The Ultimate Guide to the Tikal National Park: Flores, Guatemala

Intro

Join me on a festive adventure through the heart of Guatemala, where Christmas cheer meets breathtaking vistas! From bustling Guatemala City to the serene beauty of Flores Island, this journey is packed with unforgettable moments.

Boarding the Tag Airlines flight at Guatemala City Airport, the anticipation for the adventure fills the air. As the plane soars, the views of Guatemala City below are mesmerizing, setting the tone for an enchanting trip. Arriving at Mundo Maya International Airport in Flores, the charm of this island paradise immediately captivates.

From moto-taxi rides to savoring fresh delicacies, every moment is a delightful celebration. Witnessing the stunning sunsets over Lake Peten Itza and embarking on the Tikal Sunrise Tour, where ancient ruins come alive in the morning light, this journey is a Christmas gift to cherish. 🌟🌴

Arriving to Flores

Earlier in the year, I had switched a Christmas trip to Philadelphia for a bucket list trip to Guatemala to see the Tikal National Park. Now, I had missed my International flight from New York City for the first time ever, and had to re-schedule or buy again every single hotel and flight.

My stress was to the roof, but I managed to get still cheaper flights to Flores from Guatemala (after a crazy and expensive flight into this country). Instead of Avianca, now I was going to fly for the first time ever, using Tag Airlines.

I booked this flight right after my arrival to Guatemala City, so I would not waste any time. I had already miss the Tikal tour I was going to do today (with no refund), and I was hopping I would see it maybe today (?).

I had been into ATR-72 back in India, and let me tell you, they are scary but kinda fun. This short flight had me seeing a lot of Guatemala in this low altitude.

And after a bit, we were arriving into Peten, in the Mundo Maya International Airport. The island of Flores, in the Lake Peten Itza was visible from the plane.

Getting to the hotel

The airport looked new and cute, and definitely a good start. It was almost 3 PM, so I was basically asking everyone if I was going to be able to go into Tikal this day. Everyone said no. I should have not listened to them, because afterwards I learned of Sunset tours and I would have been able to be done with the park, and enjoy other places.

But as you soon will see, the other solution was breathtaking.

Taxis from the airport into the island, even though it is relatively close, were very expensive, so I took a moto-taxi, a sort of tuk-tuk that you would see in countries like India. The ride was fun.

The hotel was the Casa Ramona, and I was able to get to the top floor where they have a terrace with beautiful views of the town and the lake.

Exploring the Island of Flores

It was Christmas Eve, and just like in the Grinch stories, everyone was inside. The places I wanted to see or go to eat in, where closed.

The little town/island was very cute though, I liked it a lot.

And in many corners you could see the Lake Peten Itza, and the sun getting lower. It seems like everyone was just sleeping, preparing for a Christmas Eve full of festivities.

Dinner and Sunset

One of the few places that was open, was this restaurant right by the lake. The tide was high and was flooding the streets, but somehow we were able to go into the restaurant.

After a late coffee, I got the fried fish, which was so fresh, probably caught in the lake not a long time ago.

And from the restaurant, beautiful views of the sunset were just in front of us.

People would just come to see the sunset, and maybe swim in the lake.

The Tikal Sunrise Tour

Back in the hotel, I managed to get a Tikal Sunrise Tour, in hopes that I would be able to get back into Guatemala City in the afternoon of the next day (I was so wrong).

It was Christmas Eve like I said, and the soundproofing in this hotel was non existent. The whole town was out and celebrating all night. Fireworks and alike were on and on with no stop. This was for sure one of the worst nights I have had in any hotel. It was even worst knowing I was going to be picked up at 2.30 AM. Yikes.

Finally, I was picked up in a van, with a very international group, and headed to Tikal National Park. It was so early that you could not see anything.

With some lights and following the tour guide, we walked for quite some time in the foresty park, and finally reached the Temple IV, where we would wait for the sunrise.

Got my spot, and it started getting full. It was Christmas after all, and this was going to be my gift from me to me.

Sunrise over the temples

Tikal National Park, is home to a vast array of ancient Mayan ruins, including numerous temples. The park boasts over 3,000 structures spread across its expansive grounds, with estimates suggesting that there are around 60 to 70 temples within its boundaries.

Among the most prominent temples at Tikal are Temple I (also known as the Temple of the Great Jaguar), Temple II, and Temple IV, which provide iconic backdrops for exploring the park and immersing oneself in its mystical atmosphere.

We had to wait for some time, but the sunrise was upon us.

We saw some the top of the temples, and then when the sun was out the fog invaded the park again.

After almost 2 hours of this beautiful experience, it was time to go down, and actually see the rest of the park face to face.

We were just up there in these platforms.

Exploring Tikal National Park

It was day time now, and we were able to get now a full tour of this park. Some of the ruins were still covered by the nature.

Some of the temples were able to be climbed up, and that we did.

Reminded me of the beautiful scenes of Star Wars: A New Hope, where George Lucas used this beautiful park as the location of Yavin 4.

The hike up was always worthy, not only for the views, but also, for the wild fauna observation.

Monkeys, toucans, coatis, among others were fully visible in this jungle.

The Great Plaza

We made it to the big finale of this early morning sunrise tour: The Great Plaza, with the two main pyramids/temples of this park: The Great Jaguar Tikal temple…

… and the Temple II. This one was also able to be climbed up using some wooden stairs and platforms.

Coatis were just everywhere. Very cute animals.

The tour guide gave us some final minutes to explore the park, and then we would join him to say the good byes.

On a last view of this Christmas visit to the Tikal National Park, we got to see a ceremony, and many locals were participating in it.

Back to Flores

Back in the island of Flores, I got to explore a little bit more, and by this time, I had missed the first flight back to Guatemala City. Fortunately, I booked another one later on (all that money lost).

In the meantime, I went to Restaurante Típico Imperio, across the street of my hotel, and got myself some steak. The pineapple gave it a tropical sweet flavor that I actually loved.

Back to my hotel to grab my bags…

…and took another moto-taxi back to the airport. Antigua was my next destination in this beautiful country.