Yaxha National Park

These mayan ruins are on the radar of very few people and as such you will have a very different experience exploring the park almost by yourself. They did a great job in creating different viewing platforms and organizing the park so that it’s straight forward to navigate.
The road there however requires some very careful driving.

Yaxha is a large Mayan complex. Few ruins are uncovered. The sunset is a big draw. However, no puesto del sol when we were there.

Yaxha-Nakum-Naranjo National Park is the home of the impressive ruins of an ancient Mayan city of Yaxha as well as two other ruined Mayan cities. The trip from Flores to Yaxha takes about 1.5 hours by car. The entry fee is 80Q for foreigners. There are lots of restored structures and several restored pyramids. You can scale some of them, but not all. Many more structures remain covered by vegetation. Park was not busy when I was there, maybe 10 people in the entire place. Access is difficult and involves a 1/2 he ride down a narrow dirt path. The bathrooms are located at the ticket office and right by the entrance. I'd come back.

Wonderfull. The most amazing experience was watching the sunset from the top of the temple. The park is huge as mayan people spread their cities wide, we did not go to every building building and structure . Driving inside the park, after you buy tickets the road is another 2-3 km and may be a little confusing. Make sure to follow the sighs to the parking

I can't believe this doesn't get as much attention as Tikal. It is absolutely beautiful. The temples go up so high and the views are even more beautiful. Well maintained, affordable, and kind employees.

Welcome to the jungle! You can describe Yaxha as the smaller brother of Tikal, a correct description that does not detract at all from the splendor of this Maya city. Yaxha has not yet been discovered by the general public, so you can wander around here almost on your own and in complete silence.... if the howler monkeys keep quiet. Although a large part of the ruins are still (safely) underground and the jungle, this is definitely recommended because you can walk between the Mayan ruins as well as through the jungle with its flora and fauna.

Incredible site for Mayan Ruins! If you've been to Tikal you'll appreciate the ease in which you can navigate this site! I'd say give yourself half a day to see it.

Yaxha is a lot smaller than Tikal, but still very much worth visiting. You spend more time in the jungle, walking through the unexcavated parts of the town to see the excavated areas. The sunset from the large temple is amazing, listening peacefully as the birds and animals come awake around you.

Wonderful place. Not much of it has been excavated, but it makes it look more authentic and natural. Going there makes you feel like you just discovered some temples in the jungle, as opposed to going to a very touristic spot.
There wasn't a lot of people when I went, only three of us. We got to enjoy the place in peace and quiet.

This was my favorite Mayan ruins site (vs Tikal). Yaxha is less touristy and way more authentic and easy to navigate. And if you plan it well perhaps you’ll get a boat ride to the island of Topoxte.

Beautiful Mayan site. Great with a guide to learn more about the history of the Mayan people. I would recommend the sunset tour that ends with a peaceful sunset watch on top of the highest pyramid

Yaxhá is amazing! Surrounding by a dense jungle, there are more monkeys than people! The sunset here is the best!

Very quiet place. Perfect to imagine what was happening thousand years ago. We were 20 on the site. You can hear the sounds of the monkeys Everywhere. Be sure to catch the sunset from the top of the ruins, surrounded by jungle. What an experience.

An awesome park to do after Tikal. The ruins of Tikal are more uncovered and preserved, but at Yaxha there are so many less people you can really enjoy them. Book transportation from Flores (Q130 without a guide) and pack your own food+water to enjoy on top of a pyramid.

The park is super easy to follow the path to see each site on your own, so read some articles about the park beforehand and do it self guided. In my experience, Guatemalan guides are all about what time it is (despite always being late themselves) and them yelling at the group to move to the next ruin and stressing out loud about how many minutes are left kills the vibe of the parks.

This review is for the museum at Yaxha. Be aware that all interpretive signage is in Spanish. However the displays are understandable. The museum predominantly houses archaeological materials from the Yaxha site. There also is information on the park’s natural environment and the history of archaeological investigations.

I recommend going here before going to the Tikal. It's a nice preview of what you're experiencing later. Yaxhá is really beautiful, especially because there's more jungle and connection to nature since you won't find much tourists there. And since there is less people talking and making noise, you can see more monkeys, pezotes and animals. This park has its own lagoon, and there you can see crocodiles in their natural habitat. And the end you should stay and see the sunset, awesome experience! Also remember to arrive in a 4x4 car and not to bring plastics and keep it clean.

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What a place!

When we arrived (about 9:30am) we were informed we were only the 2nd group in that day and it felt like we had the entire place to ourselves. The views from the top of the temples were the best of any Mayan site I've visited, truly impressive. Yaxha just pips Tikal as my favourite Mayan site, if you're in Flores to visit Tikal make sure you get to Yaxha as well. When they dig the rest of it up it'll only get more impressive I expect!

Nicely put together park. The tall buildings have wooden stairs to reach the top. Always helpful. The monkeys add to the jungle feel.
Stay for sunset... It's amazing.

Yaxha is one of my favourite sites, it's not unusual to find yourself the only visitor. An impressive view over lake Yaxha from temple 216.