El Sombrero Eco-Lodge

El Petén

LoginSave

In a fabulous setting on the Laguna Yaxhá, El Sombrero features solar-powered, mosquito-netted bungalows with wraparound screened windows, most with lake views, scattered around the woods. A pleasant thatched clubhouse/dining room is attached to the kitchen. El Sombrero is 2km from the ruins and 9km from the highway. It can pick up guests (call ahead) on the main road.

You could also camp here or sling a hammock for Q80. Lancha (small motorboat) tours to Topoxté are offered (Q200) as well as night crocodile observation tours, horseback riding (Q75 per hour) and overnight trips to Nakum (one/two persons US$250/400), El Naranjo, Holmul and other lesser-known Maya sites in the vicinity. Bikes cost Q50 to rent for a half day.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • View of west facing frieze of Mayan temple in Belize.

    Xunantunich

    16.47 MILES

    Set on a leveled hilltop, Xunantunich (shoo-nahn-too-neech) is one of Belize's most easily accessible and impressive Maya archaeological sites. Getting…

  • 500px Photo ID: 235008919 -

    Caracol

    26.65 MILES

    Once one of the most powerful cities in the entire Maya world, Caracol now lies enshrouded by thick jungle near the Guatemalan border, a 52-mile, roughly…

  • Green iguana profile detail with black background. Lizard's head close-up view. Small wild animal looks like a dragon. ; Shutterstock ID 616251773; Your name (First / Last): Alicia Johnson; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial ; Full Product or Project name including edition: Be

    Green Iguana Conservation Project

    22.11 MILES

    On the lush Macal Valley grounds of the San Ignacio Resort Hotel, this excellent program collects and hatches iguana eggs, raising the reptiles until they…

  • Sunset from top of Temple 216 at Yaxha site.

    Yaxhá

    1.53 MILES

    The Classic Maya sites of Yaxhá, Nakum and El Naranjo form a triangle that is the basis for a national park covering more than 37,000 hectares and…

  • Templo I

    Templo I

    19.34 MILES

    Templo I, the Templo del Gran Jaguar (Temple of the Grand Jaguar), was built to honor – and bury – Ah Cacao. The king may have worked out the plans for…

  • Templo IV

    Templo IV

    19.78 MILES

    Templo IV, at 65m, is the highest building at Tikal and the second-highest pre-Columbian building known in the western hemisphere, after La Danta at El…

  • Tikal

    Tikal

    19.24 MILES

    The most striking feature of Tikal is its towering, steep-sided temples, rising to heights of more than 44m, but what distinguishes it is its jungle…

  • East Acropolis & Structure 216

    East Acropolis & Structure 216

    1.33 MILES

    Near the site entrance is the high point of Yaxhá (literally): Structure 216 in the East Acropolis. Also called the Temple of the Red Hands, because red…

View more attractions

Nearby El Petén attractions

1. Interpretive Center

1.07 MILES

A trail from the ticket booth leads down to the lakeshore and the new Interpretive Center, which displays ceramic pieces, musical instruments and jewelry…

2. East Acropolis & Structure 216

1.33 MILES

Near the site entrance is the high point of Yaxhá (literally): Structure 216 in the East Acropolis. Also called the Temple of the Red Hands, because red…

3. Lesser Astronomical Complex (Plaza C)

1.33 MILES

Plaza C, the first group of buildings you come to on entering Yaxhá, is one of a pair of astronomical observatories; the Greater Astronomical Complex …

4. Twin Pyramid Complex

1.39 MILES

This largely unexcavated complex consists of two identical pyramids facing each other across a lawn. Similar to one of the arrangements at Tikal, it is…

5. Yaxhá

1.53 MILES

The Classic Maya sites of Yaxhá, Nakum and El Naranjo form a triangle that is the basis for a national park covering more than 37,000 hectares and…

7. South Acropolis

1.61 MILES

A complex of palatial structures from which Yaxhá's aristocracy could watch the games going on in the ball court below.

8. Northeast Acropolis

1.62 MILES

An unremarkable part of the site, located to the east of the North Acropolis.