Petén · Selva maya · Guatemala
Experiences and local guides in Flores y Tikal
A colourful island town on Lake Petén Itzá and the gateway to Tikal, Yaxhá and El Mirador, Maya cities visited at sunrise or after several days of jungle trekking.
Nature
Flores sits on a small island in Lake Petén Itzá, linked to Santa Elena by a causeway. It was Nojpetén, capital of the Itzá and the last independent Maya kingdom, conquered by the Spanish in 1697. To the north stretches the forest of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, home to Tikal National Park, the country's first protected area, created in 1955 and a mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979. Its temples, up to 70 m tall, rise above the canopy, and the forest shelters howler and spider monkeys, ocellated turkeys and toucans.
Activities
- Day trip to Tikal, about 64 km from Flores: the Great Plaza, the North Acropolis and the view over the jungle from Temple IV, about 70 m high
- Sunrise tour at Tikal, entering around 4 am with an extra ticket and a mandatory authorised guide, to hear the forest wake up from the top of a temple
- Yaxhá, about 73 km away, beside the Yaxhá and Sacnab lagoons, with sunset from the top of its temples
- Five- or six-day trek from Carmelita to El Mirador via El Tintal and La Muerta, with jungle camps, mules for the luggage and community guides
- Boat trips on Lake Petén Itzá, and hanging bridges or a zip line in a nature park near Santa Elena
When to go
From December to May there is less rain, and the El Mirador trails stay drier until about June; April and May are the hottest months. From July to November the rains leave flooded stretches and plenty of mosquitoes in the forest. At Tikal and Yaxhá, arrive first thing or stay into the late afternoon, when it is cooler and wildlife is more active.
How to get there
Mundo Maya International Airport (FRS) is in Santa Elena, about 2 km from the Flores causeway, with daily flights of about 1 h from Guatemala City. By bus the trip from the capital takes 8 to 10 h. From San Ignacio (Belize) it is about 2 h 30 via the Melchor de Mencos border. Tikal is about 1 h 30 away by shuttle, and Carmelita, start of the El Mirador trek, about 3 h by road.
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Local operators identified in Flores y Tikal (6)
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