Travel from this Guatemalan port city through verdant countryside to see the 8th-century stelae (upright monuments) and pyramids of World Heritage-listed Quiriguá. Visit Las Escobas Springs within the Cerro San Gil, a protected rainforest that boasts over 400 bird species. Plunge into Motagua Valley’s lush vegetation at Rio Dulce National Park, one of Guatemala’s most important ecological reserves. Take a boat ride to the 17th-century Castle of San Felipe, a fort that once protected Spanish ships transporting supplies to and from Spain and Havana. Browse the shops of nearby Puerto Barrios for locally made handicrafts, perhaps stopping for a meal of picante black beans and rice.