Tikal Maya Temple tour from San Ignacio with sit down lunch
Description
Small groups for a more personalized experience. Convenient pick up and drop off at your hotel within 20km of San Ignacio town. Sit down lunch. Tikal or “Place of Voices” was the largest city of the Maya Classic Period with a population estimated to have been over 90,000 at its peak. An early departure is required for this full-day adventure beginning with pickup at hotel followed by a 20 minute drive to the Western Border of Belize and Guatemala. After crossing the border enjoy a very scenic 1.5 hours’ drive to Tikal. After a fun day of hiking, exploring and learning about the Maya history and culture, the day’s adventure will conclude with a well-deserved delicious lunch.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Mayan Temple City, Wildlife, Museum, Gift shops, etc...
Drive through the small town of Benque Viejo enroute to the Western Border.
We drive by one the largest lakes in Guatemala enroute to the Tikal National Park.
We drive by lake Salpetén Macanche enroute to Tikal.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Departure Point: Hotels within 10 kilometers of San Ignacio Town limits Dates: Daily Return point: Hotel in San Ignacio
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Bring camera, sunscreen and bug spray
- A minimum of 2 people per booking is required
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately.
- Comfortable clothing and footwear are recommended
- Minimum drinking age is 18 years
Reviews(18)
This tour was great! It made it so easy to see Tikal without having to worry about all the details of crossing the border from Belize to Guatemala which is pretty complicated if you have never done it. Pedro was very friendly and picked us up at our hotel and dropped us off at the customs area on the border. He showed us who our driver would be on the other side. Once we got through the customs line (30 min) our driver drove us the 1.5 hours to the entrance of Tikal National Park. He didn’t speak much English but was very nice. At the entrance of the park, we picked up our English speaking tour guide, Pinky. Pinky was an awesome guide. As we drove the rest of the way (30 min) he began to explain the basics of Mayan history. Once we were onsite, he did a great job of explaining more about the Mayan civilization and culture as we came across the different buildings. He took us on shortcut trails through the jungle to avoid the tourist crowds, which we loved! He also pointed out wildlife. The whole tour was a great experience! My one suggestion, EAT BREAKFAST AND BRING SNACKS AND WATER. The tour was fantastic, but it is long and there is a lot of walking and climbing staircases. We ate the provided lunch at the restaurant at the park entrance when we finished around 2pm (started walking around 10am).
Thank you so much for your thoughtful and detailed review! We’re thrilled to hear that your trip to Tikal was such a great experience and that everything felt smooth and stress-free—especially when it comes to the border crossing, which can definitely feel a bit overwhelming if it’s your first time. We’re glad Pedro was able to guide you through that part and ensure a seamless handoff on the Guatemala side. It’s wonderful to hear that you enjoyed your time with Pinky as well! His knowledge, storytelling, and ability to navigate the park using quieter trails really help create a more immersive and enjoyable experience—plus spotting wildlife is always a bonus! We also truly appreciate your helpful tip about breakfast, snacks, and water—Tikal is an incredible but physically demanding adventure, and that’s great advice for future travelers. Thank you again for choosing us, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable tour soon!
The trip to Tikal went really smooth and appreciated the help of the tour guides to get us through the border. The actual park is absolutely amazing. Really had no idea how many temples have been discover and the it was a bonus to know that scenes from Star Wars IV was filmed here. Saw lots of wildlife in the park and had a good dinner on our way home. Tour guides were very knowledgeable and the drivers were top notch. All in all a great experience and a memorable trip.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re thrilled to hear your Tikal tour went smoothly and that our team was able to make the border crossing easy for you. Tikal truly is an incredible place—with its temples, wildlife, and fun movie history—so we’re glad you enjoyed every moment. We appreciate your kind words about our guides and drivers, and we’re grateful you chose Cayo Inland Expeditions for this unforgettable adventure. We hope to welcome you back again soon!
This was a great day. Our Belize driver arrived in time and helped us through Guatemala border. Then we met our Guatemalan driver and guide. Sergio was our guide and he was so impressive. He knew many interesting historical facts about Tikal. He even knew measurements of the temples and pyramids. He answered many questions. He loved animals as much as we do. Our lunch was excellent. The restaurant was nice and we could select from a large menu. Highly recommend this tour.
Thank you so much, Lucy, for sharing your experience! We’re delighted to hear that your Tikal tour was a great day from start to finish. Our Belize driver will be happy to know that his punctuality and assistance at the border made your journey smooth and stress-free. We’re also thrilled that you enjoyed your time with Sergio. He is truly exceptional—his deep knowledge of Tikal’s history, architecture, and wildlife brings the site to life in such a memorable way. It’s wonderful to hear how much you appreciated his insights and shared love for animals. We’re glad the lunch and restaurant experience added to your day as well. Thank you for the high recommendation—it means so much to our team. We hope to welcome you back for more adventures in Belize and Guatemala!
We loved our trip to Tikal and our drivers and guide were all wonderful! Highly recommend this tour as it makes it much faster and easier to cross the boarder. You also skip the long car lines to get into Tikal park itself. Very much worth it!
Very nice ATM Cave Tour. Our Guide (Richard) could tell a lot about the history of the Maya and the surroundings. He took his time and made sure we had a good time. It was a nice change between active, history and culture.
This activity was perfect ! We had a driver pick us up at our hotel and he stayed with us when we crossed the border to Guatemala. We also already had another driver ( Luis #1 ) waiting for us on the other side. We drove for a while and he picked our guide ( Luis #2 ) we did all the stops mentioned. And Luis #2 literally educated us on everything! He even recommended me at least four books to learn more about the Mayas and Guatemala and Belize’s history. I bought the Dresden Codex and he told me which book would help me understand it better. I am literally so grateful for our guide and drivers. And lunch was delicious !
Our guide, Sergio, was very knowledgeable and took us to some ruins where there were no other people. We saw lots of wildlife and got to climb some really tall temples and pyramids. Bring cash for extra water because you will want to drink more than you can start out carrying, and there are stands to buy more in the reserve.
Ruins and beauty and heat (have I mentioned the heat?) Our group of 8 toured this site along with another couple, and climbed so many steps we lost count. This was our first excursion in Belize, and we quickly learned that you can never bring enough water to Tikal. Luckily our guide Dimas was prepared and had cold water at the ready. This trip involved crossing the border into Guatemala, and the process was seamless. Star Wars geeks will recognize the view from Temple 4 😉. Such a great, exhausting, educational day. (Did I mention the heat?). Lunch was so good, even the extremely bumpy roads didn’t stop us from finishing it all. (Bring water)
This is an amazing place! Climbing the stairs to view the land from the top is a workout but so worth it! We had a wonderful guide that told us so much about the history and culture of the Maya's. We had a great time!
Superb experience from Belize. Going through customs is very smooth. The site is very large, lots of things to see. Bring comfortable shoes. Access is only possible accompanied by a guide. In any case, visiting without a guide would mean missing out on a lot of information! I don't know if all the guides do it the same way but for the last part of the visit, our guide made us close our eyes, stand in a specific place then open our eyes, it was magical!
