Tikal Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Tikal is in the Guatemalen department of Petén. Flores is the nearest gateway city and airport.
Contents |
Understand
Tikal was a Mayan city of great power and size. Many beautiful buildings have been uncovered and many more wait to be discovered. Amongst the many Mayan sites in Central America, Tikal is perhaps the most breathtaking because it is completely enveloped by the jungle. The sight of the temples poking through the canopy is quite awesome.
History
Landscape
Flora and fauna
If you go early enough in the morning (or better still, stay at one of the hotels in the park), it's possible to see and hear the monkeys. Spider monkeys sleep together in large groups, but during the day they disperse. It's easiest to see them when they've woken up and are beginning to move around. Howler monkeys are more often heard than seen. Coatimundis, brightly colored wild "ocellated" turkeys, are everywhere.
Climate
Get in
The park's main gate opens at 06:00, and officially closes at 18:00. Buses and minibuses come in from all surrounding areas on a well maintained road. Tickets are purchased at the main gate, which is some miles away from the Visitors Center, where everyone parks.
Fees/Permits
Adult tickets are Q50 (must be paid in Quetzales at the park entrance). Children under 12 are free.
Tickets purchased after 3pm are also valid the next day. If it's possible to arrange it so that you arrive just after 3pm, this is the best way to experience Tikal as you can see it in the late afternoon and again the following morning. This not only gives you two different times of day (and thus two different experiences) but also two chances to have good weather for photography.
Get around
Maps are available outside the Visitor's Center. Walking trails wind through the temple complexes.
See
- Great Plaza
- North Acropolis
- Central Acropolis
- Mundo Perdido (Lost World Complex)
- Temple IV The tallest temple in the park.
Do
- Tikal Visitor Center Get your bearings at the visitor center which features a relief map of the ancient site, as well as a restaurant, restrooms, gift shops and a post-office
- Stelae Museums Cost for non-locals is Q10.
- Sylvannus G. Morley Museum (also called the "Tikal Museum")
- Jungle canopy tour canopytikal.com- An thrill ride along cables slung between tall trees in the jungle just outside the gate to Tikal National Park. You sit in a harness, slide from tree to tree, then climb up the tree to the next platform for the next cable. The highest trees poke above most of the canopy so you can see a long way. The longest cable ride is some 150m. This company has two routes. The main one is USD$30 (as of December 2005). The second one is lower and shorter, at the end of a 20-minute walk into the forest, and costs USD$10. The equipment and construction appears solid, and the ride itself is simple enough that everyone from seven-year-olds to grandmothers can do it. There appears to be a bit of a rush at 11:00 am, but try to wait and go in a smaller group if you can -- it will be more fun. Reservations possible but don't seem necessary. It might make sense to take the canopy tour on the second morning of a two-day Tikal tour, and arrange for the hotel transfer to Flores to pick you up at the park gate, rather than backtracking to the hotel first.
- Especialistas en Ecotourisma [1], a travel agency in Guatemala, offered these courses for USD $25 plus $5 (as of December 2005). Payment must be made in advance by making a bank deposit or wire transfer, which can be awkward.
Buy
The Visitor's Center hosts a number of souvenir shops, selling T-shirts and assorted local handicrafts. Guatemalan highland’s textiles are also sold in a small rancho near the parking area.
Eat
The Visitor's Center offers food and drink during park opening hours. The Jungle Lodge offers dinners, and some travellers report that it is better than the Tikal Inn. There are several comedores (food stalls) on the road leading from the ruins entrance to Flores.
Drink
Sleep
Accommodations in and around the park are limited. It's also possible to sleep in Flores (Guatemala) and take a shuttle bus from there to the park.
Hotels
Three hotels located next to the Tikal National Park entrance provide basic accommodation. They have the advantage of letting you get to the park before dawn to watch the sun rise, and the jungle awake, from atop one of the pyramids. All three cater to Western travellers and their amenities and prices reflect this. For those on a shoestring, try asking if you can rent a hammock, or just a spot to hang your own, under a palapa roof.
- Jungle Lodge [2]. Has the reputation as the best of the Tikal hotels.
- Tikal Inn. Breakfast included.
- Jaguar Inn.
Camping
For the budget traveler there is a camp site (Q30 per person). They have tents you can rent if you didn't bring your own Q50. At the Jaguar Inn, you can get into the jungle mood by renting a hammocks (with a mosquito net, access to showers and toilets, and a locker for your luggage included), or a place to hang your own. Sleeping in a hammock is a surprising comforatable way to sleep. Many of the locals do it.
Stay safe
Security in the park seems to be decent, with tourist police patrols on ATVs. The oft-mentioned crime wave in and around Tikal was 2000-2001, prior to the formation of the tourist police.
Get out
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