Tulate

Pacific beach. Direct bus from Retalhuleu. Dark sand beach.

Another theme park, kind of trying to be like Jurassic Park, complete with auto tour, but minus the real dinosaurs.

Kind of a Mayan theme park, but with replicas of landmarks from other parts of the world as well, plus a slough of rollercoasters and rides. Across the road you'll find an elaborate water park called Xocomil (IRTRA Retalhuleu), then, if that's enough, a km or so from that is another theme park, this one more adventure/nature-oriented, called Parque De Aventura Xejuyup. It's a bit like Orlando, Florida around here. There are on-site rooms, cabins and restaurants. If staying overnight, it is much cheaper to leave the parks and eat in one of the restaurants along the highway. Buses between Retalhuleu and Quetzaltenango pass the entrances to the parks.

Ancient ruins with some interesting sculpture of the Olmec and Maya cultures, and since 2023 a . Take a microbus to El Asintal, and either find further transport there, or walk along the road to the ruins (about 2 miles/3 km). There is a site museum and small zoo. Museum is about 1 km south of the ruins.

tiered waterfall in rainforest type setting

Coffee farmstead with Santa Maria volcano in the background. You can take tours.