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Two travellers looking out at an ancient temple rising above the dense jungle canopy at Tikal, Guatemala

Sample journey · 11–13 days

One Maya world, two countries: from Antigua to the Belize coast

Antigua, Flores, Yaxhá, Tikal, San Ignacio & Hopkins

Photo: Anja Lee Ming Becker / Unsplash

Illustrative journey ideas — not bookable packages. No prices, dates or accommodation are implied.

Journeys in Guatemala usually end at Tikal, and journeys in Belize begin in Belize City, though only a few hours of road lie between them and the Maya cities on either side of the border once belonged to the same world. This route crosses that border overland. It begins in Antigua, among the volcanoes, where Maya weavers and coffee growers show that this culture is very much alive, then flies down to the lowlands of the Petén: to the island town of Flores on its lake, to Yaxhá, where the sun sets over the lagoon, and to Tikal, whose temples rise out of the mist at dawn.

The next day the road crosses into Belize's Cayo District, to Xunantunich, Caracol and rivers that run through limestone jungle, and the final days belong to Hopkins, a Garifuna village by the sea, and the reef. The journey suits curious, active travellers and couples who want their archaeology first-hand rather than from a guidebook: there are early starts, steep temple steps in the heat and a few longer travel days. The stays are simple but characterful jungle lodges and guesthouses, chosen for where they are rather than how many stars they carry.

The route

The journey

  1. Guatemala City
  2. Antigua
  3. Flores & Lake Petén Itzá
  4. Yaxhá
  5. Tikal
  6. San Ignacio & Xunantunich
  7. Hopkins
  8. Belize City
  1. Antigua's rooftops and a church tower with a flag, with the cone of Volcán de Agua beyond

    01Days 1–4 · Antigua

    The living Maya among the volcanoes

    From Guatemala City's airport it's about an hour to Antigua and three nights among the volcanoes Agua, Fuego and Acatenango. The first day is slow: cobbled streets, the Santa Catalina arch, church ruins left by eighteenth-century earthquakes, and an evening on the Cerro de la Cruz with the whole town below. The next day, villages on the valley slopes: with local weavers, on their terms, you are introduced to the backstrap loom and to patterns that belong to each village, and in the afternoon a coffee farm on the lower slopes of Agua. This isn't a backdrop to the archaeology but its continuation: millions of people here still speak Maya languages. On day four it's back to Guatemala City for the short flight, about an hour, to the Petén.

  2. The still water of Lake Petén Itzá, a wooded shore and a small hut near Flores

    02Days 4–6 · Flores & Yaxhá

    Sunset over the lagoon

    Two nights in Flores, a colourful little island in Lake Petén Itzá, joined to the mainland by a causeway. In the evenings the whole town strolls the lakeshore, and a boat takes a few minutes to the San Miguel peninsula, where a short trail climbs to a lookout. The next afternoon it's about an hour and a half east to Yaxhá, the third-largest Maya city of the Petén, which sees far fewer visitors than Tikal. With a guide you walk past its twin-pyramid complexes and old causeways, and before sunset climb the tallest temple: from the top there are two lagoons and treetops to the horizon. As the sun goes down, the jungle fills with the calls of howler monkeys, and it's dark by the time we return to Flores.

  3. A tall stone temple at Tikal rising out of the green jungle

    03Days 6–7 · Tikal

    A night beside the temples

    About an hour north, and one night in a simple lodge right by the gates of Tikal National Park. It's the key decision of this part of the journey: once the day visitors leave the forest settles, and in the morning you can enter ahead of the coaches. With an archaeologist guide you walk to the Great Plaza between the Temple of the Great Jaguar and the Temple of the Masks, past the North Acropolis, built over older buildings for centuries, and up Temple IV, where the crests of the other temples stand out of the canopy like islands. Along the way coatis, spider monkeys, toucans and ocellated turkeys often appear. At midday, as the heat builds, lunch and the road east towards the Belize border.

  4. Green lawns and trees at the Maya ruins of Xunantunich under a cloud-dotted sky, Belize

    04Days 7–10 · San Ignacio & the Cayo District

    Across the border into Cayo

    From Tikal to the border is about two hours. Formalities on both sides usually don't take long, and we would arrange the transfer so that a driver is already waiting on the Belize side. Three nights in a riverside jungle lodge near San Ignacio. The first morning is Xunantunich: you cross the Mopan River on a small hand-cranked ferry and climb El Castillo, whose friezes and view back into Guatemala show how recent this border really is. The next day, a long but rewarding trip to Caracol, deep in the forests of the Mountain Pine Ridge, where the Caana pyramid is still among the tallest structures in Belize, with a swim in river pools on the way back. The third day is free: Cahal Pech in town, the Saturday market, a kayak on the river or, for the fit and curious, a guided cave.

  5. A shoal of fish over the reef in clear water off the coast of Belize

    05Days 10–12 · Hopkins & the reef

    Drums, fish and the sea

    Along the Hummingbird Highway through hills and citrus groves, it's about two and a half hours to Hopkins, a Garifuna village on a long beach. Two final nights here. The Garifuna, descended from Africans and Caribbean islanders and settled on this coast in the nineteenth century, have kept their language, music and cooking: with a local guide, on their terms, you visit the drummers, and dinner is hudut, fish in coconut broth with mashed green plantain. The next morning, about an hour by boat to the reef and its cayes: snorkelling among corals where sea turtles and rays often appear. On the last day it's about two and a half hours to Belize City's airport, or a short domestic flight from Dangriga.

Experience highlights

  1. 01

    Yaxhá at dusk

    Sunset from the tallest temple above two lagoons, in a Maya city you may have almost to yourselves.

  2. 02

    Tikal in the early morning

    A night by the park gates, so you reach the Great Plaza and Temple IV before the crowds.

  3. 03

    A border the Maya never knew

    The overland road from the Petén to Cayo, and Xunantunich, with a view back over Guatemala's forests.

  4. 04

    Garifuna Hopkins

    Drums, hudut and a day on the reef: a different, Caribbean ending to the journey.

First, we listen. Then, we explore what's possible.

Make it your own

  • At a slower pace

    One more night at Tikal allows both a sunset and a dawn there, and an extra day in Cayo gives you a riverside rest after Caracol.

  • With Lake Atitlán

    Adding three nights on Lake Atitlán and a market day in Chichicastenango at the start turns this into two weeks with the whole of Guatemala.

  • In another season

    The dry season is easiest, but in the early wet season the jungle is at its greenest and quieter; we then allow more time for the drives.

  • With a caye on the reef

    Instead of Hopkins, or after it, a few nights on the Placencia peninsula or a caye on the reef, where the days revolve around the sea.

Practical considerations

  • The easiest time is the dry season, roughly December to April. From around June to November rain is more frequent, and on the Caribbean coast it's also hurricane season, so we plan the journey and boat trips more flexibly; the weather varies year to year.
  • We cross the border overland, with a transfer on each side. We check current entry and exit requirements, and any fees, before you travel, as they change.
  • The Petén and Cayo are hot and humid; temple steps are steep, so good shoes, a hat and water are essential, and the most demanding walks are planned for early morning.
  • We visit Maya and Garifuna communities only with local guides and on their terms, and always ask before photographing people.

General guidance only. Seasons, weather and wildlife are never guaranteed, and travel requirements are always worth checking before you go.

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