Flores in a Vase

Guatemala's northern department of El Peten is the definition of exotic wilderness. With a 21,000 km2 Reserva de Biosphere Maya, some of the most spectacular ruins in Latin America and an seemingly overabundance of fauna, El Peten is the kind of jungle you see in brochures or watch on Discovery Channel. Awaiting adventure travellers is the town of Flores, an ideally situated base from which to plan further explorations into the heart of the region.

The town commonly referred to as Flores is actually 3 towns in one. Santa Elena serves as the functional centre. It is here that banks, bus stations, airports and supermarkets can be found. Next to that is the poorer cousin of San Benito. But it is the island town of Flores that most travellers end up calling home for a few days. Flores occupies a tiny island floating in Lago de Petén Itzá, a few hundred metres of the mainland coast. Luckily (or unfortunately) the island is adjoined by an umbilical causeway, so there is no need to get your feet wet. None of the towns have any attractions to speak of. It is instead the pastel coloured buildings lining a labyrinth of cobbled streets that bring the hordes to Flores. Frankly, it's not as pretty as Antigua nor as beautifully set as the towns around Lake Atitlan in Guatemala's southern regions. But it does the job in a pinch.

Boat rides are available on the lake for a pricey US$25 (negotiable) or you could go for a simple swim to escape the heat. Alternatively, you could hop a Collectivo ferry heading to one of the other villages around the lake like San Andrés or San José or even to the funky little Santa Barbara museum on an equally little island nearby. But the best trip is probably across to San Miguel to hike up to El Mirador (the lookout) for view over the whole scene. But in general there nothing to do in town except end up at one of the bars swapping “I was sooo drunk...” stories with the backpackers. Flores is a base not so much a destination.

The most commonly visited place out of Flores are the amazing ruins of Tikal. Easily reachable as a day trip (highly recommended getting the 4:30 a.m. shuttle) Or for those with a more adventurous agenda, multi-day jungle treks to the very remote ruins of Mirador or Piedras Negras can be arranged.

From the bus station in Santa Elena, you can get pretty much anywhere you need to get. Including the border with Belize (or even to Belize City), Guatemala City (about 10 hours away) and everywhere else in between. A plethora of accommodation choices in Flores are available to suit pretty much any needs.

Flores in and of itself can't really be considered a highlight of the country. In fact, many “alternative” travellers choose to use the lakeside village of El Ramate as their base. But Flores is a cute little town, with most amenities to satisfy the needs of most travellers. Besides with a name of “Flowers”, why would you go anywhere else?