Tikal Day Trip: Explore Mayan Ruins from San Ignacio

Embark on a thrilling day trip from San Ignacio to the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal. Explore the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Tikal National Park and immerse yourself in the rich history, culture, and natural beauty of Guatemala. Don’t miss this opportunity to discover the heart of the jungle and enjoy a delicious local lunch. Book now!

Duration: 9 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights

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,…

What's Included
  • Local guide
  • Hotel pickup and drop-off within San Ignacio town limits
  • Lunch
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Departure tax fee (US$ 20 per person, due on day of travel)
  • Hotel pick-up and drop-off outside San Ignacio town limits
Additional Information

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,…

Location
46 Burns Avenue
Burns Avenue
Unit 2 Inside The Belize Caving Expeditios Office
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.8
(309 Ratings)
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George_m
Feb 19, 2026
Great Experience - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Andrey_v
Feb 18, 2026
Wonderful tour! - Wonderful tour with Reggie! So knowledgeable and interesting. The site itself is phenomenal and aust for any history or culture afficionado.
Review provided by Viator
Travelerpatch
Feb 14, 2026
Wonderful time at Tikal! - An 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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Angie_t
Feb 9, 2026
Great trip, good... - Great trip, good communication. Lots of fun, the guides were very knowledgeable. The Food was great.
Review provided by Viator
Bradley_s
Feb 3, 2026
Good. But long trip - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Jackie
Jan 18, 2026
See the ruins with an expert historian - 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
Review provided by Viator
Paradise33174366818
Jan 13, 2026
Mystery maya city exploring - Great tour guide! Give us detailed information about Tikal history and help us pass the border smoothly. Delicious lunch and beautiful views.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Violeta_t
Jan 12, 2026
Luis is the most amazing guide - Must do if you are visiting Guatemala. We had the most amazing guide! Very knowledgeable and passionate.
Review provided by Viator
Jeff_v
Jan 27, 2026
Best ruins within a reasonable 'day' range of San Ignacio - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Camper10815576324
Jan 13, 2026
Beautiful day - The 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!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $130
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).