Getting ready for the mysterious Mayan temples of Tikal in Guatemala? How exciting is that! Tikal is a super impressive archaeological site and the urban center of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization in all of Central America. It is the second largest Maya pyramid site, only after El Mirador. The latter one is just a couple of days hiking (yep, you’re only able to get there by foot..) from Tikal.
Not just the size of the steep-sided temples of Tikal is so impressive, but merely its location; the paths lead through a dense jungle where you’ll find yourself surrounded by birds and the sound of howling monkeys. Though Tikal is a popular destination, if doesn’t feel like you’re in some Mayan Disneyland, due of the sheer size of the area. Because of that, it wouldn’t hurt to prepare yourself a bit before you start strolling. Here are some things I wished I’d knew beforehand; I hope you can use them well:
Go for a tour with a guide
Of course it’s very exciting to discover this ancient and mystic area just by yourself, and with a guide book in your hands you might actually learn a couple of things along the road too. Usually I’m not a big fan of guided tours – we skipped the one of Yaxha halfway for example – but in Tikal I was really enjoying the tales of our guide. He knew the story behind every square meter of the park and ‘oohed’ and ‘aahed’ us with a lot of fun facts too.
I guess you just have to be lucky with your guide. Often ho(s)tels have the same guide for days, so you can ask other guests that already went on the tour what they thought of their guide. What might be an even better idea is not to pre-book any tour, only the transportation in case you come from Flores. It’s possible to book a guide at the front gate. Over there you can negotiate your own deal directly. Find out exactly where the guide will take you by looking on the map or on maps.me (later more about that). Make sure the guide will hit all the highlights, especially if you’re limited in time. If you prefer to do it through a hotel, go to the Jaguar Inn in Tikal – near the entrance. They know good guides too.
A guide often costs some 30 to 50 quetzal ($4,- to $6,8 USD) on top of the entrance fee (150 quetzal /$20,- USD). Transportation from Flores to Tikal and back costs usually around 70 quetzal ($9,60 USD).
Include a sunset or sunrise ticket in your entrance, but check the weather!
You’re probably only travelling to Tikal once in your life, unless you’re a lucky person. Make your trip extra magical by including a sunrise or sunset trip. For the sunrise trip, you do have to make an effort. Most of the tours leave in Flores around 3 – 4 am. Yep, that’s super early. It’s the reason why we choose the sunset tour – hey, no judgement there.
If you stay in Tikal itself, getting up early will be a lot more comfortable. The sunrise tour is also excellent for the birdnerds amongst us, but do make sure your guide is specialised in birds.
If you’re going to Tikal in March you’re in luck. The sun sets up in this months between temple 2 and the North Acropolis and lights up temple 1 with an amber glow. Climb up to the North Acropolis to get a fantastic shot around 5 pm. Then rush up to temple 4 and watch the rest of the sunset from the shrine.
Before you buy your tickets, check your weather app or ask your hotelier what kind of weather it will be (as short as possible in advance). Unfortunately we experienced a lot of clouds and therefore the colours of the sky were not as pinky or amber like as I hoped them to be. Well… you can’t force nature right? Nonetheless, even with a bit of clouds, going there late or early is worth a shot; you never know what how the weather will eventually be like.
The extra fee for the sunrise or sunset entrance is 100 quetzal ($13,50 USD)
Bring a survival package
This might sounds rather serious, and it’s not, but the Tikal temples are situated within a big big jungle area. There are no big shops whatsoever within the park boundaries (though you can buy water near temple 1 and 4), so make sure you bring plenty of drinks and a lot of food. Otherwise you have to leave the park again in your quest for munchies and that would be a waste of time.
Though there’s a lot of shade around, you better put on some sunblock too. Charge your phone if you plan to do the sunset tour; there are no lights and you really want to see that spider with your flashlight before you stumble upon it. Don’t wear flip flops, due to that same reason and because the paths can get muddy and slippery after a bit of rain.
Download the wonderful app maps.me for a bit of navigation in the area (and any other road for your next adventures). Google.maps won’t do in here. Of course you could also buy a map at the entrance, but the app is for free :).
And here a last tip from grandma, bring a poncho or umbrella! You might not picture it (although, take a look at my photos below and you see the clouds coming in..), but it can rain a LOT in this lush area. And you don’t want to be standing beneath a big tree or ruin the entire day, so get yourself some wrapping. We were standing still for an hour in Yaxha due to the rain and if you think this will bring you any closer to the Mayan heritage or something, you’re wrong.
Stay in Tikal itself..
Most visitors return on the end of the day to Flores, but it doesn’t have the be like that. There are a couple of hotels near the park that offer you the opportunity to wake up in the middle of the rumble of the jungle. Howler monkeys are all around and it’s a really cool feeling to stick around in the area when all of the other visitors are gone. A stay in here would make it possible to do both a sunset and sunrise tour within a day. If you go to Tikal and you pay your entrance fee after 3pm, the ticket will still be valid the next morning. Check online whether these rules still apply in the time slot you’re eager to visit the site.
Don’t stay in Tikal if you’re looking for a lot of excitement, tranquility is the key word in the area. And again take some food and water with you, things are bit pricier in here.
Though it’s a lot cheaper to book a hotel in Flores, prices are not too bad at all (the tags below may change of course / I checked them out in July 2017 on Booking.com). For the budget conscious the Jaguar Inn has fully equipped tents, showers, and facilities plus very nice cabins right near the carpark. Please be sure to reserve your spot a long time before you plan to visit Tikal:
Tikal Inn $ 30,-
Jungle Lodge Tikal Hostal $ 44,-
Hotel Jaguar Inn $ 66,-
Hotel Jungle Lodge Tikal $77,-
..But make sure you already book a return bus to Flores
Read the title – if you don’t, they’ll charge you extra! So book the entire tour and ask the guide or operator beforehand whether it’s possible to return a day later. Make sure the meeting time and place for the return ride is agreed upon, let them write it down on your ticket too, and ask for their number + the name and number of the guide. Better to be safe than sorry!
Eager to see some more Maya heritage? Go for a day to the grounds of Yaxha, where you can walk through another ancient city deep inside of the Guatemalan jungle.
Want to know how to spend your time in Flores, click here for your itinerary!
