To break up our 10-hour road trip from Guatemala City to Petén, we decided to go on a Río Dulce boat ride, which is near the castle of San Felipe. We buzzed around in a motor boat, looking at exotic birds and wildlife on the edges of the river.
The San Felipe Castle was built on the edge of Río Dulce, so we were able to buzz by it, seeing it sparkle in the sunshine. It was built in the 1500’s by the Spaniards, who had come to colonize the area.
The palm trees and tropical foliage came right down into the water, and the boat man slowed the boat down so that we could look more closely at the wildlife. Take a look at the video footage from the trip:
Some of the plants are parasitic and grow on the palm trees. Along with the moss and tall grasses, the area looks pretty much like a tropical jungle.
My husband took each of these spectacular bird pictures. I especially like the white one with the long neck. I captured that one flying in the video, too!
We saw a flock of the strange-looking black-colored birds, too. They sat on stumps sticking out of the water, or they congregated on old wooden docks. We saw a turtle sunning himself under one of these docks:
We enjoyed this boat ride very much, since it was the first big event since landing in Guatemala. If you missed our first couple of rainy days, check out this post. The Río Dulce boat ride happened on day 3, along with the Castle of San Felipe, which is coming up next!
Don’t miss any posts in this Guatemala Adventure series! Follow my Missionary Kid page for extra photo albums and videos of random Guatemala activities we fit in around the edges of our trip.
What a great way to break up the 10-hour road trip!
Absolutely! We were able to get out and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
What a beautiful setting. There is something very special about being on the water – the best type of break!!
I love the sound of a motorboat. The sound of water in any form is very calming.
That looks so beautiful! I bet y’all had an amazing time.
We did! This area is beautiful, and we really enjoyed the boat trip.
Love the pics of flora and fauna.
I couldn’t believe the beautiful pictures that my husband took of birds during that boat ride. It’s hard to take good pictures when the boat is moving.
Wow! That is such fun. Glad you captured all of that. amy
I’m so glad I captured it on video, as I can now re-live the boat ride any time!
Great pictures. Glad you are enjoying your adventure!
It was definitely an adventure! LOL
What a gorgeous place!! My sister-in-law is from Guatemala.
Cool! I’ve found so many people here in Spokane where I live, who are either from Guatemala or have been there. It’s definitely a gorgeous place!
How beautiful! I would love to travel and see things outside of the South one day lol. One day I will, but for now it is nice to live vicariously through the pictures and stories of others!
Traveling is something I did a lot more of when I was single. This is the first time I’ve taken all my children out of the USA!
Looks like an absolutely beautiful trip! Such a blessing to get out and enjoy God’s wildlife and landscape!!
Guatemala is definitely beautiful!
I am so enjoying these adventures. Such amazing memories for your family.
Now my kids will understand the culture where I grew up!
What a beautiful boat ride! That was a great idea to break up your trip a little.
Yes, it made the long car trip feel not as long because it was divided in half.