Rio Dulce,Guatemala

[ElSashar]

Considering Rio Dulce for hurricane season (Sept,Oct) . Any updates on how safe the area is? I have heard mixed reports. Elsashar

[RTB]

I have a friend heading there now. Just passed Belize City in the past day. He will be getting his boat painted and other work done there, while waiting out the hurricane season.

[RHWard]

You will love the Rio Dulce. Excellent spot to hide from bad weather once you get up near Fronteras. Be mindful of the bar that guards the river entrance. If you draw more than 6' consider entering only at high tide and even then it could be sporty. When you clear in at Livingston there's an agent named Raul. (Reach him on VHF) He's good, reliable, and reasonably priced. The harbor at Livingston is not the best place to overnite because of possible theft, especialy dingy and outboard. Head on upriver and you've got the hurricane problem whipped.

[siroismi]

Hi to all, I've been reading on this forum for a while, but seldom posted.

How reasonable is it to think of making it across the bar with a 7 ' draft? And as matter of fact up river and around?

Thanks
Michel

[arjand]

I have not been there with a boat but as a back packer. A superb place:if you can go there! There is a small but stable or growing gringo community and if you google around you can find slips etc for what seems to be a reasonable price. mobile phone tarrifs to the US is cheap, the country/area is fantastic (Tikal, Copan, Llago attitlan and Antigua), life is cheap and if you are there you should spend one night at hotelito perdido, smack in the middle of the jungle and run by a polish woman. It is worth going upriver just for the scenery!

[RHWard]

Taking 7' across the bar at the Rio Dulce could be a real problem. Some boats have done it with a side tow, ie, a motor vessel pulling on a masthead halyard to heel the sailing vessel over so the draft is reduced. I draw 6' and never touched, but my depth sounder showed I had nothing under the keel. Re the tide....there is a high-high usually once a day and with a wind out of the east (thus keeping some of the floe in the Rio) that could be enough to get you thru. Once in the Rio Dulce you'll see occasional depths up to 50'.

[barnakiel]

What was that about cruisers killed the other day. A one time event?

Or was it elsewhere?

b.

[Herbseesmoore]

Here is a good read. Have things changed, doubt it.

Indigo Moon - Guatemala Part One


Like living behind barbed wire? Enjoy vigilantism, burning criminals in the town square................... You might like it.

Just google burning citizens in guatemala.

Great hurricane hole though

[AnchorageGuy]

Michel, You can take your 7 foot draft across the bar but you will have to do it at high tide and it will need to be a full high tide. The bottom is soft and you can farm the bottom if you don't catch it just right. The bar is only about 100 feet wide and if you are concerned there are a couple of folks in Livingston that will heal you over enough to get you across. Once over the bar and especially up river, the depths are fine. You can read our posts on our blog,
http://tinyurl.com/625d3uy
http://tinyurl.com/6awhyyp
Every time the subject of Rio Dulce comes up, someone posts Indigo Moon. We get it, he does not like it there and thinks it is the scariest place on Earth. Every year, we and many hundreds of boaters from all over the world find it completely the opposite. It has been one of the highlights of our 20 years of cruising and we would not hesitate to return in a heartbeat. Chuck

[Herbseesmoore]

Is it safe, fair question deserving informed answer, ain't gonna happen. It may be a matter of percentages. How often can one go to the well before falling in. It is a dangerous place as are many cruising destinations. A favorite quote .....
"People who go to sea for pleasure, would go to hell on a lark"

He didn't ask about getting across the bar.

[atoll]

Originally Posted by Waterwayguy

Michel, You can take your 7 foot draft across the bar but you will have to do it at high tide and it will need to be a full high tide. The bottom is soft and you can farm the bottom if you don't catch it just right. The bar is only about 100 feet wide and if you are concerned there are a couple of folks in Livingston that will heal you over enough to get you across. Once over the bar and especially up river, the depths are fine. You can read our posts on our blog,
http://tinyurl.com/625d3uy
http://tinyurl.com/6awhyyp
Every time the subject of Rio Dulce comes up, someone posts Indigo Moon. We get it, he does not like it there and thinks it is the scariest place on Earth. Every year, we and many hundreds of boaters from all over the world find it completely the opposite. It has been one of the highlights of our 20 years of cruising and we would not hesitate to return in a heartbeat. Chuck

i feel the same way about east africa and the red sea...........

[Mark Johnson]

The worst problem is dinghy theft... especially for their motors. Hoist your dinghy up alongside every night, and you will have no problem. Stay in one of the VERY reasonably priced marinas when you get to Fronteras, and if you anchor out on Lake Izabal, go in company of another boat, and have low deck level anchor lights.

Violence is much less likely than common theft. We had an aquaintence murdered while there, but it was reputed to be commited by another cruiser, in response to a love triangle, or the like. No country is without ANY violence.

IF you go by the common sense rules, It is safer than some of the Eastern Caribbean countries, or any US "big city" on the "wrong side of town".

Guatemala is perhaps the most beautiful country I have ever seen. GO, be carefull, be polite, be smart... you'll be fine! Take group inland trips to Antigua, Tikal, Lake Atitlan, etc. Your boat will be fine in one of the marinas...

BTW, like all of the Caribbean, your safest bet is to "be carefull", but don't carry a gun or resist IF someone tries to rip you off. The vast majority of the time, thieves only want your stuff, and pulling out a weapon only escellates the situation, or lands you in jail. Killing a thief, because you considered it "in self defense" will get you prison time in the Caribbean! Don't worry, just be smart...

Mark