Tikal and Xunantunich are different scales of visit: Tikal is a national park 63 km from Flores where a foreigner pays Q150.00 and can add sunrise or sunset entry; Xunantunich is a single hilltop reserve in Belize, 20 minutes from San Ignacio by one operator’s timing, where a non-resident pays BZ$25 on NICH’s ticket page (both read 10 November 2026).

In short: From Flores, Tikal is the nearer site and the one with official sunrise and sunset tickets (Q100.00 each for foreigners, guide required). From San Ignacio, Xunantunich is a half-day: a hand-cranked ferry over the Mopan River, then El Castillo, which NICH puts at 130 feet. Doing both means two days and a land border; leaving Belize costs 40 Belize dollars or 20 US dollars.

Head to head

Tikal (Guatemala)Xunantunich (Belize)
Who runs the ticketsMinisterio de Cultura y Deportes (MCD) ticket portalNICH (National Institute of Culture and History) ticketing
Adult entry, foreign visitorQ150.00 (Entrada al parque, Extranjeros)$25.00, non-resident adult; terms say prices are in Belize dollars
Adult entry, localQ25.00, Guatemalan citizens with a valid DPI and CUI$10.00, resident adult
ChildrenFree under 10; from 10, full feeNon-resident minor $25.00; under 5 free; resident minor under 12 free
Regular hours6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., every day of the year8:00 am to 5:00 pm every day, including Sundays and holidays (NICH ticket page)
Early and late entrySunrise about 4:00-6:00 a.m. and sunset about 6:00-8:00 p.m.; Q100.00 each for foreigners plus park ticket; authorized guide required$20.00 for 5:00-7:59 a.m. and for 5:01-7:00 p.m. under Belize’s 2025 fee rules; not sold on NICH’s ticket page
Last entryNot stated on the hours pageLast tour 1 hour before closing if driving, 1.5 hours if on foot
GuideNot required in regular hours; required for sunrise and sunsetNICH’s page does not say a guide is required; maximum 15 visitors per tour guide
Main structureTemple IV, the tallest at Tikal (MCD gives no height); Temple V about 57 m; Temple I about 47 m; Temple II about 38 mEl Castillo, 130 feet (NICH); 40 meters (Tikal Go, a tour operator)
Getting there63 km from Flores, about 1 hour; 484 km from Guatemala City, about 9 hours (MCD)Near San Jose Succotz, Cayo District; 20 minutes from a San Ignacio hotel (Tikal Go); hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River

Read 10 November 2026 on the MCD ticket portal, NICH’s Xunantunich ticket page and terms, Belize’s Statutory Instrument No. 13 of 2025 and Tikal Go’s tour page. Quetzal and Belize-dollar prices are not converted here.

Entry fees and what else Tikal sells

The MCD shop separates every ticket by visitor category, and it warns that a foreign visitor who buys a ticket for Guatemalan citizens will not be allowed into the park. Foreign visitors buy the tickets with Extranjero in the name.

Tikal ticket (foreign visitors)Price
Park entryQ150.00
Sunrise ticketQ100.00
Sunset ticketQ100.00
Museum entryQ30.00
Uaxactún entryQ50.00
Camping areaQ50.00

The national-visitor equivalents are Q25.00, Q20.00, Q20.00, Q5.00, Q5.00 and Q10.00. MCD says seniors pay the regular fee. For how to buy and what to bring, see Tikal vs Chichén Itzá, which covers the portal’s payment rules, and the Tikal sunrise tour page for the dawn entry.

At Xunantunich, NICH’s terms say tickets are non-refundable, valid for one visit, and usable for up to six months from purchase. The full Belizean fee schedule, the conflict between the 2025 rules and NICH’s ticket-page hours, and the ferry rules are set out on our Xunantunich day trip from Flores page.

The visit itself

Tikal. MCD’s access page says that during regular hours visitors may explore on their own without a guide, provided they follow marked routes, official instructions and the park’s rules: carry the ticket throughout, do not litter, do not feed wildlife, and do not climb structures that are not authorised for access. Its structures page says access to certain structures is by wooden stairways and observation platforms, and that these access points can change with conservation measures. Temple II has a wooden observation platform over the Great Plaza; from Temple IV’s upper platforms MCD describes a view over the forest canopy.

Xunantunich. NICH’s visitor-safety rules: outdoor footwear for rugged terrain, stay on demarcated trails, use handrails, no loud noise or music, no jumping on monuments, and at the ferry every passenger must leave the vehicle and horseback riders must dismount. The site lists a visitor centre, restrooms, picnic area, parking, a boat dock and gift shops.

A guided Xunantunich half-day from San Ignacio

Tikal Go publishes a private Xunantunich tour from San Ignacio at $129 for 2 PAX, in US dollars, for a minimum of 2 and maximum of 12 people. Its itinerary: hotel pickup 09:00, arrival and start of the tour 09:30, tour ends 12:30, lunch at 1:00 pm and back at the hotel at 2:30 pm. It lists ground transport, entrance fee, professional guide, lunch and water as included and tips as not included, and requires full payment in advance (no cash). Its cancellation terms give no refund within 48 hours of the booking date.

Doing both on one trip

The two sites sit either side of the Guatemala-Belize land border, so the practical plan is Tikal from a base in Flores and Xunantunich from a base in San Ignacio, on different days. The UK government’s Belize entry page says that if you leave Belize by land, or by water to Guatemala or Mexico, you pay a departure tax of 40 Belize dollars or 20 US dollars at the border; the breakdown of that charge, the shuttle timings and the border crossing are on the Xunantunich day trip page. For getting to Tikal, see Flores to Tikal; for onward travel into Belize, Flores to Belize City. For another two-country comparison, see Tikal or Copán.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

Tikal or Xunantunich: which should I visit?

They answer different trips. Tikal is a national park in Petén, 63 km (about 1 hour) from Flores, with official sunrise and sunset entries and several temples between 38 and 57 m. Xunantunich is a single Belizean reserve near San Jose Succotz, 20 minutes from a San Ignacio hotel according to one tour operator, dominated by El Castillo at 130 feet (NICH). From Flores, Xunantunich means a border crossing; from San Ignacio, it is the nearer site.

How much does each site cost?

Tikal park entry is Q150.00 for foreigners and Q25.00 for Guatemalan citizens with a valid DPI, on the Ministry of Culture and Sports ticket shop. NICH’s ticket page sells Xunantunich at $25.00 for a non-resident adult and $10.00 for a resident adult, and its terms say all prices are in Belize dollars (read 10 November 2026).

Can you see sunrise at both?

Tikal sells sunrise (about 4:00 to 6:00 a.m.) and sunset (about 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.) tickets at Q100.00 each for foreigners, on top of park entry, and requires an authorized guide you arrange yourself. For Xunantunich, Belize’s 2025 fee rules list a $20.00 fee for 5:00 to 7:59 a.m. and for 5:01 to 7:00 p.m., but NICH’s ticket page sells only daytime entry, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

Are children free?

At Tikal, children under 10 enter free and older children pay. On NICH’s ticket page for Xunantunich, a non-resident minor pays $25.00, the same as an adult, and children under 5 are free; resident children under 12 are free.

Can you climb the temples?

At Tikal, the Ministry says access to certain structures is by wooden stairways and observation platforms, and climbing structures not authorised for access is forbidden. At Xunantunich, NICH’s visitor rules forbid jumping on monuments; a San Ignacio operator, Tikal Go, says its tour climbs to the summit of El Castillo.

Can I do Tikal and Xunantunich on the same trip?

Yes, as two separate days: Tikal from Flores, Xunantunich from San Ignacio, with a land border between them. The UK government says leaving Belize by land costs 40 Belize dollars or 20 US dollars at the border.