CC BY 2.0 (Flickr user Semio), Wikimedia CommonsLandmark· Fronteras / Río Dulce Town· Other Caribbean
Castillo de San Felipe de Lara
15° 38.2′ N · 88° 59.6′ W
A restored 17th-century Spanish fort guarding the narrows where the Río Dulce leaves Lake Izabal — towers, cannon and a chain once stretched across the river against English pirates.
Practical
Coordinate from OpenStreetMap. Run by INGUAT: entry Q75 for foreigners (Central Americans included); open daily, 8:00 am-5:00 pm per INGUAT (other listings 8:00 am-4:00 pm — arrive before 4:00 pm); card payment accepted since March 2026. Allow 1-1.5 hours; 19 cannon and a small museum of recovered artefacts. About 15 minutes by road from the bridge, or by boat/dinghy from Fronteras or Tortugal. On UNESCO's Tentative List since 2002. Note: Wikivoyage's Río Dulce page (updated March 2026) lists entry Q20 and hours of 9:00 am-5:00 pm, which conflicts with the INGUAT figure above, so confirm at the gate.
Best for
History stop at the mouth of the lake
Nearby
- Captain John's Marina0.8 NM away
- The Restaurant at Tortugal0.9 NM away
- Tortugal Marina0.9 NM away
- Río Dulce Fuel Docks (El Relleno & Nana Juana)1.1 NM away
- Fronteras Marine & Hardware Stores1.2 NM away
- Mar Marine Yacht Club1.2 NM away
- RAM Marina & Boatyard (Haul-out)1.2 NM away
- Shell Bay Anchorage (Fronteras)1.2 NM away