Treat yourself to a day with Elmer - it's worth it! - We had the most fantastic day at Yaxha with Elmer (and his driver, Rolando).  We knew so little about Mayan culture and history but Elmer (and his perfect English) enlightened us and he made it all so interesting. We learnt a lot, we asked many questions and we laughed a lot - it was our best guiding experience in 3 weeks of travelling in Guatemala - I cannot recommend Elmer enough. 

Excellent service from Elmer and Phidias - The service provided by Fidias and Elmer was excellent. They arrived very punctual to pick us up, the car was spotless and they arrived with water and cold drinks. Elmer is a fantastic guide who knows a lot about history, botany and animals, he is a great connoisseur of the Mayan empire and Guatemala in general. And it all explains it very pedagogically. It was an unforgettable experience.

Great tour of Yaxha - We had a wonderful day at Yaxha with Elmer. He had a lot of information to share with us and was an excellent guide. The weather cooperated (no rain!) and the howler monkeys serenaded us as we walked through the forest and hiked up the ruins. We also saw an eagle and many other beautiful birds. The van was very comfortable and we were picked up on time at our air bnb

Perfect Tour - Elmer was an unbelievable guide!! He took me all over the entire city of Yaxha and was able to answer all of my questions about the Mayan Civilization, the city of Yaxha itself, and the nature around us in the jungle. Extremely educated!! He knew so many details about every structure from their creation, use, and their excavation. We saw more animals than I can count, and he was able to tell me so many detailed and interesting facts about them all. Great photographer as well! Could not recommend this tour more.

Great experience exploring the Peten with Tikal VIP tours! - I had a great experience with Tikal VIP Tours. Elmer, the owner and guide is very knowledgeable (a university trained historian), very gracious and an overall good person with great pride in Guatemala’s history and culture. I saw some of the other tour groups rushing through the main sites, but Elmer took me to some hidden gems, and really made my trip special. I also loved the door to door service in a private new SUV. Definitely recommend booking with Tikal VIP!

Excellent - Excellent guides, very good attention and very good shared information. I went with a group of students from Turilos and the experience helped a lot in their training.

Great guides! Yaxha Ruins and Shuttle Transfer - Very knowledgable guides, very friendly and helpful. Tour of Yaxha Ruins and a shuttle from Flores to San Ignacio. Bi-lingual guide, great for us as we only speak a little spanish. Lots of monkeys, birds, and other wildlife in Yaxha. Guides helped us through border crossing, very generous. Thanks guys, for making Guatemala a great visit for us!

Elmer is the best Guatemalan tour guide! - We stayed in Guatemala for a week and a half and did several different tours—Elmer was by far the BEST tour guide we had! Despite Tikal being the #1 destination in the region, Yaxha should not be missed! It is a less crowded park so the vibe is calm and more intimate. Elmer is incredibly kind and knowledgeable, we were very curious and he answered all of our questions not only about Yaxha but about the surrounding nature and Guatemala as a whole.

Exceptional Elmer - Normally I do not write a review if I am only going to repeat what others have said. However, I am making an exception in the case of Elmer Omar Alvarado, of Tikal VIP Tours, because he is exceptional and fully worthy of the praise bestowed upon him. I got to know Elmer through WhatsApp messages that began a month before the date of our tour, when I was looking for a tour guide for Yaxha. The adjectives applicable to Elmer throughout the WhatsApp communications and on the day of the tour include friendly, responsive, courteous, knowledgeable, enthusiastic, humorous, empathetic, self-effacing, accommodating (in all cases, exceedingly so). I could go on, but I think I have made the point. To put my extolling of Elmer in context, I am not known for being lavish with praise. And I am also not a newcomer to international travel. While this was my first trip south of the US border, since 1969, when I joined the US Peace Corps, I have spent years living, working and/or traveling in places other than my native New York (including Europe, the Middle East, India and Asia/Pacific). I have come across very few people who so love what they do and are so good at it as Elmer. Our WhatsApp communications gave me high expectations that could easily have been unfulfilled. However, from the moment that Elmer arrived (on time!) he lived up to those expectations. Bravo, Elmer!

Amazing visit to Yaxha, the lost Mayan city - This tour is a must if you are visiting Peten. Do not just visit Tikal if you want to have a full idea about the Mayan culture. Elmer is an amazing tour guide, he knows a lot and have pleasure explaining everything you want to know. Yaxha is "the lost city", very different than Tikal since just 5% have been dug. The forest covering most of the temples and archeological area gives an "Indiana Jones" feeling. Elmer will climb to every pyramid (I've seen other tour guides waiting down), and will transmit all the time the passion he feels about the Mayan culture. They picked me up with his brother from my hotel, drove 90 minutes to Yaxha, and we walked and climbed almost 4 hours around the ruins. He was not in any rush at all. He took effort to spot wild animals too, and we had luck to see hauling monkeys and a beautiful bird (cousin of the holy Quetzal) called Straight Tailed Trogon. After the tour we had lunch in a local place with greta food, I tried the Chicken Ramon, which is the speciality (Ramon is a nut that just grows in this area). They dropped me off in Isla de Flores in our way back, which is a nice tiny island with colorful architecture, worth to visit. Thank you Elmer for this pleasant experience