In short: In Guatemala only guides accredited by INGUAT, the national tourism institute, may work as tour guides, and each must carry an INGUAT carné where you can see it. INGUAT’s guide regulation sets no rates, so prices are whatever operators charge. The published prices we read on 24 September 2026 run from US$17 per person for a guided walk inside Tikal (ticket extra), through US$49-99 per guest for a 3-hour walking tour of Antigua, to from US$175 per person for an 8-hour guided trip to Mixco Viejo ruins.
This page is about the guide: what one costs and how to tell a licensed guide from a tout. For the sites themselves, see Tikal at sunrise, Flores airport to Tikal and Mixco Viejo ruins.
Published guide prices, September 2026
Each price is as the operator or booking platform showed it on 24 September 2026. Tours with transport or entrance fees included are marked, because that is most of the difference between them.
| Tour | Where it is sold | Price | What is included |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guided walk inside Tikal (e.g. the 09:00-13:00 “Mighty Tikal” route) | Jungle Lodge, Tikal | US$17 per person | English/Spanish guide. Park entrance ticket not included |
| 3-hour Antigua cultural walking tour | Trek Guatemala | US$99 for one guest; US$69 each for 2; US$59 each for 3; US$49 each for 4 or more | Bilingual English/Spanish guide, all entrance fees, a refreshment |
| Tikal guided tour from Flores with transport (8 hours) | GetYourGuide | From US$25, shown at US$20 that day | Transport and guide (check the listing for the park ticket) |
| Yaxhá shared sunset tour from Flores (7 hours) | GetYourGuide | From US$25, shown at US$20 that day | Transport and guide |
| Mixco Viejo or Jilotepeque Viejo half-day archaeology tour (8 hours) | GetYourGuide, provider listed as a Guatemalan tour guide | From US$175 per person | Private round-trip transport from Antigua, site admission, and a Spanish-speaking guide the listing describes as licensed by INGUAT |
Three things the table shows:
- At big sites the guide and the ticket are separate purchases. The Jungle Lodge price for a guided walk inside Tikal excludes the park entrance ticket (see our Tikal page for entrance fees).
- Private means per-guest prices fall with group size. Trek Guatemala’s walking tour costs a solo traveller twice what each person in a group of four pays.
- Full days to less-visited sites cost more. The Mixco Viejo listing is an 8-hour day with private transport from Antigua and the site ticket included, from US$175 per person.
We found no published price for hiring a freelance guide by the day directly, and no guide pay data: Computrabajo, a Guatemalan job board, had too few salaries for its tour-guide page to show one. Ask a guide for a day rate in writing, and say how many people and hours it covers.
The licence: what INGUAT’s rules say
Guides are regulated by INGUAT Acuerdo 187-2007-D, the Regulations for the Registration and Operation of Tour Guides (Regulaciones para la Inscripción y Funcionamiento de Guías de Turistas), issued under INGUAT’s organic law, Decreto 1701, and amended by Acuerdo 313-2011.
- Who may guide (Article 3). Only people with INGUAT accreditation may work as tour guides.
- The carné (Article 11). INGUAT issues a guide’s carné after the applicant pays the fee; it is the only valid document showing the bearer may work as a guide.
- How long it lasts (Article 12). The carné is valid for one year for the first five years, then for three years at a time, with an annual data update.
- Keeping it (Article 13, as amended in 2011). Renewal is requested 20 working days before expiry and needs a current criminal and police record certificate and proof of yearly training through INGUAT, INTECAP, a university or a related body: at least 25 hours a year for a community guide, 50 for a local guide, 75 for a general guide and 100 for a specialist.
- Carrying it. Among a guide’s duties is carrying the INGUAT carné in a visible place while working. Working without it visible, or with an expired carné, are both listed infractions.
- Who is not a tour guide (Article 6). The regulation lists people who are not considered tour guides when they do these activities without receiving pay for it: public employees accompanying visitors on official visits; teachers occasionally accompanying their students; staff of monuments, archives or places of natural, cultural, artistic and historic interest who inform the public as part of their duties without advertising their services; and, since the 2011 amendment, guides from other countries without INGUAT authorisation and accreditation, and tourist-transport drivers and helpers, group leaders and companions, and translators.
The four classes of guide
| Class (Article 4) | Where they may work | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Guía comunitario (community guide) | The rural community where they live | Village visits, local culture and nature around their home community |
| Guía local (local guide) | Only the site or region INGUAT authorised | A single site such as a park or a town |
| Guía general (general guide) | Anywhere in the country | Multi-day trips across regions |
| Guía especializado (specialist guide) | Anywhere in the country | Archaeology, flora, fauna, art and similar subjects; requires a university degree and/or proven experience in the field |
Ask which class a guide holds. A local guide licensed for one site is the right person there, but is outside their authorised area if they offer to take you across the country.
How to hire a guide without getting burned
- Ask to see the INGUAT carné and check it is current. Under Article 3, only INGUAT-accredited guides may work as tour guides.
- Match the class to the trip: local for one site, general or specialist for a multi-region itinerary.
- Get the price in writing, per person or per group, and whether it includes transport, park or site tickets, and food.
- Ask the language before you pay. The Jungle Lodge and Trek Guatemala prices above are for English/Spanish guides; the Mixco Viejo listing names Spanish only; the Flores listings as we recorded them name no language.
- Tips are up to you. INGUAT’s regulation says nothing about tips and we found no official guideline.
For businesses that want to operate tours rather than hire a guide, the registration side is on our INGUAT tourism registration page.
Related pages
- Tikal at sunrise
- Flores airport to Tikal
- Mixco Viejo ruins
- Getting around Antigua
- INGUAT tourism business registration
- Service prices hub
Sources
All read 24 September 2026 unless stated.
- INGUAT, Acuerdo 187-2007-D, Regulaciones para la Inscripción y Funcionamiento de Guías de Turistas, with the Acuerdo 313-2011 amendments (PDF on registro.inguat.gob.gt; the text on this page is from the Wayback Machine snapshot of 19 August 2022, because the live file blocks automated reads; we could not confirm whether INGUAT has amended it since)
- Jungle Lodge Tikal: tours
- Trek Guatemala: Antigua cultural walking tour
- GetYourGuide listings for Flores and Mixco Viejo or Jilotepeque Viejo half-day archaeology tour
Prices are as published on the date shown, change often, and differ by season and group size. Confirm before you book.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a tour guide cost in Guatemala?
It depends on where and how you book. Prices published on 24 September 2026: the Jungle Lodge in Tikal sells guided walks inside the park at US$17 per person, entrance ticket not included; Trek Guatemala’s 3-hour Antigua walking tour runs from US$49 per guest for four or more people to US$99 for a single guest, with entrance fees included; GetYourGuide listed a Tikal guided tour from Flores, with transport, from US$25, shown at US$20 on the day we looked; and an 8-hour guided trip to Mixco Viejo ruins, by a guide the listing describes as INGUAT-licensed, was listed from US$175 per person. INGUAT’s guide regulation sets no rates.
Do tour guides in Guatemala need a licence?
Yes. INGUAT’s guide regulation, Acuerdo 187-2007-D, says the activity of tour guide may only be exercised by people with INGUAT accreditation, and that the INGUAT carné is the only valid document showing a guide is authorised. Guides must carry the carné in a visible place while working; working without it visible, or with an expired one, is an infraction.
Does INGUAT set tour guide prices?
Not in its guide regulation. Acuerdo 187-2007-D covers registration, the guide classes, the carné and guides’ duties and infractions, but contains no price schedule. Guides and operators set their own prices, which is why the only way to compare is the published prices of operators and booking platforms.
How much should I tip a tour guide in Guatemala?
There is no official guideline. INGUAT’s guide regulation does not mention tips, and we found no published standard from a Guatemalan authority. Tipping is at your discretion; if a tour price says the guide’s fee is included, ask the operator whether tips go to the guide.
Does a tour leader travelling with my group count as a tour guide?
Not when they are not paid for guiding. Article 6 of INGUAT’s regulation lists people who are not considered tour guides when they do these activities without receiving pay for it; a 2011 amendment added guides from other countries who lack INGUAT authorisation and accreditation, and tourist-transport drivers and their helpers, group leaders, companions, heads or directors of groups, and translators. The rule is written as an exception from the definition, so it does not say what such a person may or may not do at a site; for a guided visit, hire a guide with an INGUAT carné.
