This former Mayan ceremonial center is built on an island in the middle of Lake Petén Itza. None of the Mayan structures survived the arrival of the conquistadors who built their main plaza, church and government building on the top of the hill in the center of the island. The town’s hotels, restaurants and shops are laid out below. A causeway connects Flores to the mainland town of Santa Elena, where the banks and main shops are located. Buses run throughout the day from both Santa Elena and Flores to Tikal, passing through the pleasant village of El Remate, which has a couple of lakeside restaurants, lodgings and language schools. Also accessible from Flores is the Cerro Cahuí Biosphere – a 600-hectare (1482-acre) nature reserve that contains cedar, sapodilla, indigo and mahogany trees, orchids and ferns as well as fauna such as white-tailed deer, armadillos, spider monkeys, hawks, parrots and toucans. From October to April, hundreds of migratory birds settle in the reserve.