Visiting Guatemala’s Beautiful Black Sand Beaches

When we first arrived in Antigua, Guatemala we were instantly enamored. It is a uniquely historical city filled with amazing ruins and surrounded by natural beauty. It’s a winning combination that made Antigua almost the perfect location for my family’s trip. 

You see, we had just spent a month in Mexico, and we had grown quite accustomed to a weekly trip to the beach. While Antigua has a lot of things going for it, proximity to the beach is not one of those things. We were out of luck when it came to beaches.

Or so we thought. As it turns out, for those willing to make the trip, the Pacific coast of Guatemala has spectacular black-sand beaches that you can visit!

Before we get started, let’s talk a bit about staying safe while traveling.

My family has been incredibly lucky to have only needed doctors a handful of times throughout our travels. And the few times we have needed a doctor, it has always been relatively small things.

However, there’s always a chance that something bigger will happen, and that possibility has often left me feeling a bit uneasy. Which is why I’m excited to now be an affiliate with SafetyWing!

Specifically, I highly recommend getting the Travel Medical Insurance offered through Nomad Insurance by SafetyWing. They cover a pretty wide selection of medical needs for travelers in more than 175 different countries and they cover one kid for free for each adult on their family policy (2 max), which is super important for our family of four.

I just finished a blog post on why I think Travel Medical Insurance is a important for families traveling overseas, as well as a more in-depth look at why I think SafetyWing in particular is a great choice of provider.

Be sure to check it out if you’re looking for ways to keep your family safe while traveling, or click through to SafetyWing directly to check out what their plans for yourself!

Read my article on Travel Medical InsuranceRead more at SafetyWing (Affiliate Link)

What is a black sand beach?

Unsurprisingly, black sand beaches are beaches where the sand has a darker color that makes it look almost black. The black color comes from volcanic rocks that have been worn down into grains of sand instead of the crushed coral that’s more common in places like the Caribbean. The darker sand feels unusually soft when compared with white sand, and when the sun is high it is much hotter. You’re going to want shoes. 

But beyond those few distinctions, black sand beaches are pretty much identical to other beaches around the world.  

A note to families traveling with kids

Beaches offer up a ton of great educational opportunities for families interested in mixing some education into their adventures! Alongside the normal educational activities you can do at the beach, black sand beaches are a great chance to talk a bit about how volcanoes contribute to the area’s geology.

Volcanoes are super common along the Pacific Coast, especially so in Guatemala, which has the highest concentration of active volcanoes in Central America. If you have the time, be sure to add a hike up one of Guatemala’s volcanoes to your itinerary!

Which Black Sand Beaches should I visit from Antigua?

While there are black sand beaches all up and down the pacific coast, if you’re planning on visiting them from Antigua, there are two main beaches that you should consider. Those two are Monterrico and El Paredon. 

These two beaches have a lot in common, but they do have some key differences that set them apart.  

La Playa Monterrico, Guatemala

Of the two, visitors are much more likely to have a genuine Guatemalan experience while visiting Monterrico. Of the two, this is the more “built up” of the two beaches, as people have been vacationing there for years. Most visitors to Monterrico are Guatemalans instead of expats. 

English is much less commonly spoken in the Monterrico area than in other, more touristy places in Guatemala. But prices are generally lower, making it a good choice for those on a budget.  Since accommodations are aimed at locals, the quality may not be up to the standards that international travelers are accustomed to, but because Monterrico has been a vacation spot for so long, there are plenty of different places to choose from at various price points. 

This is the beach we chose to visit with our kids, on the advice of a local we met. He suggested that we check out Hotel el Delfin since they offer a day-visit deal. So, that’s what we did! I personally wouldn’t stay the night there, but as far as having a place to change clothes and put our bags in a locker, it was fine. Plus, our kids loved cooling down in the pool there, which is necessary because this isn’t a beach where you want to swim.

Essentially, the day-pass deal gave us access to their bathrooms, lockers, and pool for the day, and includes lunch off of a set menu. We decided that access to the lockers was worth it, but it turned out that my kids really appreciated access to the pool as well. 

While the sand is beautiful, the tides are extremely strong at Monterrico, and swimming in the ocean can be dangerous.  

El Paredon, Guatemala

Whereas Monterrico has been a locals’ vacation beach for years, el Paredon has only been a popular destination for a short amount of time. As such, the area around the beach is much less built up than at Monterrico. However, since el Paredon tends to attract more international visitors, the prices of accommodations there reflect that.  

The major difference between the two beaches is that El Paredon is a surfers’ beach, while Monterrico is definitely not. The laid-back surfer attitude is common here, so if you’re looking for an easy-going escape from city life, el Paredon is a great option!

What can I do at Guatemala’s black sand beaches?

Unfortunately, the currents off Guatemala’s Pacific coast are strong, which makes it difficult to recommend swimming. But that doesn’t mean the beaches aren’t worth visiting! 

If you plan on just making a day trip of it, I highly recommend arriving as early in the day as you can, so you can get to the beach before the heat of the day. Most of the best activities happen either early in the morning or around sunset, so it’s definitely worth it to book a couple of nights in the area.

Enjoy the beauty of black sand

Probably the most obvious activity, and definitely the least expensive one, is simply to sit back and enjoy the unusual colors of the sand. 

I’ve been to several black sand beaches at this point, but the ones in Guatemala have some of the richest black color that I’ve seen anywhere! We loved walking down the length of the beach and watching as the waves crashed in. 

If you plan on spending time relaxing on the beach, try to time your visit so you can do so either earlier in the morning or during the evening as the sand absorbs the heat from the sun. There are often umbrellas and beach chairs for rent along the shore, and I highly recommend doing so. During the middle of the day, it gets super hot and the shade is extremely welcome.   

Plus, it puts a little extra money back into the community!

Tour the Mangroves

Mangrove forests are some of the most important coastal environments for preserving biodiversity and preventing erosion along the coast. As it turns out, both el Paredon and Monterrico are just a short boat ride from protected mangrove forests! 

One of the most common ways to experience them is by taking a sunrise boat ride. These early morning excursions avoid the heat of the day and bring you into the reserves during the time when more animals are active. Plus, you get to see the sunrise while on the water!

If you’re staying at one of the hotels in the area, they will most likely be able to recommend local guides willing to take you on a tour, or you can book a tour separately. Here are some of the best-rated mangrove tours for each location. 

El Paredon

Tour the Mangroves of Sipacate Naranjo National Park with La Choza Chula, El Paredon, Guatemala

La Choza Chula

Monterrico

Tour the Mangroves of the Biotopo Monterrico-Hawaii with
la Reserva Natural de Monterrico

The link below is to a page in Spanish, but if you click on the WhatsApp link, you can schedule a tour directly.

Reserva Natural de Monterrico

Watch baby sea turtles get released (Sept. – Dec.)

Visitors who visit the beach during the autumn months can get the chance to watch baby sea turtles getting released into the wild! 

While sea turtles can be spotted along the coast throughout the year, eggs are most commonly laid during the autumn months. Both beaches have conservation programs in place to help protect the turtle populations. 

Egg poaching is a problem in Guatemala, so one of the ways that these programs deal with that is by buying the eggs back from poachers to help ensure the species’ survival. 

We had the chance to release baby sea turtles during our time in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and absolutely loved it! It was a super educational experience and the turtles were extremely cute. While we didn’t get a chance to release any turtles in Guatemala, it is still an experience that I wholeheartedly recommend. 

Also, be sure to bring some cash for donations so these wonderful programs can continue!

El Paredon:

Release baby turtles with the Driftwood Conservation Project, every morning from September to December.

Driftwood Surfer Hostel

Do note that children cannot stay at the hostel itself, but they are the ones that release turtles in the area.

Monterrico:

The Reserva Natural de Monterrico hosts nightly turtle releases around sunset most nights from September until December. Tickets to the event are sold in person, so it’s best to get there a bit early.

The link below is to a page in Spanish, but if you click on the WhatsApp link, you can schedule a tour directly.

Reserva Natural de Monterrico

Also check out…
Releasing Turtles with Campamento Boca de Tomates, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico 

Enjoy some delicious Guatemalan food

Guatemala has some absolutely amazing food. Guatemala has some stunningly beautiful beaches. What could be better than combining the two???

There are several local restaurants along the beach that you can choose from. Since my family did a day visit deal with el Delfin, we ended up eating there, but if I had it to do over again, I’d go ahead and choose one of the smaller restaurants with a view of the shore. 

There are also vendors who walk along the beach selling food, if you’d prefer to have a snack on the sand. We had some fresh clams that were absolutely delicious! 

Need a Restaurant in Antigua?
Restaurants with a view – 10 Rooftop Terraces in Antigua Guatemala

Go Surfing

While most of the activities on this list can be done from either beach, surfing is the exception. 

The currents at Monterrico are strong enough to make the ocean dangerous, so surfing isn’t very popular there. If you want to surf while in Guatemala, you’ll definitely want to visit el Paredon. 

While el Paredon is generally a less built-up area than Monterrico, there are several different surf-focused hotels and hostels there that offer lessons or a place to relax in between surf sessions. 

Amazing waves year-round and a fairly mild climate make el Paredon an objectively great place to surf.  

Driftwood Surfer Activities, El Paredon, Guatemala

How long do I need at the beach?

It is completely feasible to spend a single day at the beach if you’re leaving from Antigua or Lake Atitlan. In fact, that’s exactly what we did!

However, if you want to see and do it all, you’re going to want to spend at least one night in the area. In large part, that’s because the most popular beach activities happen either early in the morning or around sunset in the evening. Personally, I prefer to avoid traveling when it’s dark for safety reasons, which means finding a place to stay. 

Luckily, both locations have some excellent choices!