It is sometimes a misconception that bloggers only have nice things to say about business, especially ones who are trading them a service or meal in exchange for promotion. Over the years I have mentioned various minor imperfections such as leaf piles in the way to my jungle resort room, not so tasty steak at a downtown San Pedro restaurant, (meanwhile my friends beef fajitas were tasty) and lack of hot water in the master bathroom of my suite North Ambergris Caye Resort. In spite of being able to give polite honest feedback, I like posting other peoples reviews as they are truly unbiased.

Today’s useful input comes from Nada Seidon. She used the option she found in a previous tacogirl DIY San Ignacio to Tikal write up from the Summer of 2016. Do it Yourself Adventure From Belize to Tikal. After writing to me to say that it was very useful and she was pleased with the lower price and service, Nada agreed to do an updated review of her take on the same service. It was super handy timing too as I came across a Tripadvisor Belize Forum post.

Independent Tikal Tour Guide Review – Nada Seidon

We had the pleasure of using an independent tour operator. Yes, we took a chance on this one man show. His name is Genny Reyes, a Guatemalan, young yet impressively knowledgeable and of course, licensed. We were staying in Belize, so we drove to the border, parked, then walked through customs and met up with Genny on the other side. There he was with my name on his sign and a big beautiful smile welcoming us to his country. From that point on Genny handled all the details with the border agents and park officials with professionalism.

When I first made the reservation with Genny, before leaving for our trip, he recommended meeting him early because January is high season and the line to get into the park would be long. A side note, he has excellent relations with the park officials as we never had to get out of the car (and stand in that long line) until we arrived inside Tikal park. We met Genny that morning at around 7:20 am and about half way into the journey to Tikal he stopped at a restaurant for breakfast. After an excellent meal we proceeded to Tikal. For the hour drive it takes from the border, we had lively conversations with Genny about the history, culture, and politics of Guatemala.

Once inside the park Genny educated us on the history of the Mayan people, Tikal in particular and what the many excavations have revealed as to what day to day life was like. And, sadly the decline of Tikal.

Once the tour concluded and we were driving back to the border, we stopped for a late lunch. Genny’s choices in restaurants are very good. The food was well prepared, delicious and representing the local fare at both restaruants we experienced.

While Genny does not have a website don’t let that ward you off. I can attest from personal experience he is reputable and at a price of $90 USD, Genny is about $40.00 per person less than the others I looked into. Here is his email: gennyreyes9@gmail.com

Extra Belize Guatemala Travel Info

After I loaded Nadas review, I was still back and forth with the woman on Tripadvisor helping with her travel plans. Since she was not renting a car, she was looking for other options to reach the border. I gave her a great low-cost option Belize Bus website.

If you are looking to drive, Crystal Auto is a popular car company to cross the border with as they insure cars. Here is another useful link to Three Cayo car rental options. For those planning Belize Guatemala travel to see Tikal ruins, here are a few very useful Belize forum details – Driving from Belize city to Tikal in rental car and Trip Review: Self-Drive to Tikal from San Ignacio, Belize.

If you are looking for accommodations here are two easy optiuons with lots of choices – San Ignacio Vacation Rentals by owner, and Tikal, San Jose Peten, Guatemala Vacation Rentals By Owner – VRBO.com.

Belize Bus Travel

This morning, I was also asked by Latisha Nicholson on tacogirl Belize Blog youtube channel about the bus travel. It was in a comment on my Riding the chicken bus from Dangriga to Belize City video. For information, I gave her my fav Belize City Map option to print or download on her phone and of course, Mister B’s bus site listed above. I also gave her Belize Bus Schedules, from Belmopan City online. They did a great job of mapping out each bus route before you click to get that schedule and they also cover Mexico Belize bus route for those who are traveling by land. The picture below is from the return part of my crack of a dawn road trip to Dangriga Belize – Dangriga’s Vital Role in Belize’s Health Care System.