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Panajachel Attractions
Iximche

Iximche, Panajachel

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Iximche

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Iximche
4.5
336
#3 of 14 things to do in Panajachel
Ancient Ruins
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4.5
336 reviews
Excellent
152
Very good
144
Average
38
Poor
2
Terrible
0
Lily S
5 contributions
Great staff
Jun 2021 • Family
Toured here with my family. The staff was very friendly and made it very exciting for my younger cousin :) Beautiful area and great history!
Written 23 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Rob C
San Jose, CA2,115 contributions
Former Kaqchikel Maya Capital
Apr 2021
The archeological site of Iximche is located near the town of Tecpan about an hour's drive from Antigua Guatemala. The price of admission is 50 Q for foreigners. There are no guides available as far as I saw in April of 2021. Inside you'll find a small museum, which is currently closed due to the pandemic, some vendor stalls, but not too many and all outside the actual park, and very serviceable restrooms. The Site itself is composed of four consecutive plazas that have been excavated to various degrees. Generally, as you head further away from the entrance the less reconstructed the structures. What there is, is well maintained with closely cropped lawns and well-maintained buildings. At the very end of the site, there is a small pyramid used by the modern Maya to make offerings and sacrifices of incents and alcohol.
Written 15 April 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Maribel
Avondale, AZ32 contributions
Peaceful Nature walk
Feb 2021 • Friends
Worth visiting if it’s on the way. The little town leading up to the cite was very lively and also worth exploring.
Written 19 February 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Nadia M
Arad, Bahrain486 contributions
Interesting Site
Dec 2019 • Couples
An interesting mayan archeological site, around 2 1/2 hour drive from the cruise port ( port quetzal), and about 2100 m above the sea level.

The site is consist of 4 plazas with few small pyramids. There were few “un even high” steps to move from one plaza to the other but you can walk around if you are not able to climb the steps.

Guided tour is recommended to get as much as possible of history in order to understand what you sea. Our guide ( arranged by our cruise ship ) was kind and knowledgeable, he link the history and the structure of the site with the mayan calendar and ritual. The site still used by local to practice their ritual, we were not lucky enough to witness this but we saw some burning candles which indicate that some one was there before we reach.

There is a small museum near the site displays some pieces found in the location along with some other things.

There is restrooms near the parking area, a soccer field and picnic area. There were some local ladies walking around near the parking area selling some handmade souvenirs.

It was a hot cloudy day but when we reached the site it was little chill, later on with the sun becoming higher in the sky weather became nice. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes, carry light jacket with you.
Written 18 July 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Qasem
Halifax, Canada353 contributions
Great Nature & History
Dec 2019
I enjoyed visiting this place. Great nature and history. There were a few local people selling stuff.
Written 17 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
rjonsun
S E Pennsylvania84 contributions
Interesting ruins but not a must see.
Feb 2020
I have been to over 40 different Maya ruins in Mexico, Belize and Guatemala and have seen all the major sites. Not much has been reconstructed or preserved in Iximche but there are a few interesting things. First is the location: 3 sides are deep ravines which helped greatly in defending the city. Second is that there are still Maya religious ceremonies going on daily. You can watch at a distance. Third, after President Bush was there, the shamans had a cleansing ceremony to rid the ruins of his bad ju-ju. Most tours originate in either Antigua or Pana and many are priced over $75 per person. The 3 of us decided to hire a taxi in Antigua to visit the site then take us to Pana. The price of $125 (for all three of us) did not include entrance to the ruins. Our driver had no problem waiting the 1.5 hours for us and we ended up saving money over the regular tour and got from one destination to another. Look up taxi driver Santo s Fernandez 48234645 on the main square in Antigua. He speaks some English and is a very funny happy man. Izimche is not frequently visited during the week.
Written 17 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Reviewer K
3 contributions
These remakably well-tended ruins and the adjacent small, but well thought out museum are worth a detour to see!
Jan 2020
January of this year was the second time that I had visited this ruins. In addition to the ruins and museum, this time there were indigenous people performing various rituals.Be advised that no food is for sale within the National Park itself, but the Waybi Foundation restaurant in Tecpán is only meters from the entrance to the ruins. It has beautiful gardens and excellent food. Proceeds go toward introducing Guatemalan schoolchildren to the wealth of different animal species, wild and domestic, in Guatemals.
Written 11 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
brewski59
Denver, CO251 contributions
Worth a stop if it's on your way
Feb 2020
This site is important historically. If you happen to be nearby, it's well worth an hour stop. Get a local guide to help you understand what you're seeing. But, for me, not worth a lot of extra effort.
Written 8 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
BlondeSquadMom
Augusta, KS50 contributions
Interesting tour!
Dec 2019 • Friends
Our mission team stopped here on our way to Chichi to learn about Mayan culture. We had an English speaking guide. He did a great job of explaining the ruins in an interesting way! We learned a lot! We were disappointed to have missed the ceremony that had taken place earlier in the day, as I am sure that would have been fascinating.
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
Christophe PJ
Knokke-Heist, Belgium372 contributions
Amazing
Dec 2019 • Couples
We combined this with a Tikal trip and gained some great insights into this pretty young site. The museum is very informative but limited to Spanish only (apparently they don't count too much on foreign visitors) so you'll have to rely on Google translate.
We took one of the guided waiting outside. Was perfect.
Written 9 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Iximche
We recommend booking Iximche tours ahead of time to secure your spot. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. See all 10 Iximche tours on Tripadvisor