on my Vstrom 1000. This destroyed center stand #1.

The remote offroad villages were a tad edgy. Drunks passed out in the streets and such. Just kept on chugging. Watch out for little kids and be very polite to the locals.

Guatemala has a gun culture and I got the feeling the good guys eventually kill the bad guys. Private security wearing light Class II body armor and carrying the ubiquitous "Doce" for interpersonal conflict resolution. photo - rtwrider photos at pbase.com

This is what happened at Pacaya which used to be unsafe at night.

Honduras on the other hand....Rural areas were fine, cops were great but the urban areas on the Atlantic coast....Yikes really bad vibes.

Don't get paranoid but make sure you are off the road by sunset...I usually go into hotel search mode at 3:30 if things are sketchy.

Leaving guat for honduras
 

Thanks guys for the tips. Ran into someone everyday here in Guatamala whose been robbed, on a motorbike, hiking, hotel room, you name it. Appreciate the tips re lake atitlan. Headed out to Honduras and Bay Islands tomorrow then Nicaragua. Gonna start doing a sun dance soon in hopes of less rain. But tis the season. Anyone with 2 cents on these parts can contact me.
cheers

Bay Islands
 

Hey there,

Must have just missed you in passing as I just crossed into Mex yesterday from Antigua. Acutally were you on a red KLR in Antigua about 6 days ago........There were tons of bikes in Antigua that day.

Any back to Honduras......I went diving on Utila and decided to bring the bike over. I was on the island for 4 days and the bike for only 2 as the cargo ships ran at odd times. It was about 25 dollars per bike each way and then port taxes and the lot. More hassel then it was worth. The dive shops have contacts in La Ceiba that can store the bike securly and avoid the hassel. Alton's was my dive shop of choice and Mitch helped me out tons getting the bikes over and back but I should have contacted him earlier and set it up to store the bikes. Rotan I hear has a regular car ferry so that is less of a hassle.

As for honduras in general the main roads are great and fast cruising at 120 kph. Lots of passing of semi trucks and cars. There was nothing to see when I was there because the entire country was on fire and smoke filled the air. Nicaragua on the other hand i loved but hated the price of gas about 5.50 dollars a gallon.

Enjoy and shot me an email if you want more specific info.....

Hadjh
2 KLR's to SF

antigua
 

yep
that was me in antigua.

Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua
 

Visit Rio dulce and Tikal.
Dont miss Copana Ruinas in Honduras on the way to La Ceiba. I visited Utila, but I think that Roatan is a better deal.
Granada on the shores of Lake Nicaragua is lovely. Visit the island of Ometepe. With two ditinct volcanoes, it is like something out of a King Kong movie.
Panam is a great country especially in David and Boquete.
If you are going to South America, make a point of doing Colombia from Taganga to the border with Ecuador. BEAUTIFUL!!

Off the beaten path in Guatemala
 

I just got back (to Panama) from Guatemala last week. Second trip in a year. Guatemala is one of my favorite countries, but there are some issues. Here are a couple of ideas you might not have seen yet:

DO be sure to visit Lanquin and Samuc Champey. Samuc Champey is a spot where the river goes into a cave for about 1/2 mile, and above it there is a series of white calcite pools with turquoise water that you can swim in. A magical spot, and a couple of inexpensive hotels there. It is about 16 km of dirt road, but the road is good and certainly worth it. DO NOT take the dirt road that goes through El Palmar to get to the road leading to Lanquin. Head over from Coban. Although the maps show this as a decent secondary road, it is not. Due to construction, I ended up on it at night, which was one scary SOB. Fortunately, a kind soul let me follow his car (he drove really slow so that I could) since I couldn't see a thing and the road was steep, curvy, and full of large rocks. Turned out he was the medical officer for a Mayan village and he put me up and fed me when we arrived. I , fortunately, had a bottle of rum and some cigars to share in return.

On the road from Rio Dulce to El Estor, about halfway on a 45 mile dirt road, is Finca Paraiso. There is a hot water waterfall there that is incredible. The falls come out of a hot spring, and in the river below you can control the temp by how close you get. I only took the road from Rio Dulce to Finca Paraiso, but I understand that the rest of the road is OK.

In Rio Dulce, a good place to stay is Bruno's Hotel. Right on the water, good restaurant, pool, and reasonable. The manager, Steve, has a couple of KLR650s, and is good to bikers. Tell him hello for me (the other Steve, with the red KLR). It's also a nice day to take the boat to Livingston (on the Carribean) and back.

Last year the main highway from Guatemala city to Quetzaltenango (Xela) was under construction (a LOT of construction). The dust made the road like teflon. Be REAL careful if you can't avoid this stretch (but avoid it if you can... lots of delays).

Have fun. Give a shout if you get to Panama.
Steve

bruno{s in Rio Dulce
 

hey,
Stayed at Bruno{s in Rio Dulce and chatted with steve. I think you headed out moments before I arribed. Headed across border into panama, any tips on what to see do? Hoping to sell my bike there, put the word out 2005 KLR 650 awesome bike , spare parts, luggage rack etc.
contact me if you want to have a beer.
cheers.
dg