Holland America ship docks at Santo Tomas de Castilla. Credit: Wikimedia Creative Commons license

The Santo Tomás de Castilla cruise port lies snugly inside Amatique Bay on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala.

It is an uncommon port of call for western Caribbean cruises. Guatemala is not known as a destination for western Caribbean cruises in part because such a small amount of the country lies on the Caribbean coast. And Santo Tomás de Castilla is a small port that receives fewer cruise ships each year than most other western Caribbean ports.

It is dominated to the north by Belize, which offers the Belize City cruise port, and to the south by Honduras, which offers the better known Roatan.

But Santo Tomás de Castilla attracts some cruise ships because of a port expansion in 2004. Cruise lines that visit the port include Oceania and Regent. Otherwise, it is known for its commercial cargo activity and presence of the Guatemalan navy.

Attractions and Shore Excursions

The port is small and has no shops, restaurants or other tourism business except for the ones inside a single large terminal building. Local sellers have bargain prices and are willing to haggle.

During our visit, the terminal had continuous entertainment from quality musical groups. Cruise passengers sit and listen to the music in-between shopping, drinking or eating.

There are no walking around attractions at or by the port. Visitors must go on paid shore excursions to see what else lies in the area, starting with city tours to the nearby and much larger Puerto Barrios. Santo Tomás and Puerto Barrios are almost one long city.

The area was settled in 1840 by Belgian pioneers representing a private colonization company. Many of them died from malaria and yellow fever, and the company withdrew from the region in 1854. Oddly enough, the Belgian cemetery is one of the best-known attractions in the city.

Santo Tomás de Castilla cruise terminal. © Scott S. Bateman

Other than city tours, one of the most common shore excursions is a visit to the beach at Amatique Bay Resort, which also has a nice swimming pool. It is a 20-minute drive north of the city by taxi or excursion bus. Some visitors also take a water taxi. Other beach options include Green Bay Hotel Beach and Punta de Palma Beach.

Some of the more popular attractions require longer rides that consume most of a day.

Rio Dulce and the Castillo de San Felipe de Lara is a day trip that takes about 90 minutes each way by tour bus. Rio Dulce is a national park; one excursion operator says the boat tour through the Rio Dulce canyon is the area’s most popular excursion. Castillo de San Felipe is a Spanish fort and UNESCO World Heritage site that was built in 1644 to keep pirates out of Lake Izabal. This excursion usually costs about $100 per person.

Visitors will find that Guatemala is known for its Mayan ruins as much as the nearby Central American countries such as Belize.

The most important ruins in the country are the Archaeological Park and Ruins of Quirigua. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site that is a full day trip of more than 90 minutes each way. The excursions cost more than $100 per person.

Quirigua was the capital of a major state starting in the 2nd century A.D., according to UNESCO. The park includes 17 monuments that were built between 426 and 810 AD.

Another UNESCO World Heritage site lies at Tikal, which is a 40- to 90-minute flight by chartered aircraft depending on the size of the aircraft. It features the Great Plaza, the Pyramid of the Great Jaguar, the Central Plaza, the Palace of the Masks, Pyramid IV, the Central Acropolis and the North Acropolis. The tour takes about three hours.

Other attractions and excursions of Santo Tomás de Castilla include boating along the Rio Dulce River and visiting Ak’ Tenamit village to see local culture, arts and crafts.

Weather

Like most of the western Caribbean coast, the Santo Tomás de Castilla cruise port has warm temperatures throughout most of the year ranging between the low 80s and high 80s Fahrenheit or high 20s to low 30s Celsius.

The rainy season runs from June through November in line with the Caribbean hurricane season. But the city also has higher rainfall in December and January.

The dry season goes from February through April. They are the best months to visit Santo Tomás de Castilla.