Things to do in Lívingston
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Trips up the Río Dulce
Tour agencies in town offer day trips up the Río Dulce to Río Dulce town, as do most local boatmen at the Lívingston dock. Many travelers use these tours as one-way transportation to Río Dulce, although you can do a return trip. It's a beautiful ride through tropical jungle scenery, with several places to stop on the way.
Shortly after you leave Lívingston, you pass the tributary Río Tatin on the right, then will probably stop at an indigenous arts museum set up by Asociación Ak' Tenamit, an NGO working to improve conditions for the Q'eqchi' Maya population of the area. The river enters a gorge called La Cueva de la Vaca, its walls hung with great tangles of jungle…
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Exotic Travel
A few outfits in Lívingston offer tours that let you get out and experience the natural wonders of the area. Exotic Travel is a well-organized operation with several good trips. Its popular Ecological Tour/Jungle Trip takes you for a walk through town, out west up to a lookout spot and on to the Río Quehueche, where you take a half-hour canoe trip down the river to Playa Quehueche where you walk through the jungle to Los Siete Altares.
Hang out in Los Siete Altares for a while, then walk down to the beach and back along it to Lívingston. The trip leaves the Restaurant Bahía Azul on Calle Principal every day at 09:00 and arrives back around 16:30; it costs around US$10…
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Los Siete Altares
About 5km (1½-hour walk) northwest of Lívingston along the shore of Bahía de Amatique, Los Siete Altares is a series of freshwater falls and pools. It's a pleasant goal for a beach walk and is a good place for a picnic and swim. Follow the shore northward to the river mouth and walk along the beach until it meets the path into the woods (about 30 minutes). Follow this path all the way to the falls.
Boat trips go to the Seven Altars, but locals say it's better to walk there to experience the natural beauty and the Garífuna people along the way. About halfway along, next to the rope bridge is Gaviota's Restaurant, serving decent food and ice-cold beers and soft drinks.
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Café-Bar Ubafu
Probably the most dependable entertainment option. Supposedly has music and dancing nightly, but is liveliest on weekends. A traditional Garífuna band is composed of three large drums, a turtle shell, some maracas and a big conch shell, producing throbbing, haunting rhythms and melodies. The chanted words are like a litany, with responses often taken up by the audience. Punta is the Garífuna dance; it's got a lot of gyrating hip movements.
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Bars
A handful of bars down on the beach to the left of the end of Calle Principal pull in travelers and locals at night (after about 22:00 or 23:00). It's very dark down here, so take care. The bars are within five minutes' walk from each other, so you should go for a wander and see what's happening. Music ranges from punta to salsa, merengue and electronica. Things warm up on Friday but Saturday is the party night - often going 'til 05:00 or 06:00.
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Playa Quehueche
Beaches in Lívingston itself are disappointing, as buildings or vegetation come right down to the water's edge in most places. Those beaches that do exist are often contaminated. However, there are better beaches within a few kilometers to the northwest. You can reach Playa Quehueche by taxi (around US$2) in about 10 minutes: this beach near the mouth of the Río Quehueche has been cleaned up by Exotic Travel.
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Museo Multicultural de Lívingston
The Museo Multicultural de Lívingston, upstairs on the municipal park in front of the public dock, has some excellent displays on the history and culture of the area, focusing on the ethnic diversity, with Garífuna, Q'eqchi, Hindu and Ladino cultures represented. While you're down here, check out the open-air alligator enclosure in the middle of the park.
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Restaurante Buga Mama
This place enjoys the best location of any restaurant in town, and profits go to the Asociación Ak Tenemit. There's a wide range of seafood and other dishes on the menu, including a very good tapado. Most of the waiters here are trainees in a community sustainable tourism development scheme, so service can be sketchy, but forgivable.
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Playa Blanca
Beaches in Lívingston itself are disappointing, as buildings or vegetation come right down to the water's edge in most places. Those beaches that do exist are often contaminated. The best beach in the area is Playa Blanca, around 12km from Lívingston. This is privately owned and you need a boat to get there (ask at Exotic Travel).
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Gaviota's Restaurant
Boat trips go to the Seven Altars, but locals say it's better to walk there to experience the natural beauty and the Garífuna people along the way. About halfway along, next to the rope bridge is Gaviota's Restaurant , serving decent food and ice-cold beers and soft drinks.
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Restaurante Gaby
For a good honest feed in underwhelming surrounds, you can't go past Gaby's. She serves up the good stuff: lobster, tapado, rice and beans and good breakfasts at good prices. The telenovelas (soap operas) come free.
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Restaurante Bahía Azul
The Bahía's central location, happy decor and good fresh food keep it popular. The menu's wide, with a good mix of Caribbean, Guatemalan and Asian influences. It opens early for breakfast.
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Tilingo-Lingo
An intimate little place down near the beach. It advertises food from 10 countries, and makes a pretty good job of it, with the Italian and East Indian dishes being the standouts.
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McTropic Restaurante
Some of the best-value seafood dishes in town are on offer at this laid-back little place. Grab a table streetside for people watching and sample some of the good Thai cooking.
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Tropicool Disco
Next door to the Restaurante Bahía Azul, this is a small mainstream disco that sometimes pulls a crowd.
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Antojitos Yoli's
This is the place to come for baked goods. Especially recommended are the coconut bread and pineapple pie.
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