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Flores was our favourite place in Guatemala. I don’t know if it’s because it was the first town we visited after crossing the border from Belize (I have a trend of loving our first stop in a new country), or if it really was just that charming.
Located in northern Guatemala in the Peten region, on the shores of Lake Peten Itza, Flores is the gateway to the bulk of Guatemala’s Maya ruins, including the famous Tikal.
Most people use Flores simply as a jump-off point to visit Tikal before moving on, or they skip it completely due to its remote location in the north of the country. But we totally fell in love with Flores!
Life slowed down to an easy pace here. Strolling the cobblestone streets of the tiny island, lined with colonial houses painted in a rainbow of colours, enjoying fiery sunsets over the lake each night, and spending lazy days sitting on leafy rooftops enjoying nice coffee, tasty brunches and freshly-shaken cocktails, I think I could have stayed here forever!
If you’re thinking about including Flores on your Guatemala itinerary, or as a side trip from Belize, you should. This post will clear up any doubt that Flores is a must-visit in Guatemala, and share everything you need to know about visiting.
Read on for a rundown of the area and its many different towns, islands and peninsulas, how to get there (from within Guatemala or neighbouring Belize), getting around, the top things to do, and the best places to eat and stay.
About Flores, Guatemala
Flores is a municipality in the Peten region of northern Guatemala. Peten is home to many of the country’s ancient Maya cities and has a rich Maya history. It’s known as the rainforest region of Guatemala, and the entire area is covered in a swathe of biodiverse tropical jungle, teeming with wildlife.
What ‘Flores’ actually means is a bit confusing to a first-time visitor, ourselves included. The municipality of Flores is divided into a few different towns:
- 🏝️ Isla de Flores: or Flores Island, this is the tourist heart of Flores and the place you want to be. The tiny island in Lago Peten Itza is connected to the mainland by a causeway (aka bridge), but you feel like you’re in a completely different area. It’s considered the ‘old town’ of Flores, and the cobblestone streets are full of colourful historic buildings. There’s a great range of hostels and hotels, and fantastic cafes and restaurants. In my opinion, this is where you want to base yourself in Flores.
- 🏘️ Santa Elena: across the causeway from Flores Island is the town of Santa Elena. This is the commercial hub of Flores and is where you will find the main bus terminal, airport, mall and other amenities like banks, phone shops, large supermarkets etc. You’ll no doubt transit through here at some point, but in my opinion, you don’t really want to hang around. Santa Elena felt busy, noisy and like any other town, without the charm or appeal of the island.
- 🌿 San Miguel: sitting across the lake, north of Flores Island is the San Miguel peninsula. This jungle-clad finger of land is not an island and is accessible by road, although travelling by boat from the island is quicker and more common. There are a handful of attractions in San Miguel, and you’ll most likely visit this area at some point. There are accommodations here and it can be a little quieter and cheaper than Flores Island, but to be honest, I think you’d be commuting to the island often, so I’d stick with staying there. You might see this area called Tayasal or Tayazal, its former Maya name.
How to get to Flores
From within Guatemala
There’s no denying that Flores is really out of the way. While the bulk of Guatemala’s tourist destinations are clustered in the south, Flores and Tikal sit way up north near the border of Mexico and Belize.
This great distance is the reason why a lot of people skip Flores altogether. But you definitely shouldn’t do that, so here’s how to get to Flores!
- ✈️ By air: the quickest and easiest way to get to Flores is via a flight from Guatemala City. The Mundo Maya International Airport currently only receives domestic flights from the city, so even if you are flying from outside Guatemala, you’ll first need to fly to Guatemala City and then transit to a domestic flight. There are multiple daily flights with TAG Airlines and Avianca, and it takes 1 hour. They’re usually around $80 – $120 one way, depending on the time and airline.
- 🚌 By coach bus (from southern Guatemala): if your Guatemala budget is a little tighter but you want to avoid a hellish shuttle, the next best option for getting to Flores from southern Guatemala is to take a coach bus (vs a squished tourist shuttle). It most commonly departs at night, but there is a day option if you’d prefer not to travel at night. This is a very common route so it’s considered safe.
The bus departs from Guatemala City, but it’s possible to come from Antigua or even Lake Atitlan during the day to connect with the night bus. It should take around 9 – 10 hours. The bus is run by Maya de Oro, and you can book via GuateGo (how we booked most of our transport in Guatemala). If you are in Guatemala City or are okay to get yourself there to meet the bus, book from there. Expect to pay at least $50 USD, it’s not cheap.
Otherwise, you can search for your origin destination (Antigua, Lake Atitlan etc.) and book a combo with a shuttle first to Guatemala City plus the coach bus to Flores. Just make sure it says ‘Maya de Oro’ for the second leg, so you’re definitely getting on the proper bus, not a shuttle. It will be more expensive with the extra shuttle.
- 🚌 By coach bus (from Rio Dulce): there is one other option for a coach bus to Flores. If you plan to visit Rio Dulce, Maya de Oro has a route that passes through Rio Dulce once per day in the afternoon and arrives in Flores in the evening. It’s only about 5 hours and you can book on GuateGo. I think this is a good way to see both these areas in Guatemala and it breaks up the trip between Flores and the south.
- 🚐 By shuttle: the primary method of transport around Guatemala, tourist shuttles ferry tourists from point A to point B in squished minivans. If you are anywhere in southern Guatemala, like Antigua, Guatemala City or Lake Atitlan and going directly to Flores, I would NOT recommend taking a shuttle. The coach bus is a much nicer and quicker option.
The only time I would recommend taking a shuttle to Flores is if you are coming from Semuc Champey, which is the most common route traveller route. It’s still a 10+ hour trip on very rough roads, but Semuc is super remote and there is no easy way to get there or away. You can book your shuttle with GuateGo in advance, or your accommodation in Semuc can easily organise it for you, and they will usually include transport from your hostel in the jungle to where the shuttles depart in Lanquin. We paid about $25 USD for the reverse trip.
🚐 We used GuateGo to book our tourist shuttles all over Guatemala
From Belize
Flores is one of the most common entry points to Guatemala, with backpackers coming along the Gringo Trail from Belize. This is exactly what we did and it was a really easy trip, much quicker and easier than getting to Flores from the south of Guatemala!
The most common jump-off point in Belize is San Ignacio, a jungle town right near the border with Guatemala, although it is possible to do this trip from Belize City (and therefore from the cayes once you take the ferry back to the city).
Be aware that you need to pay a $40 BZD / $20 USD exit tax when leaving Belize. There are no fees (for most passport types) when arriving in Guatemala.
- 🚐 By shuttle – the easiest way is to book a door-to-door shuttle to take you from San Ignacio or Belize City to Flores. They depart from a central meeting place, and if you’re coming from the cayes, they’ll usually meet you at the water taxi dock in Belize City. No changes are required, no constant stopping to cram in passengers, and you’ll get a hand crossing the border. Expect to pay around $20 – $25 USD for the trip.
- 🚌 By bus – we did this border crossing ourselves by public transport and it was really easy. There are buses going from San Ignacio to the border town, Benque Viejo del Carmen, regularly throughout the day. You can also get a private or shared taxi from San Ignacio which is also pretty cheap. You’ll cross the border yourself, paying the exit fee in Belize then enter Guatemala. Change your Belize Dollars to Quetzals on the Guatemalan side.
Once you’re in Guatemala, ignore anyone telling you need a taxi or shuttle, you don’t. You just need to walk for 5 minutes across the bridge to the bus station. From there, ask for a colectivo to Flores and jump in. It will take about 2 hours, with plenty of stops to cram more and more people in, but it’s cheap, and the total trip shouldn’t cost you more than the equivalent of around $5 – $8 USD.
Getting around Flores
- 👣 Walk: if you’re staying on Flores Island (we recommend!) you can pretty much walk anywhere. It’s a tiny place, and everything is within close distance.
- 🛺 Tuk-tuk / moto taxi: if you need to get a bit further, such as to Santa Elena on the mainland where you’ll find the bus terminal, shopping centre etc. you can use a tuk-tuk (aka moto taxis). They’re always zooming around the island, just negotiate a price before you take off. Short trips should be between 10 – 50 Q.
- 🚤 Water taxi: being an island, water taxis or lanchas, the local wooden boats, are a common way to get around in Flores. A lot of attractions are on the San Miguel peninsula, which although does have road access, boats are the quickest way to get there. The prices for lanchas are fluid, to say the least, and totally depend on your Spanish and bargaining skills, and how many people you have. Just walk to the waterfront on the island and look for a captain hanging out on his boat. There is supposedly a fixed price for trips to San Miguel village (10 Q per person), but anything else is up for negotiation.
- 🚙 Tour: for activities outside of the island like Tikal and other ruins, tours are actually the most common way to get there. I’m not normally an advocate for tours, but they are so cheap here and honestly, even if the guide isn’t great (which they usually are), just having straightforward transport to and from your destination is worth the cost.
- 🚐 Colectivo: the local buses around Flores are usually colectivos (aka minivans). Whilst there is definitely a good network of connections, there is a lot of scamming and ripping off, with separate prices for tourists. A lot of the colectivo guys will try to channel you onto tourist shuttles instead of local ones for a much higher price. In many cases, taking a tour is actually cheaper than using the colectivos, unless you are lucky enough to get charged the local price.
Where to stay in Flores
I’ve got a more detailed guide about the best hotels in Flores, that I’d recommend checking out, but here are a few quick options for a range of budgets. I definitely suggest basing yourself on Flores Island, however, if you do have extra time, there are some amazing remote jungle lodges that are a good add-on. I’ve got some suggestions in my hotel guide.
BUDGET 💰
MID-RANGE 💰💰
BOUTIQUE 💰💰💰
😴 Read our complete guide to the best hotels in Flores
Things to do in Flores
There are so many amazing things to do in Flores that I wrote a separate post with all the details. But as a little sneak preview, here are my top five!
- 🌈 Explore Isla de Flores: the island is so charming, you can easily spend hours wandering around exploring its hidden alleyways and cobblestone streets, swooning over the colourful houses, looking at the cute doors and windows and soaking up the lovely vibes. At the highest point of the island is the park, cathedral and plaza, which is a nice place for some people watching. Stroll along the lakefront Malecon promenade and pop into one of the many cute cafes and restaurants when you need a rest.
- 🛕 Visit Tikal: one of the greatest Mayan cities of all time, Tikal is within easy reach of Flores (1 hour) and is a very popular day trip. It’s the reason most people come to Flores at all! There are dozens of tours departing each day, and you can choose to go for sunrise, as soon as the park officially opens at 6:00 am, during the day, or for sunset. It’s possible to visit independently via the local colectivos or jumping on a tourist shuttle, but the tours are great value and having a guide really brings the ancient city to life. It’s one time I would recommend taking a tour.
🌿 Read our complete guide to visiting Tikal
- 🌴 Hang out at Jorge’s Rope Swing: across the lake on the San Miguel peninsula, a local guy Jorge and his family have created the perfect backpacker hangout. Their property is on the shores of the lake, nestled into the jungle, and they’ve got a few rope swings, a rickety dive platform and some hammocks and lounges. It’s the perfect way to spend a lazy afternoon and cool off in Flores’ steamy heat.
- 🐒 Beat the crowds at Yaxha: if you want more Maya history and ruins, Yaxha is a quieter alternative to Tikal. It’s a smaller site, and I don’t think the structures and temples are as impressive, but there are great wildlife spotting opportunities and it’s a unique experience to wander around the ancient city without the crowds. A tour is the best option as it’s tricky to reach with public transport. Most depart in the afternoon and stay at the site to watch the sunset over Laguna Yaxha from the top of a temple.
- 🌞 Enjoy a sunset: the sunsets in Flores are something special. Every night the lake glows up, and there are plenty of rooftop bars where you can enjoy the show with a happy hour cocktail in hand! It is a Flores rite of passage, so make sure you plan to watch the sunset every evening! Anywhere on the Malecon is lovely if you don’t want a drink, otherwise try Sky Bar, Terraza, Mangos Bar or San Telmo.
🇬🇹 Read our complete list of 18 things to do in Flores, Guatemala
Where to eat in Flores
There are SO many good cafes, restaurants and bars in Flores. Antigua steals all the shine for its dining scene, but we really loved all the places we tried in Flores – plus they have lake views! I’ve got a whole post dedicated to our favourite restaurants in Flores, so check that out, but here’s a little snippet.
CAFES & BREAKFAST 🍳
- 🧇 Maple y Tocino
- ☕️ Delirio
- 🍍 Maracuya
RESTAURANTS 🥗
- 🌿 Secret Garden at Los Amigos Hostel
- 🌮 Tacos los Peces
- 🍝 Bistro Puertas del Cielo
BARS 🍹
- 🌞 Sky Bar
- 🍻 San Telmo
- 🥭 Mangos Bar
🍛 Get more food inspo with our favourite restaurants in Flores
Flores travel tips
🇬🇹 Get more travel tips in Guatemala travel guide
- 🌤️ Best time to visit: Flores and the Peten region in Northern Guatemala is hot, hot, hot! It’s covered in jungle so it is steamy and humid year-round. The dry season from November – April is the best time to visit. The rain can be full on in the wet season, plus it’s hotter. We visited in January, and while we were wearing pants and a jumper in Antigua and Lake Atitlan, it was well over 30°C (86°F) every day in Flores.
- 😴 How long to stay: some people fly into Flores, spend one night, visit Tikal and fly out. We spent four nights here, and we still didn’t have enough time to do anything. I’d say 3 – 5 nights is ideal.
- 🫶🏼 Safety: we felt really safe everywhere we went in Guatemala, Flores was no exception. The island especially is super laidback. Santa Elena was a bit more full-on and hectic, but nothing unsafe. The worst that can happen is that you get ripped off on a tour or water taxi, or misled about the availability of colectivos to try and get you on a tourist shuttle instead. Not the end of the world.
- 🗣️ Language: like everywhere in Guatemala, Spanish is the official language in Flores. If you’re coming into the country for the first time from Belize, it’ll be a shock after speaking English for so long! It took us a few days to get back into the rhythm of speaking Spanish, but many people involved in tourism do speak English.
- 💰 Currency: Guatemala uses the Guatemalan Quetzal (GTQ or Q for short). Although some tourism companies will price and accept USD for expensive things, it’s not very common, and the Quetzal is the primary form of payment.
- 🏧 ATMs: there are a handful of ATMs on the island, but they are notorious for being broken or out of money. There is a 5B and BI Cajero inside the Superfotomart, and again a 5B and BI inside the Green Monkey Hostel. We did successfully get money at the 5B at Green Monkey, but if you’re having trouble, just walk across the causeway to the Maya Mall in Santa Elena. There are two 5B ATMs there and they usually work. We couldn’t find any free ATMs from any bank in Guatemala, and with our Visa card, we got charged a 44.99 Q fee at multiple banks.
- 📱 Phone & SIM Cards: if Flores is your first stop in Guatemala as it was for us, you’ll want to sort out your phone and get a local SIM card. Tigo and Claro are the best networks in Guatemala, and both brands have a store inside the Maya Mall, just across the causeway in Santa Elena. Some other kiosks and minimarts will top up your phone, but to actually buy a SIM card and get it set up on the right plan, it’s best to go to the store. Bring your passport.
- 🥑 Groceries: there are small mini-markets and a handful of produce shops around the island, but prices are generally inflated. If you want to stock up on groceries, there is a big supermarket, Las Torre, in the Maya Mall in Santa Elena. There is also a ton of market stalls that have a lot of cheap fruit and vegetables. Just wander up the main road (Avenida 6A) and you’ll stumble across them.
Flores, Guatemala: Final thoughts
Ahh Flores, I adore you! Whether it’s your first stop in Guatemala like us, or your final destination before departing or hopping across to Belize or Mexico, you have to include Flores in your Guatemala itinerary!
I hope this travel guide has been helpful and has you excited to visit Flores (and made you realise it’s so much more than just Tikal!).
Soak up the charming island vibes, enjoy the amazing cafes and restaurants and be sure to watch the sunset every night! Don’t forget to check out things to do in Flores, where to stay in Flores and our favourite restaurants in Flores for more inspo.
If you’re travelling along the Gringo Trail southbound, your next stop is most likely Semuc Champey. If you’re heading north, you’ll probably be jumping across the border to San Ignacio in Belize.
MORE FLORES POSTS
