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Tour? Santo tomas, guatemala


Jackie577
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Will be in port March 17th, HAL I was wondering if anyone had taken the Rio Dulce -Livingston tour, (not cruise ship excursion)Most posts I see are a few years old. I have not seen many "recent" reviews. I had read a few of go with gus, or happyfish travel, has anyone used these company's lately, or have any other suggestions? Thanks

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  • 1 month later...

We just got back from 12 days in Guatemala, including a tour of Livingston. Contact wwwtoursguatemala.com, they are great. Eric arranged all our private tours for us. Outstanding service. He has contacts all over Guatemala that he can arrange tours with.

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  • 9 months later...

Hi Jacki

 

Did you end up touring with Gus? I am going in Feb and have been trying to book with him. He wants payment in advance and tells me he is now in India and wants funds wired there- I am not comfortable with that. Need to make sure he is legit and tours are good.

 

Am interested to hear from anyone who used Gus.

 

Thanks.

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Has anyone used Go with Gus Tours ? The tours look good but he wants full payment in advance. Worried this might be a scam. I would love to be proven wrong. if you have had a good experience with this operator in Guatemala or any other, would love to hear from you. Thanks

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Canuck Gal -

 

I just got back from a HAL cruise (12/16- 12/23) that visited Santo Tomas, Guatemala. We did not have a "prebooked" tour with Go with Gus. Basically when we arrived in the port, it was raining off and on. We decided to visit the yellow port building for some shopping and then decided to see if we could book a Rio Dulce tour. Most of the folks hell bent on getting on a tour first were already gone (this was around 9:30 am or so). We walked up to Happy Fish and got their tour info and then right next door is Go with Gus (both are in the yellow port building). We went with Go with Gus and they put us in a boat with Happy Fish tour folks.. not a problem. We did the tour of the Rio Dulce. To me this was so beautiful - lush, green, off the beaten path with lots of birds flying and hanging out. We toured a typical river house, sampled a just made corn tortilla and used their bathroom. We then visited the hot springs (you could take a dip) or you could visit the bathroom and have a beer. Last stop was Livingston. Just a walk around the town and then a stop for a quick lunch at Happy Fish's restaurant. Those that booked with Happy Fish got lunch.. us with the Go with Gus tour just sat there.. waiting for those folks to finish lunch. We could have ordered food but it would have cost us. I really wasn't hungry (listen, I needed to skip a meal after all of the ship food I was eating!) I bought some organic Guatemala coffee beans there while I waited. If lunch is really important to you on this tour, make sure it's included in your tour deal. I think I paid just as much as the folks that got lunch but I wasn't concerned with missing beans/rice with fish. As far as the boat ride to the Rio Dulce. It was about 30-45 minutes long. VERY ROUGH in parts. I think this is due to the designs of the boats, the open water and chop of that area. If you have a bad back or have mobility problems I suggest you DO NOT do this tour. Once you get into the Rio Dulce the ride smooths out and it is very calm (but fast). You WILL get WET if you are sitting on either side of the boat on the way to and back from the Rio Dulce. Keep this in mind and pack your electronics in zip lock bags within your travel bag. The seats along the sides are the best seats for filming the Rio Dulce. Once we were done with the tour, it was VERY ROUGH getting out of the boat and back on the dock. Someone with bad knees would have a hard time. All in all I really enjoyed touring the Rio Dulce, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

 

Teressa

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Canuck Gal -

 

I just got back from a HAL cruise (12/16- 12/23) that visited Santo Tomas, Guatemala. We did not have a "prebooked" tour with Go with Gus. Basically when we arrived in the port, it was raining off and on. We decided to visit the yellow port building for some shopping and then decided to see if we could book a Rio Dulce tour. Most of the folks hell bent on getting on a tour first were already gone (this was around 9:30 am or so). We walked up to Happy Fish and got their tour info and then right next door is Go with Gus (both are in the yellow port building). We went with Go with Gus and they put us in a boat with Happy Fish tour folks.. not a problem. We did the tour of the Rio Dulce. To me this was so beautiful - lush, green, off the beaten path with lots of birds flying and hanging out. We toured a typical river house, sampled a just made corn tortilla and used their bathroom. We then visited the hot springs (you could take a dip) or you could visit the bathroom and have a beer. Last stop was Livingston. Just a walk around the town and then a stop for a quick lunch at Happy Fish's restaurant. Those that booked with Happy Fish got lunch.. us with the Go with Gus tour just sat there.. waiting for those folks to finish lunch. We could have ordered food but it would have cost us. I really wasn't hungry (listen, I needed to skip a meal after all of the ship food I was eating!) I bought some organic Guatemala coffee beans there while I waited. If lunch is really important to you on this tour, make sure it's included in your tour deal. I think I paid just as much as the folks that got lunch but I wasn't concerned with missing beans/rice with fish. As far as the boat ride to the Rio Dulce. It was about 30-45 minutes long. VERY ROUGH in parts. I think this is due to the designs of the boats, the open water and chop of that area. If you have a bad back or have mobility problems I suggest you DO NOT do this tour. Once you get into the Rio Dulce the ride smooths out and it is very calm (but fast). You WILL get WET if you are sitting on either side of the boat on the way to and back from the Rio Dulce. Keep this in mind and pack your electronics in zip lock bags within your travel bag. The seats along the sides are the best seats for filming the Rio Dulce. Once we were done with the tour, it was VERY ROUGH getting out of the boat and back on the dock. Someone with bad knees would have a hard time. All in all I really enjoyed touring the Rio Dulce, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

 

Teressa

 

WOW! Thanks so much for such a thorough review. I am looking at this port and your helped a lot!

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  • 3 weeks later...
Canuck Gal -

 

I just got back from a HAL cruise (12/16- 12/23) that visited Santo Tomas, Guatemala. We did not have a "prebooked" tour with Go with Gus. Basically when we arrived in the port, it was raining off and on. We decided to visit the yellow port building for some shopping and then decided to see if we could book a Rio Dulce tour. Most of the folks hell bent on getting on a tour first were already gone (this was around 9:30 am or so). We walked up to Happy Fish and got their tour info and then right next door is Go with Gus (both are in the yellow port building). We went with Go with Gus and they put us in a boat with Happy Fish tour folks.. not a problem. We did the tour of the Rio Dulce. To me this was so beautiful - lush, green, off the beaten path with lots of birds flying and hanging out. We toured a typical river house, sampled a just made corn tortilla and used their bathroom. We then visited the hot springs (you could take a dip) or you could visit the bathroom and have a beer. Last stop was Livingston. Just a walk around the town and then a stop for a quick lunch at Happy Fish's restaurant. Those that booked with Happy Fish got lunch.. us with the Go with Gus tour just sat there.. waiting for those folks to finish lunch. We could have ordered food but it would have cost us. I really wasn't hungry (listen, I needed to skip a meal after all of the ship food I was eating!) I bought some organic Guatemala coffee beans there while I waited. If lunch is really important to you on this tour, make sure it's included in your tour deal. I think I paid just as much as the folks that got lunch but I wasn't concerned with missing beans/rice with fish. As far as the boat ride to the Rio Dulce. It was about 30-45 minutes long. VERY ROUGH in parts. I think this is due to the designs of the boats, the open water and chop of that area. If you have a bad back or have mobility problems I suggest you DO NOT do this tour. Once you get into the Rio Dulce the ride smooths out and it is very calm (but fast). You WILL get WET if you are sitting on either side of the boat on the way to and back from the Rio Dulce. Keep this in mind and pack your electronics in zip lock bags within your travel bag. The seats along the sides are the best seats for filming the Rio Dulce. Once we were done with the tour, it was VERY ROUGH getting out of the boat and back on the dock. Someone with bad knees would have a hard time. All in all I really enjoyed touring the Rio Dulce, it was one of the highlights of my trip.

 

Teressa

 

thank you SO MUCH for this review! i'm trying to finally pull the trigger on booking this same sailing (i think--on HAL) for four weeks from now and the one sticking point with the itinerary has been this port. we are adventurous and the idea of guatamala appeals to me, but i've found very little information on things to do in santo tomas. we were seriously considering just staying on the ship (and what's the point of that?) this review helps a lot. i think we will do just this--book something in person. i've read through the descriptions of the various happy fish and go with gus tours on the websites, but this review gives a much better picture of what the day is like and reassures me that we don't have to book in advance. thank you! i very much appreciate it! and if you have any other great pointers on this itinerary (the sailing i'm looking at stops here and also at cozumel, roatan, and costa maya) i'm interested in hearing them. again, thank you!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Elbodans -

 

Thanks for the great response from my review of Santo Tomas, Guatemala! In regards to your question on the other ports. Our sail did not visit Cozumel. We did visit Roatan and Costa Maya.

 

On Roatan, we walked through the port facilities, grabbed a taxi (agreed on a price with the taxi driver) to take us over to West Bay Beach. We went to Bananarama for drinks and lunch. They will try to sell you either a lounge chair or a drink for $10 US dollars each. Just tell them you are having lunch at the bar with cocktails. If you want a lounger, then you may have to pay. Their loungers are not in the best condition so we really never laid in the one we "paid" for. We just sat at the main bar, talked to the bartenders, ate a great lunch (fresh sushi) and tried a Monkey Lala drink. Our taxi driver took us back to the ship when we were ready. It was about 30-45 minute drive to the West Bay beach so if you go, keep that in mind. We paid $60 cash for both of us for our taxi driver for the day. It allowed us to see some of Roatan instead of just looking at a Port facility. I never felt unsafe walking around on West Bay beach or at any of the shops nearby the beach. There are other facilities on West Bay beach that you can hang out for the day. Just google West Bay Beach Roatan and see what strikes your fancy.

 

On Costa Maya, again, we walked through the huge port facility (all the way through it and past the main gates!) and grabbed a taxi to take us to the "Tropicante" at Mahahual - which was $2 per person, one way. You can't miss the taxis, they are all yellow vehicles. When we arrived at Mahahual and got out of the taxi all I said was "Tropicante?".. "Tropicante"? and my hubby and I were taken to the Tropicante. I didn't have to look for it or wander around. I requested table in the shade with chairs at the Tropicante, with Steve, the owner of Tropicante. Within my email to Steve, I told him what ship I was arriving on and what time to expect me. This way they can keep an eye out for you when you arrive at Mahahual. Google Tropicante Costa Maya (website is "sandals and skis") to find the email for Steve. They only take cash, so bring it with you for taxi and lunch/drinks/shopping at Mahahual. My hubby and I spent the next few hours enjoying the beach, eating some fantastic food and drinking wonderful margaritas and local Mexican beer. I did a little shopping along the malecon. Yes, there were beach vendors but a simple "No thank you" moved them along. They were not as aggressive as Negril Jamaica beach vendors. I had guacamole and nachos. My husband had a huge plate of fresh fish ceviche. He had beer and I had Margaritas. Steve stopped by for a chat and to pour us a shot of Tequila. Our server was excellent. We did not get sick or ill from any of the food or drinks from the Tropicante. There are lots of other places to hang out in Mahahual but I read the Steve works at making sure his ice and food are sanitary, that's why I chose to visit his restaurant. If you don't want to commit to Tropicante, you can decide where to hang out when you get there since there are lots of places to eat and drink on the beach. When we were ready to go back to the ship, it was a very short walk to the taxi stand to grab one of numerous taxis to take you back to the port. The taxi will drop you off inside the port facility. The port facility was crazy busy when we got back.. Three ships were in port and it was so crowded you could barely walk around. We were so glad that we got out of the port and ventured out.

Teressa

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