A Complete Guide to Flores Guatemala: Best Things to Do

Most visitors decide to put Flores on their Guatemala itinerary because of its proximity to the incredible Maya Ruins of Tikal. However, there’s way more to do in and around Flores than just that. So, if you’re going to be in Flores to visit the most popular ruins in Guatemala and want to know about how to get to there, where to stay and what else you can do in the area, then you’re in the right place.

If you’d like to see what we got up to in Flores, make sure to watch our video on our YouTube channel. For more Guatemala videos, you can also check out our Guatemala series.

Introducing Flores Guatemala

Flores is a small city located in northern Guatemala on the southern shores of Lake Peten Itza and is the capital of the Peten Department. Without diving too deeply into its history, there are a few things worth highlighting. The Itza Maya group is native to this region of Guatemala. After leaving their capital of Chichen Itza in the Yucatan region they returned to the area of modern-day Flores and founded the city known as Nojpeten, meaning ‘Great Island’, as their new capital. The city was also referred to as Tayasal, meaning ‘Place of the Itza’.

Flores was actually the last Maya city to fall to the Spanish in 1698. The island was then renamed ‘Flores’ in honor of the Spanish leader Cirilo Flores de Sanabria.

Flores is divided into four different areas:

• Isla de Flores. Connected to the mainland by a causeway, it’s the historic centre of Flores. This is where most tourists will base themselves because of the abundance of accommodations and amenities available.
• Santa Elena and San Benito. These two suburbs are located on the mainland to the south of the island. You can find some accommodations here as well as the airport.
• San Miguel. It’s located to the north of Isla de Flores and you can reach it by boat. There are a few hotels and eateries here.

Best Things to Do in Flores Guatemala

1. Wander Around Isla de Flores

Although Isla de Flores is tiny, it’s very beautiful with its cobblestone streets and colourful buildings. You can walk along the malecon that circles the island and enjoy the views of Lake Peten Itza. Make sure to walk up to the main square (Parque Flores Peten). It’s a bit of a steep walk up but worth the effort. Here you’ll find the Cathedral of Our Lady of Los Remedios as well as a few old Maya stelae.

Don’t forget to wander through some of the back streets too for more colourful buildings, small shops, and cafes.

2. Sunrise or Sunset Tour of Tikal

The main reason visitors put Flores onto their Guatemala itineraries is to visit the impressive Maya ruins of Tikal. Whilst Tikal is like the Chichen Itza or Machu Picchu of Guatemala when it comes to an ancient ruin to visit, in reality it gets way less visitors than both of those sites. Of course, Tikal isn’t one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, however it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.

Tikal is located about a 1.5 hours’ drive away from Flores, so it’s best to go on a guided tour, especially if you want to watch either the sunrise or sunset from the top of Temple IV. There are four different time slots tour agencies offer: sunrise, early bird, morning and sunset.

We personally recommend going on either the sunrise or sunset tour. The light is amazing at these times, plus you’ll have a greater chance of spotting wildlife. In addition, walking around the jungle in the heat and humidity during the middle of the day isn’t fun.

The entry fee to Tikal is Q150 per person. Note that if you want to enter the site for sunrise or stay there until sunset, you’ll have to pay an additional Q100. Tours normally cost between Q100-250, depending on the time of day you want to visit, and don’t normally include the entrance fee to park.

3. Sunset Tour of Yaxha

Another beautiful Maya ruin to add to your Flores itinerary is Yaxha. It’s located close to Tikal and, even though it’s a smaller site than Tikal, it’s just as impressive. The best part is that it’s way less visited. We also saw way more wildlife at Yaxha including coatis, spider monkeys and howler monkeys.

We recommend going with a tour from Flores as it’s kind of impossible to get there on public transport. Some tour companies combine a morning visit to Tikal with an afternoon visit to Yaxha, so if you’re short on time, you could still visit both in one day. Although, it would be a very long day!

The entry fee to Yaxha is Q80 per person. Tours normally cost between Q150-200 and don’t normally include the entry fee to the park.

4. Have a Drink at a Rooftop Bar

After relaxing at a few rooftop bars in Antigua, it was great to be able to repeat the tradition in Flores. There are a few rooftop bars in Flores but probably the most popular is Sky Bar, located on the western side of Flores Island. From here, you can enjoy amazing views out across the lake, especially during sunset when the temperatures are slightly cooler and the island slowly starts to come alive.

Sky Bar has 2 for 1 cocktail offers and also serves food. It really fills up later in the afternoon, so make sure to get there early to secure one of the best seats.

5. Watch the Sunset Across Lake Peten Itza

Whilst Isla de Flores basically empties out during the day, thanks to the heat and humidity, it really comes alive around sunset when the temperatures are more bearable. If you’re not having a drink and a bite to eat at one of the rooftop bars, or watching the sunset from the top of a temple at either Tikal or Yaxha, then just sit somewhere along the promenade with other tourists and locals to watch as the sun goes down.

Seeing the sun paint the entire sky pink, orange and red as boats crossed the lake was our favourite thing to do in Flores.

6. Go for a Dip in Lake Peten Itza

Flores is pretty hot and humid but thankfully you can cool off in Lago Peten Itza.

There isn’t really a dedicated ‘beach’ area, so you’ll just have to pick a spot and jump in. Most people gather around the jetties, but those can get pretty crowded later in the afternoons.

Top tip. Avoid being too close to where boats are docking.

7. Take a Boat or Canoe Around Isla de Flores

Around the perimeter of Isla de Flores you’ll see plenty of boats called lanchas. These are a form of public transport which will take you from the island to various places like San Miguel.

However, drivers do offer ‘guided’ boat rides around the island, as well as to certain locations such as the popular Jorge’s Rope Swing and Chechenal beach. These types of rides are much more expensive than the regular boat crossings between Isla de Flores and San Miguel though.

Alternatively, you can always rent a canoe and paddle around the island yourself.

8. Hike Up to Mirador del Rey Canek

To get some amazing views of Isla de Flores and the lake, you can visit a viewpoint called Mirador del Rey Canek (here on the map). It’s located to the northwest of the island in San Miguel. We took a lancha from this spot and the ride only cost us Q10 per person. Once you disembark in San Miguel, just follow the signs up to the viewpoint. You need to have a rough idea of which road to take out of town though, as the signs don’t start until after you leave San Miguel.

The viewpoint is free to enter, however you’re welcome to donate some money if you want.

We had to climb some steep stairs before we got to the wooden lookout structure. From the top of it, we got some lovely views of Flores Island and the surrounding area. Unfortunately, it was quite hazy on the day we visited but we still enjoyed the views.

Top tip. Avoid going in the middle of the day because it can be super hot. Either go there first thing in the morning and go to Chechenal Beach to relax afterwards, or enjoy the beach first and stop at the mirador before heading back to Flores Island.

9. Go Swimming at Chechenal Beach

If you want to enjoy more of a beachy setting than you get on Flores Island, then make sure to visit Chechenal Beach. Whilst you won’t find endless stretches of white sand here, the water is a bit clearer and definitely more inviting than around the island. We loved the long pier where you could jump into the water from if you wanted. There were many benches and tables, as well as a few food stalls. They also had toilets and changing rooms.

It’s located only a short walk from Mirador del Rey Canek, so you can easily combine the two activities. However, you can also get there by boat from Isla de Flores. Although, be prepared to pay a lot more unless you go in a bigger group.

There’s an entry fee of Q10 per person. It was pretty empty when we visited but it was a weekday morning, so we weren’t surprised. It’s probably way busier during the weekends and in the afternoons.

How to Get to Flores Guatemala

You can reach Flores in multiple ways from many national and international locations.

Flying. Flores has an airport, called Mundo Maya International Airport (FRS), and you can fly there direct from Guatemala City. Avianca and TAG Airlines operate this route. It’s only a 50 minute flight, so you can reach Flores pretty quickly. If you’re coming from abroad, you should find flights to Guatemala City first, then a connecting one to Flores. We use Skyscanner to search for our flights.

Public Bus. If you don’t want to fly, you can also arrive to Flores from Guatemala City by Public Bus. You can see the companies that operate this route and their departure times using GuateGo.

Tourist Shuttle. Another popular way to reach Flores is by tourist shuttle. These are small minivans that will take you to Flores from popular destinations such as Lanquin, Livingston, Rio Dulce, Antigua and across the border from Belize. You can even travel to Flores from Palenque in Mexico, crossing the El Ceibo border, or from Bacalar and Chetumal in Mexico via Belize. We actually arrived on one of these shuttles after visiting Semuc Champey, one of the natural wonders of Guatemala near Lanquin.

Where to Stay in Flores Guatemala

As mentioned at the start, Flores is split into four different areas: Isla de Flores, Santa Elena, San Benito and San Miguel.

If you only have a few days in Flores, we highly recommend booking your stay on Isla de Flores. Whilst accommodation prices will be slightly higher on the tiny island, it’s way more convenient to stay there for the following reasons:

• Isla de Flores is essentially the historic centre of Flores, which means that you can easily walk around straight from your hotel / hostel.
• Some of the best bars and restaurants are also located on the island.
• Most tourist shuttles arriving to, or departing from Flores, will have a pick up/drop off point on the island, just across from the bridge. This means that if you’re staying somewhere else, you will need to take a tuk-tuk to reach other parts of the city.
• Tours also leave from this central point, so getting there early in the morning or arriving back later in the evening makes staying outside of the centre less practical. We found it difficult to find tuk-tuks to take us back to our accommodation later in the evening. We didn’t see a single one before 6AM or after 7:30-8PM.

If you’re in Flores for a longer stay, then you could book somewhere in Santa Elena or San Benito. Otherwise, we recommend booking your hotel close to the bridge to avoid having to walk super early in the morning or later in the evening due to the lack of tuk-tuks.

Booking somewhere in San Miguel would require you to take a boat to/from Isla de Flores, which again could be a little bit inconvenient.

How Long Do You Need in Flores Guatemala

We believe that 3 full days in Flores will give you the best chance to see all the area has to offer. You’ll be able to spend one full day exploring Isla de Flores, then visit Tikal and Yaxha the following two days.

However, if you’re very short on time, you could arrive to Flores in the evening, visit Tikal either at sunrise or sunset, then spend the remainder of the day wandering around Isla de Flores. So, booking two nights in Flores would probably be sufficient for a very brief visit. The following morning, you could head to another location in Guatemala, such as Semuc Champey or Antigua. Alternatively, you could also cross the border into Belize or Mexico if you’re backpacking across Latin America.

If you want to take it slightly easier, you could allocate 2 full days for Flores. This way you can explore the historic centre on one day and visit Tikal the next. You could even visit Yaxha as part of a joint tour if you wanted to.

If you’re not in a rush, there are many cool day-trips you can do from Flores, such as to the Blue Crater, Ixpanpajul Nature Park or Uaxactun Maya ruins. In addition, if you’d like a real challenge, you could sign up for the 5-day jungle trek to El Mirador.

Final Thoughts on Things to Do in Flores Guatemala

Basing ourselves in Flores to visit Tikal was a great decision. There were quite a few things to do in the area to keep us busy for a few days, and it was also easy to book tours to Tikal and Yaxha from there. Most tourist shuttles arrive and depart from Flores to other parts of the country or abroad, which means it’s also very convenient to stay on the island.

We loved watching the sunset with a drink in our hands at one of the rooftop bars on the island. The historic centre was also really colourful, so we had fun taking photos despite the temperatures getting super high during the day.

Have you ever been to Flores in Guatemala before? If so, how many days did you spend in the city and what did you get up to? If not, would you add Flores to your Guatemala itinerary? Let us know in the comments below.