Tikal Day Trip with Local Lunch from San Ignacio
Overview
Available languages
9 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Take a day trip from San Ignacio to the Mayan ruins of Tikal, located in the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Tikal National Park (Parque Nacional Tikal). A professional guide leads you on a tour of the famous archeological site, once inhabited by the pre-Columbian Mayan civilization. Step foot in the heart of the jungle and experience Guatemalan history, culture, and nature all in one day! Round-trip hotel transport, crossing the border from Belize, is included.
Additional Info
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
It is recommended you wear comfortable clothes and walking shoes
A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
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
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
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
Grab your passport, and meet your local guide upon pickup from your San Ignacio hotel in the morning. Your tour begins with an approximate 1.5-hour drive to Tikal National Park, located in Guatemala. Aboard your comfortable coach you'll cross over the border hassle-free. The ruins of more than 3,000 palaces, temples, ceremonial platforms, ball courts, and plazas dot this UNESCO World Heritage Site that once served as a religious, social, and political hub for the Mayan people. Throughout your visit, your guide shares historical background on the ancient kingdom. Head to Complex Q and R, where you'll see twin pyramids with altars set in front of the temples. Visit the Central Acropolis, a maze of courtyards and smaller temples. Gaze in awe at the Great Plaza, and see the Temple of the Grand Jaguar, which was built to honor and bury King Moon Double Comb. Here, three rooms are located inside the 144-foot (44-meter) temple. Take in the sight of Temple IV (the Double Head Serpent), Tikal’s tallest structure at 212 feet (64 meters) high. The intriguing Temple II, commonly known as the Temple of the Masks, also sits in this part of the park near the Great Plaza. Enjoy a delicious lunch in Tikal National Park before you explore the ruins on your own. Afterward, your guide transports you back to Belize with drop-off at your hotel in San Ignacio.
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)
Hotel pick-up and drop-off outside San Ignacio town limits
Pickup points
San Ignacio Resort Hotel
18 Buena Vista St San Ignacio Belize
Ka'ana Resort
Mile 69 1/4 George Price Highway San Ignacio Belize
Midas Belize
Branch Mouth Road, San Ignacio Belize
Cahal Pech Village Resort
Western Highway, Cahal Pech Hill San Ignacio Belize
Options
Tikal Private Tour
Private Tour
Duration: 9 hours
lunch & Drink: local Lunch, water, sodas
air-condition: SUV, Vans, BUS
Pickup included
Tikal Day Trip with Local Lunch from San Ignacio
Pickup included
Reviews
307 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Wonderful time at Tikal!
TravelerPatch,,Feb 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00An excellent trip to Tikal! It was a great day checking out the wonders of Tikal in Guatemala (starting from Belize). I was collected from my hotel, the border crossing was easy and straight forward, as was the pickup on the Guatemala side. Both drivers (in Guatemala and Belize) were great, and our guide for Tikal was extremely knowledgeable, fun, and accommodating. 'Twas a great day and I fully recommed!
Great trip, good...
Angie T,,Feb 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great trip, good communication. Lots of fun, the guides were very knowledgeable. The Food was great.
Good. But long trip
Bradley S,,Feb 3, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Tikal 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.
Best ruins within a reasonable 'day' range of San Ignacio
Jeff V,,Jan 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00It 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.
See the ruins with an expert historian
Jackie,,Jan 18, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00There 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
Mystery maya city exploring
Paradise33174366818,,Jan 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great tour guide! Give us detailed information about Tikal history and help us pass the border smoothly. Delicious lunch and beautiful views.
Beautiful day
Camper10815576324,,Jan 13, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00The transportation to and from San Ignacio was very smooth and it was easy crossing the border. I would give this experience a 5 stars but our tour guide was pretty mediocre. He wasn’t super passionate and mumbled so we couldn’t hear what he was saying. Tikal itself is incredible and a must-see if in the area!
Luis is the most amazing guide
Violeta T,,Jan 12, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Must do if you are visiting Guatemala. We had the most amazing guide! Very knowledgeable and passionate.
Experience of a life time!
Duane P,,Jan 11, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We 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!
Great Day in Tikal
Norma G,,Jan 10, 2026
- Review from Viator
4.00Only 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.
From US$145.00
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Operated by Belize Family Adventure