Pastel coloured colonial homes line the cobbled streets in Flores, Guatemala. Located on a small island on Lake Peten Itza, the tourist town of Flores is often overshadowed by the nearby Mayan ruins of Tikal. It is such a cute town though, that we think this small, colourful community deserves a few days to visit rather than a just quick stop. Once you see what this town has to offer, we think you’ll agree.
Flores Island is connected to the mainland by an artificial causeway allowing you to forget that you’re on an island at all. It was originally settled by the Itza, a Maya ethnic group, whose capital was the famous Mayan city, Chichen Itza. When they were forced to flee that Mayan stronghold, some came to this small island. Its feisty population and island location made it difficult for the Spanish to conquer. In fact it was one of the last strongholds to cede to the Spanish in the late 1600s.
Although there is nothing left of that Mayan city today, its Spanish colonial past can be seen everywhere. One of the best ways to spend your day on Flores Island is to walk the cobbled streets and admire the pastel coloured heritage homes.
Today, some are small hotels, restaurants and tourist shops, but many are well kept homes.
A malecón lets you walk around most of the island’s perimeter. It tends to flood after rains and was flooded in places when we were there. The island is so small that our walk around it only took 20 minutes, and we were walking quite slow.
In the centre of the island town is a small hill which adds more interest to the streets. Between the lake views, the colourful homes and these hilly streets, there’s a lot to love about Flores.
Lake Peten Itza is the third largest lake in Guatemela and there are a few different ways to explore it. Around the edge of the island are many small tour boats that will take you either for a leisurely trip on the lake or across it to one of the quieter villages on the lake’s shore. If you don’t want a boat ride you can rent a kayak or go for a refreshing swim. Docks scattered on the side of the malecón give plenty of access to the water.
The main reason for tourists to visit Flores is to see the Mayan ruins of Tikal. While you’re here you should also visit the ruins of Yaxha. You can read about those sites on our post Mayan Ruins of Tikal & Yaxha.
How to get to Flores
The colonial town is on Guatemala’s tourist triangle that includes Antigua and Lake Atitlan. This means that there are many ways to reach Flores. Mundo Maya International Airport receives flights from Guatemala City as well as Mérida and Cancún in Mexico. Buses and tourist shuttles connect Flores with Guatemala City and Antigua as well as smaller centres like Rio Dulce, and Lanquin. We booked our tourist shuttles with Green Monkey Hostel in Flores and Tropicana Hostel in Antigua.
Many people travel to Flores from Belize because its proximity to the border. There are several tours and buses to/from San Ignacio and Belize City. There is also a tourist shuttle from Chetumal and Bacalar, Mexico (links coming soon), which is how we arrived. It is operated by Marlin Espadas and was very efficient and safe option.
Where to stay and eat in Flores
The island is very small so you can stay anywhere on the island and still be walking distance to shops and restaurants. Most of the restaurants and bars are located near the causeway though, so the hotels here will be quite noisy until late at night. In general, the far side of the island is quieter.
Try to get a hotel that offers a lake view. This is a view from our hotel along the backside of the lake.
There are also a few boat-access towns and resorts around the lake. It you want to spend a few quiet days, they would be a nice option.
The mainland city of Santa Elena has a few good hotels near the causeway, but it is a busy city and it would be nicer to stay on the island.
Best time to travel to Flores and Tikal
Dry season is the best time to visit but, in this part of Guatemala it only last three months. Dry season runs from March to mid May. The rest of the year is rainy season.
Safety in Flores
Safety is often a concern when travelling to Central America. The most common offenses are petty crimes such as pickpocketing and ATM fraud. Police keep Guatemala’s tourist areas safe since they a very valuable to the economy. Flores is considered a very safe town. To keep it safe, armed police check all traffic entering the causeway to Flores Island and armed police regularly patrol the streets. Even with this extra protection travellers need to be vigilant about not carrying large amounts of money, not wearing flashy jewelry and taking extra precautions when out at night.
To read more of our adventures in Guatemala, click here.
Coming Next – Mayan Ruin Of Tikal & Yaxha
For pictures from other blogs go to Gallery at monkeystale.ca
To read about more of our adventures go to Destinations.
If you like what you read, please comment or share (with credit) using the links below.
We'd love to hear from you, please leave a comment.