Need help in Santo Tomas

[Marietta]

We are looking for something to do in Santo Tomas, but are not interested in the humanitarian parts of most of the tours we see. (PLEASE no flames, we have had several deaths in the family and other problems this month and we need to heal. I don't think I could handle what others have described about meeting the children right now. :o )

 

Is there anyone anyone can recommend who does a shorter version of these tours where we can just go up the river, see some sites and/or check out Livingston? I want to get off the ship here, but so far cannot find anything that anyone in our family is interested in doing for the amount of time / prices we have seen.

 

Thanks for any help.

[VikkiGarcia]

Rio Dulce is a good 45 minute boat ride from the port. When we went all the tours had to be arranged privately because there was no Rio Dulce shore excursion through the ship. The vendors that do Rio Dulce independently (Gus, Javier, Happy Fish) seem to incorporate some sort of humanitarian stop in their tour. There may be other vendors now that will do a private tour. Or you can just stay in the boat when it stops.

[Marietta]

Thanks. That's about what I've come up with... I really don't want to stay on the ship, but I also don't want to become a blubbering idiot in a strange country surrounded by people who have so much less than any of us can even imagine living with. :(

[nasvhillecruise]

We're thinking of getting a taxi & visiting the waterfalls. It sounds really nice, & I've always wanted to swim under the falls like they say you can do there. There are several posts talking about getting a taxi to take you there, although you can go with a tour as well.

[VikkiGarcia]

Marietta: There are a bunch of options of other tours (including the waterfall mentioned here). This is a great port for people who do not prebook anything. Go right into the building and there are tour booths set up trying to organize tours on the spot. Rio Dulce is the largest group tours. Anything else can be much more personalized and tailored to your needs. The port is very industrial and boring so I would try to go somewhere at least for a bit.

[monicajay]

When we toured with Gus there were some people who did not want to visit the school, they went for a short walk along the rivers edge and then swum until the rest of us got back. The visit to the school was only a short part of the tour. JMO , no flames intented.

 

We found this trip to be a very uplifting experience.

 

One thing is sure, don't just stay on the ship!

[saraisarai]

We used them last spring went up the Rio Dulce and visited Livingston. We were suppose to visit a school---but did not---several other things we were suppose to do and did not do---the tour was great---but I wanted to do those things they promised me in writing---but they did not deliver.

 

So they might work for you.

[Marietta]

We have only ever done ship's tours and walk around in Cozumel before this cruise. Is it pretty safe to book a tour at the pier in Guatemala? I do not want to miss the boat and just the idea of going to Guatemala was really scarey before I started reading these boards. Is there someone (Gus?) who you would give money to, and feel confident it would go straight to the children's needs?

[cruzinwieds]

We are looking for something to do in Santo Tomas, but are not interested in the humanitarian parts of most of the tours we see. (PLEASE no flames, we have had several deaths in the family and other problems this month and we need to heal. I don't think I could handle what others have described about meeting the children right now. :o )

 

Is there anyone anyone can recommend who does a shorter version of these tours where we can just go up the river, see some sites and/or check out Livingston? I want to get off the ship here, but so far cannot find anything that anyone in our family is interested in doing for the amount of time / prices we have seen.

 

Thanks for any help.

 

I am just back from Santo Tomas, had a great time. We did city tour and water falls. Falls are great and we got to swim in the upper and lower falls. We arranged a tour for our group of 7 inside the building at the port. We had a great driver and tour guide. We started with a short boat ride to Green Bay Hotel, which you can also just spend the day at if you wish. We then took a city tour and ended up at the falls. If you are interested I can get the name of the tour company, they are located on the right side of the building when you enter, ask for Luis.

[sheila77]

cruzinweids

I would love the name of the tour company. What was the price for your tour?

 

Did you book a boat tour to Green Bay Hotel and then go on the waterfall tour?

 

How long did the tour take? Can I stay at Green BAy Hotel and then do the water fall tour?

 

 

I would like to go to the waterfalls but I also want to avoid the humanitarian part of the tour. I am very involved in humanitarian work and I would like an emotional break from this while on vacation.

 

thanks for the info

Sheila

[cruzinwieds]

cruzinweids

I would love the name of the tour company. What was the price for your tour?

 

Did you book a boat tour to Green Bay Hotel and then go on the waterfall tour?

 

How long did the tour take? Can I stay at Green BAy Hotel and then do the water fall tour?

 

 

I would like to go to the waterfalls but I also want to avoid the humanitarian part of the tour. I am very involved in humanitarian work and I would like an emotional break from this while on vacation.

 

thanks for the info

Sheila

 

Shelia,

 

I will have to look for tour company name when I get home. When you enter the building on the pier there will be tour companies on the left and right as you enter. This company had a big booth and it was on the right side in the middle and they accept credit cards. They were recommended to us by the local Guatemala tourism representative that is located in the building, although they said that all tour companies present had to legitimate to be on the premises. We paid $40 per person for a private tour, group of seven. They take you to Green Bay Hotel to meet the van and so you can see what is available at hotel, in case you decide to stay. Falls tour only is $35 per person, we thought it was worth the extra $5 to see city. You can structure your tour any way you like. If you want to stay at the hotel and swim in the pool and then do the falls they will be glad to accommodate you. We decided to do city tour first and then falls after; they left it up to us. The entire tour is listed as 3 hours but we were gone more like 4+ hours.

[VikkiGarcia]

I would feel comfortable using any of the tour booths inside the building. There is about 8 set up. From what I noticed they all do pretty much the same tours at the same prices (there may be a little wiggle room for negotiating). The key is the "salesperson" who is trying to wrangle customers and put small groups together. The ones with really strong English skills seemed successful. I would make sure THAT person is going with you or meet the driver/guide before commiting. I noticed someone kind of do a pass off once they paid at the counter and I could tell by their faces they thought they were going with the gal they were talking to. I think all the tour guides had to get some sort of approval to even be in the building as it is not open to the public.

[tidecruiser]

For the waterfall, how many steps is it on the path? I ask because we have a 15 year old in a wheelchair. If not many steps, us guys (brothers, friends) can carry the chair (she doesn't weigh much). But if steps are constant then this most likely wouldn't work. Any thoughts from those who have been?

 

We see that the boat tours to Livingston are 5 + hours, I think that would be longer than she needs to be out and about.

[cruzinwieds]

For the waterfall, how many steps is it on the path? I ask because we have a 15 year old in a wheelchair. If not many steps, us guys (brothers, friends) can carry the chair (she doesn't weigh much). But if steps are constant then this most likely wouldn't work. Any thoughts from those who have been?

 

We see that the boat tours to Livingston are 5 + hours, I think that would be longer than she needs to be out and about.

 

There was a lot of walking on trails at the falls and lots of steps to get to the upper falls.

[cruzinwieds]

I would feel comfortable using any of the tour booths inside the building. There is about 8 set up. From what I noticed they all do pretty much the same tours at the same prices (there may be a little wiggle room for negotiating). The key is the "salesperson" who is trying to wrangle customers and put small groups together. The ones with really strong English skills seemed successful. I would make sure THAT person is going with you or meet the driver/guide before commiting. I noticed someone kind of do a pass off once they paid at the counter and I could tell by their faces they thought they were going with the gal they were talking to. I think all the tour guides had to get some sort of approval to even be in the building as it is not open to the public.

 

I made sure that we met our tour guide before we left and that she was leaving with us.

[cruzinwieds]

cruzinweids

I would love the name of the tour company. What was the price for your tour?

 

Did you book a boat tour to Green Bay Hotel and then go on the waterfall tour?

 

How long did the tour take? Can I stay at Green BAy Hotel and then do the water fall tour?

 

 

I would like to go to the waterfalls but I also want to avoid the humanitarian part of the tour. I am very involved in humanitarian work and I would like an emotional break from this while on vacation.

 

thanks for the info

Sheila

 

Shelia,

 

The tour operator was TURIX activo. If you need information send an email to luis@turixactivo.com. Luis runs the company and he is a great guy.