Guatemala is by far the country I did least justice on my trip around Central America. Despite all this country has to offer, I spent barely 48 hours in Guatemala around Lake Petén Itzá, Yaxha and Tikal. Petén is the northernmost department of Guatemala and, geographically, this fitted our trip perfectly. Crossing through Guatemala allowed us to drive straight from Palenque (Mexico) to San Ignacio (Belize) whilst taking in some top sights on the way. The downside of this blitz visit is that I am extremely frustrated about the unfinished business. The upside though is that I am grateful to have had a taste of an amazing country and that I am motivated to spread the word and return (and actively lobbying with my other half to do so!).
The distance from the El Ceibo border with Mexico to the Melchor de Mencos border with Belize is barely 260 km. Despite the windy roads which are not in a great state we could have driven through Belize in a half a day and comfortably reached our destination. But that would be a huge injustice to Guatemala. Moreover, Tikal was very high on my list of great Mayan cities to visit and, two weeks into our packed trip, the prospect of relaxing by the banks of Lake Petén was attractive.
Around Lake Petén Itzá
Driving from Mexico
We only left Palenque in the afternoon and the drive was much slower than I thought it would be. I was expecting a busy thoroughfare to the border, not a backroad full of potholes! Additionally, formalities at the Guatemalan border were time consuming (mostly because we were taking a car into the country). As a result, we only reached our destination, El Remate, when darkness started to fall.
El Remate is a tiny town at Lake Petén. In fact, it is barely more than a street with convenience stores, housing and some guest accommodation. Most tourists stay in Flores, a tiny peninsula at the other side of the lake. Whilst this gives much more options if you are looking for tourist services, I was put off by reports that it is expensive, busy and not at all authentic. Since we had the independence of our own car, we were keen to leave the busier towns behind. Additionally, El Remate is much closer to Tikal and given the popularity of this site, we were keen to get there very early.
Lodging in El Remate
I had pre-booked a cabin in La Posada del Cerro, a cute, locally owned guesthouse with amazing views over the lake. They also had secure parking, which was a bonus for us. I must admit, we did not get the best of La Posada during our 2 nights’ stay (or of El Remate for that matter): upon arrival we discovered that electricity was down in the entire village. It stayed down for the next 48 hours until we travelled onwards. In practice, this meant very few food options (not a big deal), no light (gotta love headtorches), no working ATM (we managed with dollars and leftover quetzals we’d bought of a traveller in Palenque), but last-and-definitely-not-least no fan (it was 30˚C at night). Needless to say we were shattered when we left Guatemala!
Despite the hot nights, I enjoyed staying in La Posada del Cerro. The cabins and grounds were well maintained and the views over the lake were priceless. The on-site restaurant looked very promising and it was a pity we could not enjoy the Guatemalan cooking to the fullest owing to the electricity breakdown.
If you are looking for something a bit more upmarket or you like the buzz of a travellers’ town, accommodation options in El Remate or Flores are plenty. Regardless of your accommodation, definitely call at Hotel & Restaurant El Muelle in El Remate. El Muelle is the largest hotel in the village, located on the main road. It was a bit to loud and busy to my taste, but if you sit down for a meal they will let you use the pool. They rent out canoes to go out onto the lake and can arrange any guides, driver or excursions that are of interest.
Hiking in Biotopo Cerro Cahuí
We spent our two days in Guatemala around Lake Petén Itzá and Biotopo Cerro Cahui, a small protected are on the banks of the lake was within walking distance from our accommodation. We paid the entry fee of 40 quetzales which gave us access to the trails and viewpoints over the lake. We opted for the longest route, which was just over 7 km. The trails are steep, but well laid out. The main killer was the heath, so I was grateful we’d left early. Upon our return to the entrance, we discovered that the entry fee to Cerro Cahuí also grants access to a leafy lakeside area with picknick tables, a beach and diving docks. This was a perfect bonus, as we’d packed out bathing suits and a picknick. So we joined the local families and cooled down in the lake. Bear in mind that there is no option to buy any food or even drinks unless you walk back to El Remate – a picknick is essential!
Best Mayan sites in Petén
Spending time in Guatemala without visiting some of the Mayan ruins and heritage site is impossible. Even though we only had a couple of days, we managed to go to world-famous Tikal and the more offbeat site of Yaxhá.
My favourite site: Yaxhá
The latter was my favourite. It might even be my favourite site of the entire Central America trip. Yaxhá is hidden in the jungle, 10 km off the main road from El Remate to the Belize border at Melchor de Mencos. You need your own car or driver to get there. Allegedly, a bus calls at the settlements off the main road, but it seems to be very irregular.
We visited Yaxhá in the afternoon after Cerro Cahui, since it was not far away and it seemed like a small site. The feature that makes it special are the two lakes at either side of the side (no swimming though as there are crocodiles). Visiting in the afternoon was perfect, as the temperature was dropping slightly. However, the site was much bigger than I expected and we were somewhat rushed. There are 3 significant temples to climb and we sat down each time to enjoy the view, which was gorgeous as the evening sun cast a lovely light on the temples. We were a tad worried as a thunder storm was approaching (we could hear it in the distance), but the local rangers told us not to be bothered. I was still a bit nervous, but also easily convinced.
If (when) I go back to Guatemala, I will definitely return to Yaxhá and spend the night close to the site to enjoy the sunrise and sunset over the temples, jungle and lakes. There are a handful of guesthouses and homestays and El Sombrero seemed like a lovely place. They can organise boat trips on the lake to see more ruins on a small island.
Highlight of Petén: Tikal
Tikal is for many people the main Mayan site associated with Guatemala. Even though I was a bit worried about crowds, Tikal was a must-do during our two days in Guatemala around Lake Petén Itzá. Staying in El Remate was a real bonus for visiting Tikal, as we beat the tourist buses coming from popular Flores at the other side of the lake. We did leave at a ridiculously early time, aiming to arrive at 0700 when the site opens and have our packed breakfast on top of a pyramid. It was painful, but worth it. The only other visitors were a handful of people staying in the on-site hotel (the only way to enter before 0700 and enjoy the sunrise) and it took a couple of hours before the crowds caught us up. Despite the full car park and loads of tour buses, Tikal never felt busy since the site is enormous. Going around took us the best part of the day.
More Mayan sites around Lake Petén?
If you are spending more time in Guatemala around Lake Petén Itzá, there are many more Mayan sites that are worth visiting. Here are the ones that are still on my bucket list.
- Uaxactun: When you are in Tikal, it is possible to drive onwards to Uaxactun, a largely unexplored site next to the namesake village and abandoned airstrip (!). I heard mixed messages about the condition of the road to Uaxactun, but a 4WD is advisable.
- El Mirador: This iconic site is hidden deep in the jungle at the border between Guatemala and Mexico. The road to Tikal is more or less the closest you can get to El Mirador before you have to embark on a multi-day jungle trekking in basic conditions (of course, with a guide). If you’re loaded, chartering a helicopter is also an option.
- El Naranjo: If you’re visiting Yaxhá and staying overnight close to the site, you might want to take an extra day to cycle to El Naranjo. The dirt road from Yaxhá continues to this even more remote site, but allegedly the road is in poor condition, making a mountain bike a better option. El Sombrero and other local guesthouses can provide the bikes and arrange a guide.
Onwards to Belize
After our visit to Tikal, we drove immediately onwards to Belize. This meant retracing our steps until the turnoff to Yaxhá we had taken the day before. From there, the border was only a short drive of under an hour. If you are driving in your own car, make sure not to spend all your quetzals as you will need some small change for the toll bridge just before the border! Once you enter Belize the quality of the roads gets significantly worse. This didn’t stop us from spending a successful 10 d ays road trip in this country.
[…] this point in the itinerary, we crossed the border to Guatemala to spend two days around Lake Petén Itzá and subsequently visit Belize. If you don’t want to […]