Trip to Tikal - A Maya Period Pyramid City in Guatemala

General

Tikal National Park is one of the most famous Maya pyramid antiquity sites in Guatemala and one of the most important in the world. The location is in the heart of the forests in northern Guatemala in the Peten department. Tikal is considered one of the most popular tourist sites in Guatemala and a must-visit destination for anyone visiting it. The site is included in UNESCO's World Heritage sites.

 

Getting There

Tikal is located in northern Guatemala, about 530 km (about a ten-hour drive) from the capital, Guatemala City.

The closest city to Tikal is Flores, located 64 km south of Tikal – about a one-hour drive.

For those with short time, you can fly to Flores, which has a small airport used for domestic flights from Guatemala City and also from Belize City.

For those with time, it is recommended to get to Tikal on a trip with a car (4X4) on the road from Coban to the Caribbean coast of Guatemala. It is recommended to tour the place with a local guide.

Accommodation for Visitors in Tikal

At the disposal of the many tourists, Flores and its surroundings have a variety of hotels of various standards.

Recommended Hotels in the Flores Area

Villa Maya - A charming 4-star hotel located in the heart of a tropical forest on the shore of a lagoon named Petenchel. Many rooms offer a view of the lagoon or the forest. The hotel features walking trails where you can hike on foot or by bicycle (available for rent at the hotel). The hotel has a pool on the lagoon shore as well as observation decks overlooking a magical view. Do not miss the sunset over the lagoon. The hotel has a restaurant and a bar. The rooms are spacious with balconies from which you can hear (and sometimes see) howler monkeys. The hotel has a deer reserve. Located about a quarter of an hour from Flores. Free parking and internet.

 

Hotel Isla de Flores - A 4-star hotel in downtown Flores adjacent to the central park. The hotel features a rooftop pool, restaurant, and bar. Free internet. The hotel does not have parking. The hotel offers a free shuttle service from the Flores airport.

Bolontiku Hotel Boutique – A 4-star boutique hotel in a town about 5 km north of Flores on the shore of Lake Peten. The modern hotel features a swimming pool and restaurant. The hotel offers guests bicycle rentals and water sports facilities for an extra charge. The hotel has a pier and can be reached by boat. Free internet and parking.

Booking a tour from Flores to Tikal (via Viator):

The City of Flores

The city of Flores is located on an island in Lake Petén Itzá and is connected by a bridge to the mainland. It is a cute and picturesque tourist city with a promenade surrounding it along the lake shore.

Several streams flow into the lake where the city sits, and it has no outlet to the sea. Recently, with heavy rainfall in the area, the lake level has risen and part of the promenade in Flores was flooded by lake waters.

 

 

In the small town, there are colorful houses with tin roofs:

 

The town center is located in its highest part and features a park and an ancient church. In the park, there are trees with flocks of black birds chirping vigorously.

 

 

close to the lake are hotels, restaurants, food stalls, and of course souvenir shops. You can take a boat ride on the lake to a small zoo or take a scenic boat tour between towns that also circles Flores.

A recommended chef restaurant on the promenade named La Casa de Enrico (its chef, Enrico, is a well-known consultant for restaurants and hotels throughout the country). Small but excellent dishes. It is worth trying an excellent local rum named Zacapa Centenario, a 6-23 year aged rum that won the title of one of the best aged rums in the world.

 

Tikal

From Flores, you drive north for about an hour to Tikal. The reserve area today is 17 sq. km. The original city area was 24 sq. km. Settlement at the site began in 300 BCE, and by 300 CE the place developed and served as a center for the Maya. It is estimated that the city was abandoned in the 10th century, probably due to water and food shortages caused by a drought. For about a thousand years, the forest covered the abandoned city. About 170 years ago it was discovered and archaeological excavations began, revealing large parts of it. The site has structures 72 meters high!

Only twenty percent of the reserve area has been uncovered in archaeological excavations. The forest covered the entire city including the pyramids themselves, upon which large trees grew. Through work that lasted many years and continues to this day, temples, royal residences, ceremonial and astronomy-studying structures, sculptures, and even ball courts have been uncovered. The entire site is located within a forest, and between the structures, you walk on foot through dense vegetation, among animals (and mosquitoes). We saw agoutis, toucans, spider monkeys, and heard many roars of the howler monkey. In the evening hours, you can even see jaguars!

Video about wildlife in Tikal National Park:

 

In the reserve, there are huge and impressive Ceiba trees which are the national tree of Guatemala, and trees from which chewing gum (Chico Zapote) is made. There are also peeling brown trees known as tourist trees (due to peeling from sunburn) whose name is Gumbo Limbo, All Spice - a tree from which a spice like black pepper is made, and Copal - a tree from which burning material for their worship rituals where gifts are burned is made.

At the site, you learn a lot about the lifestyle from a thousand-odd years ago. Some of the structures are only partially uncovered. You can see on one side the exposed slope of a pyramid while its backside is completely covered and looks like a mound with trees and bushes.

 

Mound of a pyramid covered with trees and soil:

 

The highest temple, Temple Number Four, is called Two-Headed Snake, named after one of the Maya gods. Wooden platforms and stairs were built on it for tourists so they can climb to its heights safely. From above, a magnificent view of flat forest is visible to the horizon, from which the tips of the ancient structures emerge.

 

 

The most impressive temple that has been entirely uncovered is Temple Number 1, known as the Great Jaguar.

Two additional temples that were uncovered are Temple 2, known as the Mask Temple, and Temple Number 5, which has no additional name. You can also comfortably climb Temple Number 2, from which the most impressive view of the central plaza is visible, featuring many buildings including Temple 1.

 

 

 

The walk from the parking lot where the visitor center is located, featuring a model of the site, among all the structures inside the forest, is along an eight-kilometer circular trail. It is recommended to dedicate at least 5-6 hours to touring the place.

The site has several restaurants serving typical local food.

 

 

 

Video about the pyramids in Tikal National Park:

 

 

Guatemala Map

Articles about Guatemala on our site: Trip to Antigua  |   Trip to Pacaya Volcano and Hot Springs  |  Trip to Lake Atitlan and its surroundings |  Semuc Champey Waterfalls and Stalactite Caves |  Trip to the Ixil Triangle |  Trip to Rio Dulce and Cruise to Livingston  |  Trip to Quirigua Ruins