aguacaliente wildlife sanctuary

For years now the Aguacaliente is not really possible to visit. The Board Walk doesn't exist anymore and the new Association didn't make it off the ground. There are two trails going into the Aguacaliente either from Laguna Village or Mafredi Village. Check with the Chairperson from each of the villages.

After reading in my guidebook that there was a new boardwalk, making Aguacaliente Wildlife Sanctuary (AWS) very accessible, we were excited to go. To get there, take a local bus to the Laguna Intersection, then walk 2 miles to the village of Laguna. We saw signs for visitors to AWS to sign in, but the building was closed. We inquired at the neighboring home, and the man who lived there was a little shocked that we had just dropped by to visit AWS. Apparently, they don't get many visitors. He was very nice, and offered to take us through the first 10 minutes of walking (if he hadn't done that, we would have never found the start of the boardwalk). Upon reaching the boardwalk, we discovered that it has long been rotted and colapsed. The only way into the sanctuary was to cross a knee-deep river, which wouldn't have been so bad, had we been prepared. We didn't end up getting into the santuary, but have heard that it is very beautiful, and great for bird watching early in the morning. The project was funded by a grant some time ago, so although they offer tours and have a guesthouse, everything was locked up (the boardwalk was a part of that grant as well). The Mayan man was very nice, though, and took us around the village, talked to us about the sanctuary, and what kinds of other things they do through the eco-tourism company that helped with the guest house. this is a trip that you should have all day to do, and come prepared for a very rustic experience. I could not find any phone number or website for this site. They ask for a $10/person donation.