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 Tour Guide
- Hotel pickup and drop-off within San Ignacio town limits
- LunchLocal Lunch is done a local Restaurant
- Entrance fee - Entrance fee to Tikal National Park
- Bottled waterBring Water your water Bottle as we do refills
- Soda/PopAt the local restaurant you can choose Soda or juice
- Belize Departure Fee $ 20 USD include tours book 18 July 2026 onwards
- Air-conditioned vehicleAir Conditions Mini Vans or SUV
- Gratuities
- 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
Start time.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.
1
Tikal National Park
3 hours • Admission Ticket Free
2
Great Plaza
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
3
Temple II
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
4
Temple I
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
5
Temple IV
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
6
Central Acropolis
10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- It is recommended you wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes
- A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
- 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
- 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 15 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 334 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Tikal is an incredible place, well worth the trip. The tour was excellent and all logistics were sorted with minimal fuss
We were lucky and got a private tour with Danny. They will pick you up from your Airbnb if you need them to and drive you to the Guatemala border. Crossing the border on foot was so fun! We saw a howler/spider monkey turf war within 10 minutes of entering the park. Tikal is HUGE and so interesting to tour. Would definitely go again.
Great experience. Our bus driver picked us up on time from our resort in San Ignacio and drove us to the border where we met our tour guide Levi. Levi was a great guide. Very informative and helpful. He taught us a lot about the pyramids and ancient Mayan culture. Would definitely go on this tour again.
I was expecting a much more informative and enjoyable trip but unfortunately this experience was very disappointing.
Instead of providing the full hours that were advertised for the tour, Reggie repeatedly mentioned that there was “no rush” and kept asking if we wanted to shorten the trip because it was “our time.” If the tour was advertised as a 9.5 hrs trip, then it should have been honored as such.
During the drive to Tikal, Reggie and Jonathan, the driver, spent most of the time chatting among themselves. On the way back, Reggie was sleeping for much of the trip, which was very unprofessional.
After crossing back into Belize, Ronald, the driver, dropped us off at the Cahal Pech Archaeological Reserve. Unfortunately, my wife accidentally left her not so cheap hat on the bus. I attempted to contact the activity provider through Viator 3x on Sunday and once again on Monday, but I received no response. I then contacted Viator directly 3x and they also reached out to the provider 3x. I offered to drive and pick the hat anywhere in Belize and no response. Only after the third attempt was I told that Viator said the provider would send an email within three days, yet I still have not heard anything back.
I truly regret booking this trip. Between the poor service, lack of professionalism and lack of communication, this was a very disappointing experience, especially after leaving a $60 tip. I would highly not recommend this tour provider.
And Viator is also a disappointment!
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!
Great Journey and Experience. The ‘Maya Mundo.’ Was truly a wonderful path as I walked among the ruins of Tikal. N Gomez
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.
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 :)
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
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.
Henry was super friendly, knowledgable, and helpful making everything from pick up to drop off super easy and sharing insights and personal experiences.
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.
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.
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.
Great time and great guide! Very knowledgeable and accommodating. Be prepared to do a lot of walking and steps.
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!
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.
Wonderful tour with Reggie! So knowledgeable and interesting. The site itself is phenomenal and aust for any history or culture afficionado.
Great trip, good communication. Lots of fun, the guides were very knowledgeable. The Food was great.
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.
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.
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
Must do if you are visiting Guatemala. We had the most amazing guide! Very knowledgeable and passionate.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Tikal Day Trip with Local Lunch from San Ignacio
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