The Museo de Santa Bárbara is on a small islet in Lake Petén Itzá, off Flores, and opens every day from 8:00 to 17:00; entry is Q30, the same for Guatemalans and foreigners. The Ministry of Culture’s SIC directory (undated; checked 9 November 2026) says that price includes the boat over, which you arrange by calling the museum. Soy502 (11 November 2025) says instead that the boat fare is negotiated with boatmen whose contacts the Colmenares family provides. Ask which applies when you call.
In short: Islote Santa Bárbara, about 200 m from the Isla de Flores, roughly five minutes by boat (Soy502). Daily 8:00-17:00 (SIC; Soy502). Q30 per person, nationals and foreigners, with a guided visit (Soy502). Call 7926-2813 (both sources) or 5522-2110 (SIC) to organise the boat. Inside: Maya pottery, stone and bone tools from Petén, plus the old transmitters of Radio Petén, which started on the islet.
Price, boat, hours and contact
| Item | Detail | Who publishes it | Date read |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hours | Monday to Sunday, 8:00-17:00 | SIC (undated); Soy502, 11 November 2025 | 9 November 2026 |
| Entry | Q30 nationals, Q30 foreigners | SIC; Soy502 (Q30 per person, guided visit included) | 9 November 2026 |
| Boat | Included in the Q30; call the museum to arrange it | SIC | 9 November 2026 |
| Boat (other version) | The Colmenares family has boatmen’s contacts so you can negotiate the fare | Soy502 | 9 November 2026 |
| Phone | 5522-2110 / 7926-2813 | SIC | 9 November 2026 |
| Phone (other source) | 7926-2813, or the museum’s Facebook page | Soy502 | 9 November 2026 |
| Address | Isleta Santa Bárbara, Flores, Petén 17001 | SIC | 9 November 2026 |
Guatemala.com published the same hours, Q30 fee and boat-included wording on 3 July 2026, in text that closely follows the SIC listing. The museum’s Facebook page, titled Hotel, Museo & Café Santa Barbara, Flores Petén, shows no prices to readers without a login (checked 9 November 2026).
Before you go: phone 7926-2813 and ask two things: whether the Q30 covers the return boat, and where the boat picks you up.
Getting there
- Where the islet is. Soy502 places it about 200 metres from the Isla de Flores, facing the urban area of San Benito. The SIC says the islet falls under the municipality of Flores.
- The crossing. By boat, about five minutes (Soy502). The Forum.com.gt write-up, undated, says the only ways to reach the islet are by boat or kayak.
- Arranging it. Both the SIC and Soy502 tell you to contact the museum first. The SIC says to contact the museum for the transfer; Soy502 says the Colmenares family passes on boatmen’s contacts.
If you are staying on the island, see the Flores causeway status page for the latest on the road link to the mainland.
What is inside
The archaeology. The SIC describes about 5,700 Maya pieces from the Preclassic, Classic and Late Classic periods, among them tools made of obsidian, jade, shell, quartz and bone. Soy502 puts the family collection at more than 3,000 Maya pieces: vessels, stelae, plates, tools of the Classic period and zoomorphic figures, brought from various parts of Petén. The two counts differ; ask on arrival what is on display.
The radio room. The islet was the first home of the department’s first private radio station, Radio Petén, which is why the museum shows old radio-communication equipment (SIC). A Soy502 photo caption says one transmitter on show would have been the first radio transmitter to reach the department.
Everyday objects. Julio Colmenares, the museum’s guide, listed the rest of the collection for Soy502:
“Tenemos vitrolas, planchas, máquinas de coser, un molino, motores marinos y radios antiguas”
That is gramophones, irons, sewing machines, a mill, marine engines and old radios.
A floating museum? The SIC says the museum’s ubicación flotante, its floating location on the islet, makes it a very particular archaeological museum. Soy502 calls it a recinto único a flote, and Guatemala.com (July 2026) goes further, calling it the only floating museum in Central America; none of the three explains the claim beyond the islet setting. Forum.com.gt reports that visitors say the exhibition room is small but shows a large number of pieces.
The islet itself. The operator’s Facebook page title names a hotel, museum and café, and Forum.com.gt also mentions a hotel of the same name on the islet. Neither page, read 9 November 2026, gives room rates or café hours.
Nearby in Flores
Places to stay around Flores:
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Sources
- Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes, SIC listing Museo de Santa Bárbara, undated, read 9 November 2026.
- Soy502, Descubre 3 mil tesoros históricos en el museo flotante de Petén, 11 November 2025, read 9 November 2026. Press, secondary.
- Guatemala.com, Museo flotante Santa Bárbara, 3 July 2026, read 9 November 2026. Secondary.
- Forum.com.gt, Un museo en medio del lago, undated, read 9 November 2026. Secondary.
- Hotel, Museo & Café Santa Barbara, Facebook page (page title), read 9 November 2026. Operator.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Santa Bárbara islet museum off Flores, including the boat?
Entry is Q30 for Guatemalans and foreigners alike. The Ministry of Culture’s SIC directory (undated; checked 9 November 2026) says the Q30 includes the boat transfer, which you arrange by calling the museum. Soy502 (11 November 2025) says Q30 per person with a guided visit, and that the Colmenares family has boatmen’s contacts so you can negotiate the boat fare. Ask whether the boat is included when you call.
When is the Museo de Santa Bárbara open?
Every day, 8:00 to 17:00, according to the SIC and Soy502 (November 2025).
How do I contact the museum to arrange the boat?
The SIC lists 5522-2110 and 7926-2813. Soy502 gives 7926-2813 or the museum’s Facebook page, which is titled Hotel, Museo & Café Santa Barbara, Flores Petén.
How far is the islet from Flores?
Soy502 puts it about 200 metres from the Isla de Flores, a boat ride of about five minutes, facing the urban area of San Benito. The SIC gives the address as Isleta Santa Bárbara, Flores, Petén 17001.
What is in the museum?
Maya artefacts: about 5,700 pieces from the Preclassic, Classic and Late Classic per the SIC, or more than 3,000 per Soy502, including tools of obsidian, jade, shell, quartz and bone, vessels, stelae and plates. It also shows old radio equipment, because the islet was the first home of Radio Petén, the department’s first private station.
