Tours and Tickets to Experience Lake Peten Itza (Lago Petén Itzá)

There are plenty of ways to experience Lake Peten Itza (Lago Petén Itzá). Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Basic Tour to Tikal Includes Transportation and Guide Service
• Mayan Adventure in Tikal
• Treasures of the Mayan World: Tikal, Yaxha, Blue Crater, Flores Island
• 20 Days Private Tour on Board in Guatemala for Groups Only

While it’s free to visit Lake Peten Itza, many affordable tours help you get the most out of your visit. Most excursions stop at the lake on the way to Tikal National Park (Parque Nacional Tikal) and cost from US$25.

You can enjoy a range of nature-based activities at Lake Peten Itza. The calm and clear water is ideal for swimming and you can rent kayaks to explore further afield. You can also join a private or shared boat tour to visit Petencito Zoo, which is home to jaguars.

Lake Peten Itza is famous for its birdlife and attracts bird-watchers hoping to spot herons, toucans, ospreys, hawks, parrots, macaws, and kingfishers, which often hunt around the lake’s edges. You also might spot freshwater turtles swimming or soaking up the sun from a rock, and various monkey species on the forest-clad shores.

The best town or village to stay in around Lake Petén Itzá is Flores, an island city that’s the capital of Guatemala’s Petén department. It’s a popular base for day trips to Tikal and multi-day hikes into the rainforest, so it has plenty of accommodation and restaurant options and features many colorful buildings.

While the most famous attraction close to Lake Petén Itzá is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Tikal National Park, several other worthwhile sights are within easy reach. Options include Yaxhá National Park, a sprawling, biodiverse natural reserve home to multiple Mayan ruins, which is a much less-crowded alternative to Tikal.