Green Bay and Los Escabos waterfalls

[cruiseljh]

Am considering a Green Bay and Los Escabos waterfalls combo excursion. I understand there is a van that takes you from Green Bay to the entrance of the falls.

 

Approximately, how far and how LONG of a walk/hike is it from the entrance to the falls?

Is it a easy walk/hike?

How much time is typically spent at the falls themselves?

[doctor]

We did the Green Bay/Waterfalls tour with Turix Activo in January 2009. It was fantastic. We took about a ten minute boat ride from the port to the resort. Then we took about another 10-15minute ride to the falls. We were at the falls may 1-1 1/2 hours. There is time for getting into the falls in case you want to bring your shoes. I think the total hike is about a mile, but there is some uneven terrain. Well marked just a little uneven. It was great going with the independent tour operator. There were 8 people in our group as opposed to the 40 plus people with the cruise line. The resort was really lovely as well. I think if we go back, we might just stay there for the day. It really was a different kind of resort, but just a great experience. We paid $50 per person for the tour.

[chajec]

Doctor - when you say a little uneven, could you please describe? We are planning on this tour, but my mother is 76 years old. She walks well and actively walks her dog, but I was a bit concerned about the terrain. Is it hilly, easy to slip and fall on, etc? If you could either be more descriptive or if you have pictures, please let me know.

 

Thanks.

[bqkali]

Doctor - when you say a little uneven, could you please describe? We are planning on this tour, but my mother is 76 years old. She walks well and actively walks her dog, but I was a bit concerned about the terrain. Is it hilly, easy to slip and fall on, etc? If you could either be more descriptive or if you have pictures, please let me know.

 

Thanks.

 

We found the first portions of the trails were very flat and an easy walk. As you got closer to the falls, the terrain became more uneven. Our guide (Happy Fish) was happy to let some people stay behind while others continued onward. Your mother could go as far as she felt comfortable and then the two of you could return to the entrance of the park when needed. There is a small shop and food available there (for very cheap!!) and some picnic tables where you could wait for the rest of the group. I did not feel it was strenuous at all, but I am not 76 :rolleyes: Even if she didn't make it all the way to the falls, she may be able to see some of the beautiful rainforest.

 

We LOVED the waterfalls, but did not enjoy the resort. It was cool and at times rainy the day we were there, and therefore we didn't really take advantage of the lounge chairs or pool. It was also very buggy, so bring bug spray! On a sunny day, I am sure you'd have a great time at Green Bay. It was beautiful, just not many indoor activities.

 

Both Happy Fish & Turix Activo (and perhaps others) sell the combination tour at the port, so if it is something you are interested in, I would recommend buying the tour on the day of your trip once you see what the weather is like. We paid $35 by purchasing online ahead of time; it was slightly higher at the port. We docked at 8 and the tours were scheduled for 9 or 11. We spent about 9-11:30 at Las Escobas (including travel time) and then went to the resort. When we were dropped off at Green Bay, our guide asked us what time we wished to be picked up so we requested 3pm; in hindsight, we wished we had a phone number to contact them since we ended up ready to leave much earlier.

 

Another tip: eat lunch at Las Escobas if you have time instead of the resort. At Las Escobas, food was cheap: about $4 for chicken, rice, beans, tortillas, banana, and drink. Maybe even grab an extra drink to take with you. At Green Bay, prices were much more expensive, about $8 for a sandwich or $3 for a beer, $6+ for frozen drinks.

[StartrainDD]

We were fortunate to take this tour on 11-5 with Turix Activo, but almost didn't get to do it. Based on my research on this board this is the exact tour we wanted to do.

 

The Turix Activo booth is right next to the "Go with Gus" and "Gus" has more people recruiting. I had the printout from the Turix Activo site and went to talk with them. They said they would love to give us this tour but had no one else taking it and they needed a minimum of 6. They suggested we might find others on the ship?

 

Somewhat discouraged, we headed back towards the ship as some CC friends we had toured with the previous day in Belize had told us they were doing this same tour. We ended up meeting them on the gangplank and went back to the Turix Activo booth.

 

They showed their confirmation for three people. Turix indicated (and signs in the port confirm for all tour companies) they are supposed to have a minimum of 6 people for a tour. But, since our friends had reserved ahead of time, they needed to honor that. Therefore, we were tacked on, and it became the five of us!

 

We crossed the bay by water taxi. It was a wonderous morning and many waterfowl were in the air, including a huge bird that from a distance looked similar to a bald eagle. It wasn't, and our tour guide, Viviana, told us what it was but I don't recall. After maybe a 15 minute ride we arrived at Green Bay.

 

Viviana began to show us around the resort when she was informed that the van was ready to take us to the falls. She asked if we wanted to finish the tour or go to the falls first. We all agreed on the falls.

 

It is 3km to the falls. The road is "Rough." The van was very nice and we reached the Los Escabas Falls park. There is one large tour bus in the parking lot. Viviana paid the entry fee and the park provided their own guide, so now we are five and two guides!

 

The park guide gave us a short introductory talk, and we proceeded up the trail. We stopped often as the guides pointed out various plants and trees. We reached the first falls and they are magnificent. No one else is around. We take photos and video, and then proceed to swim. Before we get in the water, Viviana asks how my camera works and took dozens of photos of us enjoying the water. The pool here is very deep and it takes a little effort to swim against the current to actually reach the falls. At the falls there are rocks to stand on so no treading water here!

 

After a good amount of time we dry off a little and head back to the trail. We see the "Batcave" and eventually reach the "Hidden falls." This is the top of the trail and the second place to swim. The water here is not so deep (I could always stand) but it is just as wonderous as the first falls, perhaps more so.

 

We get our fill of swimming and head off on the trail. The trail crosses the river several times on neat bridges, more photo ops. More nature information is provided on the trip down as well.

 

The total walk is about 1km. It is a lot of up and down, but the tour guides stop often. The trail is well maintained. At the bottom are restrooms and a few enterprising vendors selling handicrafts. The handicrafts are more varied and are obtainable at better prices near the port. There is a group/family selling sodas, beers, and some food, but no one from our group took advantage of this.

 

We were at the waterfall park for two hours and never saw another person until we were leaving, when a van full of people drove up. The tour bus was gone, so they must have arrived much earlier than we did. The circular nature of the trail is such that you do not "Meet" people coming down as you go up.

 

We gave the local guide (a 16 year old girl) a small tip, and headed back to Green Bay. Viviana finished our tour. This resort is beautiful. A large swimming pool with a swim up bar, and a second large wading/sitting pool with fountains. Viviana invites us to become comfortable and gets a waiter to bring menus. After all the activity, we are actually a little hungry!:) The other party asked for a spanish menu. They brought one for both of us. This menu is in both spanish and english, but has more selections than the "Cruise" menu.

 

The spanish menu has a "Fishburger." I inquire as to the type of fish. The response is "Tilapia, caught right here." That sold me. DW also orders the fishburger. We have a choice of fries or fruit. I say fries, she says fruit. Also order the local brew and a diet Pepsi.

 

We enjoy the pools (the wading pool is warmer) and eventually the food comes. This is the best tilapia I have ever enjoyed anywhere! Everyone seemed very pleased with their choices. A second round of drinks is ordered and life is good. There are also hammocks and all sorts of other things to do, but we take it easy.

 

Eventually it's 2:40 and Viviana says the water taxi is on it's way. We could have left earlier but it's a glorious day and no one else is around, so why not enjoy our "Private resort?"

 

On the way back, the water taxi takes a 5 minute detour and takes us behind an island to show us the caves where pirates use to hide out. We greatly enjoyed this as it was completely unexpected! We arrived back at the dock.

 

Viviana told us to be sure to be on deck when the ship is ready to leave. That was super special, as the locals put on a musical performance, dance, wave, and bid us goodbye. I don't recall any port that does this and honestly it makes me want to go back to Guatemala!

 

We also shopped in the area on the port grounds and bought a LOT. Great stuff for sale. They love to bargain. Start walking away and the prices drop like Black Friday on steroids.

 

We thought this was a wonderful experience and highly recommend it!

[trtllovr]

Wow, thank you so much for your review StartrainDD!!! It has convinced me this would be a great trip to take! Thanks for the detailed response too, even down to the food, I vicariously enjoyed it through you!

[TimmyRocks]

Great review - thanks so much!

 

We're going with Turix Activo I think but see $50-$55 pricing so where is this $35 deal you speak of and does anyone know if the waterfalls park or Green Bay Resort have an official website as I can't seem to find them......I'd rather get a deal up front and then tip them for being so nice and enthusiastic - oh and getting us home safe...........

[StartrainDD]

Great review - thanks so much!

 

We're going with Turix Activo I think but see $50-$55 pricing so where is this $35 deal you speak of and does anyone know if the waterfalls park or Green Bay Resort have an official website as I can't seem to find them......I'd rather get a deal up front and then tip them for being so nice and enthusiastic - oh and getting us home safe...........

 

I don't recall mentioning a price - we paid $45.00 each, but I think the sign they had said $55.00. We got the $45.00 price as that is what they others paid who had pre-booked.

 

Even at $55 this tour would be a good value. We spent less than $15 each at Green Bay for the lunch and 2 drinks each. There is a park-assigned tour guide at the waterfalls who was very good, and we gave her $5, and $20 to Arianna at the end of the day. If you book this, ask for Arianna to be your guide, she will get an extra commission this way (and you will likely get even better service?) I got her name wrong in my review above.

 

By the way - don't miss the ship send-off! Arianna will be there along with the rest of the tour providers.

 

Enjoy Guatemala - we sure did!

[galliegirlie]

Great review - thanks so much!

 

We're going with Turix Activo I think but see $50-$55 pricing so where is this $35 deal you speak of and does anyone know if the waterfalls park or Green Bay Resort have an official website as I can't seem to find them......I'd rather get a deal up front and then tip them for being so nice and enthusiastic - oh and getting us home safe...........

 

I just got back from NCL's cruise 1/3-1/10. I was interested in doing the Turix combo tour as well, but I wanted to book at the port because of unknown weather. On the day of our visit, I was quoted $35 for the tour, but then he changed it to $40 about 10 min later. We were a party of 3 people so we needed to wait for more people to show up. The salesmen kept trying to get me to buy our tickets and then just wait, but I did not want to be stuck waiting around all day. We waited for about 20 min for the salesmen to drum up more business, but this was about mid morning now so there were not as many people coming off the ship looking for tours. I finally looked around and saw a group of people with Happy Fish who were just about ready to leave for their tour. So I purchased with Happy Fish for $40pp and we were on our way in 10 min. Our group had 9 people in it, and the tour quide was very good. We got to the EcoPark about 11am, so we did not encounter any big bus tours during our visit. The park and waterfalls were very well maintained and beautiful. It was a cooler day, so I did not plan on swimmin in the waters, but I did take off my shoes and walk around a little in the shallow end. The tour was not rushed at all, and we had plenty of time for pictures and exploring.

[exgrill]

Hello

 

We visited Las Escobas Waterfalls on January 6th through NCL. It was beautiful but crowded.

 

It was in the low 70's but quite a few people swam in the waterfall pools.

 

My only warning would be that on some days, depending on recent rainfall, the waterfalls are more like like water trickles. The picture in the previous post is one of the trickle days. If you are expecting Niagra Falls or something you'd see in Hawaii, you may be disappointed.

 

Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed the excursion but knew ahead of time what to expect.

 

Hope this helps.

[LibrarianJen]

We did the Green Bay/Waterfalls tour with Turix Activo in January 2009. It was fantastic. We took about a ten minute boat ride from the port to the resort. Then we took about another 10-15minute ride to the falls. We were at the falls may 1-1 1/2 hours. There is time for getting into the falls in case you want to bring your shoes. I think the total hike is about a mile, but there is some uneven terrain. Well marked just a little uneven. It was great going with the independent tour operator. There were 8 people in our group as opposed to the 40 plus people with the cruise line. The resort was really lovely as well. I think if we go back, we might just stay there for the day. It really was a different kind of resort, but just a great experience. We paid $50 per person for the tour.

 

We did this exact tour as well on January 27th, 2010, and it cost us $55 each. We were only 5 in our group and it was great! Our Turix Activo guide was a 19 year old named Bryan. His English was excellent and he did the tour of the waterfalls himself. He was very patient about waiting for us to take our pictures and for the older members of our group to catch up, and he was full of information about the jungle and about Guatemala. He also does bird watching tours, and he spotted a toucan high up in the canopy at one point. It was a bit crowded at the first waterfall, but the second was much quieter. The resort was also very quiet and peaceful; Bryan helped us order lunch and arranged a pick-up time, then went off to get his second group of the day. The resort was beautiful and I've already recommended it as a wedding location for a friend!

[LibrarianJen]

I'm sorry, I attached two of my pictures wrong and I can't edit my post. Here they are in a larger size, i.e. a visible one...

[amistad]

LibrarianJen, Was the water at the resort warm enough to get in or was it too cold?