Flores is a town in Petén, Guatemala. The town proper is an island on Lago Petén Itzá, connected to land by a causeway, on the other side of which lie the twin towns Santa Elena and San Benito.
 Although it is a pleasant and safe place to visit, it is probably best known for two reasons:

• It was here, on the island of Flores on the shore of Lake Petén Itzá that the last independent Maya state held out against the Spanish conquerors.

• The Spanish did not manage to conquer the island until 1697, when they marched in, attacked via boats, and destroyed it. Those who could flee did so, and many Itzá people hid in the jungle for years. From the ruins of Noh Petén arose the modern city of Flores
• Flores is served by the Santa Elena International Airport but commonly known as Mundo Maya International Airport – and is the airport that visitors use as the gateway to Tikal.

Tikal was a Maya city of great power and size, the largest of Maya cities during the "Classic Era" over 1000 years ago.

Many beautiful buildings have been uncovered and many more wait to be discovered. Amongst the many Maya sites in Central America, Tikal is perhaps the most breathtaking because of the scattered impressive buildings which have been restored in an area with many more ruined buildings still enveloped by the jungle.

The sight of the temples poking through the canopy is quite awesome. You can climb to the top of a few of the temples and get panoramic views from above the tree tops.

This is one of the available experiences when staying in one of the hotels actually at the park entrance – enter the park pre-dawn and watch the sunrise over the jungle canopy accompanied by the hoots and hollers of monkeys and jungle wildlife. If you are very lucky, you may catch a glimpse of a native Jaguar.

If you have been to Guatemala fishing, or are considering a trip, try and make time for the fabulous ruins of Tikal. It is possible to make the trip to/from Tikal in a day from Guatemala City. Although it is a very long and tiring day; our recommendation is to overnight at the Park in order to take full advantage of the sounds and sights that the park has to offer. An indicator of the “quality” of the park is the ranking published this year by the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees (CNPSR) who voted Tikal as the fifth in the world.

In case you were wondering - TONGARIRO National Park, New Zealand headed the top ten list, and just ahead of Tikal in the number 4 spot was Kruger National Park in South Africa. The commentary from the survey featuring Guatemala reads “This World Heritage Site contains the spectacular ruins of a Maya settlement from around 250-900 AD. The towering ruins of temples, one 70 meters tall, rising from the jungle that surrounds them, are mute testimony to the architectural genius of the Maya. As many as 90,000 people lived in Tikal at its zenith, but strife with neighbouring towns and environmental stress caused its abandonment beginning in the 10th century. Of course, the Maya never left; they are there today, and a thrill of a visit is to see it with a Maya guide.”

There is a well developed plan by the Guatemalan authorities to develop Tikal and other locales into world archaeological sites to protect the treasures from the Mayan period. There was another remarkable find just last month of a 200 year old carving, said to be as impressive as the discovery of the Mona Lisa, in the dig at Parco Cuatro Balam, the newest of the sites that eventually will encompass over four thousand Mayan pyramids. If you can make the time, the Mayan ruins in the North of the Country are a very worthwhile trip that you will not forget.

More on the logistics of visiting Tikal and other excursions can be found in our eBook “Angler’s Guide to Guatemala” which is available as a free download on www.greatsailfishing.com.