Hi Guys!
Welcome to the adventure! My name is Lozaro Martinez owner of Hide-A-Way Camp Adventure tours and your captain!
I was born in 1978. The closest road to our place was at that time in Benque Viejo Del Carmen. In order for us to get to the farm, it was an 8.5 miles hike or horseback ride through the jungle. There was no vehicle access. I was on a horse 15 days before I was born and back on a horse 15 days after I was born!
I grew up at the farm with a family of 14 siblings. 5 boys and 9 girls. I am number 10 from top down or number 4 from the bottom up. The farm was self-sustainable at the time while life was abundant.
Before the first hydroelectric dam was built when I was a boy, there was no road access, we would take one day a week to explore the beautiful jungle that was around our area. One of my most fund places was the river gorge. The Upper Macal river gorge was at one time a world class whitewater river. The river at this time had beautiful waterfalls a lot of rapids. I would jump from rock to rock and swim upstream on the crystal clear pools that were between the waterfalls and the rapids.
While growing in this lovely environment, I learned how to use all the natural resources that were around. This became my backyard.
After the first hydro named " Mollejon Dam " was built in the upper West Macal river about 20 years ago, the first road access came to our area. Couple years later, I started to work for a company called " Slick Rock " as their head guide for their whitewater company. We ran kayak and rafting trips down the lower end of the West Macal river into the Macal river down to Negro Man Farm.
In 2012, a third hydroelectric dam was built named " Vaca Dam " which is adjacent to my backyard where I grew up jumping from rock to rock. It was a dramatic change in my life, but when life gives you lemon, you make lemonade! So when the construction began, I began working on trails and saving whatever little money I made and later on purchased my first pontoon boat named " La Capitana ". It was the very first boat on the lake that was caused by the Vaca Dam. So, now a lake fell on my lap, boat on my head and I am doing the best I can with the experiences that I have obtained from many of my friends, old wise friends while I was growing up and from other expeditions that I made throughout Central America.