Presentation - How to get the hotel - Hotel Backpackers

Hotel Backpackers is situated in El Relleno, Rio Dulce right on the waters edge with a wonderful view of the beautiful Rio Dulce. With rooms and food to suit all budgets the hotel is a lovely place to base yourself for trips around the river and Lago Izabal as well as trips further a field down the river towards Livingston on the Caribbean coast.

This traveller-minded Hotel is operated by CASA GUATEMALA, a home for children in need of protection, medical care an education.

RÍO DULCE is situated along the "MAYAN ROUTE". Hundreds of tourists stop by on their way to and from Tikal, Livingston and Honduras. (See the map)

We are looking forward to having you in Hotel Backpackers enjoying our spacious deck, having a refreshing drink under an umbrella, or basking in the sun until you need to take a dive into the river for a swim to cool off whilst contemplating the gentle current of the majestic river, reflecting the amazing sun set.

Our restaurant offers an international variety of tasty dishes at a wide range of prices.

Our spacious water front dock is a very social area where you can read your book, meet backpackers from all over the world, and share traveling experience and exchange information and recommendations. We also offer fast and friendly Internet service, long distance telephone service; international and local telephone cards, post cards, maps and stamps for all of your communication and traveling needs.

The hotel is a perfect example how the tourism well focuses can fund a project. Depending exclusively on donations is a great strain and put in risk, the continuity of many programs. You might have donations now and none in two months time. The international situation has a direct impact on the level of donations. The recent wars and natural disasters that have affected the world have had a direct influence in decreasing the level of donations to projects in many countries.

We can not let the continuity of a project up to random contributions. I believe many NGO will turn to autofinancing/selfsufficiency. What better way than solidarity tourism, through which social projects can be financed. Offer job opportunities in the more impoverished countries, as well as offering alternative tourism to visitors from rich countries, allowing them to get a glimpse of the social quality of the area they are visiting and allowing them to participate in the projects.

Between the Hotel and CG they give jobs to about 90 people, education, room and board to 250 children, and work with an average of 40 volunteers mainly European, Canadian and American.

The hotel is on the west side of the river. The town on the East side of the river is FRONTERAS. The two sides of the river are connected with its famous one-kilometer long bridge, the longest in all of Central America.

The hotel is located at the western bank of the river, which you can see, with its white umbrellas and spacious deck, from the top of the bridge.

From Tikal: Upon arriving in Fronteras Rio Dulce, cross over the bridge and walk approximately 300 meters underneath the bridge.

From Guatemala City: Get off the bus before the bridge and walk under it on the right hand side for 300 meters.

From Livingston: Ask the boat driver to drop you off at Hotel Backpackers in El Relleno.

Wherever you are coming from, give us a call and we will meet you in Fronteras to take you across the river to Hotel Backpackers.