Getting Around Flores: Causeway, Tuk-Tuks, Lake Boats and Colectivos

Flores island is small enough to walk, and the causeway to Santa Elena takes about 10 minutes on foot; beyond that, tuk-tuks cover the bus terminal and Santa Elena (Q15 per person from the terminal, per Wikivoyage as of 2026), lanchas cross the lake, and vans from the Santa Elena market serve the north-shore villages.

In short: Wikivoyage, a secondary travel guide read 10 November 2026, says walking is the most common way around, that circling the island takes about 15 minutes, and that the airport is about 2 km from the causeway. Use a tuk-tuk for the new bus terminal 1.5 km south of the causeway, a lancha for San Miguel or Petencito, and a van from Santa Elena market for San Andrés and San José. No municipal fare table for tuk-tuks or lanchas appears on any of the pages below; every price here is a guide’s or operator’s figure with its date.

Fares and times as published

All pages read 10 November 2026. Two different taxi figures from the airport sit in separate rows because they come from different publishers; neither is a regulated fare.

Walking and the causeway

Wikivoyage describes the walk from Flores to Santa Elena and San Benito as easy, about 10 minutes along the causeway sidewalks, and says the whole island can be circled in about 15 minutes. Thoroughly Travel, the travel blog of Lucy and Dan (page published 21 October 2025, updated 8 September 2026), says the island is compact and walkable and that its lakeside promenade, the malecón, is almost always submerged because the lake level keeps rising. Expect wet stretches on the waterfront rather than a continuous dry path.

The same blog says locals warned its writers that Santa Elena is not safe to walk around at night. If you arrive at the terminal after dark, that is the case for a tuk-tuk rather than the causeway walk.

Tuk-tuks and the TuriBus

Tuk-tuks are the short-hop vehicle. Wikivoyage’s local figure is Q10-15 (as of June 2024) and its terminal-to-island figure is Q15 per person (as of 2026). Thoroughly Travel gives 10-50Q for short trips and tells readers to agree the price before getting in. Wild Expedition, a tour operator’s Petén overview, gives Q10-Q20 for short hops in Santa Elena. Ask whether the price is per person or for the vehicle, because Wikivoyage’s terminal figure is per person.

Thoroughly Travel also describes the TuriBus Petén, a small tourist bus linking the airport, hotels and Santa Elena shopping centres with the island on three routes, running from 5:00 AM until 1:00 AM with prices starting at 15Q.

The bus terminals in Santa Elena

Wikivoyage names two terminals. Long-distance buses from Guatemala City, Belize City and other countries stop at the new bus station (Terminal Central de Buses, or Terminal Nueva), 1.5 km south of the causeway. Small buses from outlying villages use the old terminal inside Santa Elena’s old market (Mercado Viejo), which Wikivoyage says is much closer to the island.

Fuente del Norte’s own station list gives its Santa Elena, Flores, Peten stop as Mercado Nuevo Santa Elena, Zona 2, with customer service on 37637025 by phone and WhatsApp. Wild Expedition says buses arrive at the Santa Elena terminal and that taxis or tuk-tuks reach Flores in 5 minutes. Departures and fares to Guatemala City are on the Fuente del Norte schedules page.

Lake boats

Wikivoyage says regular boats run to San Miguel, the village directly north of the island, from a pier at the north end of Flores; a boatman quoted Q10 in June 2024. Tourist boats moored behind Hotel Santana run to Petencito or do lake tours, and Wikivoyage says their prices are not fixed and haggling is a must. For San José it describes hiring a small covered boat, about 40 minutes across the lake.

Wild Expedition says lanchas run between Flores and towns such as San Miguel and Jobompiche, at Q20-Q50 per person for short trips, and suggests bargaining for private hires. Thoroughly Travel says the boats can be hired privately or joined as a shared service, and that prices vary with your Spanish and negotiating.

Petencito, the USAC wildlife and environmental education centre on the Tayazal peninsula, publishes its own directions: 15 minutes by lancha, boarding on the island or at Plaza Concordia, 2.52 km by water against 18.12 km by road (13.56 km paved, 4.56 km dirt). It recommends travelling between 7 AM and 4 PM. Admission and opening details are on the Petencito page; the Santa Bárbara islet boat is on the Museo Santa Bárbara page.

Colectivos to the lake villages and El Remate

Wikivoyage says the old passenger boat service to San Andrés and San José on the north shore has been reduced since the road improved, and that vans and buses from the Santa Elena market are now easier: once Q7, about 30 minutes, leaving when full and packed. It adds that a chicken bus runs once an hour, slightly cheaper and slower.

For El Remate, Wikivoyage says all minibuses from Santa Elena to Tikal stop there, while some large buses stop only at a crossing 7 km from the village, so ask first. Wild Expedition says public buses link Flores, Santa Elena and El Remate, cost around Q10-Q30 per ride, are paid in cash to the conductor, and run less often in the afternoon. Thoroughly Travel warns that some colectivo sellers charge tourists more or steer them into tourist shuttles. Shuttle options to the ruins are on Flores to Tikal; the Belize border run is on Flores to Belize City.

Where to stay for easy transport

The island, Santa Elena and San Miguel each change which of these trips you make daily. The where to stay in Flores guide compares the three, and things to do in Flores covers the destinations.

Sources

• Wikivoyage, Flores (Guatemala) (secondary travel guide; dates as given per fare): https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Flores_(Guatemala) (read 10 November 2026)
• Petencito (CEAVS, USAC), ¿Cómo llegar a Petencito?: https://petencito.usac.edu.gt/?page_id=24 (read 10 November 2026)
• Transportes Fuente del Norte, Estaciones: https://transportesfuentedelnorte.com/estacion (read 10 November 2026)
• Wild Expedition, Northern Guatemala (Petén) (tour operator overview, undated): https://wildexpedition.com/zone/northern-guatemala-peten/ (read 10 November 2026)
• Thoroughly Travel, A Traveller’s Guide to Flores (travel blog, updated 8 September 2026): https://www.thoroughlytravel.com/flores-guatemala/ (read 10 November 2026)