Mayan World Travel Agency Tours And Treks — Local services in Flores

Booked from Belize City (SP Express) to Flores. We departed almost 30 mins late. There was no rhyme or rhythm to who boarded what bus and when we got to the border it was a complete mess. There were no clear instructions just "the driver will find you" so after disembarking one bus with luggage etc we then waited at the Guatemala side. Some of us were for Flores and some for Tikal. The Flores bus finally turned up 1 hour after we had been waiting on the bridge just after exiting Guatemala. Then it was another hour to get everyone on and load bags. The Tikal people were at this point still waiting for their bus. Absolute chaos. We wished we had just got a taxi and by the look on most people's faces they wished the same. The buses on both journeys were uncomfortable, had poor aircon and seats that folded down so some people didn't even have a seat back. We were sat at the very back for one journey and the seats in front were stuck in the recline so even at 5ft 2 my knees were squished. Avoid....

Next trip Flores to Tikal. Pick up from hotel as arranged, slightly later than what we were told (3.20am). Guide was just ok, left on own at various points, seemed to be just going through motions but did warm up a bit as tour progressed. What was unacceptable was that we asked and confirmed in WhatsApp numerous times we would be back at our hotel for 12.30 as we had a hotel shuttle booked to the airport for an onward flight. The guide finished our tour at Tikal at 9.40am and we had to wait til 11am for the driver to have their breakfast before returning to Flores. This was a lie when it wasn't even the same driver. We got directed to a different bus with a different driver whilst the one we were waiting for was still having his breakfast. This appeared to be the standard shuttle transport not the tour we booked with hotel pick up and drop off and we were left at the Peten Sign turned 12.30 and we had to run back to our hotel, missing the shuttle, pay for another taxi and then almost miss our flight. Absolutely avoid...

We were extremely well assisted by Shury from Mayan World Travel Agency Tours And Treks. He’s a great guy who arranged everything perfectly for us at a fair price. He organized our tour to Tikal with a guide, an overnight bus to Guatemala City, and a shuttle to Antigua. Everything went very smoothly.

Two points of criticism:

Tikal Guide: The guide was 20 minutes late. When we politely asked for an explanation, he became defensive and even confrontational. His excuse? We didn’t have a private tour or a sunrise ticket. But why would that justify being late? We were ready at 4:30 AM, as agreed. Once in the park, things were delayed further because the guide suggested stopping for coffee or breakfast. Of course, a couple from the group agreed, which cost even more time. We specifically chose an early tour to catch a bit of the sunrise and spot wildlife, but due to these delays, we didn’t start exploring the park until 7:30 AM. This seems to be common practice among guides, likely to make the more expensive sunrise tour more appealing.

Overnight Shuttle to Guatemala City: The night bus was very comfortable, but one of the attendants was extremely rude and seemed drunk. Fortunately, the other attendant was very friendly and pleasant. Also, be aware that the bus was freezing cold, especially at the front. We sat right at the front and were cold all night. Definitely bring a blanket or hat if you’re sitting in the front—they probably keep it that cold to prevent condensation on the windshield.

Highlight: The drivers were always excellent—safe yet efficient, which gave us peace of mind during the journeys.

Conclusion: Aside from these points, everything was perfect. Big thumbs up to Shury and his colleagues—the organization was excellent. With a few small improvements, the experience would be...

TOTAL SCAM! do not book with this tour company and book with another agency. We got charged 550 gtq from Flores to Antigua. The actual price is 350 gtq. (We paid a little extra as we wanted lay flat seats which he also charged us 100 gtq, when the actual price is only 50 gtq to upgrade) Whatever price they offer you, go elsewhere, I promise you it will save you a lot of money! Or go directly to the bus station and book there. When I confronted Manuel about the fact he has scammed us, he just starts shouting and screaming. He was supposed to be taking us on a "lake tour" (which I will get to later), and pick us up from our hostel. He didn't show, we had to go to the office ourselves, and instead he made some random hostel worker take us, and he didn't speak a WORD of English, because he was too embarrassed to show up because we found out that he has totally scammed us. Now, about the "lake tour", DO NOT BOOK. you go to a sanctuary (which you can get yourself there by boat for very cheap), a "viewpoint" and a "beach". The viewpoint you can take a boat yourselves from Flores for 15 gtq and walk to the "beach". We paid 150 gtq each, of four people, so 600 gtq in total, when if you do it yourself, you will pay maximum like 50-100 gtq in total! The places we went to were definitely not something that should be part of a tour, all are pretty run down, and generally wasn't pleasant places to visit to be part of a paid tour. Save your money and book somewhere else than this total scam. It's a shame, the lady in the store is quite lovely and was genuinely helpful. Such a shame. And also, yes, I am sure this is a review for the correct travel agency, as all their replies to bad reviews say that it is for another travel agency....