Location

The TRA will be nestled between Playa Tamaxan and Manchón Guamuchal, the largest coastal marine wetland reserve in Central America. It will be located to the southwest in the municipalities of Ocós in the department of San Marcos, Guatemala and to the southeast in the municipalities of Retalhuleu and Champerico, in Retalhuleu, Guatemala. This reserve is characterized by different habitats such as mangroves, dry forest, beaches, lagoons and estuaries, which contribute to a high diversity of species. Specifically The TRA sits within a two-hour drive of the following population centers:

Major Cities within a 2.5 hour driving distance include:

Puerto Chiapas. Puerto Chiapas is a small port on the Southern West coast of Mexico where several cruise lines dock at the cruise terminal. The cruise terminal lies within the commercial port of Puerto Chiapas. A separate section is devoted to the arrival of cruise ships. From the cruise dock passengers walk straight into the cruise welcome center/cruise terminal. We will seek an arrangement with the local tour agency that books passenger tours at Puerto Chiapas to bring passengers directly to the Park. It is approximately 45 minutes by boat from Puerto Chiapas to the Park. Each season, approximately 20,000 tourists arrive at Puerto Chiapas via the Holland America Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Princess Cruise Line.

While there are a few small attractions at Puerto Chiapas, such as a town and coffee farm tour and passengers can catch shuttles to Tapachula, there are no adventure or amusement-based tours to experience while docked at Puerto Chiapas. The Park will provide passengers with a unique experience while on their cruise up the Mexican coast. In the future, we will negotiate directly with the cruise lines to use a floating dock system which will allow passengers to disembark directly to the Park.

Weather in Tamaxan

In Tamaxan, the wet season is overcast, the dry season is clear, and it is hot year-round. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 74°F to 89°F and is rarely below 72°F or above 92°F. The average percentage of the sky covered by clouds experiences extreme seasonal variation over the course of the year. The clearer part of the year begins around November 16 and lasts for 5 months, ending around April 19. The clearest month of the year in Tamaxan is January, during which on average the sky is clear, mostly clear, or partly cloudy 78% of the time. The cloudier part of the year begins around April 19 and lasts for 6.9 months, ending around November 16. The cloudiest month of the year in Tamaxan is June, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 93% of the time.

The wetter season lasts from May 9 to November 2, with a greater than 38% chance of a given day being a wet day. The month with the most wet days is September, with an average of 21.5 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation. The drier season lasts 6.2 months, from November 2 to May 9. The month with the fewest wet days is January, with an average of 0.8 days with at least 0.04 inches of precipitation.

The average water temperature does not vary significantly over the course of the year, remaining within 2°F of 85°F throughout.

The average daily incident shortwave solar energy experiences some seasonal variation over the course of the year. The brighter period of the year lasts for 1.9 months, from February 15 to April 13, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter above 6.2 kWh. The brightest month of the year in Tamaxan is March, with an average of 6.7 kWh. The darker period of the year lasts for 5.4 months, from May 18 to October 30, with an average daily incident shortwave energy per square meter below 4.7 kWh. The darkest month of the year in Tamaxan is September, with an average of 4.2 kWh.