Petencito is a wildlife and environmental education centre owned by the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC), on the Tayasal peninsula on the shore of Lake Petén Itzá, across the water from Flores. Its own admission page lists Q75 for visitors of other nationalities, Q40 for Central Americans and Q20 for Guatemalans, and children under 5 enter free. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 7:30 to 17:00 and Monday from 10:00 to 17:00. The centre says the boat from the Isla de Flores takes 15 minutes; by road it is 18.12 km.
Its formal name is the Centro de Educación Ambiental y Vida Silvestre (CEAVS) Petencito, and its About page describes it as a zoo open to the public. Every figure on this page comes from the centre’s website, read on 1 November 2026.
Quick summary
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it is | Wildlife and environmental education centre with a zoo, owned by USAC |
| Where | Tayasal peninsula, shore of Lake Petén Itzá, Flores, Petén |
| Entry, other nationalities | Q75 |
| Entry, Central Americans | Q40 |
| Entry, Guatemalans | Q20 |
| Children | Under 5 free; from 5, the rate of their group |
| Hours | Tuesday to Sunday 7:30-17:00; Monday 10:00-17:00 |
| By boat | 15 minutes, from the Isla de Flores or Plaza Concordia |
| By road | 18.12 km (13.56 km paved, the rest dirt road) |
| Booking | Not needed, except school groups |
| Parking | Free, in front of the entrance |
| Food | Bring your own; no food on sale |
| Pets | Not allowed |
| Contact | +502 5522-5487, petencito@usac.edu.gt |
Admission prices
The centre’s Entradas page (posted in April 2024) lists six rates:
| Visitor group | Price |
|---|---|
| Visitors of other nationalities | Q75.00 |
| Central American visitors | Q40.00 |
| Guatemalan visitors | Q20.00 |
| Private-school students | Q10.00 |
| USAC staff and students | Q8.00 |
| Public-school students | Q5.00 |
The FAQ adds that there is no separate child rate: children aged 5 and over pay according to the group they belong to (nationals, foreigners, students and so on), and children under 5 enter free. So a family from the US or Europe pays Q75 for each adult and each child aged 5 or over.
Opening hours
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Tuesday to Sunday | 7:30 to 17:00 |
| Monday | 10:00 to 17:00 |
These are the hours on the centre’s FAQ page. Its directions page separately recommends travelling between 7 AM and 4 PM.
Getting there from Flores
By boat. The centre’s directions page puts Petencito 2.52 km northwest of Flores across the water, a 15-minute boat ride, and says you can board on the Isla de Flores or at Plaza Concordia. It does not publish a boat fare.
By road. The same page gives 18.12 km by road, of which 13.56 km is asphalt and 4.56 km dirt road. Its directions: on the road toward Guatemala City, at kilometre 8, take the junction toward Melchor de Mencos and Santa Ana. Turn left if you are coming from Flores, go straight on if you are coming from Guatemala City, or turn right if you are coming from Melchor de Mencos. At the junction a large sign for the Hotel Villa Maya marks the road to follow. After a paved stretch comes dirt road, which the page describes as in good condition. Past the sign for the Laguneta de Yalnón on your right, look for a small sign on your left reading Bienvenidos Centro de Educación Ambiental y Vida Silvestre Petencito.
The page gives two lengths for the unpaved part: 4.56 km in its overview and 3 km in the turn-by-turn directions.
The Tayasal archaeological park is on the same peninsula.
What is there
USAC has run Petencito since 1997, at first in usufruct. According to the centre’s history page, in December 2012 the Municipality of Flores granted the university ownership of the land, 291 hectares (6.33 caballerías), with the aim of preserving its flora and fauna. The centre’s description of the site lists three lagoons, Yalnón, Yachul and La Guitarra, beside Lake Petén Itzá.
The Fauna section of the website has profiles of 17 mammals, 18 birds and 7 reptiles, all posted in May 2021. They include the jaguar, puma, ocelot, spider monkey and saraguate, toucans and macaws, Morelet’s crocodile (cocodrilo pantanero) and the white turtle (tortuga blanca).
Rules and facilities
| Question | What the centre says |
|---|---|
| Parking | Free, in front of the entrance |
| Bringing food | Allowed; there are tables inside the park |
| Food on sale | None for now; there is no restaurant |
| Wi-Fi | None for now |
| Pets | Not allowed; some animals roam free inside the centre |
| Service animals | Not allowed; the FAQ says it can be dangerous for the person and the animal |
| Feeding the animals | The rules page says not to feed them. The FAQ says giving them human food is not recommended, as each species has a set diet given by its keeper, and that you could ask the keeper about feeding at the scheduled feeding time |
| Touching the animals | Not allowed under the centre’s rules |
The rules page also has recommendations for going into the water: wait 30 minutes after eating, and stay near the shore if you cannot swim. It adds that the institution is not responsible for incidents in the water.
Contact
The centre’s website lists the phone +502 5522-5487 and the email petencito@usac.edu.gt, as well as the social media handles @petencito and @petencito_gt. To check a rate or arrange a school visit, use those channels.
Nearby
- Across the same peninsula: Tayasal ruins.
- Other activities around Flores: Ixpanpajul Park and the Actún Kan caves.
- More ideas: things to do in Flores.
- Going on to Tikal: Flores to Tikal.
Sources
- Petencito (CEAVS, USAC), Entradas: https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?page_id=2514 (read 1 November 2026)
- Petencito, Preguntas frecuentes: https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?page_id=2558 (read 1 November 2026)
- Petencito, ¿Cómo llegar a Petencito?: https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?page_id=24 (read 1 November 2026)
- Petencito, ¿Quienes somos? and Reseña Histórica: https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?page_id=71 and https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?page_id=74 (read 1 November 2026)
- Petencito, Reglamentos and Características: https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?page_id=2762 and https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?page_id=16 (read 1 November 2026)
- Petencito, Fauna section (mammals, birds, reptiles): https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?cat=75 (read 1 November 2026)
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Petencito cost for foreign tourists?
Q75 per person for visitors of other nationalities and Q40 for Central Americans, according to the admission page on Petencito’s own website (read 1 November 2026). Guatemalan visitors pay Q20. Children under 5 enter free; from age 5, children pay the rate of the group they belong to.
What are Petencito's opening hours?
Tuesday to Sunday from 7:30 to 17:00, and Monday from 10:00 to 17:00, according to the centre’s frequently asked questions page. Its directions page recommends making the trip between 7 AM and 4 PM.
How do you get to Petencito from Flores?
By boat or by road. The centre’s directions page says the boat trip takes 15 minutes and that you can board on the Isla de Flores or at Plaza Concordia. By road it is 18.12 km, of which 13.56 km is paved and the rest dirt road, via the junction at kilometre 8 toward Melchor de Mencos and Santa Ana and the Hotel Villa Maya road.
Do I need to book a visit to Petencito?
No, according to the centre’s FAQ, except for public and private school groups, which bring a list on the day of the visit with each student’s name and the school’s name, signed and sealed by the school’s director.
Can I bring food or my dog to Petencito?
You can bring your own food: there are tables inside the park, and the centre says it does not sell food for now. Pets are not allowed, because some animals roam free inside the centre, and the FAQ also says no to service animals.
