Guatemala: Semuc Champey, Tikal & Río Dulce 5-Day Tour

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Free cancellation

1/9

Duration5d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · ES

PickupAt your hotel

Five Days Across Guatemala's Ruins, Rivers & Rainforest

You travel from Guatemala City through five distinct landscapes — limestone pools, jungle temples, river canyons, and carved monuments — staying in eco lodges and eating included meals. The pace is built around sunrise at Tikal and the boat ride through Río Dulce, with a bilingual guide handling the driving and narration. You return to the capital or Antigua on day five afternoon.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Guatemala pick up- Semuc Champey

Pick up travelers early 5am
Drive to Cobán, stop for breakfast
Continue to Lanquin and Semuc Champey
Arrive Semuc Champey around 12pm
Enjoy pools and climb lookout point

Day 2 — Flores - Tikal

Depart Semuc at 7am
Stop for breakfast in Cobán
Visit experimental orchid station
Continue to Flores
Accommodation at Tikal Jaguar Inn eco lodge

Day 3 — Tikal National Park visit

Sunrise tour of Tikal National Park
Visit Twin Pyramid complex and Main Plaza
Explore Central and North Acropolis
See Temples I, II, III, IV and Lost World
Visit Temple V and Plaza of Seven Temples
Return for included lunch
Depart to Río Dulce at 2pm
Arrive Río Dulce at 5:30pm

Day 4 — Río Dulce boat ride and Livingston

Depart early to Río Dulce
Boat ride through national park Río Dulce
Continue boat ride to Livingston
Return to resort for relaxation

Day 5 — Quiriguá visit and return

Visit Quiriguá UNESCO World Heritage Site
See tallest Mayan stela and zoomorphic monuments
Continue to Guatemala City or Antigua

The Experience

You're wondering if five days is enough to actually see Guatemala, or if you'll just end up exhausted in a van. The answer is both — but the route matters. This tour starts at 5am from Guatemala City heading to Semuc Champey, which means you're trading sleep for the turquoise pools and limestone formations that don't photograph the same way twice. You'll spend the first afternoon swimming and climbing the lookout point, then overnight at Portal de Semuc, an eco lodge where the air feels different at that altitude.

Day two moves you toward Tikal, with a stop in Cobán for breakfast and a quick visit to an orchid experimental station — one of those moments that seems random until you're standing in a greenhouse full of plants you've never seen. You arrive in Flores by evening and sleep at Jaguar Inn, positioned right for the sunrise tour the next morning. The Tikal National Park walk covers the main sites in four hours: Twin Pyramid Complex, Central Acropolis, Temples I through IV, the Lost World, Temple V, and the Plaza of Seven Temples. Your bilingual guide walks you through the layout and the history, and lunch is included after, so you're not hunting for food in the afternoon heat.

The Río Dulce boat ride on day four is the part that stays with you. You leave early from Tikal, travel through the national park by water up to Livingstone, then return to Banana Palms resort to rest. It's the kind of transition that breaks up the temple-hopping and lets you see the rainforest from a different angle. On the final day, you visit Quiriguá, a UNESCO World Heritage Site home to the tallest carved stela in the Maya world, before heading back to Guatemala City or Antigua. The whole five days includes accommodation in double rooms at eco lodges, all entrance fees, meals, transportation, and a driver who speaks both English and Spanish.

What’s included

Your five days include hotel pickup from Guatemala City on day one, entrance fees to Semuc Champey, Tikal National Park, and Quiriguá, four nights in double rooms at eco lodges, lunch each day, bilingual driver-guide services, all ground transportation, and a boat ride through Río Dulce National Park up to Livingstone. You return to Guatemala City or Antigua on the afternoon of day five.

Good to know

Moderate physical levelPublic transport nearbyNot for pregnant travelersNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Guate Tours by Nelson.

Is this one for you?This tour suits travelers who want to see Guatemala's major sites without arranging transport, guides, and lodging separately — the five-day structure and included meals mean you show up and move through the itinerary, which is what makes covering Tikal, Semuc Champey, and Río Dulce in one trip possible.