ABOUT US
Hello and welcome to Tikal VIP Tours, a highly-rated local tour operator offering trips to archaeological sites around Flores Guatemala, including Tikal, Yaxha, Uaxactun, La Blanca, and others.
We are rated 5 stars on TripAdvisor, Viator, and Tours By Locals and have been voted Traveler's Choice Best of the Best 2021 and 2022 on TripAdvisor. We provide reliable and safe transportation with A/C and insurance, and our guides are certified by the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism.
When you book a tour with Tikal VIP Tours, you are supporting local guides directly who will work to ensure you have a once-in-a-lifetime VIP experience! Most of the tours are guided by Elmer Alvarado, the founder of Tikal VIP Tours, who is the most recommended guide on TripAdvisor for his Tikal private day and sunrise tours.
If Elmer is not available he will do his best to recommend another guide certified by INGUATE who will be happy to show you the archaeological sites.
Our mission is to provide responsibly guided, educational tours of Tikal National Park and the surrounding Mayan sites by offering private transportation with insurance and a/c, lunch, fees, bottled water, and information about the flora, fauna, archaeology, and history for competitive prices.
I offer day tours and sunrise and sunset tours to Tikal, Yaxha, Uaxactun, La Blanca, Nakun, Naranjo, and multi-day tours to El Mirador. I enjoy showing my country to others and explaining about its rich history. I’m more than happy to help you to organize your trip to visit these Mayan sites because for me, this is a dream job and I would love to be part of your next adventure.
BIOGRAPHY
ELMER OMAR ALVARADO
FUNDADOR
From a young age, I dreamed about speaking with foreigners and learning English, although I had never met anyone who spoke English and had only learned a few English words in school. When I mentioned this desire to my father, he was very surprised and said it was something I had inherited from him since he always loved languages and archaeology but never had the opportunity to study either.
As I entered high school, I continued to dream about learning English and working at archaeological sites. My parents realized I would never stop dreaming about them and asked if I would want to study archaeology or tourism. When I said yes, they told me that they would sell their farm so I could study English and tourism and have the opportunities they never had.
After high school, I studied tourism at a school called LICEO MAYA and later at University, learned English. I wanted to continue improving both skillsets, so I enrolled at an English school, while also studying tourism at a government institution called INTECAP. There, I gained additional knowledge and guiding skills and became certified as an official tour guide in Guatemala in 2011. I started guiding at that point and have led countless tours for groups of people from all over the world. Currently, I am tour guide number 987 in the country.
After gaining much experience working for other tour companies, I created my own company in 2019 that specializes in Mayan archaeological sites to guide interested tourists and provide jobs to other local tour guides. I named the company Tikal VIP Tours, because my clients are very important to me and I strive to provide a VIP experience for everyone.
Come and join me on a hike through the jungle to visit Tikal and other ancient Mayan sites. It will be an experience you won’t soon forget. Remember that life is an adventure!