The tiny, rainbow-hued Isla de Flores was my final destination in Guatemala. I spent two days there: enough time to explore the island’s architecture, take a boat trip on Lake Petén and visit Tikal, the spectacular Mayan archaeological site.
Located in the north of Guatemala, Flores was built on the site of Nojpetén (also known as Tayasal), the last Mayan city to be conquered by the Spanish in 1697. The island is just 13 hectares and you can walk all the way around in under 30 minutes taking in the cobbled streets and colourful buildings.
Flores is also the gateway to the Reserva
de la Biósfera Maya, a huge tropical rainforest that’s home to some of the best-preserved
Mayan archaeological sites like Tikal and Yaxha. Both sites are an easy day
trip from Flores and I highly recommend a visit to at least one while you're in the area.
FLORES AT A GLANCE
Population:
13,700
Languages:
Spanish is the official language of Guatemala, and 22 Mayan languages,
including Itza’, are also spoken. Some English is understood by many people
working in tourism and hospitality, but it’s always appreciated if you learn
a few Spanish phrases.
When to go: Flores's high season is during the dry season, from December to April.
You can expect sunny weather, with highs of 27-30C and lower rainfall. Visiting
in November, I found it noticeably hotter and more humid than Antigua
and Atitlán. It was sunny throughout my trip, but there had been so much recent rain that the Malecón promenade was still flooded.
Money: Guatemalan
Quetzal (GTQ). At the time of writing, there are10 GTQ to the British pound and
7.6 GTQ to the US dollar. I paid by credit card at my hotel and
in most shops, cafes and restaurants, and needed cash for lanchas
and tuk tuks and a few other small purchases.
Electricity:
Guatemala uses type A (two flat parallel pins) and type B (two flat pins with a
grounding pin) plug sockets, also used in the USA.
Wifi/mobile data: Many cafes and restaurants have decent wifi. I used a Nomad eSIM to access mobile
data throughout Guatemala and it was reliable and convenient. Sign up using my
referral code — REBEXSAXQK — and we
both get $5 Nomad credit.
HOW TO GET TO FLORES
Flores is located in northern Guatemala and flying is the easiest way to get there from Guatemala City or Antigua. Both TAG and Avianca run a few flights a day from Guatemala City to Mundo Maya International Airport (two miles from Flores).
My flight with TAG cost £90, including a checked suitcase and a carry-on bag. The flight time was only about 30 minutes and I was at my Flores hotel 30 minutes after landing. Taxis from the airport cost Q25 (£2.50) and take 10 minutes.
You can also travel to Flores by shuttle,
but it will take 10 to 15 hours from Guatemala City, and a similar journey time
from Antigua. Take a look at GuateGo to
explore the schedules and prices.
Flores is about 50 miles west of the Belize
border at San Ignacio and shuttles run from Flores all the way to Belize
City, with ferry connections to Caye Caulker and San Pedro.
My transfer from Flores to Caye
Caulker with BelizeGo cost Q300
(£30), paid in cash to the agency. We left at 6 am, got to the Belize border by
8 am, made the land border crossing (very straightforward) and then transferred
to another bus for the ride to Belize City, getting there around 11:15 am. We
caught the 12 pm ferry to Caye Caulker
and I was eating lobster on the beach by 1 pm!
HOW TO GET AROUND FLORES
Connected to the mainland by a road bridge, Isla de Flores is small and easy to explore on foot. The streets are mostly cobbled and some are a little hilly, so bring some good walking shoes. If you need a ride, there are lots of tuk tuks. To visit other destinations on Lake Petén, you can hire a lancha (water taxi).
Tikal
National Park is about 40 miles northeast of Flores. The drive takes
about 1h30 and you can book a tour, or take a tourist shuttle, taxi or
public minibus (from Santa Elena, across the causeway). Whether you make your own way there or take a tour, I'd recommend hiring a guide inside the park to get the most out of your visit.
WHERE TO STAY IN FLORES
Flores has some excellent accommodation,
including beautiful boutique hotels and hostels, but the best accommodation fills up well in advance so try to book as
soon as possible. The flip side of this is that all hotels are close to everything in town! If Flores is full, there are more options in nearby Santa Elena
and San Miguel.
I stayed at Casa Ramona, a lovely boutique hotel on the east side of the island (great for sunrise). My double room with a private bathroom and good air conditioning cost about £45 per night, including breakfast (pancakes or desayuno típico plus coffee).
The décor is gorgeous, and there's an airy café on the ground floor, a cosy lounge space in the attic and a rooftop terrace. The staff were welcoming and even made me a packed breakfast for my long shuttle journey on the day I checked out.
Other accommodation options I
looked at included Hotel Isla de
Flores (which was, sadly, booked up), Casa Maya Itza
and Hotel
Casona de la Isla. If you’re a fan of Race Across the World, Las Luciernagas Hotel was the first
checkpoint hotel in the most
recent celebrity series.
And if you prefer to stay closer to Tikal, Hotel
Jungle Lodge Tikal and Hotel
Jaguar Inn Tikal both look like good options.
BEST THINGS TO DO IN & AROUND FLORES
Admire the colourful architecture
One of the nicest things to do in Flores is
to spend a couple of hours exploring the cobblestone streets and admiring the vibrant colonial-style buildings painted every colour of the rainbow.
Of course, I fell in love with the pink,
yellow and turquoise building on Calle 15 de Septiembre but I had other favourites too!
If you need a break from the sun, head up
to Parque Flores Petén where you can sit into the shade next to the Mayan archaeological
remains or visit Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Los Remedios.
There are a few interesting shops on Flores, particularly Linda Morena, a concept store with unique gifts and souvenirs. Generally, though, the artisan shopping is much better in Antigua and Atitlán, so try to make your purchases there.
Visit the spectacular Tikal National Park
"Welcome to the city of sounds," our guide Luis from Mayan World announced as we arrived at the one of the more than 3,000 structures discovered so far at Tikal National Park. Many more remain buried underground at what is one of the most significant Mayan archaeological sites.
The Maya settled at Tikal around 900 BC. At its height, the city may have been home to almost 100,000 people but it fell into decline by the 9th century. The site was officially discovered by the Guatemalan government in the mid-19th century. And after a century of excavations, it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
Tikal is one of the main reasons visitors come to Petén. And whether you're interested in Maya culture, archaeology, astronomy, jungle strolls or are a Star Wars fan (the Rebel base on Yavin IV was filmed at Temple IV), you'll have a wonderful time.
Most people recommend taking a sunrise tour of Tikal when it's quieter and cooler. If it's not cloudy, sunrises are majestic, but the sunrise tour leaves Flores at 3 am and I'd had enough early starts on my trip, especially with no guarantee of a good sunrise.
I booked a sunset tour instead and it was excellent. We left Flores at noon, getting to the park at 2 pm. The tour includes transport and guiding, but you'll need to buy Tikal tickets separately, either online via the official website or in cash at the entrance.
In both cases, if you take a sunrise or sunset tour, you'll need to buy both a regular foreign visitor ticket and one for sunrise (amenecer) or sunrise (atardecer), for entry into the park between 4 to 6 am and 6 to 8 pm, respectively. There are regular daytime tours available too.
I booked online and got a confirmation email immediately, which suggested my tickets would come separately but when I messaged their WhatsApp they told me that the confirmation was enough. I brought a copy of my passport to the site — I didn't need the original copy to get in, though I did miss out on getting a passport stamp to join my Machu Picchu stamp!
As we entered the park, lots of people were leaving after the morning tours. It was really calm inside: we only saw a few other groups, mainly at the Great Plaza and at sunset.
Luis grew up in and around Tikal: his grandfather inspired him to become a guide, and he's hoping his grandson will take up the mantle. He gave us so much context and ensured we visited the best places at the best time based on the light. He also helped me spot and photograph monkeys, toucans and coatis.
I've been to other Maya sites, including Chichén Itzá, but Tikal was incredibly special because of its massive scale: everywhere we turned, there were more temples and structures, while other towering pyramids peeked over the treetops in the distance.
We had plenty of time to explore and climb up various temples and platforms. Temple II, in the Great Plaza, had an incredible view of the 50-metre high Temple I (better known as Templo del Gran Jaguar), which you can't climb. And climbing Temple IV gave us that iconic Star Wars view.
Most memorable of all was the Mundo Perdido platform at golden hour, listening to the sounds of the jungle waking up while the sky turned orange and then pink. Luis asked all the visitors to be silent for a few moments as the sun dropped below the horizon, so we could reflect on the beauty and significance of it all.
Grudgingly, we then walked back to the entrance by torchlight for the 90-minute journey back to Flores. As a side note, I'm a fan of the US TV series Survivor and I knew the 11th season was filmed near Flores at Yaxha. When I asked Luis if he knew about it, it turned out he was actually featured in the show — hosting one of the team rewards. I was excited by this niche trivia!
Take a boat ride on Lake Petén
Back in Flores, hiring a lancha (water taxi) is a great way to visit several different places on Lake Petén.
I went to Playa Chechenal, a small
beach area amid the mangroves across the bay in San Miguel. As I was short on
time and needed to head out early, I couldn't negotiate a very
good rate for my lancha, paying Q250 (£25) for a return private trip.
It took about 15 minutes to get there and we passed Islote Santa Bárbara, where the local radio station is based, and the Race Across the World checkpoint hotel.
The recent rainy season had left Playa Chechenal a little waterlogged, but after paying the Q5 entrance fee, I headed
out onto the rainbow jetty, where I spent two happy hours sunbathing, reading and jumping into the lake to swim and cool off. I was the only person
there all morning and it was very relaxing.
You can also take a lancha to
visit Mirador Rey Cenek
or the popular Jorge’s Rope
Swing, or a tour combining several of these. The cost of the boat is, of
course, better value if you’re with other people — or are better at haggling than
me (none of the boat drivers would offer me any discount).
Indulge your foodie side
For a small island, Flores has a lot of top-notch eateries where you can restore your strength after all those cobblestones — or steps at Tikal!
If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that my favourite colours are turquoise and pink, so obviously I was delirious with joy at Delirio, a beautiful bakery, where the sweet treats taste just as good! I stopped by a couple of times during my trip.
I had a lazy brunch at Maracuyá, a gorgeous restaurant on the waterfront. There are various seating areas, most overlooking the lake. I lounged in a hammock while I enjoyed tostadas and a passionfruit margarita. I didn't have enough brunch slots in Flores, but Maple y Tocino looked fab too.
There isn't a lot of specialty coffee on Flores, so I was glad to come across Alioli, where both the iced filter coffee and cortados hit the spot. I also ate at La Taquería, which is part of a small food court where you can also get pizza and crêpes.
Perhaps my favourite eatery was also the cheapest. Tacos Los Peches is a Mexican food truck on Parque Flores Petén. There was a huge queue so I figured it must be good and indeed it was! They do tacos, tostadas, Mexican tortas and good value combo boxes. I paid about Q150 (£1.50) for four tacos, and the same price for a torta to take for lunch on my Tikal tour.
Head to the roof for sunset cocktails
At golden hour, head to one of the many rooftop bars on the west side of the island to enjoy a spectacular sunset over the lake. I went to Sky Bar, where two frozen strawberry daiquiris cost just Q50 (£5) total at happy hour. The food was decent, and the views were superb. Get there early to get a good seat for sunset, although bring suncream as there's not much shade.
I didn't have time to visit but Terrazzo is another option for a brew with a sunset view.
Other things to do near Flores
I only had two days in Flores and Tikal, but if you have more time, there are plenty of other tours and excursions to keep you busy. Yaxha is another Maya archaeological site that is a little further away than Tikal and generally much quieter but just as impressive.
Or, if you fancy taking to the water, the crystal-clear waters of the Blue Crater are a beautiful place to cool off. The Blue Crater is located about 40 miles southwest of Flores, and it's most convenient to visit on a small-group tour by minibus and speedboat.
No comments:
Post a Comment