Blogs from Poptún, Petén Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean

It was an easy two-hour drive from Santa Elena to Finca Ixtobel in Poptun. It's a funky place very similar to Barton Creek Outpost except that it's been around longer. They use a combination of local and "volunteer" labor to run the place and it seems to run quite smoothly. The bills are tabulated and paid on an honor system and that too seems to work out pretty well. I appreciated that I didn't need to carry around my wallet while I statyed there because everything went on my tab. It only cost about $3 per night to camp which is a very good deal for what you get. The bathrooms and showers were very nice and they even had hot water which I do not need in this land of mucho calor. The camping area ... read more

30 Grad im Schatten und täglich 12 Stunden Sonne...das meine Freunde ist Mexico!!! Glaubt mir da möcht ich einen von euch sehen, der sich freiwillig den ganzen Tag im Auto oder Bus rum quält. Ich habs nicht gemacht und der Versuch das Nützliche mit dem Angenehmen zu verbinden, sprich zu trampen ist kläglich gescheitert. Nach dem mich nach 2 Stunden immer noch keiner mit nehmen wollte und die mexikanische Sonne mittags ziemlich rücksichtslos ist, bin ich dann doch noch ab zum Strand. Da hats mir dann so gut gefallen, ich bin 2 Tage garnicht mehr weg. Ihr könnt euch sicher vorstellen wie ich mich beschäftigt habe: Schnorcheln im Meer, Beachvolleyball am Strand, Kokosnüsse von Palmen pflücken und Bier trinken mit Ben und anderen Travelern aus der ganzen Welt. Beth aus England war eine von ihnen. ... read more

One of the things that I´m loving about Guatemala so far is that the internet is really quick! In Mexico it took me forever to upload my photos, but it takes a matter of seconds here- yahoo! From Flores I travelled to a town called Poptun to stay at a place called Finca Ixobel. It was a really cool place- a mixture between a farm and a hostel. There were cows, horses, a pond you could swim in and 400 acres of land for various tours and walks. They make their own bread, grow their own veggies & salad, and every night at 7 they sound a gong and everyone has dinner together. Having not ridden a horse since I was a teenager (after falling off and being a bit scared after that!), I decided to ... read more

When we arrived at Finca Ixobel, our first thought on rolling through the gate was that there must be some mistake - this place was way too nice for us. Set on huge, immaculately maintained grounds in the midst of large expanses of alternating farmland and pristine pine forest, the place looked like a ranch getaway for the rich and famous. But a quick chat with the front desk confirmed that it was indeed, beyond all reasonable expectation, priced for the budget traveler. We settled into our pine cabin on stilts and quickly commandeered a beer to sit on our porch and watch the sunset. The next few days have passed in a lazy haze. Just as at El Retiro, everything is provided for you here. There is a restaurant serving meals and snacks all day. ... read more