Getting there & away
Most buses and minibuses stop on the main road through town: Fuente del Norte buses stop by the Shell station; minibuses to San Luís, 16km south, go from the next corner south, and minibuses to Flores start half a block further along.
Bus departures from Poptún include the following:
Flores/Santa Elena Fuente del Norte buses (US$3, two hours, 113km) go every hour or two almost around the clock. The other option is a minibus (US$3.50, about every 30 minutes, 6am to 6pm).
Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (US$6, five hours, 100km) One bus departs at 10am from the market area. If you want to push on from Las Casas to Lanquín the same day, try getting a Guatemala City–bound bus as far as Modesto Méndez (also called Cadenas), 60km south on Hwy 13. Change there for a westbound bus or minibus to Las Casas.
Guatemala City (US$7 to US$10.50, six to seven hours, 387km) Fuente del Norte buses go about every 30 minutes, from 5:30am to midnight.
Río Dulce (US$3.25 to US$4, two hours, 99km) Fuente del Norte buses leave about every 30 minutes, from 5:30am to midnight.
Coming from Belize, you could consider taking a taxi from the border to Tikal for around US$40. Otherwise, get a bus to Puente Ixlú, sometimes called El Cruce, and switch there to a northbound minibus or bus for the remaining 36km to Tikal. Note that there is little northbound traffic after lunch. Heading from Tikal to Belize, start early in the morning and get off at Puente Ixlú to catch a bus or minibus eastward. Be wary of shuttles to Belize advertised at Tikal: these have been known to detour to Flores to pick up passengers!
A Pinita bus supposedly leaves Santa Elena for Uaxactún (US$3) at 1pm, passing through Tikal about 3pm to 3:30pm, and starting back for Santa Elena from Uaxactún at 6am. But its schedule is rubbery and it can arrive in Tikal any time up to about 5pm and in Uaxactún up to about 6:30pm. During the rainy season (from May to October, sometimes extending into November), the road from Tikal to Uaxactún can become pretty muddy: locals say it is always passable but a 4WD vehicle might be needed during the wet.
If you’re driving, the last chance to fill your fuel tank as you come from the south is at Puente Ixlú, just south of El Remate. A taxi from El Remate to Uaxactún and back, including waiting time, should cost about US$40; bargain hard.
From Uaxactún, unpaved roads lead to other ruins at El Zotz (about 30km southwest), Xultún (35km northeast) and Río Azul (100km northeast).
Southbound from Sayaxché, buses and minibuses leave at 5am, 6am, 10am and 3pm for Cobán (US$7, five hours). Most if not all of these go via Raxrujá and Sebol, not via Chisec. Other minibuses and buses go just to Raxrujá (US$3.50), about hourly from 7am to 3pm. For Chisec, you can change in Raxrujá or at San Antonio Las Cuevas. Vehicles may start from the southern riverbank or they may start from the Texaco station opposite Hotel Guayacán.
For river transportation, talk to any of the boatmen on the riverbank, or to La Gaviota Tours (7928 6461), with an office 200m to the left of where boats dock. A trip all the way down the Río de la Pasión to Benemérito de las Américas (Mexico), with stops at the ruins of Altar de Sacrificios and Guatemalan immigration at Pipiles, should cost between US$130 and US$180.
Contents
Sea
Exotic Travel (7947 0048; www.bluecaribbeanbay.com) operates boat and minibus packages to and from La Ceiba in Honduras (US$35) and Punta Gorda in Belize (US$20, 1¼ hours) every Tuesday and Friday. Transportes El Chato (9948 5525) operates a daily boat to and from Punta Gorda in Belize (US$18, one hour). The Punta Gorda services connect with bus services to/from Belize City.
There is a US$10 departure tax when leaving Guatemala by sea.
Water
River
Autotransportes Río Chancalá (5 de Mayo 120, Palenque) and Transportes Montebello (Calle Velasco Suárez, Palenque) run from Palenque, Mexico, to Frontera Corozal (US$5, three to four hours) on the Río Usumacinta, which divides Mexico from Guatemala. Boats across the river to Guatemala cost US$0.80 per person to La Técnica (five minutes) and US$5 to US$7 per person to Bethel (40 minutes). From La Técnica buses leave for Flores at 4am and 11am (US$6, five to six hours); from Bethel, buses leave for Flores at 5am, noon, 2pm and 4pm (US$4, four hours). Travel agencies in Palenque and Flores offer bus-boat-bus packages between the two places for US$30 to US$35. If you’re making this trip it’s well worth the time and expense of detouring to the outstanding Mayan ruins at Yaxchilán, near Frontera Corozal; packages incorporating this are available too.
There are other river routes from Mexico into Guatemala’s Petén department: up the Río de la Pasión from Benemérito de las Américas, south of Frontera Corozal, to Sayaxché; and up the Río San Pedro from La Palma, Tabasco, to El Naranjo. There are no reliable passenger services along either river, however. You may have to hire your own boat, which can be expensive. Both Sayaxché and El Naranjo have bus and minibus connections with Flores. La Palma has transport from Tenosique, and Benemérito has good bus and minibus connections with Palenque.
Land
Bus is the most common way to enter Guatemala, though you can also do so by car, river or sea. It’s advisable to get through all borders as early in the day as possible. Onward transportation tends to wind down in the afternoon and border areas are not always the safest places to hang around late. There is no departure tax when you leave Guatemala by land.
Bus & minibus
In Santa Elena, the following buses all stop at the main bus terminal:
Fuente del Norte (7926 0517),
Transportes María Elena, Línea Dorada/Mundo Maya (7926 1788)
Transportes Rosita (7926 1245)
Flores has a second office of Línea Dorada/Mundo Maya (7926 3649; Playa Sur), where its buses also pick up passengers.
Santa Elena’s terminal is also used by the chicken buses of Transportes Pinita and Transportes Rosío and minibuses (or microbuses) to El Remate, Melchor de Mencos, Poptún, El Naranjo and Sayaxché. Buses and minibuses to San Andrés and San José go from 5a Calle just west of the market. Buses of San Juan Travel (7926 0041) leave from its office on 2a Calle, Santa Elena.
Bus and minibus departures include the following:
Belize City (four to five hours, 220km) Línea Dorada/Mundo Maya (US$15.50) leaves at 5am and 7am, returning from Belize City at 2pm and 5pm. San Juan Travel (US$20) goes at 5am, returning from Belize City at 9:30am and 4:30pm. These buses to Belize City all connect with boats to Caye Caulker & Ambergris Caye. It’s cheaper but slower from Flores to take local buses to the border and on from there.
Bethel (Mexican border) (US$4, four hours, 127km) Fuente del Norte departs at 5am; Pinita goes at 5am, 8am, noon and 1pm. Returning, Fuente del Norte leaves Bethel at 4pm and Pinita leaves at 5am, noon and 2pm.
Chetumal (Mexico) (seven to eight hours, 350km) Via Belize City, Línea Dorada/Mundo Maya (US$23) leaves at 6am, returning from Chetumal at 2pm. San Juan Travel (US$25) goes at 5am, with departures for Flores from Chetumal at 9:30am and 4:30pm. Check Belizean visa regulations before you set off.
Cobán (US$6.50, six hours, 245km) Transportes Rosío leaves the market bus stop at 10:30am. Or take a bus or minibus to Sayaxché, from where a bus leaves for Cobán at 10am.
El Naranjo (Río San Pedro) (US$4, four hours, 151km) Minibuses go about every hour, from 5am to 6pm.
El Remate (US$2, 40 minutes, 29km) Minibuses go about hourly, 6am to 1pm, plus a few times between 1pm and 6pm. Buses and minibuses to and from Melchor de Mencos will drop you at Puente Ixlú junction, 2km south of El Remate.
Esquipulas (US$11, 10 hours, 440km) Transportes María Elena goes at 6am, 10am and 2pm via Chiquimula (US$9, nine hours).
Fray Bartolomé de Las Casas (US$5.50, five hours, 178km) Transportes Rosío departs the market at 10:30am.
Guatemala City (eight to 10 hours, 500km) Fuente del Norte has 29 departures between 3:30am and 11pm, costing US$10 to US$12, except for the 10am and 9pm buses (US$19) and the 2pm, 8pm and 10pm departures (US$15). Línea Dorada/Mundo Maya has deluxe buses at 10am and 9pm (US$30), plus an económico (US$16) at 10pm. Transportes Rosita goes at 7pm (US$8) and 8pm (US$11).
La Técnica (Mexican border) (US$6, five hours, 140km) Pinita leaves at 5am and 1pm; starts back from La Técnica at 4am and 11am.
Melchor de Mencos (Belizean border) (two hours, 100km) Minibuses (US$3.50) go about every hour, 5am to 6pm. Transportes Rosita buses (US$2.50) go at 5am, 11am, 2pm, 4pm and 6pm. A Pinita bus (US$3) goes at 8am.
Palenque (Mexico) See Shuttle Minibus, below.
Poptún (two hours, 113km) Take a Guatemala City–bound Fuente del Norte bus (US$3) or a minibus (US$3.60), leaving about every 30 minutes, 5am to 6pm.
Puerto Barrios Take a Guatemala City–bound Fuente del Norte bus and change at La Ruidosa junction, south of Río Dulce.
Río Dulce (4½ hours, 212km) Take a Guatemala City–bound bus with Fuente del Norte (US$8) or Línea Dorada (US$11.50/US$22 económico/deluxe).
San Andrés (US$1, 30 minutes, 20km) Buses and minibuses depart about hourly, 5am to 5pm.
San José (US$1, 45 minutes, 25km) Buses and minibuses depart about hourly, 5am to 5pm.
Sayaxché (US$2, 1½ hours, 60km) Minibuses about every 30 minutes, 5am to 6pm; Pinita buses go at 11am, 2pm and 2:30pm.
Tikal See Shuttle Minibus.
Car & motorcycle
Several car-rental companies have desks at the airport, including the following:
Hertz (7926 0332)
Nesa (7926 0082)
Payless (7926 0455)
Tabarini (airport 7926 0277; Santa Elena 7926 0253)
San Juan Travel (7926 0041; sanjuant@internetdetelgua.com.gt; Flores, Playa Sur; Santa Elena, 2a Calle) rents 4WD vehicles, the cheapest being a Suzuki Jeep (US$70 a day).
Car & motorcycle
The mountain of paperwork and liability involved in driving into Guatemala deters most travelers. You will need the following documents, all clear and consistent, to enter Guatemala with a car:
current and valid registration
proof of ownership (if you don’t own the car, you’ll need a notarized letter of authorization from the owner that you are allowed to take it)
your current and valid driver’s license or an International Driving Permit (IDP), issued by the automobile association in your home country
temporary import permit available free at the border and good for a maximum 30 days.
Insurance from foreign countries is not recognized by Guatemala, forcing you to purchase a policy locally. Most border posts and nearby towns have offices selling liability policies. To deter foreigners from selling cars in Guatemala, the authorities make you exit the country with the vehicle you used to enter it. Do not be the designated driver when crossing borders if you don’t own the car, because you and it will not be allowed to leave Guatemala without each other.
Entering the destination
Entering the country
When you enter Guatemala, by land, air, sea or river, you should simply have to fill out straightforward immigration and customs forms. In the normal course of things you should not have to pay a cent.
However, immigration officials sometimes request unofficial fees from travelers. To determine whether these are legitimate, you can ask for un recibo (a receipt). You may find that the fee is dropped. When in doubt, try to observe what, if anything, other travelers are paying before it’s your turn.
To enter Guatemala, you need a valid passport.
From guatemala
The best place to buy flight tickets out of Guatemala is Antigua, which has many agencies offering good fares. Some agencies also issue the student, youth and teacher cards needed to obtain the best fares.
From australia & new zealand
The cheapest routings usually go via the USA (often Los Angeles). Many Australasians visiting Guatemala are doing so as part of a longer trip through Latin America, so the most suitable ticket might be an open-jaw (into one city, out of another) or even a round-the-world ticket. From Sydney, you’ll pay approximately A$2700 return to Guatemala City via LA or San Francisco.
The following are well-known agents for cheap fares, with branches throughout Australia and New Zealand:
Flight Centre Australia (133 133; www.flightcentre.com.au); New Zealand (09 355 7550; www.flight centre.co.nz)
STA Travel Australia (134 782; www.statravel.com.au); New Zealand (0800 474 400; www.statravel.co.nz).
From canada
There are no direct flights. Routings are usually via the USA. Montreal to Guatemala City costs in the region of C$900 return. Travel Cuts (1 866 246 9762; www.travelcuts.com) is Canada’s national student travel agency. For online bookings try www.expedia.ca and www.travelocity.ca.
From central america & cuba
Grupo TACA flies from San Salvador (economy return fare US$300 to US$400); Tegucigalpa, Honduras (US$330) via San Pedro Sula; Managua, Nicaragua (US$395); and San José, Costa Rica (US$310 to US$370). Copa flies direct from Panama City (US$285), and from San José (US$200). United Airlines also flies from San José to Guatemala City. Cubana flies twice weekly to/from Havana. Return fares cost around US$410.
From europe
Iberia is the only airline flying direct from Europe to Guatemala at the time of writing (with a stop in Miami), and the cheapest fares from many European cities are usually with Iberia via Madrid. Depending on the season, you can expect to pay from £800 (round-trip) from London and from €950 to €1200 from Frankfurt.
Recommended UK ticket agencies include the following:
Journey Latin America (020 8747 3108; www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk)
STA Travel (0870 160 0599; www.statravel.co.uk) For travelers under the age of 26.
For online bookings try www.dialaflight.com or www.lastminute.com.
From mexico
Grupo TACA and Mexicana both fly daily direct between Mexico City and Guatemala City, with round-trip fares starting around US$430. Inter, part of Grupo TACA, flies most days from Guatemala City to Flores to Cancún and back. Round-trip fares from Cancún to Flores/Guatemala City are US$342/334.
From south america
Lacsa (with transfers in San José, Costa Rica) and Copa (with transfers in Panama City) both fly to Guatemala City from Bogotá, Caracas, Quito and Lima.
From the usa
Nonstop flights to Guatemala City arrive from Atlanta (US$800) with Delta; from Dallas with American; from Houston (US$390) with Continental; from Los Angeles (US$825) with United and Grupo TACA; from Miami (US$680) with American, Grupo TACA and Iberia; and from New York (US$600) with American and Grupo TACA.
The following websites are recommended for online bookings:
From belize
The border is at Benque Viejo del Carmen/Melchor Mencos. Línea Dorada/Mundo Maya (7926 3649; Playa Sur, Flores) runs two direct daily buses from Belize City to Flores (US$15.50, four to five hours) and back. San Juan Travel (7926 0041; sanjuant@internetdetelgua.com.gt; Flores, Playa Sur; Santa Elena; 2a Calle) also covers this route daily. Otherwise, buses depart Belize City for Benque (US$4 to US$6, three hours) and vice versa about every half-hour from 11am to 4pm. Buses and minibuses run between Melchor Mencos and Flores (US$3 to US$3.50, two hours). There are also a few buses daily between Melchor Mencos and Guatemala City via Poptún and Río Dulce.
From el salvador
There are road borders at La Hachadura/Ciudad Pedro de Alvarado on the Carretera al Pacífico (Hwy 2), Las Chinamas/Valle Nuevo (Hwy 8), San Cristóbal/San Cristóbal (Interamericana Hwy, or Hwy 1) and Anguiatú/Anguiatú (Hwy 10). Several companies run buses between San Salvador and Guatemala City, taking five to six hours and costing from US$8 to US$45 depending on the service. One of them, Tica Bus, has buses between San Salvador and all other Central American capitals except Belize City. Crossing at the other border points is usually a matter of taking one bus to the border and another onward from it.
From honduras
The main road crossings are at Agua Caliente (between Nueva Ocotepeque, Honduras, and Esquipulas, Guatemala), El Florido (between Copán Ruinas, Honduras, and Chiquimula, Guatemala) and Corinto (between Omoa, Honduras, and Puerto Barrios, Guatemala). Hedman Alas (Copán Ruinas 651 4037; La Ceiba 441 5348; San Pedro Sula 557 3477; Tegucigalpa 237 7143) runs daily 1st-class buses via El Florido to Guatemala City from Tegucigalpa (US$68 one way, 11½ hours), La Ceiba (US$68, 12 hours), San Pedro Sula (US$59, eight hours) and Copán Ruinas (US$46, 4½ hours). Cheaper local transportation serves all three border points. Shuttle minibus services run between Copán Ruinas, Guatemala City and Antigua.
From mexico
The main border points are at Ciudad Hidalgo/Ciudad Tecún Umán and Talismán/El Carmen, both near Tapachula, Mexico, and Ciudad Cuauhtémoc/La Mesilla, on the Interamericana between Comitán, Mexico, and Huehuetenango, Guatemala. All these borders are linked by plentiful buses to nearby cities within Guatemala and Mexico, and a few buses run all the way between Tapachula and Guatemala City by the Pacific Slope route through Mazatenango and Escuintla. There are also direct buses between Guatemala City and all three border points. Línea Dorada/Mundo Maya (7926 3649; Playa Sur, Flores) runs two direct daily buses from Chetumal, Mexico, to Flores (US$25, seven to eight hours) and back, via Belize City. San Juan Travel (7926 0041; sanjuant@internetdetelgua.com.gt; Flores Playa Sur; Santa Elena, 2a Calle) also covers this route daily for US$28.
Air
The airport at Santa Elena is usually called Flores airport and sometimes Tikal airport. TACA is the only airline with regularly scheduled flights between here and the capital (US$127/204 oneway/return). Two Belizean airlines, Tropic Air and Maya Island Air, each fly twice a day from and to Belize City, both charging US$103 each way for the one-hour trip.
Airports & airlines
Guatemala City’s Aeropuerto La Aurora (GUA) is the country’s major international airport. The only other airport with international flights (from Cancún, Mexico and Belize City) is Flores (FRS). The Guatemalan national airline, Aviateca, is part of the regional Grupo TACA, along with El Salvador’s TACA, Costa Rica’s Lacsa and Nicaragua’s Nica. The US Federal Aviation Administration has assessed Guatemala’s and El Salvador’s civil aviation authorities as Category 2, which means they are not in compliance with international aviation safety standards.
Airlines flying to and from Guatemala:
American Airlines (AA; 2260 6550; www.aa.com; hub Dallas & Miami)
Aviateca See Grupo TACA.
Continental Airlines (CO; 2385 9601; www.continental.com; hub Houston)
Copa Airlines (CM; 2385 5555; www.copaair.com; hub Panama City)
Cubana (CU; 2367 2288/89/90; www.cubana.cu; hub Havana)
Delta Air Lines (DL; 1 800 300 0005; www.delta.com; hub Atlanta)
Grupo TACA (TA; 2260 6497; www.taca.com; hub San Salvador)
Iberia (IB; 2260 6337; www.iberia.com; hub Madrid)
Inter See Grupo TACA.
Lacsa See Grupo TACA.
Maya Island Air (MW; 7926 3386; www.mayaairways.com; hub Belize City)
Mexicana (MX; 2260 6335; www.mexicana.com; hub Mexico City)
TACA See Grupo TACA.
Tropic Air (PM; 7926 0348; www.tropicair.com; hub Belize City)
United Airlines (UA;2336 9900; www.united.com; hub Los Angeles)
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