Should you visit Tikal and Flores, Guatemala?

Tikal is an ancient Mayan site and also one of the largest. Flores, is a unique city about 1 hour and 20 minutes away so many people combine the two. For us, we were already in Belize and added Guatemala afterwards. Our Itinerary in Belize took us to San Ignacio, and then we crossed the land border into Guatemala. We had a guide and driver on both sides, so the process was really smooth.

We crossed over around 6AM and then drove for a couple hours to get breakfast near Tikal. Along the way, our driver stopped at a lakeside and told us about some Guatemalan culture. School in Guatemala is only half day. The other half, kids are expected to help their parents at home with chores. Also, the stones with the roof you see in the picture below is where a family would do their laundry.

Next, breakfast, and our first meal in Guatemala:

We finally arrived at Tikal. The site is huge and involves a lot of walking. We stayed for about 4-5 hours but didn’t see everything. Our guide planned it out so we would see the main sites by foot, and then take the shuttle back to the start. Here are some pics of what we saw:

Is it worth the trip? It depends. If you have been to Machu Pichu or Ankor Wat (I know they are not Mayan), then I would say you can skip Tikal if you are short on time. I would focus on Guatemala City, Antigua (must must must visit), and Lake Atitlan. Even places like Teotihuacan were more enjoyable to me than Tikal. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t regret going, and had a great time, but if you have a choice, or are short on time, there are better choices. The buildings are not as intricate as other famous ruins, and while the size is impressive, there is just something lacking.

After the park, our guide took us to a restaurant near by for lunch:

Then on to the hotel. We stayed at Las Lagunas and booked one of the cottages on the lake. The place was clean but probably needs a renovation. The best part of the stay was the hot tub over looking the lake, and waking up to the lake.

The hotel is about 20 minutes from Flores. The front desk will arrange a taxi for you going and coming back. Now, a bit about Flores. Flores is a very unique city because there is an island component to it (just google map it to see what I mean). I really enjoyed walking around the town and seeing the bright colored buildings, and cobble stone streets. It was also our first exploration of a Guatemalan city.

For dinner, we went to Raices del Lago as it was recommended by a worker at our hotel. One cool thing about the restaurant was that it had two locations. One was in the town, and one was located across the lake. When the one in town was closed, like the day we were there, a boat leaves from the closed location to take you across the lake to the other one. Here is what the arrival looked like:

While the restaurant setting was really nice and the boat ride was unique, the food was below average. Service was good considering they did not speak English. The elotes were not flavorful:

The steak was dry and also not flavorful:

After dinner we headed back to the hotel, and flew out to Guatemala City the next morning. Final Verdict: Flores is a unique city and very charming, but I don’t think its great enough to warrant the effort to visit. Same with Tikal, IF you have been to other ruins. If you have not been to other ruins, and have time to visit Guate City, Antigua, and Lake Atitlan, with some time left, then, yes, visit Tikal. The other thing is that the other three places are in close proximity to each other in the south part of the country whereas Flores and Tikal are further up North and will require you to fly to see the others, or take an almost 9 hour car ride!