petencito zoo

Although it was cheap priced, it was exorbitant for thinking we only saw like five different animals in the whole zoo. My husband did do the zipline for 20Q which was the only thing really work the money there. We wanted to do something specifically for the kids thinking they would love it and they were bored. Also the guy behind the ticket counter was showing off his "power" and not at all reasonable telling us that although the signs say a certain amount for a citizen of Guatemela (and we WERE travelling with a resident of Guatemala) that since we were all Americans we had to pay the full price even though the sign read differently.

We took the boat across to the zoo - and ABSOLUTELY loved it! the ride is only about 10 minutes by boat (but boat guys will tell you its 20 min) and you can definitely convince them to knock down the price a LOT! Your boat pulls up to the front entrance which is a small booth and walkway to the water's edge - so cool. your boat and boat guy will wait for you to complete the zoo then take you back. also consider stopping by ARCAS conservation center next door. admission is nearly free for locals and modest for visitors. you start off in an area full of coche de monte - a type of hill pig kinda. they're super cool and just roaming around - as are the leaf cutter ants! the pigs are curious and will come up and put their snout up to sniff your leg if you let them. there are also tons of baby ones - too cute. then there are several exhibits - parrots, raccoons, tigrillo, variety of local animals. some of the cages look to be in disrepair and require smart sense not to let kids get too close or put their fingers in - but the animals seem well kept. the spider monkeys have a nice huge cage and are very interactive with people! Keep your distance from the cage - as they will try to reach out. Even cooler - some local free spider monkeys were in the trees outside of the spider monkey exhibit looking at the caged ones. Having a zoo in the middle of the jungle really is special! There are awesome looking water slides that my boyfriend almost attempted to ride down - but they don't seem operational anymore as the water faucet only puts out a weak stream. Overall, this place is worth a visit. you'll enjoy the boat ride, the animals, and the setting!

Even if you don't like boats, take one to visit this place. Aside of the animals, make sure to ask about the rappel. It is too bad that the sliders to the lake are not operational.

You have to take a lanca to get here but it's inexpensive and a lovely trip. The zoo looks a little grubby as it's in rainforest but the animals are clearly well cared for and there is a wide variety of local animals to see. We spent about 90 mins there and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. If you have been to the Belize Zoo, this is quite similiar - well worth it!

This is a small natural reserve host of some interesting animal species. A must visit if you go to Tikal.

I visited this small zoo with my daughter at the suggestion of my hotel in Flores, which also arranged boat transportation (the visit to the zoo was a part of a 2-hour lake tour/cruise). My expectations were quite low, and they were exceeded. It is a lovely jungle area with some very nice views of the lake and a lot of "wild" things to see - birds, lizards, butterflies, leaf-carrying ants. There was a good collection of local animals, including a number of young big cats. It seems that there is some renovation work going on and a group of university students were working with some of the animals during our visit. The birds are amazing. I never know quite what to think of the ethics of collections like this, but I have seen worse. The Q40 foreign admission was worth it in my opinion. There is apparently also walking access to an archaeological site, El Mirador, but we didn't have time to visit. If nothing else, the zoo is a nice little lake excursion from Flores, which doesn't overflow with sites. It is also a good way to get onto the lake during the hot and humid afternoon.

We were excited to visit this little zoo. However, when we got there, there was no one there except for the ones who charge you the entrance fee. It just doesn't have any upkeep. The man who took us across the lagoon says that a university will take it over, we do hope so as it would add one more attraction to Flores, Peten.

I was in Flores for a day as part of a larger Guatemala tour. I would have to say this was the least memorable portion of my Guatemala trip. I went in not expecting too much from this zoo and i was right to think that way. In my opinion it seems some animals are taken care of better than other animals. A lot of the Animals have extremely tiny fenced in areas. The only animals we saw roaming around were birds (which were gorgeous) and some Wild pigs. It's an average zoo.

The zoo was much better than suggested by some of the reviews. Animals appeared to be in good health. As advertised, there were jaguars (young and older) as well as free range "wild" pigs as well as an assortment of other animals and birds. The zoo is in two parts with a suspension bridge joining the two islands. The boat ride to the zoo is an enjoyable 15 minute trip. Be sure to use mosquito repellant - the most "mosquito-active" site of our two-week trip to Guatemala with Gate1.

This was a one day girls trip to Flores Peten. The town is very clean and neatly laid out with colorful (if somewhat dark inside shops) bars and restaurants. We took the boat across to the museum, which was quite nice, however, there were no life jackets on board (scary).Lovely artifacts, souvenirs, carvings and wood items are on sale in Flores and are all quite reasonable. I will definitely go back and maybe overnight there.

boats cost around Q150 from Flores (roundtrip), entrance fee is Q40. Fair enough for quite a few animals to watch from close.

good chance to see some of the local wildlife up-close. some of the animals are in pretty sad shape, and the pens are cement with wire mesh... not exactly natural habitats.

I think the government or the owner of this place is doing their best to keep this zoo but I dont think animals are happy here, they are in small cages and most of them look sick, this zoo is in a island it has nice views to the lake but since animals are the main attraction, I dont think its a good idea to go and see them like that, the prices are Q40 for foreigners and Q10 for nationals... Bathrooms are really bad and smelly

Zoo is run down. Animals are not kept in large enough cages or areas. Poor deer were in an area by the lake and since it was rainy season half of their area was flooded. Saw red macaw that had gotten out of its cage and had its talon caught on the top of a cage and couldn't get free. This zoo is a disgrace. I wish someone would tell me how I can get this zoo shut down. The restrooms have no toilet paper or soap. The soap dispenser hasn't had soap in so long that it's broken with cob webs on it.

The zoo was Q40 to enter way over the Q15, We got told. All the birds where in poor health, the jaguar and puma where right at the back of the enclosure and could only just make them out. Most enjoyable was watching ants carry their food across the paths.