Tikal National Park Tours
Tikal National Park Tours › Flores to Tikal: 4 Ways to Get There, ComparedUpdated 2026-09-10

Flores to Tikal: 4 Ways to Get There, Compared

Hours, prices and access verified by the Tikal National Park Tours team — last checked 2026-09-10

The upper tiers and roof comb of a stepped temple at Tikal against grey cloud, an orange band of sky along the horizon behind the treetops

The short answer. Tikal is about 64 km from Flores, roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter by road. You have four ways to cover it: a shared minibus, a private minibus or driver, your own car, or a tour that collects you from your hotel. Minibuses run every day. Before 06:00 the park admits you only with an authorised guide, so a sunrise visit means a tour.

Flores to Tikal: four ways to travel, compared
Way to travelLeaves FloresWhat the price coversWhat you still arrangeSuits
Shared minibusEvery day, at times the operator setsA seat, each wayThe Q150 ticket, lunch, the ride backDaytime visits on a budget
Private minibus or driverWhen you chooseThe vehicle and the driver, at a price you agreeThe Q150 ticket, lunchFamilies and small groups
Your own carWhen you choose; regular entry is 06:00 to 18:00Nothing but the roadThe Q150 ticket, lunchTravellers already driving in Petén
Day tour with hotel pickup7:45am to 8:00amTransport and a guide, from $78 with the ticket and lunch in the fareThe ticket, on fares that leave it outA first visit
Sunrise tourAbout 3:00amTransport and the compulsory guide, from $48Q150 plus the Q100 sunrise ticket, unless the fare includes themThe 04:00 to 06:00 window

The road is the same whichever you pick. What changes is who drives, when you leave, and what is left for you to buy at the gate.

The day with the ticket in the fare

Hotel or airport pickup, a guide, lunch and the park ticket, from $78.

Check Availability

How far is Tikal from Flores, and how long does the road take?

About 64 km, and roughly an hour to an hour and a quarter. The ministry that runs the park gives 63 km and one hour; a hotel inside the park gives 65 km and 1 hour 15 minutes.

The road ends at the Visitor Centre, and from there the Great Plaza is about 1.3 km further on foot. The map of the park shows you where each sits.

Did you know? The gate is not the ruins. Your ticket is checked at the outer gate, and every minibus, car and tour then drives about 17 km further to reach the Visitor Centre.

1. The shared minibus: a seat each way

Collective minibuses run from Flores every day, by the ministry's own account. It publishes no timetable and no fare for them. Book your seat through your hotel or an agency in Flores, and confirm the time of the ride back when you do.

Two hotels inside the park publish what they charge for a shared shuttle:

  • Tikal Inn collects from Flores hotels, the airport and the bus stations. It lists US$47 for one guest, or US$26 per person for two or more. The ride back is US$47, or US$28 per person for two or more. You must reserve in advance.
  • Jungle Lodge runs between Mundo Maya International Airport and the hotel. It leaves the airport at 7:30am, 10:35am, 14:00, 17:00 and 20:00, and leaves Tikal at 5:00am, 8:15am, 11:00am, 14:00 and 17:00. The fare is US$21 one way or US$30 return. Schedules can change, and the hotel advises you to book two days ahead.

The Q150 ticket, lunch and any guide are yours to sort out. The guide to visiting Tikal without a tour takes you through a day on your own.

2. A private minibus or driver: your own timetable

Private minibuses are available every day too, the ministry says. No official price exists, so the fare is whatever you agree with the driver. Settle four things before you set off:

  • the price for the whole vehicle;
  • how long the driver waits for you at the park;
  • the hour you leave Flores;
  • whether the driver stops at the gate while you pay in cash.

This way suits families, small groups and anyone landing with luggage. You still need the ticket, and by day you need no guide.

3. Driving yourself: one left turn at Aldea Ixlú

The ministry's directions are short. From Flores you take the CA-13 towards Melchor de Mencos, turn left at Aldea Ixlú towards El Remate, and continue to the park entrance. El Remate sits on that road, about 34 km before the Visitor Centre.

Stop at the outer gate, and show the PDF and your passport or pay in cash at the bank window. Then drive on to the Visitor Centre, where you find the ruins, the museums and the three park hotels. Regular entry runs from 06:00 to 18:00 every day of the year.

4. A Tikal tour with hotel pickup: the road, the guide and sometimes the ticket

A tour takes the most decisions off your hands, and on some fares the ticket is already paid. The guided tours of Tikal that start in Flores differ in pickup time, group size and the ticket line:

  • The day with lunch at the park restaurant, from $78. Be in your hotel lobby by 7:45am, or meet at 7:30am at the airport cafeteria. The Tikal admission and lunch are in the fare.
  • The small-group full day, from $85, with nine people at most. Pickups reach from Flores to El Remate, and the fare varies with the pickup point. Lunch is in the fare; the park ticket is extra.
  • The private day from Flores, from $209 a person, for your group only. You are collected from your hotel lobby at 8:00am, with entrance fees and lunch in the fare. Hotels outside Flores may pay an extra transport fee.

A fare that leaves the ticket out costs a foreign visitor Q150 more at the gate. The guide to Tikal ticket prices sets out every fee, and the one on which Tikal tour to book compares the days side by side.

Your own guide and vehicle from Flores

An 8:00am lobby pickup, about five hours at the ruins, and lunch and entrance fees in the fare.

Check Availability

Can you get from Flores to Tikal for sunrise?

Yes, but not on your own. Sunrise entry runs from about 04:00 to 06:00, and it needs three things: the Q150 park ticket, the Q100 sunrise ticket and an authorised guide. You hire the guide at the park entrance or through a tour operator. That is why Tikal sunrise tours leave Flores at about 3:00am, and El Remate at about 3:30am.

  • The sunrise tour from Flores, from $48, collects you at 3:00am from hotels in Flores and Santa Elena. You pay Q250 in park tickets on top.
  • The small-group sunrise tour, from $98, adds breakfast and lunch. The park entry and the sunrise fee are extra.
  • The extended sunrise day, from $230, meets at 3:00am at the Yo ❤ Petén monument on Flores island, or at 3:30am at your hotel in El Remate. Both tickets are in the fare.

Sunset mirrors it: entry from about 18:00 to 20:00, a Q100 sunset ticket and the same compulsory guide, with pickups at about 12:30pm.

Useful tip. For sunrise, buy both tickets before the day. The bank window at the gate is reported to open at 6:00am, after the sunrise window has started.

From Flores airport, El Remate or the bus station

  • The airport. Mundo Maya International Airport is five minutes from Flores island. Companies and agencies sell transport and guiding as you come out, and Jungle Lodge times its shuttles to most Guatemala City flights.
  • El Remate. The village is on the road itself, and the small-group tours pick you up from hotels there.
  • The bus station. Autobuses del Norte, Fuentes del Norte and Línea Dorada run from Guatemala City to Flores, 484 km and about nine hours by the ministry's figure. Tikal Inn's shuttle stops at the Santa Elena bus stations.

From the capital, day trips from Guatemala City and Antigua fly you in and out in a day. From the east, Tikal tours from Belize collect you in San Ignacio or at the border.

The ticket on the way in: sort it before the gate

Whichever way you travel, you can have the ticket in hand three ways:

  • online, up to 30 days ahead, with a Visa or Mastercard; it arrives by e-mail as a PDF;
  • in cash at any Bantrab branch in Guatemala;
  • in cash at the bank's window at the gate itself, the only place to pay on site.

There is no ticket office at the ruins, and phone signal in the park is weak or absent. Foreign visitors pay Q150, and children under 10 enter free. Visiting Tikal has the hours and the full rules.

Useful tip. Download the ticket PDF in Flores, before you lose signal, and carry your passport.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a bus from Flores to Tikal?
Yes: collective and private minibuses run from Flores every day, by the ministry's own account. It publishes no timetable or fare for them, so book the seat through your hotel or an agency and confirm the time of the ride back.
How much is a shuttle from Flores to Tikal?
No official fare exists. Tikal Inn, inside the park, lists US$47 for one guest or US$26 per person for two or more from Flores. Jungle Lodge lists US$21 one way from the airport.
Can you go straight from Flores airport to Tikal?
Yes. Agencies sell transport as you come out, Jungle Lodge times its shuttles to most Guatemala City flights, and one day tour meets at 7:30am at the airport cafeteria.
What time do you leave Flores for the Tikal sunrise?
About 3:00am, and about 3:30am from El Remate. Sunrise entry runs from about 4:00am to 6:00am and needs the Q150 ticket, the Q100 sunrise ticket and an authorised guide.
Where do you buy the ticket on the way from Flores to Tikal?
At the bank window at the outer gate, in cash, or before you travel: online up to 30 days ahead, or at any branch of the same bank in Guatemala. There is no ticket office at the ruins.

Ready to cover the 64 km? The three below collect you in Flores, by day and before dawn; every other fare is on Tikal National Park Tours.

Tours that collect you in Flores