Livingston

Livingston is very different from other cities in the country, as the majority of its inhabitants are not the Mayas. African-Guatemalans "Garifuna" live here; they are the descendants of the slaves, exported from Africa to work on plantations and survived in a shipwrecks, and local Native American tribes.

As a result, Livingston is a nice, picturesque town with lots of coconut groves, fun painted wooden buildings, reggae tone pouring from all sides and fishing economy. The atmosphere that reigns here is not an Indian, but a typical Jamaican: people believe in Jah, the streets are full of constantly smiling faces, bright sunshine, palm trees, music, delicious sea fish... Assimilated with the inhabitants of the Caribbean, Garifuna formed their own culture and even their language – a mixture of Caribbean and African dialects with a touch of French.

The main part of the female population of the city is occupied by braiding the hair of tourists with the multi-colored African braids. Having walked around Livingstone, you will find that your head is caped with the numerous little wisps of all the colors of rainbow. This is the main source of revenue of the city. Men of the city are the busy with spending of funds in the numerous cafes and bars, where unhurried conversations "about everything" are spoken.

The sightseeing of Livingston will take very little time. Along the main street, which rises from the bay, there are restaurants, shops, a church, a souvenir shop, a small open-air cage with crocodiles and sea turtles. The town is the starting point for boat trips on river to the canyons of the Rio Dulce, to the abandoned town of Rio Dulce (Fronteras), to the fortress of San Felipe (XVI), to Los Duarte Lake, to the ruins of Quirigua, to the waterfalls of Las Siete Altares, as well as to nature reserves and beaches reefs of Sapodilla Cayes. It is one of the best places for sea fishing in the region. Beaches in the city are dirty, but south of Livingston they quite fit the definition of Caribbean paradise.