The Pacific Lowlands Sights

1. ARCAS

The Petén-based ARCAS, whose name is the Spanish acronym for "Association for Rescue and Conservation of Wildlife," maintains an operation in Hawaii National Park, east of Monterrico near the Salvadoran border. ARCAS is always looking for volunteers, both experts and lay people, with a passion for conservation.

2. Auto Safari Chapín

It's not exactly a game park in Kenya, but Auto Safari Chapín creates a Guatemalan version of the experience. This large outdoor zoo gives you a drive-through safari encounter. Among the 100 species of animals here, the facility is especially strong in it population of giraffes, zebras, hippos, and rhinos.

3. Biotopo Monterrico

The Biotopo Monterrico, officially, the Monterrico Natural Reserve for Multiple Uses, encompasses 6,916 acres along Guatemala's Pacific coast and includes everything from mangrove swamps to dense tropical forests. This is a haven for ornithologists, as the reserve is home to more than 100 species of migratory and indigenous birds. Marine turtles swim ashore from July to January, and you can often see them digging nests for their eggs at night. We recommend an organized tour of the reserve. Although the visitor center sits in town a couple of blocks east of Calle Principal, visiting on your own is logistically difficult. Naturaltours (East of Calle Principal 060245958–9491) leads boat tours—in Spanish only—of the canal, mangroves, and lagoons. Rise and shine, for they begin at 5 am, an hour necessary to take advantage of the best wildlife-viewing opportunities.

4. CECON

CECON, based at Guatemala City's Universidad de San Carlos, operates the Biotopo Monterrico and an interesting in-town visitor center that documents the life cycle of the turtles, as well as iguanas and caimans. It also manages Monterrico's most popular event, and one of Guatemala's most fun: the weekly turtle release during the July to January nesting season. Each Saturday at 5:30 pm the week's hatchlings return to the sea in a well-attended event. For a Q10 ticket you can sponsor a turtle, and release it at the starting line, and watch it scurry across the sand and make it to the finish line. The tide is the goal, of course—whoever said turtles are slow never witnessed this race. Win or lose, your Q10 goes to a good cause.

5. Finca El Baúl

In the midst of working fields of sugarcane north of town, Finca El Baúl clumps together a collection of stelae from the Preclassic to Late Classic periods (AD 250–900). The site shows influences of the indigenous Pipil people, who spoke the Nahuatl language of central Mexico, as well as the Maya. Though billed as an outdoor museum, you'll find little explanation of what you're seeing at El Baúl. Most visitors come here, rather, to observe the occasional Mayan rituals that still take place on the site. There's no fixed schedule, but if you do stumble upon an observance, be unobtrusive. A few visitors wandering aimlessly through the fields have been robbed. We recommend a taxi to get here and back. Most drivers know the place and are happy to serve as your guide and protector.

6. Museo de Cultura Cotzumalguapa

For a far better grounding in the Mayan history of the region than you can get at El Baúl, head to the Finca Las Ilusiones, also a one-time sugarcane plantation. The site is officially known as the Museo de Cultura Cotzumalguapa, and takes in a collection of stelae and stones gathered from nearby archaeological sites. Most of these come from Bilbao, on the northern edge of Santa Lucía, which housed a collection of carved stones. The 80-ton, so-called Monument 21 remains at the Bilbao site, and has been copied in fiberglass for display at this museum. The remainder of the Bilbao stones here are authentic.

7. Proyecto Lingüístico Monterrico

8. Takalik Abaj

Olmec meets Mayan at Takalik Abaj, a little-known complex of ruins tucked away in the southwestern corner of the country. Historically, this lowland location gave far better access to central and southern Mexico than did sites elsewhere in Guatemala, and the Olmec influence was stronger here than other places around the country. Inhabitants of Takalik Abaj also formed strong commercial ties with Kaminaljuyú, on the site of present-day Guatemala City. The name means "standing stones" in Quiché, a moniker given to the site by those who uncovered it in the 1880s. (No one is certain what its original inhabitants called the place, as is the case with the majority of Guatemala's indigenous ruins.) What is known is that the site dates from the Preclassic period, and was inhabited from the 8th century BC to AD 9th century, peaking about AD 200. The standing-stone name is apt: Takalik Abaj is home to almost 300 well-preserved stelae, made of granite, unlike the limestone used at ruins in northern Guatemala's Petén region. Several small pyramids round out the offerings on the site. Guides staff the booth at the site entrance, and can provide you with a tour. These folks don't see a lot of visitors, so a Q15 tip is always appreciated. Alternatively, the nearby Takalik Maya Lodge can set you up with a tour.

9. Xetulul

We'll call the adjoining Xetulul a bit more "Epcot Center-y." It expands on Xocomil's Mayan theme, but incorporates pavilions devoted to colonial Guatemala, as well as Spain, Italy, and France into its complex, with several fun amusement rides to boot.

10. Xocomil

Wet and wild, Xocomil is a water park of which there are many in this part of the country. The Mayan-themed structures tend a bit toward the cheesy side, but it's a well-integrated design that encompasses waterslides, wave pools, and more tranquil children's pools in the park.