Paul and I are gearing up for a day trip to Tikal sometime soon so I went to back Peter Bragiel from In Transit TV and asked him to share about his experiences on going to Tikal and Flores. For those of you planning a vacation to Belize and looking for a different kind of adventure – you might consider a day trip to Guatemala. Tropic Air offers daily scheduled flights between Belize – Flores and Guatemala.
Save money on your Tropic Air flight from Belize to Guatemala with tacogirl Specials. You betta Belize it, and we did. What a trip so far. From Los Angeles, we utilized public transportation all throughout Mexico and now leaving Belize. It’s been roughly one month since I’ve seen home, and I’m not missing it so far. Our last stop in Belize was San Ignacio, from there we took a collectivo (shared ride) to Benque which is the border to Guatemala. Ok, it’s time to get ready for a border crossing. Don’t know how to explain this, but every time I cross a border I have no idea what I’m getting myself involved in. Plus, I’ve made no plans and not even sure if I need a Visa or not. Ok I knew that at least, but still, I just got comfortable with Belize and speaking my native tongue. Now, I have no idea where I’m going. Seriously, at the border, Guatemala looks like a different world peeping in from Belize. Smoke is coming up, the smells have changed, and you could feel that ancient Mayan energy across this imaginary line. Alright brace yourself, here we go! Got our passports stamped and then paid some sort of departure fee from Belize and an entrance fee into Guatemala. Like that, we’re in a different country, different language, and different vibe. This is pretty exciting, I’m thinking. Ok, we’re doing it. Time to find a bus. If you’re in Belize, visiting Guatemala is a must.
So what’s the first stop; the ancient ruins of Tikal. Most tourists stay in the town of Flores. It’s very nice, but situated further away from the ruins. There are more amenities for visitors, but that also means you’re around more travelers. Nothing wrong with that, but sometimes it’s good to be around less. Especially when visiting the ruins. We decided to stay in the small town of El Remate, which is closer to the ruins. This place was so cool. There’s really only one road that goes through it and that road leads to Tikal. Check out the video to see the view I got for fractions of the price I would have spent in Flores. We leave for the ruins the next morning at 5am. This is the best time to avoid the crowds. At around noon, a swarm of tourists invade and the charm has faded. The sound of the misty jungle around sunrise puts you back in time. So I recommend going early. Anyway, check out the video I attached for more on this. After Tikal, we went down to Rio Dulce. Also, a must see. Translated, it means Sweet River. We stayed there for a few nights at this crazy hotel on the river. From there we checked out some hot waterfalls. I never thought such thing existed. The water coming down is around 105 degrees. You can sit under the falls on a rock, strategically and naturally place, and then plunge into the water to cool off. Great combination. To see what I’m talking about, the videos go into more detail, and you get to see them instead of me desperately trying to explain them. From Belize, visit Guatemala if you get the chance. It really isn’t that difficult. There are plenty of buses that go there, and in my opinion and experience, very safe. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy these videos as much as I did visiting Guatemala.
7 comments
That good friend good trip photos you had good that you could find and explore so many places, regards friend
Thanks Sunbreeze Hotel.
We had enough funds to travel on a higher budget. However, we feel that traveling luxury would take away from the adventure that we were looking for. So, yes it was intentional to show the cheaper options.
beautiful pix! only 83 days until we are there. Maybe I really should send a resume.
83 days your time here coming up fast Laura although I am sure it does not feel that way on your end.
After watching a couple episodes of “In transit TV” I am curious about something.
Do they have a tight budget on purpose to add to the adventure?
Or they just can’t afford to have a decent budget for traveling?
He sure saved a lot of money traveling but he had to rough it out in many instances.
Maybe I am just getting old and boring since I prefer more luxuries when I travel these days:)
cheers…..
I am not sure on budget Remo. Funny how our travel scope changes with age. When we went back to Canada 3 years back to sell off the rest of our stuff and bring what we could tacoboy wanted to do the Cancun route as it was significantly cheaper – since I knew we would be coming back fully loaded I was able to talk him into a more direct route. I could just see the potential for grouchiness if we took the cheap way home.