Visit Flores, Guatemala

Flores is the capital of the Petén department, and is an unusual island-city on the south-western side of Lake Petén Itzá.

It is attached to the mainland by a long causeway and also, twinned with Santa Elena, its dusty, poor sister on the mainland. The airport lies just 2km from Flores, and is the entrance through which most visitors arrive.

The peaceful city of Flores is dense with colonial, red-roofed buildings and narrow cobblestone streets surrounded by Lake Petén Itzá's calm waters. The main objective, however, for most visitors is its proximity to the famous ruins of Tikal or as a starting point for trips around the Petén area.