Punta de Manabique is the peninsula that separates Amatique Bay from the Gulf of Honduras, in the municipality of Puerto Barrios, Izabal: a wildlife refuge declared by Decreto 23-2005 and listed as a Ramsar wetland. The Ministry of Culture gives the way in as a boat from Puerto Barrios, about an hour. The SIC listing, INGUAT’s August 2026 guide and the Ramsar sheets give no entry fee or opening hours (read 9 November 2026).
In short: Refugio de Vida Silvestre (INGUAT; CONAP), Decreto 23-2005 (SIC). Administrator: CONAP (SIC). Ramsar sheet (1999): 44,900 ha land + 22,000 ha fresh water + 66,000 ha ocean. CONAP master plan (2007-2011): 151,878 ha. Access: CA-9 to Puerto Barrios (290 km, 4.5 h), then about 1 hour by boat; also from Livingston (INGUAT). Snorkelling at Estero Lagarto, diving only with private companies (SIC). No entry fee or hours on the SIC listing, INGUAT’s guide or the Ramsar sheets.
The Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes’s cultural information system (SIC) calls it Guatemala’s only marine-coastal protected area. The Ramsar sheet describes shallow sea water holding mostly juvenile marine organisms, a large sand bank sheltering a strip of swamp with Manicaria (confra) palms, and flooded rainforest further inland. INGUAT’s visitor site sums up the visit: there is no single centre; the trip is a boat route linking mangroves, beaches and lagoons.
Key facts and where they come from
| Fact | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Refugio de Vida Silvestre | INGUAT; CONAP Nororiente regional office |
| Legal instrument | Decreto Número 23-2005 del Congreso | SIC listing; CONAP |
| Earlier status | Area of special protection | Ley de Áreas Protegidas, Decreto 4-89, Article 90 |
| Municipality | Puerto Barrios, Izabal | SIC listing; INGUAT |
| Administrator | CONAP | SIC listing |
| Ramsar area (1999 sheet) | 44,900 ha land, 22,000 ha fresh water, 66,000 ha ocean (132,900 ha total) | Ramsar information sheet, completed 15 August 1999 |
| Master-plan area | 151,878 ha: 49,289 ha land, 102,589 ha marine incl. inland waters | CONAP/FUNDARY/TNC master plan 2007-2011 |
| Entry fee and hours | Not published | SIC, INGUAT, Ramsar sheets (read 9 November 2026) |
The two areas come from documents eight years apart with different scopes, and neither reconciles them, so both are printed with their source. The Spanish Ramsar sheet also records that Decreto 110-96, in its Article 34, declared the protected-area declaration of Punta de Manabique a matter of national urgency; the 2005 decree followed.
Getting there: road, then boat
| Leg | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala City to Puerto Barrios | CA-9 Norte, 290 km, about 4.5 hours | SIC listing |
| Puerto Barrios to the refuge | Boat, about 1 hour | SIC listing |
| Total from the capital | About 5.5 hours | SIC listing |
| Alternative | From Livingston, if you are already on the Río Dulce route; INGUAT says the visit is usually a day trip | INGUAT (11 August 2026) |
INGUAT’s guide, dated 11 August 2026, says: “Lo habitual es llegar desde Puerto Barrios y continuar en lancha, por lo que conviene organizar el traslado con antelación.” (In INGUAT’s words, the habitual route is to reach Puerto Barrios and continue by boat, so the transfer should be arranged in advance.) It recommends hiring a local boat or tour from Puerto Barrios or Livingston, choosing operators who know the area and respect sensitive zones, leaving early before the heat, and confirming the trip length and return time before boarding. It says the boat ride can take about an hour or more depending on the departure point and itinerary.
None of these sources publishes a boat fare or a scheduled service to the refuge. For the town and the road, see Puerto Barrios; for the boat link to Livingston, see Livingston and things to do in Livingston.
What you can do
The SIC listing (modified 22 September 2025) lists:
- Sport fishing
- Snorkelling at the beach at Estero Lagarto and at the Punta de Manabique pier
- Diving, only with private companies
- Beaches and local food
- Wildlife watching: manatees, dolphins and yellow-headed parrots
INGUAT adds boat trips through mangrove channels such as the Canal Inglés, the lagoons Santa Isabel and Jabalí, and birdwatching, best early in the morning and late in the afternoon. It describes the beaches as more natural, with limited services, and warns you to ask the guide where it is safe to swim, because there can be currents or shifting bottoms.
Wildlife and wetland
- Manatees. The 1999 Ramsar sheet reports manatees (Trichechus manatus) in the larger lagoons. The SIC lists the manatee, tapir (Tapirus bairdii) and jaguar (Panthera onca) among threatened mammals.
- Birds. INGUAT says more than 300 species have been recorded, resident, migratory, shore and sea birds. The Ramsar sheet calls the wetland one of the only places in Guatemala with nesting populations of Dendrocygna autumnalis and Cairina moschata (for the latter, it says, the last in the Caribbean).
- Reptiles. The SIC lists an isolated, small population of crocodiles, the green iguana and four species of sea turtle, and says the refuge has the highest frequency of marine nesting on Guatemala’s Atlantic coast.
- Confra palm swamps. The Ramsar sheet calls them the most typical, representative and unique feature of the wetland. The SIC says the swamps stay flooded at least nine months a year.
- Flood barrier. The Ramsar sheet says the wetland’s role in controlling floods was proven during Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and that it is shared, to a lesser extent, with Honduras.
The SIC names the main rivers as the Motagua, Viejo, San Francisco and Piteros, which flow into the Gulf of Honduras, and the Machacas, which discharges into Amatique Bay.
Threats
The SIC listing names the advance of cattle ranching, logging, poor management of the Caribbean watershed, pesticide and fertiliser run-off in the rainy season, weak government presence, and trafficking in parrots, iguanas and sea-turtle eggs, plus extraction of blue crab.
Safety
The State Department’s 12 March 2026 advisory (Level 3) leaves Izabal off its do-not-travel list. The same advisory (copy of 24 September 2026) lists Puerto Barrios among the places where the tourist-assistance programme ASISTUR works with the tourist police; ASISTUR’s number from a Guatemalan phone is 1500. On the water, follow INGUAT’s advice: confirm the return time before you board.
Related
- Puerto Barrios and the Izabal department page
- Cerro San Gil reserve, which the SIC calls the only water source for Puerto Barrios
- Chocón Machacas biotope, a manatee reserve on the Río Dulce, and Bocas del Polochic, also in Izabal
- Livingston and Siete Altares
- How CONAP administers Guatemala’s protected areas
Where to stay in Puerto Barrios
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Sources
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, SIC listing, Punta de Manabique (modified 22 September 2025; read 9 November 2026)
- Ramsar Sites Information Service, Punta de Manabique information sheets: English, completed 15 August 1999 and Spanish (read 9 November 2026)
- Ley de Áreas Protegidas, Decreto 4-89, Article 90, INAB copy (read 9 November 2026)
- INGUAT, Refugio de vida silvestre Punta de Manabique (visitguatemala.gt, 11 August 2026; read 9 November 2026)
- CONAP, Dirección Regional Nororiente and Plan Maestro, Refugio de Vida Silvestre Punta de Manabique 2007-2011 (read 9 November 2026)
- U.S. Department of State, Guatemala Travel Advisory, issued 12 March 2026
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you get to Punta de Manabique?
By road to Puerto Barrios, then by boat. The Ministerio de Cultura’s SIC listing says to take the CA-9 to Puerto Barrios (290 km, 4.5 hours) and then a boat to Punta de Manabique, about an hour, for about 5.5 hours in all from the capital. INGUAT’s visitor site adds that you can also enter from Livingston if you are travelling the Río Dulce route, says the visit is usually a day trip, and advises arranging the transfer in advance.
Is there an entrance fee for Punta de Manabique?
The SIC listing, INGUAT’s August 2026 guide and the Ramsar information sheets give no entry fee or opening hours (all read 9 November 2026). Ask your boat operator what is included and carry cash.
What kind of protected area is Punta de Manabique?
A Refugio de Vida Silvestre (wildlife refuge; INGUAT, CONAP), declared by Decreto Número 23-2005 of the Congress per the SIC listing, in the municipality of Puerto Barrios, Izabal. The Ley de Áreas Protegidas (Decreto 4-89, Article 90) had earlier named Punta de Manabique an area of special protection. It is also a Ramsar wetland of international importance.
How big is Punta de Manabique?
It depends on the document. The 1999 Ramsar information sheet gives 44,900 ha of land, 22,000 ha of fresh water and 66,000 ha of ocean, which adds up to 132,900 ha. CONAP’s 2007-2011 master plan gives a total of 151,878 ha: 49,289 ha on land and 102,589 ha of sea including inland waters.
What can you do at Punta de Manabique?
The SIC listing names sport fishing, snorkelling at Estero Lagarto beach and the Punta de Manabique pier, diving (only with private companies), local food, beaches and watching manatees, dolphins and yellow-headed parrots. INGUAT describes boat trips through mangrove channels such as the Canal Inglés, lagoons like Santa Isabel and Jabalí, and birdwatching, with more than 300 bird species recorded.
Who manages Punta de Manabique?
The SIC listing names CONAP as the administering institution. The 1999 Ramsar sheet was compiled by the Fundación Mario Dary (FUNDARY), which co-authored the refuge’s 2007-2011 master plan with CONAP and TNC.
