Belize Travel Forum

Hi All,

My husband and I are traveling to Belize this summer and we will begin our trip in San Ignacio. From BC what is the best way to travel to San Ignacio? We would like to go to Tikal for an overnight trip. Any suggestions on best way to get there and a good (affordable) place to stay? Also, how long of a trip is it from San Ignacio?

We want to end our trip in the cayes and are thinking of either Tobacco or Grovers Atoll...any suggestions?

Thank you !

Sum

I can't advise as how best to get there, as i understand that flights from Belize to Flores are not currently permitted (that's how I got there). I would recommend staying overnight in Tikal as opposed to staying in Flores. Our taxi ride from Flores to Tikal was almost a 2 hr drive (one way). An advantage to staying on site also means you will not have to get up in the middle of the night to drive 2 hours to Tikal in the hopes of making it to the top of Temple IV at sunrise. Also, Tikal is immense - we spent 4 hours at a fairly brisk pace in an effort to get in what we could before it got dark. The following morning we spent seeing the remaining sections. If you are on a guided tour, I'd imagine it would take even longer to get through the site, especially if you plan to climb up the temples.

There are 3 hotels at Tikal, located next to each other and near the entrance to the park. I stayed at the Jungle Lodge which also has a pool, which really was a nice treat after traveling through the hot, sticky jungle all day. The hotels on site operate on generators, so be warned that lights (and fans) will go off anywhere from 9p-10p at night and will not go back on until morning.
If you are looking for comfort, that might not be the best for you as it gets VERY hot, even at night, and there will of course be no air conditioning. Each hotel in Tikal has a restaurant, but for a cheaper (and IMHO, better) meal, go to one of the several road-side "cafes" just opposite the visitor center (between the park entrance and the hotels). you'll get a huge plateful of grilled meat, rice and vegetables for about $4.

I hope you manage to make your way to Tikal - it's definitely worth every minute (and penny) to get there!

there are several buses daily to san ignacio from BC. james is one company. another went under while i was there a few years ago so i forget the name of the new one.
from san ignacio you can catch a bus or shared taxi to Benque, then taxi to the border, then a van heading towards flores, and get off at El Cruce. there you can wait for another bus heading to flores or hitch or walk a bit up the road to El Remate which is a good place to stay. La Casa de don david has been popular of late.

many hotels in san ignacio provide pickup in belize city. san ignacio to tikal is about 2 hour drive. our hotel in san ignacio also provided a driver to tikal, which was really nice and easy. i would recommend already having a plan on how to get to tikal instead of randomly crossing over into guatemala, it looked a bit chaotic and is a bit unsafe.