'''Peten''' is a region of Guatemala.

Regions

Cities

  • Flores – this island town is the hub of the region, with an airport nearby and connections to the rest of the area
  • Poptun
  • Melchor de Mencos – small town and the only land border crossing to Belize
  • San Andres
  • Other destinations

  • Classic Maya ruins at Tikal.
  • Pre-Classic site El Mirador.
  • Nakbe
  • El Remate – a sleepy town on the east side of Lake Peten Itza
  • El Seibal
  • Uaxactun to the norte of Tikal.
  • Waka, AKA El Peru.
  • Yaxha, between Flores and Melchor de Mencos. Site of Survivor episodes.
  • Understand

    Talk

    Get in

    Don't skimp on long distance bus rides. Chicken buses are fun for a short time, but most will not want to spend a long time on them.

    The route via Poptun is served by two "luxury" bus companies, [http://tikalmayanworld.com/services/horarios.htm/ Linea Dorada]and [http://www.adnautobusesdelnorte.com/eng/quienes.htm/ Autobuses del Norte]. Note that Linea Dorada's website claims are not borne out by facts and ADN advertises having "First Class Bonus". The advantage of this route is that you can go overnight and not become jaded by slash and burn agriculture for hours.

    The route via Coban takes about 12 hours on buses, as opposed to the 10 or so via the other route, but it is more scenic. Plus, though you have to change buses in Coban, that is a destination in its own right. You would start out from Guate on [http://www.autopullmanmonjablanca.com/home.htm/ Monja Blanca] and switch to a minivan in Coban.

    Get around

    See

    Do

    Eat

    Sleep

    Stay at the Jaguar Inn Hotel, Flores Peten. The hotel is located inside the National Park, so you don't have to travel to and from Flores city center. The hotel has nice typical Guatemalan breakfast (beans). At night, the lights and electricity is unavailable at around 6pm. The only thing is that, hot water is unavailable. You can listen to the sounds of the animals at night.

    Drink

    Two good beers in Guatemala are Gallo, and Moza (which is a sweet-extrabody beer).

    In most of the restaurants there are also fruit, smoothy type drinks called Liquiados, that come in a variety of fruits, and are made from fresh fruits.

    Stay safe

    Always stay on the beaten path, and stay with a group. Don't wander off, stay alert, and try your best to blend in and not draw too much attention to yourself.

    Get out