Peten (Guatemala)

For any travellers who, like me, arrived from Chetumal (Mexico) by travelling through Belize, Petén is simply the gateway to Guatemala. I loved the tranquility at Flores, a small island (or peninsula) located on Lake Petén Itzán. It's a charming place with many leisurely activities, and it contrasts with the country's environment which you first discover from inside the minibus: perceptible poverty, degraded infrastructure, tin rooves, etc.

I was accompanied by a couple of friends when I first went to Flores and I have good memories of the holiday atmosphere and swimming in the lake... where my friend found mushrooms (Guatemalan lakes are heavily polluted).

We also visited Tikal, a wonderful place where we were welcomed in the morning by flying toucans or "flying bananas" as the guide would say. But the region abounds in Mayan temples, Tikal is "simply" the most well-known. In future, I'd like to have the opportunity to discover other archaeological sites (Naachtun, Yaxhá, Dos Pilas, Piedras Negras, etc.) and go hiking in the jungle to the site known as El Mirador before it becomes overloaded with tourists. That's my Indiana Jones side!