Visit the Ancient City of Tikal
The ancient city of Tikal in Guatemala is the largest archaeological site and urban center of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. The name Tikal may be derived from ti ak’al in the Yucatec Maya language; and it is said to be a relatively modern name meaning “at the waterhole.” This UNESCO World Heritage site, is located in a beautiful rainforest filled with tree canopy’s and moss covered stones. For thousands of years the ruins were hidden in the jungle, until an 1848 government expedition uncovered the ruins. The temples are built from limestone, and include a large royal palaces and a number of smaller temples, palaces, residences, administrative buildings, platforms and inscribed stone monuments.
Info
It’s easiest to get to Tikal from San Ignacio, Belize (2 hours)
Alternatively you can fly from Guatemala City to Flores as a tour or on your own
We were staying in the nearby city of San Ignacio, Belize in search of adventures. We booked day trip into Guatemala to see the The tour was from 8am - 5:30pm, and was $125pp. It was easier to book a tour to expedite getting through customs to enter another country for the day. We got 4 passport stamps along the way for exiting and entering Belize and Guatemala.
This beautiful site is home to toucans, parrots, wild turkeys, howler monkeys, coatis and countless other creatures. It also has thousands of ruins, two of the tallest being The Temple of the Grand Jaguar (Temple I) and the Temple of the Masks (Temple II). These two temples tower above the trees on opposite sides of the Great Plaza. You can no longer climb these ruins for safety and preservation purposes. The steps are steep, and go 143 feet up to the top.
Do you have any other good advice for visiting Tikal? Please leave in the comments below.
Get your guide has different tours to this site coming from San Ignacio, Guatemala City, and Flores.
