Tikal

Next to Antigua, Tikal is one of the most popular destinations in Guatemala. This largely impart because of the large Mayan city that was found here. Located deep in the jungle are a set of one of the largest Mayan cities in Guatemala. Tikal is certainly a must stop destination for anyone visiting Guatemala.

The area of Tikal is the ideal destination for those looking for an adventure based vacation. There are a number of tours and guides services that can show you around the area. Many of these tours are a day to four days in length and include stays in rustic lodges, camping, and other adventure oriented accommodation’s.

If roughing it isn’t your style, you can try to arrange a reservation for any of the accommodation’s in Tikal National Park. These lodges tend to book up, so if you really want to stay here you will need to make reservations well in advance. If you don’t mind not staying n the Tikal National Park, you can try the nearby town of Flores.

Flores has a much wider selection of everything from hotels to restaurants. Aside from a wider selection of accommodation’s and eats, there are even a few internet cafes in town.

Location

Tikal National Park is is located in the lowland rainforest’s of Guatemala. Tikal rests in the northern area of the country near the Belize border and is 63 kilometers of Flores, Petén, Guatemala. Petén is to 495 kilometers from Guatemala City.

How to get to Tikal

Since many visitors to Tikal stay in Flores, transportation to the ruins from Flores is very easy to find. there are a number of taxis and tourist vans that can provide transportation to and from the ruins.

Likewise, there are a number of transportation services that can offer you transportation to the Tikal area. Many visitors opt for the organized trips, but it is also possible to take the local chicken buses to get there.

If you have some money to spend, you can also look into a in country flight from Guatemala City to Flores.

The San Juan Travel Agency has minibuses that will pick you up from your hotel in Flores in the morning on the hour. These minbuses will cost you about 50 Quetzales round trip. The minibuses leave Tikal hourly from 2-6pm.

Weather

The rainy season in and around Tikal National Park is from April till October, so you probably dont want to visit during these months. Not only do these months bring lots of rain, they also bring plenty of mosquito’s. If you do plan on visiting during these months bring plenty of bug spray and some worth while rain gear.

December and January are the best months to visit as far as weather goes. Early mornings and late evenings can be a bit chilly, but the days are usually sunny and warm with average temperatures around 28°C (82°F).

March and April are the hottest and driest months out of the year.

July, August, and September are borderline miserable. These months are hot, muggy, and still have plenty of bugs from the rainy season.

Around October and November the bugs tend to die out and the temperatures start getting cooler overall.

History

The Maya settled in Tikal around 700BC. It is thought that the Mayans choose this location for its height above the low lying swamplands and ample amount of flint. The Mayan Runs in Tikal are known as The Grand Plaza and its construction date precedes the birth of Christ by a few hundred years. By the 6th century, the city of Tikal had confiscated over 30 square kilometers of the surrounding jungle and had a population well into the six digit figure.

The Mayan Ruins found in Tikal once served as the capital city of the large and impressive Mayan empire. In fact, not only are the ruins found here the largest in Guatemala, but they are believed to be the largest Mayan ruins in the world. The exact area of the ruins is unknown, as the excavation has proven to be much larger than anyone could have ever imaged. It is thought that in its heyday, the residential area of Tikal alone could have been 125 square miles and home to well over 100,000 Mayans.

The city of Tikal lay hidden in the Guatemalan jungle for years until the Government finally sent out an expedition around 1848. It wasn’t until 1881 that true scientific exploration of Tikal became a reality. Since 1956, the main amount of archaeological study, research and restoration had been conducted by the Museum of the University of Pennsylvania. Currently the site is being restored by a joint effort between Guatemala and other countries.

By 1990, Guatemala had acquired about 21,000 square kilometers around the ruins and established the Reserva de Biosfera Maya. This Maya reserve adjoins the Calakmul biosphere reserve in Mexico and the Río Bravo Conservation Area in Belize. together, these reserves form a massive, multi national reserve that covers over 30,000 square kilometers.

>>more information on Mayan Ruins

What to Do

Obviously, the main attraction here is Tikal National Park and the Mayan Ruins. The park has six large temples and vast amounts of other uncovered ruins to explore. The main entrance to Tikal National Park opens at 6:00AM and closes at 6:00PM. Thickets to the park can be purchased at the main gate which is located a few miles from the visitors center.

Just outside the gates of the Tikal National Park you can find a variety of canopy tours. the company offers two choices in the way of canopy tours. The longer of the two is about US$30 and has lines that vary in length, with one of the longest being 150m. There is a cheaper and shorter version of the canopy tour which only cost around US$10.

The Tikal Visitors center offers a place where you can get your bearings before you start exploring. Here you will find a restaurant, gift shop, and restrooms.

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