Guatemala City, by Yuliza Muñoz -AGN.- Authorities visited the Río Azul desert in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in Petén to enhance and increase the provision of tourism services and products.
The Guatemalan Tourism Institute -Inguat-, the National Council of Protected Areas -Conap-, and the Association of Forest Communities of Petén are working to strengthen tourism in this area.
They seek to develop new adventure tourist experiences and routes leading to this attraction. According to Inguat, the project will help to strengthen forest concessions, train and promote the tourism sectors in Petén.
Tourist Attraction
It is a desert in the middle of the forest in the Rio Azul Park inside the Mayan Biosphere. The Ministry of Culture and Sports reports that this site is made of plaster and is related to the Río Azul archaeological site.
The thousands of trees make it a small place with a unique atmosphere. These trees can reach a height of 20 to 30 centimeters. Additionally, it holds an impressive amount of stone fragments, suggesting the presence of ancient Mayan workshops in this area, 121 miles from Flores, northeast of Petén, near the border with Mexico and Belize.
The desert is covered with nance, jicara, tzalam, chechen, and chicozapote plants. The place is inhabited by diverse animals such as the tapir, gray fox, and ocellated turkey.
The Government of Guatemala seeks to highlight the beauty of these places, lesser known in the country, to boost local tourism.
