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| | The North | |||
| Flores | |||
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Flores, situated on an island in Lake Peten Itza, is a sleepy town with a Caribbean sensibility, pastel-colored buildings, friendly people and a slow pace of life. Flores was once a Maya ceremonial center, by the 17th century it was a Spanish outpost, and today, it's the capital of Peten province. After you've visited Tikal with kids, Flores is a great place to relax. |
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Boating – Lake Peten Itza is quite large, and has plenty of places to explore. Take a motor launch to Petencito Zoo and Tayasal, or across the lake to the towns of San Andres or San Jose. Cruising at sunset is also pleasant, the air is warm and the sunsets spectacular. You can arrange for motor launches on the lake behind the Hotel Santana. | |
| If you want to explore the lake in a slower fashion, rent pedal boats by the hour at Hotel Peten. (Kids will have a great time.) | |||
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Petencito – Take a boat to Petencito, a zoo and nature area. Petencito is popular with local families, who bring their picnics and swim suits to make a day of it. | ||
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 The zoo features Guatemalan wildlife – a very plump jaguar, spider
monkeys, a margay (like a small stripped tiger, very cute), grinning crocodiles,
coatimundi, armadillo, parrots, sweet-looking deer. (Signs identifying the
animals are labeled in Spanish, English, and Maya.) |
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| Hike
on well-maintained nature trails through the dense forest. Don't
miss the "Mirador" – a lookout, like a tree house,
with views through the trees. |
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| If
you want to swim in Lake Peten Itza, this is a good place. West of
the zoo entrance is a beach area with a sandy bottom, and short wooden dock.
There are also shaded picnic tables, so bring a picnic. |
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Tayasal – Another spot to stop on Lake Peten Itza is Tayasal, another Maya ruin. The ruins of Tayasal are still mostly buried under the vegetation, but the lookout at the top of the hill is worth the visit. The lookout is a cool tree house that offers a panorama of Lake Peten Itza, the second largest lake in Guatemala. It's a striking view of the aquamarine lake, ringed with green, green vegetation, dotted with towns here and there. | ||
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Actuncan Cave – Cool off in the dark caverns of Actuncan Cave. The cave is only a short distance outside of Flores, tucked into a limestone hill covered with jungle foliage. Inside the cave, it's a self-guided walk through tall caverns, 10-20 ft high, lit with electric lights. The chalky stalactites and stalagmites are like melting chocolate and vanilla ice cream. You might see a bat or two flying around. Stick together – the cave is big enough that you don't want to get lost, and the clay floor is smooth, but slippery in places. |
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Fun food – |
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On a hot day, order up a "limonada," fresh lime juice and fizzy water. If you're interested in a food adventure, try eating some local delicacies such as armadillo, deer or wild turkey. The armadillo tastes like barbequed chicken. |
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Shopping – |
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Since the Maya, textiles have been an important art in Guatemala. Stop into the artesenias shops to buy textiles, ponchos, blouses with embroidery. At some shops, watch weaving with a backstrap loom. Guatemala also has many different kinds of hard woods which are used in delightful wood carvings of local animals – jaguar, monkeys, armadillos, coatimundis – small boxes and miniature canoes. |
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