There is no road to Livingston. From Guatemala City you ride a Litegua bus to the Caribbean coast and finish by boat, and the only real choice is which town you take the boat from: Puerto Barrios (a 30-minute Q50 lancha that runs through the day) or Río Dulce (a Q125 trip down the river that leaves only at 09:30 and 14:30). Bus times and fares were read in Litegua’s booking system and the boat details on the pages cited below, all on 24 September 2026.
Quick summary
- Via Puerto Barrios: Litegua, 12 departures from 04:00 to 19:00 on 6 October 2026, Q120-145 (Primera Plus) or Q145-200 (Primera Clase), then the public lancha, Q50, 30 minutes.
- Via Río Dulce: Litegua, Q120-145, then the public boat down the river, Q125, at 09:30 or 14:30 only.
- Last boats: 14:30 from Río Dulce; from Puerto Barrios, 17:00 or 19:00 depending on the source.
- Bus journey time: Litegua publishes none. El Hotelito Perdido, a lodge on the river, gives 7 hours to Río Dulce.
- Map: Guatemala City to Livingston on Google Maps (the last stretch is water).
Option 1: bus to Puerto Barrios, lancha to Livingston
The bus
| Class | Departures (Litegua system, for 6 October 2026) | Fare |
|---|---|---|
| Primera Plus | 04:00, 06:30, 08:30, 11:00, 12:30, 14:00, 14:30, 15:30, 19:00 | Q120-145 |
| Primera Clase | 05:00, 10:00, 17:00 | Q145-200 |
Some Primera Plus departures are routed through Morales. Litegua lists four agencies in the capital (15 Calle 10-40, zona 1; Km 9.5 Ruta al Atlántico, zona 17; Centra Norte, Km 8.5, zona 17; and 7a Avenida 7-24, zona 9, inside IRTRA’s central offices) and does not say which departure leaves from which. In Puerto Barrios its agency is on 6a Avenida between 9a and 10a Calle (tel. 7948-1002), per the same page. More on the route itself: Guatemala City to Puerto Barrios and Litegua fares 2026.
The lancha
| Puerto Barrios → Livingston | |
|---|---|
| Fare | Q50 per person (guatemala.com, Casa de la Iguana, El Hotelito Perdido) |
| Time on the water | 30 minutes (El Hotelito Perdido) |
| Dock | The municipal dock (muelle municipal) in Puerto Barrios |
| When | guatemala.com: daily 06:00 to 19:00. Casa de la Iguana: 06:00 to 17:00, no fixed schedule, boats leave when 14 passengers are aboard. El Hotelito Perdido: 06:30, 07:30, 09:00, 11:00 and 17:00, later boats if 16 people turn up, last scheduled boat 17:00 |
| Private lancha | From Q300, per guatemala.com, varying with destination, trip length and number of passengers |
guatemala.com adds that the public lanchas wait until they have enough passengers, so your departure time depends on how many people are at the dock. The three sources disagree on the last boat, so the safe plan is to be at the dock well before 17:00.
Option 2: bus to Río Dulce, boat down the river
The bus
Litegua’s system listed these Primera Plus departures to Río Dulce for Saturday 26 September 2026, all at Q120-145: 05:30, 07:30, 09:00, 11:30 and 13:00 (the later three continue to Cadenas). Full detail, including other dates, is on Guatemala City to Río Dulce.
The boat
| Río Dulce → Livingston | |
|---|---|
| Fare | Q125 per person (Casa de la Iguana, El Hotelito Perdido) |
| Departures | 09:30 and 14:30 (Casa de la Iguana; El Hotelito Perdido adds a 16:00 that runs “sometimes”) |
| Dock | The municipal dock (Muelle Municipal) in Río Dulce town |
| Time on the water | Over 1 hour (El Hotelito Perdido) |
Casa de la Iguana says the two boats leave on time and recommends arriving 10 minutes early. El Hotelito Perdido’s advice for catching the 14:30 is the 05:30 bus, and it puts the bus ride at 7 hours. The boat itself, with its stops and the return timetable, is covered on Río Dulce to Livingston by boat.
Which way to choose
- Arriving late in the day: Puerto Barrios. Its lanchas run into the afternoon; the last Río Dulce boat is at 14:30.
- Want the river: Río Dulce, on the early bus. After the 14:30, the only later boat any of our sources mentions is El Hotelito Perdido’s occasional 16:00.
- Cheapest: Puerto Barrios. The lancha is Q50 against Q125 on the river, on the same Litegua fares.
Getting back from Livingston
- To Río Dulce: public boats leave Livingston’s main dock at 09:30 and 14:30 (El Hotelito Perdido).
- To Puerto Barrios: none of the three sources we read publishes a timetable for the Livingston side.
- Litegua back to the capital: from Puerto Barrios or Río Dulce, on its booking system; see the return tables on the two route pages linked above.
Flying part of the way
TAG Airlines lists Puerto Barrios among its domestic destinations and has an office in the town (7a avenida and 8a calle, facing Pollo Campero; +502 2380-9440). Its website publishes no timetable for Puerto Barrios (checked 24 September 2026). TAG publishes no standalone fare. It does publish Petén packages (return flight, hotel with breakfast, airport transfers and a guided Tikal tour, 3 days and 2 nights) from USD 305 per adult (Hotel Petén Express, single occupancy) to USD 550 (Hotel Casona del Lago, single occupancy, peak season); Puerto Barrios prices appear only in its booking search. Domestic checked baggage on TAG is capped at 20 lb per piece. See TAG Airlines domestic flights.
In Livingston
Casa de la Iguana quotes Q5 for a tuk-tuk to its hotel. For the town itself, see our Livingston guide and Siete Altares.
What is not published
- Journey times for Litegua’s buses to Puerto Barrios or Río Dulce (Litegua publishes none).
- A single agreed timetable for the Puerto Barrios lanchas (the three sources above differ).
- A timetable for boats from Livingston to Puerto Barrios in any source we read.
- TAG’s Puerto Barrios schedule and fares, outside its booking engine.
Sources
- Litegua booking system: Ciudad Capital to Puerto Barrios and to Río Dulce, read 24 September 2026 (travel dates 26 September and 6 October 2026); Litegua agencies page, read 24 September 2026
- guatemala.com, Precios de lanchas y tours en Puerto Barrios, dated 20 July 2026, read 24 September 2026
- Hotel Casa de la Iguana, ¿Cómo llegar?, read 24 September 2026
- El Hotelito Perdido, Getting Here, read 24 September 2026
- TAG Airlines, Puerto Barrios, offices and checked baggage, read 24 September 2026
