Santo Tomas without Guide

[nasvhillecruise]

Has anyone gone to Santo Tomas without doing a ship excursion or getting a guide? I read one post about simply getting a taxi to take you to Escobas Falls. In that post, the writer said that the taxi driver played guide at the falls and walked with them, pointing out different things. Has anyone else done this? It sounded like a great way to go, but I don't know if that driver was a fluke or whether they all would be so accomodating. Any ideas?

[VikkiGarcia]

The port is in an industrial complex that has restricted access. There is a big warehouse with shopping and many "tour" booths set up to make on the spot arrangements. They may organize small groups or if you want to have a private tour they can arrange that too. They then will walk you out the gate were the transportation waits. So it differs a bit from your normal port where any islander can approach you and sollict taxi rides or tours. But still very easy to wait to make decisions until arrival.

[nasvhillecruise]

Thanks for the info. We'll probably do just what you suggest. Anyone who's been to Escobas Falls, is it worth seeing?

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Oh boy, just what I was wondering myself. I was worried that "there is no there, there", as probably Gertrude Stein said. And it sounds like the case. Is there a town nearby where one can shuttle in and walk around? Or is it all about ruins and jungle treks?

[VikkiGarcia]

There is definately no place to walk to. From the top of the ship I still could not see "town". I have no idea how far away that is and if it is anything worth touring.

[velvetred]

My daughter and I were in Santo Tomas in January of 2007. We took a NCL sponsored shore excursion to Quirigua - one of the Mayan ruin sites - it has beautiful stellae and we enjoyed the countryside drive to the area. In fact, I bought a beautiful blanket from a woman selling her wares at the entrance to the park. Once in the park, we noticed armed guards about the park (and in the port area) - our tour guide said they were posted for tourist safety. There is a very high unemployment rate in Guatemala and our tour guide told us that unfortunately there is a risk of problems if you are unescorted. Once we left the restricted area, the sight of poverty and squalor amidst the beautiful land was very heartbreaking. Some of my fellow travelers asked about taking a cab to a restaurant after our excursion. According to our guide, there was nothing within walking distance to the port (there is a building at the port area with local handicrafts, beer, sodas, and light snacks for sale as ). He told my fellow travelers to not pay more than 20 dollars round trip for the cab ride to the nearest town with a couple of small restaurants and to stay on the main streets. Others may have a different opinion, but if you decide to take a cab on your own be very careful and agree on the terms in advance. Also, the people on our cruise that went to the Escoba Waterfalls loved it.