Tuqtuquilal Regenerative Center - Cacao Tours - Lunch - Cabañas

This is an incredible cacao farm, everything is made with care and respect to all - humans, Earth, beans, community. During the tour I discovered all the processes to purify the water, create fertilizers, to protect endemic plants and then every step from the fruit to the cacao making. I learned a lot about the technique and the history, but I also enjoyed to peel seeds with the happy women before grounding and making my own chocolates. This is an incredible experience during your stay in Lanquin.

Had a wonderful time on our cacao tour. The hosts and volunteers were super welcoming and friendly. Our guide had so much knowledge, explained the whole process very clearly, we well as outlined the cultural, historical influences over cacao and farming. Would 100% recommend doing the tour here as everything is authentic, supporting local families and traditional practice. We also got to take a lot of chocolate home!

We dropped in and did the cacao tour with Carlos and Silvia, what a fantastic experience! We learnt so much, made our own chocolate and got to try so many different things. Without hesitation, I highly recommend this tour to anyone in the area. They also live the eco-way and have overnight accommodation and cabins in the most idyllic setting. I wish you all the best for the future, thanks for having us!

We were doing a chocolat tour there and it was amazing. We also did our own chocolats and learned a lot about the mayan culture. Thanks to Carlos and Robine🤗

My partner and I had a wonderful experience at Tuqtuquilal. We love the outdoors, eating healthy and delicious foods, meeting interesting international people, and minimizing our carbon footprint. We found plenty of all of that at this eco habitat near downtown Lanquín. The cabin we stayed in was pleasant and comfortable. Despite the hot/humid weather, we stayed comfortable with the fan. On hot afternoons we enjoyed lounging in the hammocks hanging in an open but shaded area underneath the cabin. We loved the outdoor shower.

The location was excellent. On the property was access to the river, where we watched thousands of bats fly above it to eat their dinner of insects. You can reach the cute downtown of Lanquín on the tuk-tuks that drive by the front gate every few minutes for only 5 quetzales. Downtown has plenty of small stores and pharmacies to meet most needs, and there’s a bustling open-air market with dozens of vendors two days each week. The caves in Lanquín are a bit further, but also easily accessible by tuk-tuk.

Matt, the owner/founder/manager is a soft-spoken Brit with a passion to live sustainably, and at Tuqtuquilal he is developing a community that does as well. In tandem with his impressive initiative, he runs the eco habitat with a friendly, attentive staff. At meals the vibe is very communal, everyone eating together at large tables and sharing in good conversation in English or Spanish, depending on the guests. Almost all of the ingredients for the vegan meals are grown on the property, and they are prepared to be consistently delicious.

We highly recommend the chocolate tour they offer, and staying at Tuqtuquilal.

It's truely a hidden gem worth visiting ! We had an amazing stay, with the feeling of staying in the middle of the jungle but with the luxury of all amenities. Everyone was so nice and helpful, doing their best to accommodate us, the breakfast was delicious.
I would Highly recommend the cacao tour as well, we got a great insight of th process of growing and making chocolate with local guides. We even got to make our own chocolate from scratch !

Wow! What an amazing place! Here you can learn more about Cacao and connect with it from seed to artesanal product through multiple things like the cacao tour they offer (small and large groups) and the amazing cacao products they have - from cacao juice, cacao honey, cacao popsicle, cacao blocks, powder, nibs, you name it! 😍

The tour was led by the local employees and we got to experience not only the whole production process, but also how they work in a sustainable, regenerative way in the cacao farm as well as in the Eco tourism lodging. 🌱

I love that they work with soooo many local families from around the area, and the management is doing a fantastic job to support the visitors, the locals and the land! ❤

Thank you for this wonderful project you have created, I wish to see more of this in the world 🙏

The team at Tuqtuquilal has welcomed us most kindly and allowed us to spend some nights surrounded by natural abundance in the comfort of a beautiful cabaña with everything one could possibly need. The delicious breakfast gave us a taste of the fantastic work they are doing together with the surrounding community. Check out their shop for great quality natural products from Raw cacao to spices and Leche Dorada!

We did a cacao tour here and it was so much fun! We made our own chocolate, tasted cacao juice (so delicious) and got a tour around the property. We had a really good time, definitely recommend!

Really cool spot! Spent a few days camping up on the hill and the crew was super welcoming and friendly! Animal friends were chill as well! Definitely come check them out, they're doing some incredible work with the local community. Much love.

We passed by on a rainy day and loved the project. The employees explained us everything about their coworking with the surrounding Maya communities and showed us their handcrafted chocolate-products! We tryed the delicous hot chocolate! Moreover you can stay at this unique place because the have cabañas for rent. Overall it was an unexpacted but great experience. Thank you!

I had a great time at Tuqtuqilal, went there for the chocolate tour and the staff is really amazing! The tour is really worth it and it was so interesting to learn more about the cocoa fruit and all the process and the products they got out of that fruit!
A really Must Do It if you are in Lanquin!

We have spent many amazing holidays in Lanquin and enjoy the River Lanquin and tubing. Recently Tutuquilal Eco Lodge and Impact Center opened and what a great place it is. It is set in a gorgeous location on the river, with spectacular views, great food and a wonderful atmosphere, it has comfortable cabanas and is on the river, so without a doubt this will be our holiday spot from now on. We love going to Semuc Champey which is so easy to get to from here. One of the highlights of our stay was the Cocoa Experience Tour. Tuqtuquilal also is a regeneration project so the main aim of the Eco Lodge is creating regenerative economic opportunities and environmental education programs that will provide healthier living conditions, economic opportunity, and initiate lasting benefits to the local community, so when you stay there you know you are also impacting the village. Highly recommend

Tuqtuquilal is one of my favorite places in Guatemala. The people, food, and environment are all wonderful and will think fondly of the memories. Will definitely come back.

We did the cacao tour. It was excellent. Really lovely experience. Nice to see the whole process and learn more about the sustainable practices. Would recommend

Wow! What an amazing experience. Tuqtuquilal was truly the real deal 🤘 It felt like authentic slice of the Lanquin community, with amazing local women and volunteers in charge ✊

I'd been to Guatemala before in 2018 🇬🇹 and I've done many other cacao tours in the past, but this was the first one that felt truly legit. I did the VIP cacao tour and got to visit with 2 of the ~75 families that Tuqtuquilal works with 🙏

Seeing the bountiful & diverse forests growing cacao first hand really demonstrated the regenerative nature of this project, 🌳 and to see and interact with the large Guatemala families (~8 kids per household!) was truly a treat. They served us lunch and cacao and were ceaselessly kind and generous 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Tuqtuquilal itself is a humble eco village with rustic cabins, camping spots, a kitchen/chill-zone, a yoga shala, and plenty of structures to process cacao, ginger, turmeric, sugar cane, and more 🍫 In the middle of the Guatemalan Jungle, Tuqtuquilal offers tranquility & a chance to really connect with nature ☮

If you're looking for a 5 star hotel experience, this isn't your spot. But for me, it was the perfect escape. A typical day includes waking up with the sun in the cabin, then walking to the shala for a little yoga 🧘‍♂, followed by breakfast with the community, then any activities that tickle your fancy (i.e. Semuc Champey, cacao tours, hikes, river time, etc.) 🥾, and topped off with dinner/chilling with the community before bed (we were in the habit of ending the day with a game or two of Bananagrams 🍌🎲)

Can't recommend this place enough if you find yourself in the area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A really special place, run by a lovely Guatemalan family (and an adorable puppy and kitten). I would 100% recommend this place to anyone arriving in Lanquin!

The food is amazing - the family cook delicious breakfasts (a traditional tipico or the less traditional but equally yummy pancakes with fruit and home made granola) and there are communal lunches and suppers you can sign up to as well. We are vegetarian and felt very well-catered for! Other guests who ate meat-options said these were delicious too. It's great value for money as the portions are big, the menu varies a lot (they use a lot of fresh fruit and vegetable grown on the land). It was cheaper and tastier than other options we found in town.

We went on the cocoa tour where we saw the whole process of how to make chcoolate and even got to try our own produce at the end which was incredible! Definitely do this if you have time - there are different options and it takes around 2 hours. You also get to leaen a lot about permaculture methods and see how this project is sustainable. They are doing something really special here and I really want to return in the future to see how the project is getting on.

The eco-lodge is on a large bit of lang and there are hiking trails you can explore too. If you want to, they offer guided tours as well where you can learn all about the different plants they grow and see some amazing views of the mountains. There is a small waterfall and quebrada you can hike down as well.

Amazing farm and project!

Je conseille à toute personne qui souhaite en apprendre d’avantage sur le cacao, et la culture maya qui lui est associée. Et pour qui voyager de façon éthique et soutenir des organisations non touristiques est important. Le centre est vraiment un merveilleux endroit, avec beaucoup de beaux projets. Qui privilégie la protection de la biodiversité et des espèces endémiques du Guatemala. Le tour était super intéressant et j’ai pu en apprendre autant sur la fabrication du cacao, que sur la culture maya autour. C’était sûrement un de me plus beaux moments lors de mon voyage en Amérique centrale.

Nous avons passé 3 nuits sur place et c'était une superbe expérience ! Le lieu est calme, le personnel est adorable, attentionné, le petit déjeuner délicieux et local. On en a profité pour participer au cacao tour, c'était très intéressant (et délicieux !🤤)
C'est en pleine nature ... Donc pleins d'animaux/insectes en tout genre, c'est normal mais vous voilà prévenu ^^
Merci Matt, Angela et toute l'équipe !