fiogf49gjkf0d Arriving by
bus
from Guatemala City or Belize, you'll be dropped a block or two from the causeway to Flores. The
airport
is 3km east of the causeway, a US$2 taxi-ride into town.
Local buses
cover the route but entail a time-consuming change halfway. They cross the causeway about every ten minutes. Returning to the airport, local buses leave from the Flores end of the causeway every twenty minutes or so.
The staff at the Inguat desk in the arrivals hall at the airport (daily 7am-noon & 3-6pm; tel 926 0533), can give you reasonable maps and
information
in English. There's another office on the plaza in Flores (Mon-Sat 8am-4.30pm; tel 926 0669), where the helpful staff will most likely direct you across the plaza to the resource centre,
CINCAP
(Mon-Fri 9am-1pm & 2-6pm; tel 926 0718), a very useful resource centre with more detailed maps, books and leaflets, and exhibitions on historical and contemporary life in PetAŠn. This is also the production office of
Destination PetAŠn
, a free monthly listings and
information magazine
, available at most of the town's hotels and travel agencies. If you're planning to go on a trip to remote parts of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, check with
ProPetAŠn
on C Central (Mon-Fri 8am-5pm; tel 926 1370, fax 926 0495,
propeten@guate.net
) for current information on route conditions, accommodation and guides. They also run
organized trips
, including the "Scarlet Macaw Trail", a five-day expedition by truck, horse and boat along rivers and through primary forest, taking in the remote ruins of
El PerA?
and the largest concentration of scarlet macaws in northern Central America.
If you're interested in doing some
voluntary work
, the wildlife conservation and rescue association
ARCAS
(AsociaciA?n de Rescate y ConservaciA?n de Vida Silvestre; tel 926 0946,
arcaspeten@intelnet.net.gt
), based next to the Petencito zoo, 4km east of Santa Elena, runs a rescue service for animals taken illegally as pets from the forests and always needs volunteers. The work, while rewarding, can be quite demanding and you'll need to sign up for at least a week (US$80 per person including all food and lodging).
Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections):
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