Fraudulent tour operators in Guatemala

Stay away from these guys

We had a similar experience with these guys in Flores! The same company also scammed another group of travelers with there onward bus tickets to Antigua. Stay away from these guys!

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Trying to add on a whole bunch of things and I plain refused

Getaway Travels in Flores – This place ripped off my friend and I for a tour of Tikal. They were trying to add on el mirador and a whole bunch of things and I plain refused. Unfortunately, a kiwi girl there had brought a whole tour package including Tikal and el mirador etc from them and had a look of regret in her eyes. Thanks for posting this. I wish I did it earlier.

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SCAM IN FLORES: Maya Expedition Travel Agency

After we booked some bus tickets from this agency, I Google their name, I think we got scam already…. Maybe only the Tikal bus would be OK(We will find out today and tell you guys.) but it seems like the bus will never show up for rest of destinatios…. There’s nothing we can fix but only buy new tickets from other place.

Anyway, we took their mini bus to Flores from Belize for 25USD, which was true service but we also waited for 3 hours, the bus finally leave from Belize. When we arrived Flores, there’s one staff show in the van, (speaking English) helping driver asking what hotels of everybody ready to drop us off. And made conversations with us, told us to check their other bus route in their office… That’s how SCAM started….

Warning for everybody. Hope no one got scam by them again. There are so many tour agent scams in Flores… Arrive your hostel first and ask more information first.

Recommend “Ciao Cacao Hostel” frontdest, they are willing to tell you more information even you don’t stay there. (I’m sad it’s full booked when I was looking for a stay.)

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Don’t trust these guys

**Scam warning – Flores, Guatemala**

GRAN JAGUAR TOURS – Don’t trust these guys, perhaps naively, I bought an onward ticket from Semuc Champey to Antigua. WhatsApp’d the number to let them know I’d be there for their 8am shuttle & they confirmed all ok……never turned up…. Spoke to a couple of the local dudes running the other shuttles and they were like “ahh fuck, these guys again, always have problems with them…”

Anyway lesson learnt, only buy single tickets lol… Also, amusing response when messaging them to complain, at least they’re bold about it ?

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SCAM ALERT

I should have paid more attention to some of the post where, but I didn’t ? and was scammed.

From Guatemalan border:

Driver who drove us from Guatemalan border to Flores said we would have to pay “fee” to enter country, approx $5 or 35 Quetzales at the Guatemalan Border control. This is a fake fee. Don’t pay it, luckily we questioned it, and didn’t have to pay. The worse part is that the Border guards are in it too.

Flores:

About 30 minutes before we arrived to Flores, a local jumbos on the bus to explain options for Flores and Tikal tours. I bought a package of Tikal, transit from Flores to Semuc Champey and transport from Samuc Champey to Antigua. The first two vouchers worked, but the last one, transit from Samuc Champey to Antigua was not honored and lost the $$$ given to the agency.

The name of the agency is EL GRAN JUGUAR

I’ve attached the advertisement in front of the agency, the plate number of the car that took us, and the voucher. Please be aware!

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Whole company is just a mob of antisocial frauds

Guys, in case you are in Flores, never ever book a tour with Gran Jaguar I travel agency. They usually immediately pick you up directly in Santa Elena if you’re coming from Belize. They cheat you on price and the bus won’t come. I unfortunately booked 2 tours with them. After at the first tour the bus did not pick me up at all, they promised for the second to be on time. At this promised “on time travel” the bus came 40 minutes late. When I asked for putting my backpack to the bus they were almost shouting on me that I have to wait, other persons would come. After another 15 minutes the bus driver drove away with the bus without telling anything. After I asked what the f was happening they told me that he took another bus. So I waited 1,5 hours on the street to get started without any statement of when we would start.

It is not only that they’re not at all trustworthy. The whole company is just a mob of antisocial frauds. The boss is the worst, but even the young innocent looking boy at the office is deeply involved in their game.

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All the prices are heavily inflated

Guatemala-Flores

Hi guys, just wanted to post a quick warning NOT to deal with Gran Jaguar Tour and Travel Agents in Flores. (Green posters up some stairs opposite Hotel Lacandon)

Their standard procedure seems to be for a couple of English speaking guys to meet your bus before the bridge for Flores, they give you some bullshit reason why you change onto their bus and then they take you direct to their tour agency and try to sell everyone tours to Tikal/other places or onward travel. He told us the office and all other offices would be closed for Easter so we had to buy everything NOW. turns out the office was open all weekend as were the others, and I imagine that all other times of year he makes up a reason why you should buy then and there.

All the prices are heavily inflated and the guy who runs the place, Enrique/Ricky (short/fat/facial scar/agressive/scum) is really pushy and can get aggressive when you ask questions or raise complaints.

I bought an onward travel ticket to Chetumal through Belize, when I got on the bus at 5am he appeared on the bus, told me and another guy there was no onward bus organise from Belize City and we had to sort ourselves out. Gave us 100 Quetzals back but that is not enough to cover the cost of the bus to Chetumal, plus the inconvenience of being dropped on one side of Belize City and having to walk to the bus station. When I questioned him he ignored me, then got aggressive and told me to get off the bus if I wanted to talk about it. Left me feeling taken advantage of and a bad impression of Guatemala..?

There’s limitless bad reviews of this company on Trip Advisor (which I only just saw) so PLEASE if these guys appear on your bus and try to ‘help’ you buy tours etc, DO NOT book with them, it’s a SCAM and they are making money and giving Guatemalan tour agents a bad name. Give your money to people who deserve it, not these disgusting scumbags.

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A feeding frenzy with the backpackers being the food

This happened to us on a shuttle from Semec Champey to Flores. Not sure of the name of the company, though.

They stopped at a bank on the mainland and told everyone to get money from there because “There are no ATMs on the island” (bulltwang – there are).

Then everyone was shut in the shuttle and sold tour tickets, onward tickets, etc. It was a feeding frenzy, with the backpackers being the food.

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