Livingston — Caribbean Guatemala
Guatemala's unique Caribbean cultural experience — the Garifuna community of Livingston, only accessible by boat from Puerto Barrios, offers punta music, seafood and an extraordinary cultural blend.
PBR · MGPB · Guatemala
Puerto Barrios Airport
Puerto Barrios — Caribbean Coast — Izabal. 5 min to port / 15 min to Livingston ferry.
Runway
1524m
Surface
Asphalt
Elevation
3m
Hours
7am-5pm
Book your private flight to Puerto Barrios
Airport at a glance
Puerto Barrios — Guatemala
Puerto Barrios is Guatemala's Caribbean face, and it was built by a fruit company. The United Fruit Company laid the railway from the highlands to this bay in the 1880s and 1890s, built the port to ship bananas, and in doing so created a city with wooden Caribbean architecture, a Garífuna and Afro-Caribbean population, and a relationship to the rest of Guatemala that has always been slightly at an angle.
The port is still the country's principal Atlantic outlet. The airport, on the edge of town, is the fast way in.
ICAO: MGPB. In Puerto Barrios, Izabal department, on the Bahía de Amatique. Daylight operations.
This is a medium-capacity runway, sized for the regional turboprop traffic that links it to the capital.
Immigration and customs handling for cross-border movements — Puerto Barrios sits close to both the Honduran and Belizean frontiers — should be confirmed and coordinated in advance rather than assumed.
Getting there
Puerto Barrios Airport — Getting there
Puerto Barrios is a genuine regional junction. Honduras is an hour and a half south by road at Corinto, with Copán roughly four hours beyond. Belize is reachable by boat from Livingston or Puerto Barrios to Punta Gorda. And Río Dulce is 90 minutes west by road, or fifteen minutes by air.
For a multi-country eastern itinerary — Tikal, Río Dulce, the Garífuna coast, Copán, the Bay Islands — PBR is the pivot, and the short charter hops between these points replace a great deal of driving on roads that are serviceable rather than fast.
| Guatemala City | ~45 min | ~5 h |
| Río Dulce | ~15 min | ~1.5 h |
| Flores | ~50 min | ~6 h |
| Punta Gorda, Belize | ~20 min | boat only |
| Roatán | ~55 min | — |
Nearby
Things to do near Puerto Barrios
An hour and a half inland, Quiriguá is a small Maya site with an outsized claim: it holds the tallest stelae in the Maya world. Stela E stands over 10 metres above ground and weighs around 65 tonnes, carved from a single block of sandstone — the largest freestanding Maya monument known.
Quiriguá was inscribed by UNESCO in 1981. Its significance is partly political: in 738 AD its ruler K'ak' Tiliw Chan Yopaat captured and beheaded Waxaklajuun Ub'aah K'awiil of Copán, its far larger neighbour, and the sequence of enormous monuments that followed was the victory statement. The site is small, walkable in an hour, and set among plantation trees — and almost nobody is there.
Livingston and the coast. Livingston is half an hour across the bay by boat, and there is no road. It is Guatemala's principal Garífuna town, with its own language, its own music — punta — and a food culture built around coconut and seafood. 26 November is Garífuna Settlement Day, the community's most important date.
Punta de Manabique, the peninsula enclosing the bay, is a protected wetland of mangrove, lagoon and beach, with manatees, crocodiles and an extensive bird list. It is reached by boat and is one of the least visited protected areas in Guatemala.
Playa Blanca, on the coast beyond Livingston, is the closest thing eastern Guatemala has to a classic Caribbean beach.
The town takes its name from Justo Rufino Barrios, the president who drove the railway to the Atlantic in the 1880s. Immediately south, Santo Tomás de Castilla is the modern container port that has taken over most of the cargo, leaving Puerto Barrios with the ferries, the fishing fleet and the wooden Caribbean streets.
Lake Izabal — Guatemala's Caribbean Lake
Guatemala's largest lake and the Caribbean coast's greatest natural treasure — private boat access from Puerto Barrios to Lago Izabal's pristine waters, islands and wildlife.
Private Navigation — Guatemalan Caribbean
Exclusive private vessel charters along Guatemala's Caribbean coast — the Gulf of Honduras, Punta de Manabique Wildlife Reserve and the pristine coastline between Puerto Barrios and Belize.
Offshore Sportfishing — Caribbean Guatemala
World-class offshore fishing from Puerto Barrios — billfish, wahoo and mahi-mahi in the Caribbean's deep blue waters, with experienced local captains and premium sport fishing vessels.
Private River Tours — Río Dulce from Puerto Barrios
Day trips from Puerto Barrios into the Río Dulce system — the gorge, hot springs, El Golfete manatee reserve and the colonial fort of San Felipe de Lara.
Diving — Punta de Manabique
Guatemala's only Caribbean coral reef — Punta de Manabique's reef cays are virtually undived, with pristine coral, sea turtles and the extraordinary biodiversity of the Gulf of Honduras. Private boat, certified dive guide.
Caribbean Offshore Fishing — Puerto Barrios
Deep sea fishing from Puerto Barrios in the Gulf of Honduras — sailfish, dorado and kingfish in the blue Caribbean water. A virtually unfished destination with world-class offshore potential.
Helicopter — Caribbean Guatemala Aerial
Private helicopter over Guatemala's Caribbean coast — Punta de Manabique's wetlands from above, the Gulf of Honduras, the Honduras border and the dramatic contrast between the jungle interior and the Caribbean Sea.
Where to stay
Hotels near Puerto Barrios
When to fly
When to fly
Caribbean pattern and genuinely wet — the Izabal coast is among the higher-rainfall parts of Guatemala. Rain is possible year-round, with the heaviest from June to November and a relatively drier window around February to April. Hurricane season June to November.
Morning operations are the standard.
FAQ
Puerto Barrios Airport — Frequently asked questions
Where is Puerto Barrios Airport?
In Puerto Barrios, on the Bahía de Amatique in Izabal department, eastern Guatemala. ICAO: MGPB.
How long is the flight from Guatemala City to Puerto Barrios?
About 45 minutes, against a five-hour drive.
How do I get to Livingston?
By boat only — about half an hour across the bay from Puerto Barrios. There is no road.
What is Quiriguá?
A UNESCO-listed Maya site an hour and a half inland, holding the tallest stelae in the Maya world — Stela E stands over 10 metres and weighs around 65 tonnes.
Can I cross to Honduras or Belize from here?
Honduras is about an hour and a half south by road at Corinto. Belize is reachable by boat to Punta Gorda. Confirm immigration arrangements in advance for any air movement.
What is Punta de Manabique?
A protected mangrove and lagoon peninsula enclosing the bay, with manatees and extensive birdlife — among the least visited protected areas in Guatemala.