Parque Arqueológico Quiriguá is a UNESCO World Heritage Maya site at kilometre 204 of the CA-9 in Los Amates, Izabal, famous for the tallest stela in the Maya world — Stela E, 10.7 metres. Entry is Q80 for foreigners and Q20 for Guatemalans, and it is open every day from 8:00 to 16:30, per the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes.
Quiriguá is not a place you base yourself. It sits four hours from Guatemala City on the highway to the Caribbean, and one to two hours on site is enough. The way we recommend is as a stop on the drive or bus ride to Río Dulce, sleeping there and taking the boat to Livingston the next morning.
Quick summary
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Where | Km 204, CA-9 (carretera al Atlántico), Los Amates, Izabal |
| From Guatemala City | ~4 hours (Ministerio de Cultura) |
| Turn-off to gate | 4 km through banana plantations |
| Entry | Q80 foreigners · Q20 Guatemalans |
| Hours | Every day, 8:00-16:30 |
| Site museum | 8:00-16:00 |
| Parking and toilets | Free |
| Time on site | 1-2 hours |
| Local guide | Private guides available at the site |
| UNESCO World Heritage | Since 31 October 1981 |
| Where to sleep | Río Dulce (alternative: Quiriguá village) |
Fees and hours from the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes’ cultural information system (updated 16 June 2026), retrieved 24 September 2026, and its official visitor guide.
What you pay
| Item | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign visitor | Q80 | Ministerio de Cultura, SIC listing (June 2026) and visitor guide |
| Guatemalan visitor | Q20 | Same |
| Parking | Free | Ministerio de Cultura visitor guide |
| Public toilets | Free | Same |
| Private local guide, 2-4 people | Q50 | guatevalley listing (undated — confirm at the gate) |
| Private local guide, group of 10 | Q150 | Same |
The fee and hours come from the government body that runs the site — there is no separate operator in between. The guide prices are from an undated listing, so treat them as a starting point, not a quote.
What you are looking at
Quiriguá is one of only three cultural sites in Guatemala on UNESCO’s World Heritage List — with Tikal and Antigua Guatemala. UNESCO’s description centres on seventeen monuments carved between 426 and 810 AD, in sandstone and without metal tools, on a property of 34 hectares.
- Stela E — 10.7 metres tall and about 65 tonnes, per the Diario de Centro América. The Ministerio de Cultura calls it the tallest stela of all Maya culture. It dates to around 771 AD and represents the political power of the ruler K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Yopaat.
- Stela F — 7.3 metres, carved in sandstone, dated 17 March 761, per the ministry’s visitor guide.
- The Great Plaza — an open space of 45,000 square metres with 11 carved monuments at its centre, per the ministry. UNESCO calls it the largest known public space in the entire Maya area.
- The zoomorphs — sculptures in animal form. UNESCO counts the zoomorphic and anthropomorphic sculptures among the most attractive pre-Columbian works known.
- The site museum — open 8:00 to 16:00.
In 2016 UNESCO also added Quiriguá’s sculpted monuments to its Memory of the World programme, as historical documents carved in stone.
A site exposed to natural disasters
UNESCO notes that the park’s closeness to the Motagua River and the Motagua fault make it vulnerable to natural disasters. That is not theoretical: after tropical storms Eta and Iota damaged it, the park reopened on 18 June 2021, seven months after the storm damage, cleaned and with a concrete culvert laid where footpath bridges had collapsed, per the Diario de Centro América. In rainy season, check that it is open before you plan a detour.
Getting there
The ministry’s visitor guide puts the park at kilometre 204 of the CA-9, the Atlantic highway, about four hours from Guatemala City. At km 204 a sign marks the turn to Quiriguá; from there it is 4 km through banana plantations to the gate.
| How | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Own car or rental | CA-9 toward Puerto Barrios, turn at km 204, 4 km to the gate; about 10 minutes off the highway | guatevalley; Singing Vegan (2017) |
| Bus to or from Río Dulce | Buy a ticket and ask to be let off at Las Ruinas de Quiriguá | Tofu Traveler |
| Bus, staying in the village | Ask for Pasarela de Quiriguá instead — a little further on, and it saves walking to find a tuk-tuk | Tofu Traveler |
| Onward to Río Dulce | About an hour’s drive, in one traveller’s 2017 account | Singing Vegan |
For bus operators and fares to Río Dulce, see Guatemala City to Río Dulce by bus. For the drive — fuel stops and timing — see driving Guatemala City to Río Dulce, which advises being in Río Dulce before dark.
Why you sleep in Río Dulce, not at the ruins
We looked at three options — Quiriguá village, Los Amates/Morales, and Río Dulce — and the sources point one way.
- Quiriguá is a stopover, not a base. A traveller’s guide to the site frames it as worth a couple of hours on the way between the Río Dulce/Livingston area and Antigua or Guatemala City, and says there is really not much to do in town besides the ruins.
- Río Dulce is close. One traveller drove from the ruins to Río Dulce in about an hour.
- Río Dulce is where the next day starts. The colectivo boat to Livingston leaves the Río Dulce dock at around 9:00-9:30 AM (boat guide). Sleep there and you make the morning boat without a pre-dawn drive.
- We found no source describing Los Amates or Morales as a traveller base.
The exception: if you want a night right by the ruins — to recharge or take a break from bus trips — Tofu Traveler recommends Posada de Quiriguá in the village.
Live availability around Río Dulce:
Where to stay in Río Dulce
Compare Booking.com, Airbnb and hotels on one map. Drag the map and set your dates to see live availability and real prices.
Affiliate links — if you book, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
A workable day
A sample plan built from the figures above, for a driver leaving Guatemala City in the morning:
| Step | Time budget | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala City → Quiriguá (km 204) | ~4 hours | Ministerio de Cultura |
| At the site | 1-2 hours | Singing Vegan; Tofu Traveler |
| Quiriguá → Río Dulce | ~1 hour | Singing Vegan (2017) |
| Next morning: boat to Livingston | Departs ~9:00-9:30 AM | Boat guide |
The park’s hours end at 16:30, so the later you leave the capital, the less slack you have.
Tours
We did not find a Quiriguá day tour from Río Dulce or Guatemala City on Viator on 24 September 2026. The only Quiriguá product was Quirigua Mayan site from Santo Tomas Port, a 5-hour shore excursion from the cruise port at Santo Tomás de Castilla, from $175 — useful only if you arrive by ship. For everyone else, private local guides work at the site.
If you are building the rest of your Izabal trip around Río Dulce and Livingston, compare boat tours and transfers here:
Tours around Quiriguá and Río Dulce
Affiliate links — we earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.
- Río Dulce to Livingston boat — the next morning’s trip.
- Siete Altares from Livingston — the waterfalls once you reach the Caribbean.
- Guatemala’s archaeological sites compared — Quiriguá next to Tikal, Yaxhá and the rest.
- Los Amates municipality · Izabal department · all activities.
Affiliate links — if you book, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the entrance to Quiriguá?
Q80 for foreign visitors and Q20 for Guatemalans, per the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes’ own listing (updated 16 June 2026). The same two figures appear in the ministry’s official visitor guide. Parking and public toilets at the park are free.
What are Quiriguá's opening hours?
Every day, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., per the Ministerio de Cultura y Deportes. The site museum opens 8:00 to 16:00, per the ministry’s visitor guide.
How long do you need at Quiriguá?
One to two hours. One traveller walked the whole park in about an hour; another guide recommends at least a couple of hours as a stopover. Most of the famous monuments stand in one large plaza, so it fits into a driving day between Guatemala City and Río Dulce.
Where is Quiriguá and how do you get there?
At kilometre 204 of the CA-9 Atlantic highway, in Los Amates, Izabal — about four hours from Guatemala City, per the Ministerio de Cultura’s visitor guide. From the signed turn-off it is 4 km through banana plantations. By bus, travellers heading to or from Río Dulce buy a ticket and ask to be let off at Las Ruinas de Quiriguá.
Where should I stay to visit Quiriguá?
Río Dulce. Quiriguá is a stop on the CA-9 on the way to the Caribbean side, not a base: one traveller drove from the ruins to Río Dulce in about an hour, and Río Dulce is where the boat to Livingston leaves the next morning. If you would rather stop for the night right by the ruins, Quiriguá village has a posada, but there is little else to do in town.
How tall is Stela E at Quiriguá?
10.7 metres, weighing about 65 tonnes, according to the Diario de Centro América. The Ministerio de Cultura calls it the tallest stela of all Maya culture. It was built around 771 AD and represents the political power of the ruler K’ak’ Tiliw Chan Yopaat.
Can I take a tour to Quiriguá?
On 24 September 2026 the only Quiriguá product we found on Viator was a 5-hour shore excursion from Santo Tomás port for cruise passengers, from $175. For independent travellers the usual way is to stop on the drive or bus ride to Río Dulce and hire a private local guide at the site.
