Departamento del Petén Travel Forum

I'm going to the Peten region next weekend and I'm just wondering where it'd be better to stay ...

Most of the people go to Flores / Santa Elena and from there visit Tikal ... but I've read accomodation in Flores is much more expensive than in other places in Guatemala.

So I'm thinking in wether staying in El Remate (which is closer to Tikal and to the border with Belize) ... or perhaps staying at some campground in Tikal.

Has anybody ever stayed at El Remate? How is it? What about the accomodation?

In the other hand... what about camping at Tikal? Is it safe? Are there lockers available? How far from the ruins would this be?

Thanks!

Unless you plan to read a book at night with a lantern you have brought, Flores is the place to stay the night.

Hey there, FYI, there are excellent hotels and restaurats overlooking the lake in flores at reasonable rates. Go to www.corpetur.com You can always catch a shuttle to Tikal real early in the morning. Good luck.

What about the camping questions!? That sounds much more exciting to me ... but I'm not sure about it.

Just like Ilona, I had a good experience at Don David's. I have a whole page about El Remate and also one about Flores, so you can tell the difference. Vive la difference, right? Anyway, El Remate is a sleepy backwater and Flores is a charming little town quite geared toward tourists. Santa Elena is a dusty honkytonk sort of fun place.

There are very affordable places to stay, but I know nothing about camping, alas.

Yes, I was thinking of Tikal, where the electricity goes off and the fans stop working, just when you want them to keep on going.

Jaguar Inn has hammocks already set up for travelers and they cost around $7 per night. If you have any doubts about staying the night at Tikal, you can pay a small amount to leave your locked bag there. There is a 3 PM bus to Uaxactun, which is cheaper and if you stay at El Chiclero, the food is better than anything you will find at Tikal.

Is it true the 3 Tikal Hotels dont have electricity at night?