SOLIDARITY TOURISM

Community Tour

The tour begins at the Nuevo Horizonte memorial site known as El Corazon where a brief presentation is provided that includes the cooperative’s history and vision, model of organization and current production initiatives underway. As well, the tour includes a visit to the community office, local school, community health clinic, pharmacy where medications at reduced prices are sold, restaurant, daycare centre, guest houses, and production projects including the poultry and egg project and the cattle ranching project.

Interpretative nature paths 

Guests are accompanied by community guides on a variety of interpretative trails (level ground) through the forest in an area known as ¨Bosque de la vida¨ or ¨Forest of life¨ where guests will encounter a diverse variety of fauna and flora that is now flourishing in its natural habitat following a decade of careful stewardship and reforestation activities by cooperative members. Guests will also be shown a relic of a guerilla camp that corresponds to guerilla living conditions during the armed conflict. Throughout the hike, guides share their stories of survival in the jungle during the armed conflict and their intimate knowledge of the jungle is revealed as they describe their uses of local medicinal and edible plants found along the hike. Various seeds used in the making of handicrafts are also identified during the hike. Differing length of trail tour ranging from 1-7 km is available depending on guest request. The kilometre trail tour includes a visit to the community lagoon where the Tilapia fish farming project is located.

Lagoon and fish farming project

The community lagoon is host to the Tilapia fish farming project that is reached by rowboat. As well, there is a dock where guests can observe local aquaculture including flora and fauna and swim. The recreation area adjacent to the lagoon is surrounded by palm trees and other tropical vegetation. There are two raised platforms with thatched roof for camping with hammocks and mosquito netting available for rental at the cooperative. Campfire cooking facilities are available though people often enjoy freshly caught tilapia fish cooked on the open grill. 

Reforestation project
Guests have the opportunity to visit the cooperative`s award-winning reforestation project that is situated on 145 hectares. This project reflects the volunteer efforts of all community members and their commitment to economic growth that incorporates a sustainable ecological environment.

Volunteer community activities

Depending on the season, volunteers are welcomed and supported to participate in a wide range of activities including work activities related to the poultry project, reforestation project, cattle ranching project, and local community school.

Transportation Services (including driver).

Mopan Waterfalls: Located deep in the countryside one hour by vehicle, guests can enjoy the natural beauty of Mopan Waterfalls that includes swimming and relaxing in the numerous pools of water carved in the rock, climbing rope ladders to reach to the differing levels of water pools, picnicking, and relaxing amongst virgin jungle.

Archaeological site of Yaxha: Perched on the top of an island in the middle of  a lake lies the archaeological site of Yaxha that is secluded, fascinating, and historically very interesting. This site is located 1.5 hours from the Nuevo Horizonte Cooperative.

The national park of Tikal: Tikal is the largest archaeological site discovered measuring 57,000 hectares. Stunning in its immensity and minimally disturbed beauty, it is considered the heart of the Maya world and is the most famous site in Guatemala. It is located just one hour and thirty minutes from the Nuevo Horizonte Cooperative. 

NEW HORIZON COOPERATIVE

www.facebook.com/Cooperativa.Nuevo.Horizonte

We are a group of 130 families who fought as guerrillas against the injustices and exploitations during the 36 year civil war in Guatemala. During the demobilization process which took place with the signing of the peace accords (in 1996), we organized ourselves to form a cooperative called New Horizon, to begin a new life, with the certainty that development through solidarity can serve as a model for other communities. Today we are proud to be able to offer our services, so that visitors can learn more about the history of Guatemala, the rural (campesino) lifestyle, and the jungle that has given us refuge, natural medicines and food that we rely on even today.

The Cooperative was founded in 1998, after the signing of the peace accords in Guatemala. 130 demobilized families settled on a ranch in Santa Ana, Petén, and named it Nuevo Horizonte (New Horizon). Initially conditions were very harsh and infrastructure was non-existent. Without shelter, drinking water or electricity, with very low soil productivity, and with no capital or assets, these families organized themselves and developed a model of cooperation that changed the course of Nuevo Horizonte and came to serve as an example to surrounding communities.

Cooperativa Nuevo Horizonte was born from this vision: the determination of these guerrillas to continue to work together to build a brighter future based on the principles of social justice. With fish-farming, mixed agriculture, reforestation and eco-tourism projects, the cooperative embodies the vitality of its members and the hopes of an entire people. 

The members of Nuevo Horizonte cooperatively own 900 Hectares of land. Nuevo Horizonte is an intentional community of 495 people (of which 110 adults are full members) working to create a more equal society. The vision of Nuevo Horizonte comes from the initiative to begin a new life in spite of all the challenges that a community like this one faces. Nuevo Horizonte is a unique cooperative in Guatemala and aspires to be a model for all cooperative communities.

The opportunity to visit our community and hear our stories will give you insight into our life and our aspirations. In fact, for us, establishing relations with visitors is the foundation of “solidarity tourism” and bringing people of the world closer together. Volunteers are now welcome at New Horizon, and invited to contact us to organize their stay based on the exchange of experiences and collaboration on various educational projects of the cooperative.

 

PROJECTS AND WORK SYSTEM

Nuevo Horizonte has a range of projects, defined by degree of responsibility and interest. There are projects that involve the entire community, where each person gives a certain amount of his or her time each month, and everyone shares in the final benefits. There are other initiatives proposed by small groups (5 to 8 people) who have a particular interest. These are initially financially supported through loans and the development of expertise from the community, but are the responsibility of the initiating group. The group also receives all the resulting benefits of the project. Finally, there are projects that are proposed and initiated by individuals. Like the small groups, they may seek loans from the community to get them started. All of the projects affer employment, income and experience to members of the community, including the young people.

Small Group Projects
These are projects initiated and managed by small groups within the commnity. Among these you, the visitor, will see acres planted with citrus and pineaple trees, as well as laying hens and egg production, bees and honey production, and demostration plots of peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes. You will also get to visit our carpentry workshop where the construction and sale of furniture and other items take place.



Collective Community Projects

These include an impressive 145 hectares of pine trees, (about 1 100 trees per hectare planted and maintained in orchard fashion), a cattle production enterprise with a herd of 430 cattle, and finally, the cultivation of Tilapia (a fish which is a Guatemalan delicacy and served in many restaurants) in our local lagoon. These are thriving projects that have grown from nothing, simply through hard collective offer, and we invite you to visit them and hear the stories of their creation and development.

SOLIDARITY TOURISM (Activities offered)

Community Tour

The tour begins at the Nuevo Horizonte memorial site known as El Corazon where a brief presentation is provided that includes the cooperative’s history and vision, model of organization and current production initiatives underway. As well, the tour includes a visit to the community office, local school, community health clinic, pharmacy where medications at reduced prices are sold, restaurant, daycare centre, guest houses, and production projects including the poultry and egg project and the cattle ranching project.

Interpretative nature paths

Guests are accompanied by community guides on a variety of interpretative trails (level ground) through the forest in an area known as ¨Bosque de la vida¨ or ¨Forest of life¨ where guests will encounter a diverse variety of fauna and flora that is now flourishing in its natural habitat following a decade of careful stewardship and reforestation activities by cooperative members. Guests will also be shown a relic of a guerilla camp that corresponds to guerilla living conditions during the armed conflict. Throughout the hike, guides share their stories of survival in the jungle during the armed conflict and their intimate knowledge of the jungle is revealed as they describe their uses of local medicinal and edible plants found along the hike. Various seeds used in the making of handicrafts are also identified during the hike. Differing length of trail tour ranging from 1-7 km is available depending on guest request. The kilometre trail tour includes a visit to the community lagoon where the Tilapia fish farming project is located.

Lagoon and fish farming project

The community lagoon is host to the Tilapia fish farming project that is reached by rowboat. As well, there is a dock where guests can observe local aquaculture including flora and fauna and swim. The recreation area adjacent to the lagoon is surrounded by palm trees and other tropical vegetation. There are two raised platforms with thatched roof for camping with hammocks and mosquito netting available for rental at the cooperative. Campfire cooking facilities are available though people often enjoy freshly caught tilapia fish cooked on the open grill.

Reforestation project
Guests have the opportunity to visit the cooperative`s award-winning reforestation project that is situated on 145 hectares. This project reflects the volunteer efforts of all community members and their commitment to economic growth that incorporates a sustainable ecological environment.

Volunteer community activities

Depending on the season, volunteers are welcomed and supported to participate in a wide range of activities including work activities related to the poultry project, reforestation project, cattle ranching project, and local community school.

Transportation Services (including driver).

Mopan Waterfalls: Located deep in the countryside one hour by vehicle, guests can enjoy the natural beauty of Mopan Waterfalls that includes swimming and relaxing in the numerous pools of water carved in the rock, climbing rope ladders to reach to the differing levels of water pools, picnicking, and relaxing amongst virgin jungle.

Archaeological site of Yaxha: Perched on the top of an island in the middle of a lake lies the archaeological site of Yaxha that is secluded, fascinating, and historically very interesting. This site is located 1.5 hours from the Nuevo Horizonte Cooperative.

The national park of Tikal: Tikal is the largest archaeological site discovered measuring 57,000 hectares. Stunning in its immensity and minimally disturbed beauty, it is considered the heart of the Maya world and is the most famous site in Guatemala. It is located just one hour and thirty minutes from the Nuevo Horizonte Cooperative.