A Complete Guide to Visiting Yaxha Ruins in Guatemala

Most people travel to the northern jungles of Guatemala to visit the impressive site of Tikal, one of the largest Maya ruins in the country, or to hike through the dense forest on an expedition to El Mirador. However, there’s another just as impressive Maya site that often gets overlooked on most people’s Guatemala itineraries. Yaxha Ruins is located pretty close to Tikal and, although it’s a smaller archeological site, it boasts many beautiful structures, lush vegetation and wildlife, with way less crowds to contend with compared to its popular neighbour.

In this guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know before visiting Yaxha, including information about entry fees, the best times to visit, why going with a tour is probably the best option, where to stay and what to bring with you. In addition, we’ll tell you about the best structures to see within the site, as well as which temples you can and can’t climb on.

If you’d like to see our visit to Yaxha Ruins, then make sure to watch our video on our YouTube channel. For more Guatemala videos, you can also check out our Guatemala series.

About Yaxha Ruins in Guatemala

Yaxha Ruins lie about 70 km to the east of Flores, 30 km southeast of Tikal and only about 55km to the west of San Ignacio in Belize. The site is located within Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park and sits on the northern side of Laguna Yaxha. After Tikal and El Mirador, it’s the third largest Maya ruin in Guatemala.

The name Yaxha means ‘blue-green water’ in the Yucatec Maya language, which seems appropriate considering its proximity to the lake. It was built around 600 BC, a few hundred years after Tikal. Yaxha reached its peak in the 8th century AD. During this time, the population was thought to have been around 40,000. Just like many other Maya cities though, Yaxha began to decline and was abandoned around 1000 AD. It was then rediscovered in the early 20th century, when extensive archaeological excavations began and continue to this day.

There are currently about 500 structures that have been discovered including temples, palaces, residential areas and causeways. Just for comparison, around 3,000 structures have been uncovered at Tikal.

Practical Information About Visiting Yaxha Ruins in Guatemala

Entry Fee and Opening Times

Yaxha is open every day between 8AM and 6PM. However, if you book on a sunset tour, you can stay at the site after closing time.

The entry fee to Yaxha Ruins is currently Q80 for foreign visitors. Luckily, you don’t need to buy an additional ticket if you’re doing the sunset tour like you do at Tikal, so visiting Yaxha is a more affordable option overall.

How to Get to Yaxha: Tour or Independent Visit

Independent Visit

Unfortunately, visiting Yaxha on your own is quite complicated unless you have a rental car. We couldn’t really find a public transport option that would take us close to the entrance. For this reason, we decided it was best to book our visit with a tour agency.

Organised Tour

Organised tours normally depart from Isla de Flores, pick some people up in El Remate and then head to Yaxha. It’s easy and convenient as you won’t need to worry about getting there and returning back to your accommodation. You’ll also be able to access the site during sunset and learn more about its history. As always, the con is that you’ll be with a group of people, although the guides do give you some free time to wander around on your own.

Below are a few popular travel agencies you can book your tours with.

• Los Amigos Hostel
• Getaway Travels
• Tikal Go

‘Transport Only’ Tour

There’s actually an in-between option for those of you that want to wander around Yaxha by yourselves. Some tour companies offer a ‘transport only’ option, which means that you’ll travel with the tour group on the bus to Yaxha but at the entrance you can go off on your own. Just make sure to return at the time the tour is due to leave back to Flores.

The pros of this option are that you’ll get to and from Yaxha without any issues and you can walk around the site at your own pace. The cons are that you’ll still be under some kind of time limit.

We picked this option to visit Yaxha as we wanted to walk around the site at our own pace. Overall we were happy with our decision, as it gave us the chance to get to Yaxha without any hassle and allowed us to wander around at our own pace. Obviously we had to be back at the bus for a certain time but since the site is much smaller than Tikal, we were able to see everything during that timeframe.

Best Time of the Year to Visit Yaxha Ruins in Guatemala

You can visit Yaxha all year round, as it will be hot and humid no matter when you come. However, there are two main seasons in Guatemala: dry and rainy.

We recommend visiting Yaxha in the dry or shoulder season. The dry season lasts from November to April in Guatemala.

During the rainy season you can expect heavy showers, especially in the afternoon. The site could become pretty muddy too, so bear that in mind.

Best Time of the Day to Visit Yaxha Ruins in Guatemala

Most tours we saw in Flores offered the sunset tour to Yaxha Ruins. You’ll have the option of a guided tour or a ‘transport only’ tour, which is what we ended up going for since we’d had the guided tour experience at Tikal already.

The bus departs from Flores at 12PM, but we didn’t start the tour until about 2-2.30PM. On the guided tour, you’ll be taken around the site first, then watch the sunset from the top of Temple 216 before walking back through the site at dusk. If you picked the ‘transport only’ option, then at the site entrance you can leave the group and wander around at your own pace. You’ll still want to be on top of Temple 216 for sunset though.

The tour leaves Yaxha around 6:30PM and gets you back to Flores around 8-8.30PM.

Where to Stay Around Yaxha Ruins

Flores / Isla de Flores. A popular place for most visitors to stay is Flores. Here you can sign up for all the main tours, as well as have access to way more amenities. There’s also quite a few things to do in Flores, not to mention that most of the tourist shuttles depart from Flores to places like Semuc Champey, Antigua, Livingston, or even Belize and Mexico. Flores also has an airport, so is where you would fly in to if you’re coming from Guatemala City. Book your stay in Flores here.

El Remate. This small town is located on the eastern shores of Lake Peten Itza, about a 50-minute drive from Yaxha. Most tours that leave from Flores stop here to pick up and drop off tourists. Book you stay in El Remate here .

What to Bring With You to Yaxha

• Wear something lightweight and quick-dry.
• Wear comfortable, closed-toed shoes.
• Don’t forget SPF and other sun protection.
• Bring a lot of water and make sure to stay hydrated.
• Bring some snacks and food. There are no food vendors around the site.
• Have bug repellent with you, especially during the sunset tour, or in the rainy season.
• You could also bring a headlamp if you’re doing the sunset tour. However, your phone’s flashlight will be equally sufficient.
• In the rainy or shoulder season, don’t forget to bring a rain jacket or poncho.
• Enough cash to cover your entry fee and to cover any additional expenses such as food, drinks and tips.
• Bring your camera gear to capture some beautiful photos.
• Leave No Trace! If you bring your items in, then make sure to take them home too.

Highlights of Visiting Yaxha Ruins in Guatemala: Things to See and Do

The archeological site consists of 9 temple pyramids, 40 stelae, 13 Altars, 2 ballcourts, 4 causeways and, of course, the stunning lakes. Luckily, you can still climb a few of the pyramids, where you can really appreciate the scale of the structures, the vastness of the jungle and the beauty of the lakes.

Minor Astronomical Complex (Plaza C)

This complex is located to the southeast of the central area and is the first area you’ll come to after entering the site. It’s linked to the main plaza by the Lincoln Causeway, one of the four main causeways in Yaxha.

It is the smaller version of the Major Astronomical Complex. Here we saw a small pyramid as well as three stelae.

Causeways

There are 4 main causeways in Yaxha connecting the different areas of the site.

• The Lake Causeway (Calzada del Lago) is 400 m long and connects the lake to the city centre. It’s the oldest causeway in Yaxha and used to be part of an important trade route.
• The Blom Causeway / Causeway of the Water Supply (Calzada Blom or Calzada de las Aguadas) runs north from the city centre to the Maler Group.
• The Galindo Causeway (Calzada Galindo) runs north–south between the East Acropolis (at the north end) and Plaza C (at the south end).
• The Lincoln Causeway (Calzada Lincoln / Calzada de las Canteras) runs between the Minor Astronomical Complex (Plaza C) and the South Acropolis.

The South Acropolis

If you follow the Lincoln Causeway from the Minor Astronomical Complex, you’ll end up at the South Acropolis.

This complex consists of six patio groups, a temple and a ballcourt. It is believed that the Maya elite used to live here.

Major Astronomical Complex (Plaza F)

To the west of the South Acropolis you’ll find the Major Astronomical Complex, or Plaza F. Whilst the pyramid here hasn’t been restored yet, we could climb to the top of it using a wooden staircase around the back. From the top, we got some great views of the North Acropolis.

Maler Group

The Maler Group is located all the way to the north of the city centre. We followed the Blom Causeway and walked past the North Acropolis to get there. Initially, we weren’t sure if it would be worth it to walk all the way out to this section, but it turned out to be one of our favourite areas in Yaxha. There was nobody else around and we saw a huge amount of wildlife here, including some very playful spider monkeys and some very loud howler monkeys.

The North Acropolis

Possibly the most beautiful area of Yaxha is the North Acropolis. This plaza consists of three large temple pyramids, dedicated to the sun, moon and stars.

We could climb up to all three temples here using the original steps rather than a dedicated wooden staircase. From the top, we were able to appreciate the size of the acropolis and its temples, as well as the jungle spreading out from these structures.

Temple 216 (The Temple of the Red Hands)

The last structure we visited at Yaxha was Temple 216. At 30 m high, this impressive temple is actually the tallest building on site. It’s also called the Temple of the Red Hands because of the red-coloured handprints found there by archeologists.

From the top, we could enjoy panoramic views of the surrounding jungle and the lagoon. The climb to the top of the temple is definitely worth the effort for these breathtaking views.

Watching the sun set over the lagoon from the top of this temple, whilst listening to birds and howler monkeys, was the absolute highlight of our visit to Yaxha Ruins.

Wildlife at Yaxha Ruins

Yaxha National Park has a rich and diverse plethora of flora and fauna. There are hundreds of species of mammals, birds, reptiles and snakes that call the national park home, so you’ll definitely see a few of them during your tour around the site.

Wildlife will be more active early in the morning or later in the evening, so you’ll have more chance of seeing them if you go on the sunset tour. Although we didn’t see anything crazy like jaguars during our visit, we saw plenty of coatis, howler monkeys and spider monkeys. Overall, we saw way more wildlife here than we did the day before in Tikal, which in our opinion was worth making the trip to Yaxha on its own.

Don’t feed the animals! We personally didn’t witness this, but please never feed the wildlife at Yaxha Ruins, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

Yaxha vs Tikal Ruins: Which One is Better

Tour options. Tikal definitely has more tour options including sunrise, early bird, daytime and sunset tours. We only saw sunset tours offered for Yaxha, although we believe that you could also find a daytime tour.

Cost of visit. Yaxha is definitely the more affordable Maya ruin to visit. The entry fee is only Q80 for Yaxha compared to Q150 for Tikal. We also didn’t have to pay an additional fee for staying there until sunset, which we had to do at Tikal.

Wildlife. We saw more wildlife at Yaxha than at Tikal, even though we visited the sites at the same time of day. We believe this is due to the fact that there are generally less people visiting Yaxha, so the animals feel more at home here.

Temples and structures. This one goes to Tikal. The temples there were amazing, although the structures at Yaxha were also beautiful.

Overall, if you’re short on time, definitely visit Tikal. There’s a reason it’s the more popular of the two. However, if you have time to visit both, we highly recommend adding Yaxha Ruins to your Guatemala itinerary.

Final Thoughts on Visiting Yaxha Ruins in Guatemala

Overall, we really loved our visit to Yaxha. Booking the ‘transport only’ tour option was perfect for us, as we could wander around the site at our own pace. We really loved just how lush and overgrown it was, and the views we got from the top of the temples were arguably better than those we got at Tikal. We also saw way more wildlife here than at Tikal, and got an even nicer sunset as well.

Have you ever been to Yaxha Ruins in Guatemala before? If so, what time of the day did you visit? What was your experience like? If not, would you add a visit to Yaxha to your Guatemala itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.