Yaxha | Established Campground

Guatemala

Details

Verified:
about 2 months ago
Altitude:
173.0 masl
Website:
None
Phone:
None
Contributor:
pawsontour.com

Amenities

Electricity:
No
Wifi:
No
Kitchen:
No
Restaurant:
No
Showers:
Cold
Water:
Yes
Toilets:
Running Water
Big Rig Friendly:
No
Tent Friendly:
Yes
Pet Friendly:
Unknown
Sanitation Dump Station:
Unknown

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Description

Clean flush toilets and sinks, outdoor cold showers, by lake. Free with entry to ruins. Camping area is just down the road from the day parking – next to the museum. Great place for watching the sunset over the lake as kingfishers fly by and monkeys swing from the trees.

Reasonable Tigo signal.

Access road is a bit rough but doable with high clearance 2WD in most weather conditions.
After rain, it can be very slippery, difficult for 2WD

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Amazing ruinas and place to stay! The park closes at 5pm so you should arrive before if you wanna camp here! If you ask around you can do a night tour on the lagoon to see crocodiles or in the jungle to see jaguar!

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Be careful with 2WD. The way down to the Campspace is steep in parts and if it has rained for some days, it is very slippery. The Campground can also be very muddy.
by going back up, we got stuck 2 times! with 2WD Frontdrive.

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We passed with our 7m vehicle but the end of the road is very complicated. There is a steep climb with holes and we had to try several times to manage to climb. There are toilets at the top of the stairs and showers by the lake. The site is very interesting and we were practically alone to discover it.

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Beware of CREEP that runs the little store here and takes care of the property. His name is Guillermo. I was lying in a hammoc in one of the palapas after dark and he uninvitedly walked up the steps, struck up a conversation and began feeling up my leg. I turned to get out of the hammoc and he quickly started feeling my shoulders. He even went as far as to ask my age and if I wanted to take a shower then go for a walk with him. I was in shock this was happening and walked to the other side of the palapa and told him goodnight. This experience absolutely ruined my first day in Guatemala. Beware of Guillermo. Will never return to this place.

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Very nice that you can camp included the price of the ticket!
Toilet, cold shower, palapas and a beautiful lake front of you
*****

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We loved camping here! Monkeys and kingfishers everywhere. A nice place to be even if you are not interested in Maya ruins. Plus the ruins were our favourite so far. Beautiful and we were the only people there.

The palapas are on stilts accessed by steps so you can’t park up directly alongside but still a nice place to string up a hammock or if you have a ground tent. There are some grassy patches which are flattish for parking a camper / car and RTT.

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Entrance to the site is 80 quetzal per person for non-resident and it includes the camping. Camping was quiet with working toilets (top of the stairs) and outside showers (by the lake). We could hear the howling monkeys very clearly at night and morning; a great jungle stay!

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Great place in the area of the Yaxha ruins. As described it‘s fee for visitors of the ruins. Quit and peaceful besides the lake with lovely sunset. 👍

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We are cycle touring and camped here one night. Beautiful spot and included in the entry fee. toilets are OK, didn't use the shower. The water levels are high but there is still space for a camper. we put our tent up in one of the palapas kind of things

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Place is very nice!
Not too many mosquitos, a veeeery good shower with a ton of (cold) water, clean toilets with seats..

The ruins are also nice and you dont see many other people inthere probably!

The road there is sometimes not in the best condition .. You can do it witg 2wd but when it rained in the night, we were happy to have 4x4 as a backup but i guess you can also do it without !

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A very nice place by the lake with showers and toilets. It rained very heavily overnight. We had a hard time with our van 2wd. Be careful in the lake and near the showers there are crocodiles.

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wanted to stay here, came in at 5:17 pm, Gate for the National Park was already closed - could not get to the camping place :-)

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really great camping spot right be the lake, beautiful at sunset! it is free if you visit the ruins so totally worth staying as the sunset at the ruins is amazing. the outdoor shower was not working. there are also some elevated palapas if you want to tent up them

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So the campground is open, they let the bathroom open too, there is lots of place and really calm and peaceful at night. There is no shower now bcz of covid, and the museum is close too.
Careful for the road it's steepy and slippery, it's a rough road for the non high clearance vehicles but the site is really nice with nobody except at sunset on the major temple. We saw lots of birds and animals. Really one of our favorites.

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You can stay there again.. price included in the entryfee. Beautiful directly at the lagoon!

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There's currently no camping at this location because of Covid, BUT they allowed us to stay across from the visitors centre (about 2 miles or 3 kms back), with the military guards at the shore of the lake.

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The campsite is still closed but as we were self sufficient they allowed us to stay at the entrance parking. As you stay in the park they entrance ticket is valid for 3 days. We could visit the sites before everyone as the office only opens at 8:00AM. Good game.

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Campsite still closed... we set up camp at El sombrero instead.

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They do NOT allow any kind of camping at Yaxha during the pandemic!

They offered us to drive the 17 km to Nakum where camping is supposedly allowed but we did not try.

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really great place to camp. the outdoor showers are simple so don't be shy or just go after dark. they don't seem to care how long you stay, in fact the guard was surprised we were camping only one night (seems 80q/pp no matter how many days).

toilets are okay but visitor center down the road is very good.

ruins are great too, old pyramid style structures many of which you can climb, no fee to see sunrise or sunset. overall better experience than Tikal by far

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Lovely site near the lake. The outdoor showers are refreshing and the toilets are clean. The historic site is very nice. The road is o.K. But we were here in dry season. High clearance was helpful. As described, it is the combination of historic site AND naturaleza that makes this spot so beautiful.

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It’s 80q now.
It’s smaller than Tikal, but I like it more. I was virtually alone for a few hours in the park and just one other tent at the camping.
There’s a small tienda at the camping, where you can buy cold drinks and snacks (no alcohol, though).
But it gets crowded at sunset on the big pyramid.

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We enjoyed camping here after spending the day at the ruins. The staff at the entrance will direct you to the camping site. The roads are tough but doable; we made it with our 2WD. By the lake, quiet, cold showers, and lots of wildlife around. Had a great night and morning here. Would recommend!

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A place for archeology enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. We saw most of the animals mentioned in other posts plus a Gray Fox, a couple of Aracaris, myriads of tiny insects crawling in our ears and noses and 6 or 8 sweaty tourists ;)

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The road in from the main highway to the gate is not so bad in Feb 2019....easy-peasy if you have good tires, as the rocks are sharp. We didn't bother airing down. Truck suspension makes it a simple 15-20 minute drive from the highway to the military post and checkpoint, where they note your license plate and name in a ledger and you pay your entrance. From there to the campground and ruins is 2km of rougher road driving, but with only 2-3 steep, fairly rutted sections. NOT big rig friendly, unless you have a Mog type vehicle. We were glad for four wheel drive, high clearance, and sway bar disconnect for the steep and rough spots. You can make it in a more standard truck/SUV easy enough, just keep your tires (or your tyres) on the high spots. For us it was no problem and just a "normal" rough road (would be a 1 - easiest - on the Moab scale as there are no ledges or tight turns, just the few rocky and steep, rutted sections). At the fork you go left and descend 1/2 km or so to the campground, or go right/straight to the ruins. In 2019 US State Dept had all kinds of warnings about travel and safety in this area (as well as Tikal), but no one I talked to here has ever heard of problems at Yax-ha. It is well guarded by military and rangers and someone would have to go to a supreme effort to circumvent all that security at high risk and low probability of targeting a tourist with success (and then escape with the loot). Other than the road (last 2km) and your normal biting ants and insects, you are safe. We were cautioned about walking around at night or off trail but that is standard good sense for snakeless jungle travel. Finally, nobody hassled us at the gate for guide services or expensive tours, and everyone we met was super, super friendly. Not sure why others have reported such. Beautiful camp by the lake! Sweet two-story open palapa style platforms for swing-slingers and tenters, too! Spider monkeys up close and personal in the anona trees by the museum.

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my wife & i thoroughly enjoyed our stay camping at Yaxha for 3 nights. Pay the one-time entrance fee of 50Q per person and camping is free (we pitched our tent under one of the 6 available thatch covered camping platforms). our Kia Sol did ok on the road (it was dry weather) but there were several very tricky spots, especially close to the entrance. we had the park to ourselves pretty much except in the late afternoon at the main temple dozens of people would arrive to see the sunset. tons of spider and howler monkeys (they may roar in the middle of the night). lots of parrots and other birds. we also saw foxes, coatis, agoutis, deer, but they are pretty secretive. Do be cautious...we did see a small fer de lance on one of the ruins and a coral snake slithering off a trail-both very poisonous snakes. there's a little store on site but with hardly anything except for snacks & drinks. we ate lunch at the visitors center and the nearby ecolodge. about $10 per person. Highly recommend if you want a quiet place with lots of nature and some cool ruins

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Really nice place.
Unfortunately, the day we arrived my husband was bitten by a fer de lance snake and we had to leave in emergency.
The staff/militaries were super helpful !

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The road to Yaxha is bumpy but doable with almost every car. Just go slow and watch the wildlife going in next to your car:) . The campground ist right next to the lake with funny showers (cold and not very private) and toilets. The view over the lake is very nice and from the ruins even nicer.

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Have been here with bicycle. The road is damm crazy and you should only try with good tires and brakes. It was totally a mess. As I was totally overrun by all kind of insects in the night would not recommend to stay and just visit over day by shuttle and enjoy the sunset as well. Had the park more or less for me which was really super nice.

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Nice site with a couple of ruins in the jungle. Some pyramids still under development / excavation. You can climb on top of some if them. Some original stone carvings. Well kept tracks. A museum, small tienda and multiple restrooms. A few tourist every day. You'll have the place pretty much for yourself.
Entrance fee: 80 Q per Person (you can stay as long as you want).

The 12 km drive from highway is pretty rough but no 4x4 required. High clearance will be an advantage but we've seen "normal" cars on the road. Plan at least 40-50 minutes. It took us 60 minutes with a Unimog with cabin (so we had to drive careful to ensure everything remains in its place).

!!! The GPS coordinates are not the ones for the site (I forgot to lock them, when we were there). They are from the road shortly before the entrance.

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After a very difficult and bumpy road arrived for seeing the sunset with 100 of school girls screaming all around all time also at the camping. The service and stuff is not really friendly a bit arrogant and as a foreigner they try to sell you everything double price and if you tell them that you are not a rich gringo they treat you like air. They want to sell you a lot of overprized tours as its too "dangerous" to walk around on your own because of poison a
Also wanted to charge 5Q per each piece of gatchet to charge.
I was very disapponted about the park. Nice wild life but ruins...mehhh

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We drove here after visiting Tikal. Reading all the comments, we thought we'd give it a chance. Managed to get at the campsite with our 4,5t rig 2x4 in the rain. Some spots are a bit tricky when wet, but it is a nice challenge!
Beautiful view from the temple and a park almost to yourself..

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super ruins in the jungle with great sunset with lake view. Still free parking unlimited nights. 80q starting from 5 years old. Road was dirty and bumpy. You can walk from camping to ruins

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Wonderful ruins with crazy view on the top of pyramids !
Dirty road, just take your time.
if you pay the entrance you can stay as long as you want in the camping area and visit the ruins at the sunset, sunshine, when you want ! The staff is very welcoming.
We stay here 3 days

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A good place to stay for 1-2 nights. Still 80 qtc pp, we arrived around 6 PM when the gate was already closed. They opened it for us, didn't charge any money in the evening but we promised to pay for the ruins in the morning. Showers are cold, toilets are OK. Electricity is available in the kitchen area (we used it for our rice-cooker), as well as tables and chairs.
Nice spot to camp near the lagoon but they suggested not to park to close to them because of the crocodiles (didn't see any). There are a lot of people with guns: we felt very safe.
No Tigo reception in the camping spot but we've got the perfect connection on top of the highest pyramid :)
So far one of the nicest places to camp for free in Guatemala.

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Tricky road from the visitor's centre. The locals said only 4wd make it when it rains, actually they offer shuttle services from there for the occasion. We didn't need the 4wd on our way in, but when we left, it was raining a lot, so we did use it, there is one steep part with lots of holes. Great place to spend the night after visiting Yaxhá, which btw we loved. We liked Tikal a lot, but Yaxhá feels more special since there aren't many tourists. It is worth the detour.

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Very nice campground. Not many level spots, but you're likely to be alone so choose a place you like (not too close to the lake - crocodiles!) outdoor showers with curtains, so you have some kind of privacy. restrooms are behind the museum up the stairs, TP and soap are there.
The guides told us at the moment you can't drive to Nakum, the road is flooded, so ask someone before you head in that direction, you still can hike there it's 17km...
very quiet apart from the howler monkeys in the early morning, so no need to set an alarm :) no WiFi but good reception with claro.

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just confirming all the other comments.
the ruins are extra special because of the lack of crowds, it really makes for a good experience.
rough road coming in, no need for 4wd, just take your time!
the camping is perfect, a really beautiful location. if you have a tent, the palapas are awesome, if not they are a great morning yoga spot!

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Awesome spot to visit ruins and camp. Like everyone said before- $80qtz pp to enter the park, but that is for entry only. Camping is free and there is no daily charge.

Ruins are nice and are well kept, you will likely have them to yourself.

The camp site is very nice, right next to the lake. Good bathrooms with a bit of a climb and even cold water showers.

We were offered a night tour with Guillermo, a worker at the site with a bit of a side hustle. He is very nice and very proud of the park and it's history. He will take you into the site after dark to climb the tallest of the pyramids. The night we went we were able to watch shooting stars as well as sheet lightening all around us from the top of an ancient temple. Pretty cool.

Guillermo charged us $150qtz (total) for our night tour.

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Wouldn't skip Tikal because of going to Yaxha, but it's a great place, especially because of the campsite right in the middle of the nature.

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They do not allowed dogs, also not if they stay in the car,
we aksed the Lady in the Office, she did not give us a reason

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Really worth a visit! Enjoy the sunset almost all alone and nights and visit for cheap. Met an overlander who did both Tikal and here who said here was a much better experience.

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Perfect spot to stay overnight when visiting Yaxha. With entrance fee camping overnight is free. Nice breeze of wind and temperatures cooled down over night for good sleeping. Lots of howlers, cute to watch, hard to sleep with ;) good showers.

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super nice campground!! we stayed 3 nights, no extra charge (only the entrance fee to the ruins: 80Q/person). great cold outdoor-showers! very nice toilets! amazing spot in the dschungle, right at the lagoon. friendly employees. many animals, like spider monkeys, howler monkeys, crocodiles, lots of birds (which can be - like the howler monkeys - pretty noisy in the early morning ;))

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80Q to enter in Park. You can sleep heard the Animals, monkey, birds and see lots of animals. Like a wild camp but there are showers, bath and a mini market.

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80Q to enter in Park. You can sleep heard the Animals, monkey, birds and see lots of animals. Like a wild camp but there are showers, bath and a mini market.

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As mentioned below, free camping with entry fee (80Q), open camping, no water or electricity, cold water rustic showers, W/C up the stairs (battery power/generator) at this end of the road. Crocs in the lake, some of the land is a bit sloped but drive around and one can find a level spot. Quiet and dark.

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Agree with all comments...we stayed in a RV motor home and while road is rough it's a great place to visit. Howlers, crocs, birds and a lake. Make sure you bring enough Local cash as no ATM or credit card. We ate at Eco lodge about 1km away...good food and they helped change USD at prevailing rates.

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Free camping at the lake, close to the ruins of Yaxha. Cold showers available and a palapa with a fire place. The restrooms are a short walk away. Entrance fee for the park is Q80/person.

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Camped one night. Next to the palapas. Showers near camping area. Actual restrooms are 3 min away grom camping area. Beautiful ruins, howler monkeys, crocodiles,

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Great spot! 80 to enter stay for as long as you want, very safe. Ruins are great, sunset/sunrise as you please. I met a fellow over lander and we paid a worker 50Q each to stay there 2 hours past sunset to take astrophotography photos and it was excellent! I travel by motorbike and it was possible to drive my bike under the 5th palapa to be out of any possible weather. Sunset from the pier at the campsite was amazing also! Great reflections. Only downside is the ants, but I kept to the second level of my palapa and no problems. Must see!

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We pitched our tents in the raised palapas. Nice breeze from the lake. We really enjoyed this site, very quiet. The only negative was the showers were broken, but they were actively trying to fix them.

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A few biting ants to watch out for, otherwise excellent, quiet and safe. Right by a lake, open air but private showers. Great place to get up early in the morning for some ruin scrambling. Camping included with park entry fee for as many days as you want.

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We stayed 2 night @80 q per person included the ruins and stay as long as u like clean toilets os shower nice place to camp ants a hassle but the raised palapas were a safe haven no swimming in the apparently crocs frequent worth visiting we felt safe and secure

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Safer place at the Yaxha ruin. Cost of Yaxha Park is unique 80QZ/Person. But then you can camp out for days here and in the other 2 ruins. It has outdoor showers with extremely a lot of pressure and cold water. Water was drinkable with filter. WC also available. The Laguna is also pretty, but not for swimming because of the crocodiles!
The admission price is for the 3 ruins Yaxha and Naranjo, Nakum that are only accessible by 4WD.

Price: Free

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Toilets, outdoor showers, by lake. Free with entry to ruins. Camping area is just down the road from the day parking – next to the museum. There is also a nice spot right by the lake down a small track – better for smaller vehicles.

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