The 10 best beaches in Guatemala for quiet escapes, black-sand beaches and people watching
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Loading... - Willow Morrison
- 28 Apr 2022
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That doesn’t mean that you have to hop across the border to Mexico, El Salvador, the cayos of Belize or the Bay Islands of Honduras if you want some beach therapy, though. Guatemala has plenty of good spots for you to kick back or explore. With such a great climate, you’ll have more than enough days that are perfect for soaking up the sun.
When you visit Guatemala’s beaches, remember to wear flip flops or sandals. Sandflies are common, and chiggers may be present. Many beaches on the Pacific coast have black sand, and walking across that in the midday heat is not something you want to do barefoot: it’s like walking on lava. While it’s perfectly fine to wear a bikini to the beach, going topless is taboo. Keep an eye on your belongings and don’t bring any valuables to the beach. Keep these practical tips in mind to enjoy the best shorelines that the country has to offer.
Here’s our pick of the 10 best beaches in Guatemala.
Playa Blanca
Best beach for Caribbean vibes
Playa Blanca, Guatemala’s best beach on the Caribbean coast, is about an hour’s boat ride northwest of Lívingston. In fact, the only way to get here is by boat, and the easiest way to do this is to book a tour through a travel agency in Lívingston or Puerto Barrios. The beach is privately owned, so check that your tour includes the price of admission. Many tours also include a stopover at Siete Altares, a series of small waterfalls and natural rock pools set in the jungle just off the coast.
What’s so special about Playa Blanca? The name means “white beach,” and this is exactly what you get: a postcard-picture beach with white sand and lots of coconut palms. The quality of the water depends on the weather. When it’s been raining, the water tends to be murkier. Guatemala’s Caribbean beaches are subject to erosion, so Playa Blanca isn’t very wide. That means that you can get a beer at the on-site restaurant and sit in the shade of a palm tree while the water practically laps at your feet.
Playa Punta de Manabique
Best beach for ecotourism
Punta de Manabique is a peninsula some 20km (12.5 miles) north of Puerto Barrios, and it’s a wildlife reserve where the rainforests and mangrove forests are home to mammals like spider monkeys, howler monkeys, jaguars, tapirs and peccaries, as well as green iguanas and more than 300 bird species. In the mangrove swamps, you’ll find manatees and crocodiles while sea turtles come from the ocean to lay their eggs on the beaches. The beaches are long and narrow, with rough seas on the eastern side and calmer waters on the western side.
Playa Punta de Manabique itself is located near the tip of the peninsula, where you’ll also find the small community of Punta de Manabique. The beach is narrow, and the light beige sand is often littered with driftwood and pieces of coral. This coral comes from the nearby coral outcrops, which are the only ones in Guatemala. A long dock provides a starting point from where you can snorkel in the calm waters. Rustic accommodations can be found here as well.
The easiest way to get to Playa Punta de Manabique is to book a trip through a travel agency in Puerto Barrios or Lívingston. If you want to go your own way, you can rent a boat at the public dock in Puerto Barrios.
Playa Amatique Bay
Best beach for the all-inclusive resort experience
With its friendly staff, thoughtful layout so that the pool with water slides doesn’t create noise in the luxurious rooms and plenty of things to do, from horse-riding to beachside massages, Amatique Bay Resort and Marina just outside Puerto Barrios is one of the best all-inclusive beach resorts in Guatemala.
An old stone lighthouse complete with cannons overlooks a private beach where the light-colored sand becomes a soccer field or beach volleyball court when enough people want to play. Run-off from a small creek and the marina means that the water here is quite murky. It’s great for fishing, kayaking and even bobbing around on a giant inflatable banana but not so much for swimming. Still, the sea is calm, and the views are fantastic.
The resort offers a variety of accommodation options and two on-site restaurants. You can get here from Puerto Barrios by taxi.
Playa Dorada
Best beach for watersports
The name means “golden beach,” and this is indeed the color of the soft sand and tiny pebbles you’ll find at Playa Dorada. Looking at the palm trees, clear water and shade-giving palapas, it’s hard to believe that this beach isn’t on the coast but rather on the southern shore of Lake Izabal, between the villages of Izabal and Mariscos.
The calm water makes this a good swimming beach, but bear in mind that this is one of Guatemala’s most popular weekend spots for enthusiasts of just about anything that can move on water, whether it’s kayaks, jet skis, banana boats or water bikes, which are available for rent. Several restaurants and accommodation options can be found in the village backing the beach. Read More…
