| Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 | |
Visiting Mayan RuinsCountry forums / Central America / Guatemala | ||
Hello! First of all thank you for your help an activity on this forum, it really helped me a lot while planning my Guatemala itinerary.
We will go to Flores from Lanquin and I thought to sleep in Sayaxché, checking Aguatecas in the morning and the moving towards Flores. I've searched a lot but couldn't find a contact for any accomodations in that municipality.
Have you done a trip like this and do you have any recommendations on who should I ask to organize this kind of trip? My idea is visiting Uaxactún in the morning then spend the night in Tikal.
The same question. Is it possible to rent a tent or hammock? Thank you again! | ||
The public buses aren't frequent into Yaxhá but there's a place to sleep near the Maya site - Sonia will hopefully chime in with details/cost. I have visited Uaxactún, Tikal (7 or 8 times), and Yaxhá (twice) but not the others you name. They are very different from each other and all worthwhile, especially (imho) if you visit with a great guide. My top recommendation is archaeologist/naturalist Roxy Ortiz; her knowledge of the sites and jungle life is amazing and she's great company. She's really busy, though. In addition to a recent (repeat) tour with her, some friends and I toured Yaxhá with Marlon Díaz, also recommended. Loads of photos below; many of the Guatemala collections include a Tikal set and there are Yaxhá sets in the 2012 and 2016 collections and Uaxactún in 2012. Happy trails! | 1 | |
Aguatecas (Sayaxché): the hotel I stay at in Sayaxche is right at the river crossing, its name escapes me. It has never been even remotely full when I've been there. I've always booked my boat trip into the ruin through the hotel. The owner calls a friend, he stops and quotes a price, you work out a price and go in the next day. The last time I stayed at the hotel, it cost under 30 USD with AC-the onsite restaurant has never been open the three times I've stayed on the river. I paid under a hundred, for three people, my last trip into the ruin, about three years ago. There is a chicken joint just across the street from the hotel. Pack drinks for the ruin trip, there is nothing on site. Aguatecas is well worth the effort. The boat ride is a thing of beauty. I've always used a 4x4 rental for the other ruins you mention. | 2 | |
There are plenty of hotels in Sayaxche, including the following from Tripadvisor: I don't have any personal experience with them. I wouldn't worry too much about booking ahead, even if you can't find something groovy and atmospheric, Sayaxche is a fairly busy town and I'm sure you could turn up a decent place to stay on short notice.
The only public transportation serving Uaxactun would not make such a trip possible, so you would need to arrange it with a tour agency or (better) a private driver. I have had excellent luck arranging for trips with a private driver at the Cafe Yaxha--the owner is a well-connected archaeology buff. The price for a full day with a private driver will be more reasonable if you can find a group to make the trip with you, of course. If you have plenty of time, you could do this trip by bus, but it would be better to visit Tikal first. The bus goes from Flores to Uaxactun in the afternoon, stopping at Tikal around 3 or 3:30. Tickets bought then are good for the next day, so you can poke around for the afternoon, sleep in the park (see below), visit more extensively the next day, and then catch the bus up to Uaxactun in the late afternoon. There are basic places to stay in Uaxactun. You could spend the night there, tour the ruins all day, spend that night as well, and then catch the bus back to Flores at 6am. Note that doing it this way would require dedicating 3 nights. Renting hammocks or tents at Tikal is easy. There is a government-run campground in the same complex as the hotels, which is very pleasant. You can rent a hammock with mosquito net (they'll set it up for you) for $10 US. I highly recommend it.
Yes, there is a campground at Yaxha.
Gotta go back to Flores, or at least to the crossroads at Ixlu, where you can hop on a colectivo headed to Yaxha. Note that public transportation does not actually go all the way to the ruins at Yaxha, so you'll need either a private vehicle, a tour group, or some luck hitching a ride. | 3 | |
We have also slept in the hammocks in Tikal. They are wide and sturdy with a sheet draped over them to keep the bugs out. Quite comfortable. You can't book one. Just go to the campground and find the caretaker. The Jaguar Inn has tents but I have seen them and prefer the hammocks. I have not been to Uaxactun but I have taken the bus mentioned above from Santa Elena to Tikal. We got off in Tikal but the bus went on to Uaxactun. From Tikal to Yaxha: we took a minibus from Tikal that was going to Santa Elena but we asked to be let off at the crossroads just south of El Remate (El Cruce Ixlu). There we waited for a bus going to the border but we got picked up by an empty tourist van on its way to Belize. He dropped us off at the road leading to Yaxha. There was a small shop and we bought some drinks and snacks. Not much traffic. We finally got a ride in a military truck. They dropped us off at El Sombrero, free of charge. In December 2011 El Sombrero was the only hotel/lodge close to Yaxha. We paid $35 for a nice double room with shared bathroom.The garden was very nice, the lake too and best of all early in the morning toucans visit the property. Also other colourful birds. In the morning the howler monkeys woke us up. There is a campground at Yaxha but I don't know if they had tents or hammocks or you need to bring your own. I think you have to ask at the park for a boat to Topoxte Island. | 4 | |
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