Tikal and El Peru Canoe Tour

Departs from Flores in Guatemala Overview

Leaves from Flores, Guatemala . 5-day tour Medium physical demand.

This adventure tour begins and ends in Flores, Guatemala with stops in Tikal, El Remate and El Peru. Starting with the better-known ruins of Tikal, we travel deeper into the Mayan jungle in canoes to the remote, rarely seen, El Peru Mayan ruins.

Day by Day Itinerary Day 1: Transfer Flores (airport or town) to Tikal (1hr). Night in Jagaur Inn hotel Tikal. Day 2: Tikal ruins guided tour. Transfer to El Remate. (30 min.) Night in hotel El Remate. Day 3: Transfer to Paso Caballos (3hrs) from where we canoe to our campsite (2.5 hrs). Camp at Biological Research Station. Day 4: Canoe and hike to El Peru archeological site, visit the site. (2 hrs canoe + 5 hrs hike total). Camp at Biological Research Station. Day 5: Canoe back to Paso Caballos (2.5 hrs). Transfer to Flores (2 hrs).

Day 1

We can pick you up from Flores, Guatemala -town or airport- at your arrival time. (You can fly to Flores from anywhere in the world with a connecting flight through Guatemala City - we can help you find your best flight deals!) From Flores, private transportation will take you to the Tikal National Park where we stay at the Jaguar Inn hotel for the night. This hotel is just a minute's walk away from the entrance of the Tikal archeological site.

Spending the night in Tikal National Park allows us to see the park at sunset and sunrise; an unforgettable experience of beautiful colors and abundant wild life.

Day 2

We begin day two with a fascinating guided tour of the Tikal ruins and National Park in the morning. Aside from climbing the tallest temples in Tikal, we’ll also have a chance to see exotic wildlife like toucans, coatis and monkeys. In the afternoon we will leave the park and head towards El Remate, Guatemala. This ecotourism village is situated on the shores of Lake Petén Itzá. We’ll get into our bathing suits and swim in the lake's transparent, turquoise waters! We’ll also meet some of the local woodcarvers who dedicate themselves to this wonderful forest-saving art. Then we end the day by indulging in delicious cuisine at one of the local restaurants. And what community experience would be complete without a night in genuine typical limestone cabañas.

Day 3

Off-road vehicles will take us deeper into the jungle to a small jungle village called "Paso Caballos". Here, we will set off in canoes, paddling our way down the Rio San Pedro. This calm river is surrounded by jungle and leads us into the National Park Laguna del Tigre. After two and a half hours of canoeing we arrive to our campsite where the tent camping fun begins at the Biological Research Station. This comfortable campsite has cold showers, clean bathrooms and a kitchen area where we cook our meals on

wood fires and mingle with the local forest protectors of the research station.

Day 4

Today is dedicated to exploring the jungle with its wildlife and visiting the archeological site of El Peru. From the campsite we canoe for an hour to the dock of El Peru. From here we will follow the hiking trails two hours to reach the hidden Mayan ruins of El Peru. These very exclusive ruins are unreachable by road and only seen by a handful of people each year. One of the highlights of the pristine forest surrounding the ruins is the very rare and endangered Scarlet Macaw. There are less than 150 breeding pairs of

these beautiful parrots left between Mexico and Guatemala and here chances are big of seeing them in their natural habitat. At the end of the day we will return to the campsite to enjoy the delicious campfire meals and relax.

Day 5 We canoe back up the San Pedro River and reach Paso Caballos village in 2 1/2 hours. We leave the village in off-road vehicles that take us back to Flores where the tour ends at around 4 pm.