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Exploring Tikal – Highlights and Tips For a Better Jungle Trip

February 18, 2017 By //  by Halef 11 Comments

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Tikal National Park sits on an area in the middle of the modern-day jungle of El Peten in the Northeast part of Guatemala. It covers roughly 100 square miles.

And although exploring Tikal entirely is not possible, the heart of Tikal National Park is still a huge area to cover.

Less than 20% of Tikal’s estimated 4000 structures have been excavated so far, leaving the vast majority of the ancient structures underneath your feet!

UNESCO has been painstakingly regulating the extent of excavation to protect both of the ruins as well as the rich biodiversity surrounding the area.

Recently, I flew from Atlanta to Belize City and made the journey to Tikal by shuttle bus.

Table of Contents

  • History of Tikal
  • Temple I: Temple of the Grand Jaguar
  • Temple II
  • Grand Plaza
  • Exploring Tikal – The Northern Acropolis
  • The Lost Worlds
  • Temple IV
  • Temple V
  • The Two Museums
  • Tips for Exploring Tikal
  • Where to stay in Tikal
  • Getting around Guatemala

History of Tikal

The history of Tikal traces back to the 4th century BC and the Mayan culture. It lasted until the 9th century AD, when the Mayans abandoned the whole area.

Pyramid Q Complex of Tikal.
Pyramid Q Complex of Tikal.

Tikal was mostly forgotten until several centuries later.

A noteworthy expedition, lead by a Swiss explorer in the late 1880s, dismantled one of the intact wood panels from Temple I door and stole it for the Museum of Cultures, Museum der Kulturen Basel.

Excavation of Tikal started in the late 1950s, lead by the University of Pennsylvania Antiquities Department, which developed the foundation study of Tikal’s ancient cultures.

The ancient Mayans built an impressive city that housed some 100,000 inhabitants at its peak, and it was the second largest in Central America.

When you’re exploring Tikal, these are some of the highlights of the National Park that you shouldn’t miss.

Temple I: Temple of the Grand Jaguar

When the first European explorer discovered the site, Temple I was already exposed and was in remarkable condition.

You can see the historical photograph from the explorer’s records at the Monolith Museum’s entrance.

Completed in the year of 734 AD, Temple I is definitely the most recognized iconic structure of Tikal, and it has become a symbol of Guatemala.

Temple I or the Grand Jaguar Temple, the iconic symbol of Guatemala.
Temple I or the Grand Jaguar Temple, the iconic symbol of Guatemala.

Temple II

Located directly across from Temple I, this structure is as impressive as the Temple of the Grand Jaguar. Even better, you can actually climb it to the top!

Go to the backside of Temple II where a set of wooden stairs wraps around the structure all the way to the top.

Be careful when you’re climbing up or down. This is especially true in the morning or after the rain when the staircase is wet.

There have been times when people slipped and fell from this staircase!

Wooden Staircase in Tikal national park
Be careful while climbing up and down these wooden staircase, especially when they’re wet.

Grand Plaza

This is my favorite spot in Tikal. Surrounded by two massive temples on each side, a series of impressive structures and a small ball court, the Grand Plaza was the center Mayan civic ceremonial activities back in the 6th century.

The acoustics generated by surrounding buildings are still impressive to experience. From the center of the Grand Plaza, you can clap your hands together and hear the echo as it bounces off the two steep staircases of the temples on each side.

That echo produces the sound of the Quetzal, Guatemalan’s national bird.

Grand Plaza in tikal national park
Grand Plaza is where all ancient Mayan civic ceremonial happened.

Exploring Tikal – The Northern Acropolis

It is a rewarding experience to climb the uneven steep stairs to the top of the Northern Acropolis and to look over the Grand Plaza with the two major temples on each side of the Acropolis.

The Northern Acropolis
The Northern Acropolis. It is worth climbing up to the top to view the Grand Plaza.

The Lost Worlds

I liked the Mundo Perdido, the Lost World complex, because it is one of the most remote parts of Tikal, with the majority of the structures still covered by mounds of dirt and vegetation.

The complex construction spans different eras of the Mayan timeline, starting from the Pre until the Classic periods.

Temple IV

Without a doubt, the top of Temple IV is the best place to look out over Tikal’s other monuments and the thick jungle underneath. Temple IV is the highest structure in both Tikal and the whole of Mesoamerica.

It is the place to view the sunset and sunrise over the national park.

A set of wooden stairs brings you to the top platform of the Temple where you can enjoy the view.

If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll really appreciate the view, as this was the filming location of Yavin 4 in Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope.

I had to explain to my tour guide about the Millennium Falcon.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I knew more about Star Wars than anybody else.

The grand view from the top of Temple IV, a location for Star Wars Episode IV.
The grand view from the top of Temple IV, a location for Star Wars Episode IV.

Temple V

One of the major structure in Tikal, it is impressive to view and sits slightly higher than the Grand Plaza.

The Two Museums

Tikal National Park has two tiny museums that you can visit: the Ceramic Museum and the Monolith Museum. Your admission ticket does not include these museums; however, you can purchase tickets for both for 30 quetzals.

These museums are at the main entrance. Photos are not allowed inside.

Sunset at Tikal crowd
The crowd waiting for the sunset on top of Temple IV

Tips for Exploring Tikal

Here are a few things to know before you explore Tikal National Park.

Tikal National Park is huge

Make sure you have plenty of time to wander around and to enjoy the park. Walking between temples takes about 15-20 minutes.

To get to the entrance to Temple IV, one of the farthest points in the park, takes about 40 minutes each way.

You will do a lot of walking and a lot of it will be on uneven surfaces. A typical full day easily covers about 10 km / 6 miles or more.

Make sure that you wear a pair of comfortable walking or hiking shoes.

When to visit Tikal

Try to visit during the non-peak hours to avoid crowds. Typically, tour groups visit from 10 AM-2 PM, so getting to the park when it opens at 6 AM is best.

From the main entrance, go directly to the top of Temple IV to catch the end of the sunrise – it is a rewarding experience.

Mesoamerican Ball Court
Ball court next to Temple I. This is the smallest Mesoamerican Ball Court in Central America.

Bring water & snacks

Remember to bring enough water and small snacks for your visit. Officially, food is not allowed inside the park, but nobody seems to care as long as you don’t litter.

There are rest houses with toilets and attendants selling bottled water, soda, and beer.

But no one sells food.

Disabilities

Unfortunately Tikal is not a good place for people with disabilities. The earthen path is especially not suitable for wheelchairs.

Other things to know

If you join the sunset or sunrise tour, make sure that you bring your flashlight or headlamps, as the thick jungle is pitch dark without the sun in the sky.

I recommend bringing along a pair of binoculars – Tikal is in the middle of thick jungle and there is plenty of wildlife.

It’s a lot of fun to observe these animals more closely using a pair of good binoculars.

A pair of toucans through binoculars
A pair of binoculars is essential in Tikal. I used mine to take a picture of these two toucans.

You’ll see howler monkeys, toucans, and coatis, just to name a few. Pay special attention to spider monkeys.

It’s impressive to watch them jump from one high branch to the next tree!

Spider monkey in mid air
A spider monkey in mid-air between two trees!

While there is a lot of wildlife here, you’ll see signs everywhere warning against feeding animals.

So don’t.

Cute coatis and wild turkeys may approach you, but for their own protection, please do not feed them. Animals need to fend for themselves.

Giving them food can create a dependence on humans, which is detrimental to their health and conservation.

Where to stay in Tikal

Do what I did! I stayed at the Jungle Lodge Hotel and it was great. It’s the closest location to the entrance of the park!

Here’s a guide to Tikal accommodations.

Getting around Guatemala

We recently discovered a new transportation service in Guatemala called El C.A. Express. We took their excellent bus from Guatemala City to Antigua. Soon, they’ll be operating more of their environmentally-friendly buses throughout the country. Check them out!


For More on Guatemala: When we travel, we use Lonely Planet in addition to all of the other research we do. We really do love these books and have a shelf full of them! By clicking the image and buying a book at the Amazon.com link below, we get a small referral fee at no additional cost to you.

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Halef
Halef

Halef moved from Indonesia to the US nearly two decades ago to go to college here. He hasn’t looked back. He’s been to over forty countries and doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. He’s a Landscape Architect in Atlanta, GA.

Filed Under: Destinations Tagged With: guatemala, unesco

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Brian

    March 16, 2017 at 8:56 am

    That’s a rather large area for such a small country. The pictures remind me of Chichen Itza & Ayuthaya. I’m curious about your trip to Iran.

    Reply
  2. The Travel Ninjas

    March 16, 2017 at 9:42 pm

    We love to just wander around these kind of sites. Thats a great tip. At Machu Picchu we ditched our guide after 10 minutes and went around on our own.

    Reply
  3. Nastja Novak

    March 17, 2017 at 2:45 am

    Thank you for this post! I heard about Tikal for many times now and i really want to visit it when i go there. Also your photos look great!

    Reply
  4. Fábio Inácio

    March 18, 2017 at 8:47 am

    I am a Mayan civilization Lover so thanks a lot for the post, I have never been there yet but I hear about Tikal several times. Looking at the pictures I think I am the same opinion than you about the Temple IV be the most beautiful. When I make it there I will follow your tips and go straight at 6 am to this temple to enjoy the sun rising, the colors and the calm in there. The construction from centuries ago are just stunning!

    Reply
  5. Clare

    March 19, 2017 at 5:44 am

    I loved Tikal it is such a beautiful and amazing place. I spent half day exploring but could have gone for the whole day. It’s such an impressive place and would of been great to see it in its glory 🙂

    Reply
  6. Sandy N Vyjay

    March 19, 2017 at 10:34 pm

    Grand Jaguar Temple looks fantastic. The place is brimming with hidden history. Mayan civilization has always got me curious and the more I try to know about it , the more I am filled with wonder.

    Reply
  7. Priyanka Singh

    March 20, 2017 at 11:29 am

    As soon as I started reading your post I was surprisingly filled with kind a familiar feeling. The reason behind this is my small kiddo with whom I’ve watched several cartoons that I learned by heart and among those one episode was based completely on Grand Jaguar. In fact before that I was not aware of existence of any such place so its like “Cartoon comes true” for me :). That this place really does exist and connected to Mayan civilization. thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  8. D of Love C and D

    April 2, 2017 at 5:20 pm

    This looks absolutely amazing! The photos are stunning and it looks like somewhere I would really enjoy. Mayan ruins, jungle, wildlife AND a star wars link. Thanks for sharing, it looks like you had an awesome time. Can’t wait to visit here.

    Reply
  9. Archana Singh

    April 4, 2017 at 12:14 pm

    Frankly i had never heard about Tikal before. The place looks like a paradise for heritage lovers. Temple of the Grand Jaguar looks very good.

    Reply
  10. nico

    April 6, 2017 at 7:42 pm

    Wow, Seems like a place to add on my bucket list, I love temples and especially when it is surrounded with jungle. Great post!

    Reply
  11. sophie

    April 14, 2017 at 7:14 am

    temple surrounded by a jungle is a perfect combination and is on top on my list like for ever! I visited temples like this in India. and this one looks amazing too! Looking forward visiting this someday!

    Reply

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