Tikal Day Trip with Local Lunch from San Ignacio
Recommended by 95% of travelers
San Ignacio, Belize
- 9 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Visit the incredible ancient city of Tikal without having to rent a car on this day trip from San Ignacio. Once a powerful city center during the Mayan period, today Tikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that draws scores of visitors each year. Your professional guide takes you across the border into Tikal National Park in Guatemala and leads you on a fascinating tour of the archaeological complex.
- Perfect for anyone who wants a convenient way to see the famous ruins of Tikal
- Learn more about the ruins when you visit with a guide
- Enjoy an included lunch right in the park
- Round-trip transportation from San Ignacio hotels adds convenience
What's Included
- Local guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off within San Ignacio town limits
- Lunch
- Gratuities
- Departure tax fee (US$ 20 per person, due on day of travel)$20.00 per person
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off outside San Ignacio town limits
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Operating hours.7:00 am
Itinerary
Visit one of the largest and most important Mayan sites in all of Central America. Your professional guide will pick you up at your San Ignacio hotel for the drive to Tikal National Park. You will be assisted in all border crossing procedures to enter Guatemala safely. Be sure to bring your passport.
Once inside the park, let your imagination run free as you explore highlights among more than 3,000 structures that archaeologists have excavated so far. Learn about daily life and religious practices of the ancient Mayans while wandering through the maze of the Central Acropolis, and envision the excitement of an elite sporting match in the ball courts.
Tikal boasts an array of magnificent ceremonial temples. Climb the steep staircase of the 144-foot (44-meter) Temple of the Grand Jaguar, built to honor a Mayan king. A set of twin pyramids with altars will greet you at complexes Q and R. Marvel at the Temple of the Masks, which was once adorned with intricate ceremonial mask carvings. Perhaps most impressive is the oft-photographed Temple IV, also known as the Double Head Serpent.
After a refreshing lunch break inside the park, satisfy your inner archaeologist during free time when you can explore the ruins independently. Your guide will then take you back to Belize and drop you off at your San Ignacio hotel.
Once inside the park, let your imagination run free as you explore highlights among more than 3,000 structures that archaeologists have excavated so far. Learn about daily life and religious practices of the ancient Mayans while wandering through the maze of the Central Acropolis, and envision the excitement of an elite sporting match in the ball courts.
Tikal boasts an array of magnificent ceremonial temples. Climb the steep staircase of the 144-foot (44-meter) Temple of the Grand Jaguar, built to honor a Mayan king. A set of twin pyramids with altars will greet you at complexes Q and R. Marvel at the Temple of the Masks, which was once adorned with intricate ceremonial mask carvings. Perhaps most impressive is the oft-photographed Temple IV, also known as the Double Head Serpent.
After a refreshing lunch break inside the park, satisfy your inner archaeologist during free time when you can explore the ruins independently. Your guide will then take you back to Belize and drop you off at your San Ignacio hotel.
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- It is recommended you wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Note: departure tax fee is due on day of travel in cash
- Please note: a minimum of 2 passengers is required in order for this tour to operate. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough passengers to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Hotel pick up and drop off included in pricing is for hotels within San Ignacio town limits. For hotels outside of San Ignacio a surcharge applies
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.8
based on 325 reviews
Eimile_E, May 2026
Our tour guide, Levi, was informative and friendly. He walked us through the major locations in Tikal and explained some local facts about Guatemala. The transfer across the border was smooth and effortless. Overall, I would book this tour again!
Nestor_G, Apr 2026
Great Journey and Experience. The ‘Maya Mundo.’ Was truly a wonderful path as I walked among the ruins of Tikal. N Gomez
Richard_i, Apr 2026
You can't take rental cars (Avis, at least) into Guatemala. It was nice to have the company handle all the logistics. The guide, Alfredo, was very knowledgeable and pleasant. We walked about 3 miles, and it was mostly shaded.
Autumn_L, Apr 2026
Pick-up was clear and confirmed the day prior to the trip. The guide, Alfredo, was knowledgeable, clear and very accommodating throughout the day. We had an excellent time :)
Zoila_B, Apr 2026
It was a great experience and Miguel our guide and driver were extremely helpful. 10/10 experience. On time pick up from the resort and great lunch included
Karin_N, Apr 2026
The tour started in San Ignacio our driver was very nice and walked us through the border and customs section in Belize. Prior to separating he pointed out our Guatemalan tour guide from a distance. Once through customs and border checks our Guatemalan guide Levi walked us through the same process on the Guatemala side. Once we arrived at Tikal Levi was very knowledgeable and his passion for the history of the site made the almost 6 mile walk with almost 71 flights of stairs seem less intense. The trip was amazing to see both uncovered and still yet covered historical structures. Our guide also walked us through the area where celebrations and cultural Matan events are still held to this day. The provided meal was phenomenal after so much walking.
Jeff_T, Mar 2026
Henry was super friendly, knowledgable, and helpful making everything from pick up to drop off super easy and sharing insights and personal experiences.
Kelli_F, Mar 2026
Loved this trip! Alfredo was a great guide and very knowledgeable about the ruins! Believe people who say it's a long day! Take water and snacks cause lunch is late and you are hiking up and down the ruins! Soooo worth it.
Lynn_M, Mar 2026
Stunning trip! It is a long day but so so worth it. An absolute must-do if you are in San Ignacio. Great value for money too.
Eric_J, Mar 2026
Great tour of the sites of Tikal. It is a long day because there is a lot to see and a lot of hiking. Our tour guide Reggie was great.
Kenneth_W, Mar 2026
Great time and great guide! Very knowledgeable and accommodating. Be prepared to do a lot of walking and steps.
Cara_W, Mar 2026
We really enjoyed this tour. It is about an 11-hour tour but the guide we had was very good and made the Tikal experience amazing. He had a lot of knowledge and enthusiasm for the area. He was very attentive to the variety of people in our group and abilities.
As others have noted, make sure you bring snacks, comfortable shoes, and anything needed for heat and humidity. The lunch on the way home was AMAZING.
Just be prepared for an 11 hour day, but you will enjoy it!
George_M, Feb 2026
It was really awesome. Great guide, very easy and rewarding day trip from san Ignacio. I would highly recommend, it’s a bit pricy but worth it.
Lunch included is delicious.
Andrey_V, Feb 2026
Wonderful tour with Reggie! So knowledgeable and interesting. The site itself is phenomenal and aust for any history or culture afficionado.
Angie_T, Feb 2026
Great trip, good communication. Lots of fun, the guides were very knowledgeable. The Food was great.
Bradley_S, Feb 2026
Tikal was worth it but the tour was closer to 11 hours. One bus takes you to the border, then you cross on foot, then get on a different minivan to go visit Tikal. If you can, try to get everyone from the first bus onto the minivan in Guatemala. Otherwise the bus back to town from the border will have to wait for the other minivan to get done with its Tours if you finish first. We ended up sitting for about a half hour to get back to San Ignacio. Our Guatemala bus went with others that arrived on a separate Belize bus.
Jeff_V, Jan 2026
It is a long drive. We kind of expected that, having done a Chichen Itza tour from Cancun. This was longer. The Guatemala highway you are on is long, bumpy, one lane highway where the bus will be consistently blocked slowing it down. As opposed to Belize that has speed bumps all the time, Guatemala went with the old fashioned approach of potholes everywhere or sections of the road being completely dirt. Just letting you know what you are in for travel wise.
Crossing the border will cost you some money $20 USD each person (Belize fee). The Guatemala side was free. You don't really need to change out money at the border either. The people will take USD in the park (at least at the one food place we found), but you get charged a HUGE premium. But it is similar to a gas station price increase. Seriously, just let them have the money and call it your charity offering for the trip.
That said, the tour was great. We saw all the best pyramids, we had time to go up them all, we got explanations along the way that were great. Tikal is huge. I didn't realize how much walking there would be, but we still had time for everything we wanted to see.
There was one 'refreshment place' near the back of the park, which included drinks and such that I mentioned above. But if you take water in, you should be fine.
The downsides of this tour though, which should be easily fixed by the group running them:
1. No time to buy souvenirs. Or if there was time we didn't realize it. We stopped for a bathroom break on the way to Tikal. But it is hard to buy stuff for something we haven't seen yet. There was no warning that 'this is it' when we made the first stop.
2. Different than Chichen Itza, there is one little shop at the gates and NOTHING else. That would have been an option on the way out, but no mention of slowing down or stopping. 10 minutes of 'shopping' after we were done wouldn't have killed us.
3. Lunch wasn't until 2:30. Luckily we had snacks we brought. So we could tide over. The food place they did eventually take us to was top notch, so that was good, it just took a LONG time to get to lunch.
Overall, the tour was great. It was a once in lifetime type thing for me and I'm glad I did it. Just make sure you go into it knowing what you are going to get.
Jackie, Jan 2026
There is much climbing and the area is hot, sticky and buggy but the experience is worth the discomfort. Luis was our guide and he has more knowledge and information than any of us could possibly retain
Violeta_T, Jan 2026
Must do if you are visiting Guatemala. We had the most amazing guide! Very knowledgeable and passionate.
Duane_P, Jan 2026
We had a great time. The tour in itself was wonderful we get to see the many different ruins. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, friendly and accommodating. Overall it was a great experience!
Norma_G, Jan 2026
Only giving it a 4/5 because of our guide. He was extremely knowledgable, but his controlling, grumpy, and no sense of humour was a turn off. Have breakfast or ask the driver to stop once in Guatemala for some food/snacks/washroom break. We enjoyed climbing and exploring this marvellous Mayan site.
Avi_K, Jan 2026
Highly recommended! Tikal is amazing - huge, educational, and gorgeous - even compared to other top Mayan sites we've visited. Our guide was fantastic - professional, knowledgeable, helpful, and kind. It's a somewhat long drive and border crossing (at least when traveling with kids), but very worth it. The whole trip was very well organized and orchestrated.
Lauren_D, Jan 2026
Tikal was very cool and worth the long trip. Border crossing was slow (they are very picky about the $20 bills) and we didn’t get lunch until 4pm BUT our guide Hugo was awesome. Very knowledgeable and engaging.
Heather_R, Jan 2026
Won’t repeat what has been said. It’s a very long day. Pack snacks, wear comfy shoes and clothing. The Belize travel was more comfortable. You switch to a Guatemalan crew once you cross the border. The vehicle was a van with little legroom especially for taller ppl in our group. The Belize transport was more room and a bigger more spacious vehicle. The driver navigated some pretty bad road conditions in Guatemala. That alone made me happy to be with a Spanish speaking well informed of these conditions driver. I also don’t like companies who charge more for a single person. Do a minimum number of ppl to go and charge per person the same. It’s a money grab and this happened here. It’s $30 more if you book solo. The lunch was ordered ahead of time so we didn’t have to wait long when we did eat around 2/3 pm. The Tikal was slightly above average. I prolly would read all the placards so you have a good grounding. He was friendly and he did need to keep things moving so it’s a balance. If you really want to spend a ton of time at each structure you may need a tour that requires an overnight stay.
Anna_K, Dec 2025
The site itself was spectacular. Can't even put it into words. The border crossing took a while and lunch took forever. Definitely bring snacks. Didn't get the most enthusiastic guide, but still glad we did the tour.
Shobana_K, Dec 2025
We started late and had late lunch. Most of the group were ahead of us. Returned hotel late. Other than that thr trip was wonderful.
Nazbanou_N, Dec 2025
A word of warning, given some of the complaints I saw in other reviews: many Belize/Guatemala tours can feel somewhat physically demanding, if you’re used to super family-friendly tours. There’s a lot of hiking often in a climate that’s less than ideal. You may get rained on at any moment, then be toasted by the sun in high humidity shortly after. You won’t be frequently fed (one lunch, often after 2:00 pm) or take long rests. To get the real Tikal experience, you will also have to climb many steps on different structures, although you have the option of sitting out some of these. But this is all completely worth it. You will see incredible ruins of such beauty and sophistication that you will be awe-struck. I also really like the tour guides in Belize. They are generally very well-informed, are friendly but not clownish, and quite well-organized. You will get a clear plan for the day and often several options to choose from depending on how demanding you’d like to make your activity. Our guide, Pinky, was awesome.
So get mentally and physically prepared, wear light breathable clothing, hiking shoes for potentially muddy trails in the rainy season and a good layer of sunscreen on your exposed areas, take a water bottle and some nuts to snack on, and go fill your eyes with wonder.
Michael_S, Dec 2025
This is a long day, but totally worth it if you don’t have extra days to spend in Flores. The land border crossing is relatively easy, although I can see it getting very busy at times. Some of the roads in Guatemala are very rough, but our driver did a good job of avoiding the roughest parts. Visiting Tikal is an incredible experience and doing so from Belize is much easier than trying to pair it with visits to Antigua or Lake Atitlan. Lastly, I want to shoutout our guide Luis. He was a wealth of information on everything from the Mayans to the specific structures to the local flora and fauna.
Tasha_S, Dec 2025
Experience was great but prepare for a long day. It ended up only being one other person in my group so we definitely got an attentive individualized tour. Roberto was amazing at answering all our questions and giving up history lessons of the area and Mayans. Included lunch was delicious
Taylor, Nov 2025
Very good tour of Tikal, nice guide who was very knowledgeable and nice. would defiantly do this tour again
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Tikal Day Trip with Local Lunch from San Ignacio
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