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Looking for the best things to do in Flores, Guatemala? You’re in the right place.
Flores was one of my favourite places in Guatemala. It’s best known as the gateway to the ancient Maya city of Tikal, but there is so much more to Flores!
If anyone tells you a night here will suffice as a jump-off point to Tikal, they’re wrong. We spent four nights here and that still wasn’t enough time to see and do all the great things around the area.
Flores Island was one of the most charming and prettiest towns we visited in Guatemala (yes, even in comparison to Antigua!), there are countless adventures around Lake Peten Itza, a dense jungle full of wildlife and so many more Maya ruins to explore outside of Tikal.
So read on for the best things to do in Flores, Guatemala!
I’ve broken the list up into three sections: things to do in and around Flores Island, Maya ruins to visit and other activities around the region if you’ve got more time up your sleeve.
Planning a trip to Flores, Guatemala
STOP! Before you keep reading this list of the best things to do in Flores, I’d recommend reading our Flores travel guide first. It covers all the other important info you need to know about Flores, like getting there (yes, it’s very far from most other places in Guatemala), getting around and other general tips about the area.
OUR FLORES TRAVEL GUIDES 🌈
Best things to do in Flores, Guatemala
💡 The travel agency at Los Amigos Hostel is a fantastic place to book affordable and good-quality tours and transport in Flores. They pretty much offer everything, and they’re the place to start if you need help organising something.
Things to do in and around Flores Island
1. Stroll the charming Isla de Flores
Flores Island is absolutely gorgeous! This little landmass in Lake Peten Itza might be tiny but it is packed full of charm. While the island was originally settled by the Maya, it’s the Spanish influence that has remained.
You can wander around most of the island in as little as 20 minutes, but we spent hours strolling across multiple days. It has such a lovely vibe I just wanted to be out and about soaking it up. It doesn’t hurt that there are the loveliest cafes and restaurants scattered around whenever you need a break from the heat!
I could not get enough of the colourful houses and cobblestone streets, I had major door and window love, with so many different colour combos and styles. String lights hang overhead, there are smatterings of greenery bursting from pots and creeping up walls, with tight alleyways that feel like a maze to explore, and glimpses of the lake as you wander.
You don’t need any plan of attack to explore the island, just walk. It’s so small that you can easily walk along every street. I think we walked them all multiple times, discovering something new each time.
2. People watch in Parque Central
The only major sight to see on your wanderings around the island is the park, Parque Monseñor Próspero Penados del Barrio (Parque Central also suffices instead of that mouthful!).
The island inclines to a small hill in the centre, and the park sits at the top with some lovely views over the lake. Like in most Spanish and Latin American towns, the central park or plaza is surrounded by important government and community buildings.
You’ll find the Catedral Nuestra Señora de Los Remedios here, with its two distinctive white domes. It’s not the grandest church I’ve ever seen, but you can pop inside if you’d like to.
The vibe of the plaza is really lovely, and there are always some food carts around selling snacks and drinks.
There is a basketball court adjacent to the park, which was one of our favourite places on the island for some people watching. Come late afternoon and evening when the weather cools down a little, all the locals come out to play. It was super lovely to sit and watch for a while.
🛏️ Flores Island is the best place to base yourself, check out our Flores hotel guide
3. Walk the waterfront Malecon
The Malecon (aka promenade) is the waterfront pathway that runs around the outer edge of the island along the lakefront. Like the rest of the island, the vibes are lovely, the views are great and it’s a nice peaceful place for a stroll.
Depending on when you visit, you may or may not be able to walk along this path, as it is frequently flooded. The island is often inundated with water from heavy rains and the rising level of the lake.
It’s quite absurd to see, entire sections of the island have been taken over by the lake. Entire streets were flooded and many of the waterfront businesses had set up new rickety wooden docks to get to their front doors.
4. Enjoy stunning sunsets
Flores does a lot of things well, but its sunsets are absolutely spectacular! Every night we enjoyed a fiery sun dropping down over the lake, lighting up the skies and creating beautiful twinkles across the water.
What’s even better, is that there are so many rooftop bars and restaurants with perfect vantage points of the sunset, so you can enjoy the show with a cocktail in hand!
Our top spots for a sunset on Flores Island:
- 🌞 Along the Malecon: wander down to the waterfront on the western side of the island and plonk down on the break wall or one of the docks for a perfect sunset view that’s totally free. It’s the perfect way to end the day.
- 🌞 Sky Bar: this is a Flores institution, and we visited way more times than we care to admit! They have a great happy hour (I believe it is from 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm) with a discounted price for 2 drinks, including beers and cocktails. Two mojitos for 40Q ($5 USD) is a win with me! Arrive early to snag a good spot.
- 🌞 Terraza: right next to Sky Bar, Terraza has a great view and also happy hour, but this is a better spot if you want to eat dinner while enjoying a sunset. The food at Sky Bar is nothing special, but Terraza has great pizza and pasta.
- 🌞 San Telmo: another rooftop bar in the same area, the ratings, food and service here aren’t as good, but they do have a good view and happy hour specials. I’d recommend this as a backup to Sky Bar, which does get really packed and there are limited seats with actual sunset views.
- 🌞 Mangos Bar: on the rooftop of Hotel Isla de Flores, this bar is a bit more expensive and upper class, but they usually have live music on the weekends and a good vibe.
5. Hang out at Jorge’s Rope Swing
Before we got to Flores our agenda was: explore the island, visit Tikal and hang out at Jorge’s Rope Swing. Local guy Jorge has created an iconic attraction for all backpackers traipsing through Guatemala, seemingly of the same calibre as the great Mayan city of Tikal!
Nestled in the jungle on the San Miguel peninsula opposite Flores Island, Jorge and his family have created a fun hangout on their property on the shores of the lake.
There are a couple of different rope swings, some rickety dive platforms and some hammocks and lounges scattered around. It’s a chill place to spend a few hours in the heat of the day, and the lake here looked a lot cleaner for swimming than near the island.
We had so much fun swinging and jumping over and over again, and floating in the lake. We watched the local kids and competitive backpackers trying flips and other tricks and even saw some iguanas in the trees.
Entry is 25Q ($3 USD) and the family sells some snacks, beers and other non-alcoholic drinks for pretty reasonable prices. They’re open from 9:00 am – 7:00 pm daily.
The expensive part is getting there. There is no fixed price for the water taxis from Flores, and set times or departure points, so it’s hard to find other travellers to split the cost with.
We ended up paying 150Q ($20 USD) for a return boat trip. The guy did come and collect us when he said he would a few hours later, but I think we got ripped off. We were too hot to care and I’m glad we went, but I’d highly recommend trying to find some other people to share with, as they charge by boat, not by person.
I have also since read that you can organise the boat directly with Jorge’s family for a much more reasonable price. Try contacting them on Whatsapp: +502 3196 3196
You could also kayak over if you’re up for it, but it did seem quite far.
6. Rent a kayak or SUP to explore Lake Peten Itza
The waters of the lake around Flores Island are pretty calm, and renting a kayak or SUP is a nice way to see the area, get a good view of the island and even see some sights if you’re a strong paddler and want to do a longer rental.
You can rent kayaks and paddleboards from Kayaks en Flores (from 45Q ($6 USD) per hour) or from Los Amigos Hostel (70 – 100Q ($9 – $13 USD) for the entire day).
You should be able to organise an independent rental around sunset time, but there is also the possibility of doing a sunrise kayak tour, which would be an amazing way to start the day and see the lake before everyone wakes up!
If you want to rent a kayak for 4+ hours, you can create your own tour of the lake, which most people do by boat. Keep reading to see the sights most boat tours stop at, you could theoretically do all this via kayak. The rental companies, particularly Kayaks en Flores, are really helpful in planning your route and advising how long it will take to paddle to each stop.
7. Take a boat tour of the lake
One of the most popular things to do in Flores is to jump in a lancha (aka a local wooden boat) and do a sightseeing tour of the lake. There are boats with captains lined up all along Malecon, ready to negotiate a price and route with you.
Some of the most common stops on these tours are:
- 🏝️ Islote and Museo Santa Barbara: a small museum on a tiny islet with a collection of Maya artefacts
- 👀 Mirador del Rey Canek: a small lookout in San Miguel with a fantastic view of the island
- 🏖️ Playa Chechenal: a sandy beach area on the San Miguel peninsula
- 🏘️ San Miguel town: stroll the smaller town of San Miguel (aka Tayasal) opposite Flores Island
- 🌿 Jorge’s Rope Swing: most visit this as a separate attraction to spend a whole day here, but since it is located on the San Miguel peninsula, some people include it in their boat trip
👀 More info about all these attractions below
There are two ways to approach this:
1. A quick cruise around the lake with some minor stops, usually the museum, mirador and beach, with a small amount of time to visit, but still within the time limit agreed upon. You can properly visit the places you want to on a separate occasion.
2. A lengthier hop-on-hop-off kind of experience, where you properly visit all the sights of the lake, and your captain will wait for you with ample time at each site. This will cost more but avoid doubling up on water taxis at another time to return and enjoy the sites you passed quickly.
To be honest, I don’t really see the point of doing a boat tour unless you opt for the second option, where you negotiate a price to have the boat for an entire day (or at least multiple hours), and properly stop to explore all the sights dotted around the lake and opposite peninsula.
Otherwise, you’re just paying to cruise around, which you will do anyway when you use the water taxi later on to properly visit the sites you didn’t have time to see on your tour.
Prices are incredibly flexible and negotiable. Nothing is fixed, it’s basically as best you can bargain. Prices run from around 200Q ($25 USD) per hour for the whole boat.
8. Visit the Islote Santa Barbara
Islote Santa Barbara is a small islet just off the western side of Flores Island. Owned and operated by a local family, the island has a museum (Museo Santa Barbara) that houses a small collection of Maya artefacts from around the region.
Quite randomly, the island is the broadcast location of a local radio station, FM Maya 99.3, and you can see some old broadcasting equipment in the museum too.
The family have a few cabins on the island where you can stay, a small cafe with a limited selection of drinks and snacks and a small, sandy swimming area. They are really lovely and welcoming and have some fascinating information and history to share.
Entrance is 20Q per person ($2.50 USD). To get there, you can jump on a lancha from Flores Island, or kayak over.
9. Climb Mirador del Rey Canek
Located on the San Miguel peninsula, this lookout sits on top of the still-concealed Maya city of Tayazal. It’s nothing too special, but a short climb up a few hundred steps offers a beautiful view of Flores Island and Lake Peten Itza.
The stairs are painted with colourful depictions of local wildlife and Maya history. You have to take your shoes off when climbing up, I believe to protect the paintings.
If you’re not stopping at the mirador as part of a boat tour, you can jump on a water taxi to San Miguel. This is the only route on the lake that has a fixed price (10Q / $1.20 USD). From the small village, follow a trail to the mirador. Locals can point it out for you.
There is no fee to enter the mirador, although there is a local staffing it. You need to sign your details in a registration book, and he may ask you to leave a small tip.
10. Relax at Playa Chechenal
Also located on the San Miguel peninsula is Playa Chechenal, a favourite spot with locals. I don’t know if it’s really considered a beach if it’s on a lake, but it’s a nice sandy area with clear, clean waters for swimming. Especially great for cooling off in Flores’ intense heat.
The beach is private, with an entrance fee of 10Q ($1.20 USD). There are some picnic tables scattered around, a few palm-thatched huts and a dock that was once painted rainbow for photos, but has since faded, that’s great for diving in. They sell drinks and snacks too.
To get here, you can organise a water taxi from Flores Island directly to the beach. However, this will cost much more than getting dropped off in San Miguel village and walking. It should take less than half an hour through the forest.
I’d recommend getting dropped off in San Miguel, exploring the village, walking first to the mirador, and then continuing to the beach.
Maya ruins to visit
11. Witness the great city of Tikal
One of the grandest and mightiest cities in the Maya empire, Tikal is considered one of the best things to do in Flores. I can confirm, it lives up to all the hype.
Its towering temples peek above the jungle canopy, with spider monkeys swinging through the trees and coatis scampering through the plazas. The temples and pyramid structures at Tikal were like nothing else we had seen at any other Maya city. The dense jungle really added to the atmosphere, and it was a very special experience.
🛕 Find out everything you need to know about visiting Tikal – times, tickets, tours & temples – we’ve covered it all in our extensive Tikal guide
The ancient city is located just over an hour north of Flores and is an easy day trip.
You can choose to join a tour from Flores or visit independently via public transport or a tourist shuttle. While I wouldn’t normally advocate for a tour, I think it’s the best option in this situation.
Tikal has a special option to visit at sunrise or sunset outside the usual opening hours, for a unique experience that beats the crowds and the heat. However, you can only enter/stay in the park after the official opening hours with a guide, and public transport isn’t really feasible at 3:00 am or 8:00 pm!
So you may as well join a tour, and we would highly recommend taking the chance to be in the park at sunrise or sunset. We did sunrise and it was magic!
On top of that, having a guide at Tikal really elevates your experience and brings the ancient city to life. We learnt so much about the jungle, wildlife and what life would have been like at Tikal in its prime.
OUR RECOMMENDED TIKAL TOURS FROM FLORES 🛕🐒🌿
- 🌞 SUNRISE
- AFFORDABLE SHARED: Tikal Sunrise from Flores
- PRIVATE: Tikal VIP Exclusive Sunrise Tour All-Inclusive
- 🌴 DAY
- AFFORDABLE SHARED: Tikal Guided Tour with Transportation
- PRIVATE: Tikal VIP Exclusive Tour from Flores All-Inclusive
- 🌅 SUNSET
- AFFORDABLE SHARED: Tikal Sunset from Flores
- PRIVATE: Tikal VIP Exclusive Sunset Tour All-Inclusive
12. Get deeper into the jungle at Uaxactun
A further 14 mi (23 km) north along an unpaved road from Tikal is the town and ancient city of Uaxactun. This is a seriously off-the-beaten-track destination, visited by very few people.
We didn’t have the time to go (we were too tired and lazy after our 2:00 am wake-up for the Tikal sunrise tour), but I wish we did!
The ruins are technically inside the bounds of the Tikal National Park but offer a quieter and wilder alternative. They are still being excavated, and only a very small portion of the structures are exposed.
What makes Uaxactun even more unique is the fact there is a small, active Maya community living there. Deep in the Guatemalan jungle, this town survives off natural chewing gum production (Wrigley’s used to source gum ingredients from this village) and harvesting xate palm leaves.
It seems like Uaxactun is most commonly visited by tourists with their own vehicles. You first need to drive to Tikal and pay the 50Q entrance fee to Uaxactun at the ticket office there. You also need to organise a (free) driving permit, which requires your passport, license plate and other ID details. You’re then permitted to drive through a gate at Tikal to connect with the road to Uaxactun.
If you don’t have a car, you’ll most likely need to organise a private tour or at least a private driver to take you from Tikal. I’d recommend spending the night at one of the hotels in Tikal and organising a tour from there.
13. Enjoy the solitude at Yaxha
Less popular than Tikal but easier to access than Uaxactun, Yaxha is the perfect ruin to visit if you want to get away from the crowds, see more wildlife and uncover a deeper layer of Maya history.
It’s not quite as big as Tikal, and the structures aren’t as grand, but it’s still a beautiful site surrounded by jungle, on the shores of Laguna Yaxha, which you overlook from the top of the temples.
Yaxha is best visited on a tour from Flores, as there is limited public transport in this area (I don’t think any buses go directly to the site, you’d need to take a taxi for at least part of the journey).
Most tour operators in Flores offer a sunset tour to Yaxha. You’ll leave town around 12:00 pm, and have a few hours to explore the site with a guide, before climbing up one of the temples to enjoy the sunset over the lake, and listen to the jungle come alive at night.
The tour with Los Amigos is currently 175Q ($22.50 USD). It doesn’t include the entrance fee to the site, which is 80Q ($10 USD) for foreigners.
BOOK YOUR YAXHA SUNSET TOUR 🌞
- AFFORDABLE SHARED: Yaxha Shared Sunset Tour – Transportation & Guide
- PRIVATE: Yaxha VIP Exclusive Sunset Tour All-Inclusive
14. El Mirador multi-day trek
If you really, really can’t get enough of Maya ruins, think about joining the El Mirador trek. It’s a 5 – 6 day hike through dense jungle to reach the ruins of El Mirador. Home to the biggest pyramid in the world by volume, La Danta, this is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
We didn’t have the time (or the inclination) to trek for that long, but I know people who have done it and loved it. It’s not for the faint-hearted, it’s a long trek into a very remote area and you’ll be camping the entire time. You just have to look at the location on a map to see how wild and untouched this area is.
I can totally see the appeal though. You’ll completely immerse yourself in the jungle, have the chance to see lots of wildlife, explore smaller ruins along the way and learn more about Maya history and culture from your guides.
Dinastía Kan is far and above the best-rated tour operator, established by the local community of Carmelita, the jump-off point for El Mirador and one of the most remote settlements in the region.
There is one alternative option if you want to lay eyes on La Danta, but don’t want to hike. You can take a helicopter tour from Flores to El Mirador for the day. It’s upwards of $500 USD per person, which is out of reach for most of us, but the option is there.
Other activities around Flores
15. See rescued wildlife at ARCAS
ARCAS is a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation centre, with multiple branches and projects around Guatemala, including a rescue centre in Flores. They partner with the Guatemalan government to care for any wildlife rescued from the illegal wildlife trade.
Their primary goal is to rescue, rehabilitate and release wildlife. However, many animals are not able to be released back into the wild due to injury, illness or domestication. If they don’t have the skills necessary to survive, they can live out their days at the sanctuary.
This part of ARCAS is known as CEBIO (Biodiversity Education Center) and is open for tourists to visit. There is a great information centre, interpretive trails and a lot of different outdoor enclosures where you can see a variety of wildlife that sadly won’t ever be able to be released back into the wild.
The centre provides a safe and loving home to big cats, birds like parrots, macaws and toucans, spider monkeys and more. It’s a great way to see some of the unique wildlife of Guatemala in an ethical way. ARCAS is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, so you can be sure they provide high-quality, ethical care.
The centre is open daily from 8:00 am – 4:30 pm. They charge a 35Q ($4.50 USD) entrance fee, which is a small price to pay to support their work.
ARCAS is located on the San Miguel peninsula, and access is only via boat. Expect to pay around 150Q ($20 USD) for a return boat trip from Flores Island. Organise with your captain to come back and collect you after a few hours.
16. Dive into the Crater Azul
We didn’t have a spare day in Flores, but if we did, we would have chosen to visit the Blue Crater.
In a country full of volcanoes, this isn’t actually a crater. Rather it’s more like a deep, clear blue lagoon in a section of the Rio La Pasion. It looks like an absolute dreamy scene in the middle of the jungle, with crystal clear, vibrant blue waters. The perfect place to cool off in the steamy heat!
The simplest way to get here is to join a tour from Flores. Los Amigos Hostel offers one every day for 350Q ($45 USD), including transport, lunch and snorkel gear.
It is possible to DIY, but I’m not sure how much money you’d save. You’ll need to get a colectivo to Sayaxché, and then find a boat to take you upriver to the crater and ask them to wait for you or return later to pick you up.
Avoid visiting on the weekends. This is a favourite spot for locals and it gets very busy. Far from the peaceful jungle swimming experience you’d be hoping for!
17. Actun Kan Caves
On the outskirts of Santa Elena, not too far from Flores Island, is the Parque Regional Municipal Actún Kan. This small protected area has an impressive cave system that is relatively cheap and easy to visit independently.
We felt we had our fix of caves at Mountain Pine Ridge in Belize, so we didn’t visit these ones, but our friends did and said it was a nice way to kill a few hours in the afternoon.
You can choose to do a shorter, self-guided route through the caves. You’ll pay 35Q ($4.5 USD) for this. Alternatively, you can take a lengthier route through the entire cave system, entering on one side and exiting on the other. This is 45Q ($6 USD), plus you have to hire a guide to accompany you, for about 150Q ($19 USD).
Wear sturdy shoes and bring a torch if you have one. Any tuk-tuk or taxi in Flores will take you here, just organise for them to come and pick you up a few hours later.
18. Ixpanpajul Nature Park
Ixpanpajul is a private nature park less than half an hour from Flores, with the main attraction being its zipline course and suspension bridges. If you’re doing any other travel throughout Central America, particularly into Costa Rica, you won’t feel the need to visit Ixpanpajul, we didn’t.
We saved our ziplining and hanging bridges for Costa Rica, but they do look pretty cool if you want to have that experience in Guatemala. There is a chance to see wildlife here, but a lot of visitors say they didn’t see anything.
Apparently, Ixpanpajul offers free transport to and from Flores. Be sure to contact them to confirm and organise before paying for a taxi.
Final thoughts: Things to do in Flores, Guatemala
If you thought Flores was just Tikal and a maybe an hour stroll around a cute island, I hope I’ve changed your mind!
It’s definitely worth more than just a few days, and with hindsight, I wish we stayed here longer to tick off a few more activities, as well as soak up the lovely vibe of the island.
Don’t forget to read our Flores travel guide for a lot more helpful info, and if you’re heading to Tikal (of course you are!), get all the key info you need for your visit to Tikal.
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