Tikal

Tikal is a large archaeological site in the Guatemalan department of Petén. During the Classic Period it was one of the largest and most important of the Mayan cities. Today it's one of the most fascinating and enjoyable of the Mayan sites to visit, largely due to its remoteness, but also its jungle setting. Tourists still descend on it by the busload, but it's far from feeling overrun like Chichen Itza and other sites. Some of the temples are still being uncovered, and you can watch archaeologists busy at work. Many others remain completely covered in dirt and plants, much as the first outside explorers found them in the 1800s. Tikal was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1979.

Understand
Tikal was a Maya city of great power and size, the largest of Maya cities during the "Classic Era" over 1000 years ago. Many beautiful buildings have been uncovered and many more wait to be discovered. Amongst the many Maya sites in Central America, Tikal is perhaps the most breathtaking because of the scattered impressive buildings which have been restored in an area with many more ruined buildings still enveloped by the jungle. The sight of the temples poking through the canopy is quite awesome. Though you're not allowed to climb the stone steps of the larger pyramids, several of them have wooden staircases up the back so you can climb to the top and get panoramic views from above the trees.

History
Tikal dates back as far as 400 BC, and grew into one of the largest and most powerful of the Mayan cities during the Classic Period (AD 200-900), during which it had some shared cultural features with far-away Teotihuacan, whose warriors may have founded Tikal's greatest dynasty. It often clashed with other cities in the region, and was eventually defeated by Caracol in 562 AD. King Ah Cacau returned Tikal to its former glory about a century later, and it remained somewhat prosperous until the general decline of Mayan civilization set in around AD 900.

Tikal was eventually abandoned completely, consumed by the jungle, and pretty much fell off the map. Stories of its existence started to surface in the 17th & 18th centuries, but it wasn't until the mid-1800s that expeditions were hatched to explore and map it. After a hundred years of roughing it overland by horse and foot to reach the site, a small airstrip was built in the mid-1950s. The University of Pennsylvania oversaw major excavation work at Tikal during the 1960s, and then in the late 1970s, the government of Guatemala began the work you still see being done today.

During colonial times there was a legend spoken among the indigenous peoples in Guatemala of a lost city inside the jungle where their ancestors had thrived. In 1848 this legend became a reality. Tikal was discovered, arousing curiosity around the world.

Landscape
The experience of visiting Tikal is largely one of hiking through the tropical jungle, with options to take either wide dirt road or small, shaded trails. Lots of very tall trees provide shade even among the wider trails as you trek from one ruin to the next. With the exception of Temple IV, the elevations are small. Very steep wooden staircases lead up to public overlooks from some of the larger. Only minimal disabled access is provided.

Flora and fauna
It's often possible to see and hear monkeys in Tikal, especially if you go on a sunny morning or stay in one of the local hotels. Spider monkeys sleep together in large groups, but during the day they disperse in small groups across the park, and can usually at least be found by someone with binoculars and some wildlife spotting skills. 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, but sometimes hang out near the Temple IV overlook. Coatimundis, a racoon-like mammal and brightly colored wild Ocellated Turkeys, are everywhere. Toucans, parrots and other exotic species contribute to the ruins' reputation for wonderful bird watching. Jaguars are rare but have been spotted on the more remote trails - and at least once in early 2024, in the public parking lot!

Climate
It's sunny, hot and humid in the northern hemisphere, winter so dress lightly and bring water since you will be sweating climbing up the many steep steps of the monuments which are spread out. In the rainy season, during the northern hemisphere summer, it may rain all afternoon or even all day, but temperatures will still be quite hot. The trails can be muddy in a few places but there is plenty of shade under the canopy of trees. Winter nights can be cool. Brings lots of water or sports drinks - dehydration and heat stroke are the biggest dangers here. There are a few vendors along the main west-east walking route if you need to get more to drink.

Website
Tikal Archaeological Site website

Get in
Tikal is located about 1.5-2 hours' drive from Flores, which hosts the nearest airport. The airstrip at Tikal is no longer in use, and cannot be used even for private planes or in emergencies, as it's now overgrown with trees.

Buses and minibuses come in from all surrounding areas on a well maintained, fully-paved road, and you can also drive there with your own vehicle. Many visitors do single-day tours from Flores, but there are also some accommodation options at the park for those who want to stay longer or arrive earlier.

As of June 2024, for visitors with normal day tickets (see below), the main entrance to the archeological site opens at 06:00 and closes by 17:00 and you are expected to be out by 17:30. Staff roam the park around 17:00 looking for people without an evening bracelet, and will escort you out, although the official website says that entry is from 06:00 to 18:00.

By bus/shuttle
At one point, the San Juan Travel Agency had a virtual monopoly on the minibuses that would pick you up from your hotel in Flores in the morning on the hour and cost Q120 roundtrip or Q60 one way leaving hourly from 04:00 to 10:00, and then possibly one more at 14:00 (travel time: 75 mins). Return trips are at 12:30, and then hourly from 14:00 to 18:00. As of June 2024, some hostels are selling round-trip tickets for Q100, for shuttles apparently leaving at Flores Island near the bridge.

Regular second class buses leave from Flores (at the new bus terminal in southern Santa Elena) to Tikal for Q50 each way. Since this adds up to about the same round-trip price as you would pay to leave from the island with a tourist shuttle, the only reason to do this is if you're going one-way or happen to be staying in Santa Elena. At one point, the scheduled departures were at 06:00, 06:30, 07:00, 08:30, 10:00, 11:30 and 12:30, arriving two hours later. Once-or-twice per day buses to Uaxactún, one of which leaves the Santa Elena old station a few blocks from the bridge around 2:00pm, can also drop you in Tikal for the same price. Some local buses may not run on Sundays. Beware about buying a round trip ticket from "Exploradores de la Cultura Maya" from the Santa Elena bus station as they may sell you a return ticket for a bus that doesn't exist.

Fees and permits
The following ticket prices apply to foreign citizens (make sure to select extranjeros if buying online). Local Guatemalans can enter for a reduced price. Your tickets will be checked and traded for a bracelet at the garita de control at the entrance to the ruins (el sitio), and the staff at the ticket booth taquilla on the road in may also want to see them.

How to Purchase
It's recommended that you buy your tickets online before leaving Flores on the official website. There is also a ticket office on the way to the ruins, but it may not accept credit/debit cards, and it is 12 km before reaching the main part of the park. They also reportedly can have problems with their ticketing system due to electrical or cell service outages.

There are no ticket sales at the entrance to the ruins. Furthermore, as of June 2024, there is no cell signal in Tikal, except sometimes at certain spots inside the ruins, so if you need to buy a ticket for another day or special entry once you're already there, the only way to do it is by finding wifi at one of the restaurants nearby (unless you feel like driving, catching a bus, or hitchhiking the 12 km back to the ticket booth). There are also no ATMs in Tikal, so be sure to bring enough cash to cover your tickets if you didn't buy them online, plus any souvenirs or food you might want to buy (though the nicer restaurants accept cards), and for transport if you're visiting by bus or taxi and don't have a round-trip ticket.

If you'll be buying tickets at the ticket booth on the road in, bring your passport. If you're buying tickets online, you'll be asked to provide your passport number, but as of June 2024 no one is checking passports for online tickets when you actually arrive.

Ticket Pricing
As of June 2024, the foreigner cost for a normal full-day ticket (valid from 06:00 to 17:00) to explore the ruins is Q150. A separate ticket for early entry (amanecer) (from 04:00) is Q100 - guided tour required, not included in the price. This is the only way to watch the sunrise over the pyramids, though remember it might be cloudy. There is reportedly a cheap colectivo (walk-up) guided tour that leaves from the entrance at 04:20. Similarly, another separate Q100 ticket is required if you plan to stay for dusk/sunset (atardecer), and it's unclear whether or not a guide is required for this. You may be required to show a normal day ticket alongside these special entry tickets, even if you only plan to be in the park for dawn or dusk hours.

It had been reported that tickets bought in after 15:00 or 16:00 were also valid for the next day, but as of June 2024, this seems no longer to be the case.

Entry to the museum is a separate Q30 for foreign citizens (June 2024), and apparently also needs to be bought online or in advance.

Get around
The restaurants, souvenir shops, visitor center, museum, and hotels can be reached by car but are all within about 5 minutes' walk of each other and the entrance to the ruins.

Once you enter the ruins, walking is the only way to get around, as only staff and vendor vehicles are allowed inside. The distances can be on the long side - walking from the entrance straight to the far end of the park, where the must-see Temple IV viewdeck is located, takes about 40 minutes even if you don't stop for the other must-see sights in between. The Gran Plaza with the most famous pyramids is about halfway in between, and there are tons of other interesting ruins on side paths, some straying as much as a half-hour walk or more off of the main axis. Some routes are small forest hiking paths (usually well-maintained), but more of them are car-sized hard-packed dirt/gravel roads, many corresponding to the original limestone causeways used by the ancient Maya to traverse the city.

To see just about everything, you would probably need all day from morning to evening, and it's unlikely you'd manage it one day without getting tired out from the heat. But the most important sites can be visited in a few hours. In case you have a very short amount of time or limited energy, paying a guide could be a useful way to make sure you catch the highlights.


 * are available for cash outside the Visitor's Center and from a dude who hangs out where you get your tickets checked, or for free at the government tourist information center in Flores. Or just use your phone to take a photo of the signs with the same map on it, just past the ticket checkpoint.

See


You will also see a few black monkeys jumping high up among the trees.

Do

 * Tikal sunrise tour. Either stay in the park (see Sleep section) and book from them, or buy a tour from Flores, or also ask your hotel. Tour is needed as a guide is required to be able to enter the park at sunrise. Ticket is Q100 in addition to your Q150 park entry, and doesn't include the guide fee. Must be purchased when buying tickets online or at the booth 12 km up the road. There is reportedly a cheap colectivo (walk-up) tour that leaves from the entrance of the ruins at 04:20.
 * Tickets sold at park southern entrance.
 * Tikal sunrise tour. Either stay in the park (see Sleep section) and book from them, or buy a tour from Flores, or also ask your hotel. Tour is needed as a guide is required to be able to enter the park at sunrise. Ticket is Q100 in addition to your Q150 park entry, and doesn't include the guide fee. Must be purchased when buying tickets online or at the booth 12 km up the road. There is reportedly a cheap colectivo (walk-up) tour that leaves from the entrance of the ruins at 04:20.
 * Tickets sold at park southern entrance.

Buy


There are no ATMs in Tikal, so be sure to bring enough cash to cover your tickets if you're not buying them online, plus equipment rental if you're staying in the campground, plus any souvenirs or food you might want to buy (though the nicer restaurants accept cards), and for transport if you're visiting by bus or taxi and don't have a round-trip ticket. If you need to conserve cash, consider staying at the hotels in Tikal, and only eating at the nicer restaurants, even though that's more expensive, because they accept payment by card. In case you're continuing to Uaxactun, be aware that you'll need cash for everything there too, including accommodations and food. For a multi-day trip to Tikal and Uaxactun, even carrying Q1000 in cash can be cutting it very close.

The Visitors' Center and its immediate area hosts a number of souvenir shops, selling T-shirts, assorted local handicrafts, snacks, drinks, and numerous guide books in English and Spanish of Tikal, the Maya, and Guatemala. Guatemalan highland’s textiles are also sold in a small rancho near the parking area.

Eat
The Visitors' Center has a restaurant offering food and drink until 16:00, though it's on the expensive side. At one point, the Jungle Lodge reportedly offered dinners for guests, and some travellers reported that it is better than the Tikal Inn.

There are several comedores (food stalls/cheap diners) along the road just before and across from the visitor center. These are by far the cheapest option, though still not quite cheap by Guatemalan standards, and they likely don't accept credit cards and there's no ATM, so make sure you brought enough cash. Several of them close around 17:00, with the farthest-out on, Comedor Imperio Maya, usually open until 18:00.

The restaurant at the Hotel Jaguar, which is open to everyone, may be cheaper than the visitors centre, and as of June 2024 is quite a bit more expensive than the comedores, but also better, and offers card payment and free WiFi. It's open until 20:30.

Within the ruins, vendors at the three designated rest areas along the main east-west walking route sell small bags of chips and cookies in addition to bottled drinks.

Drink
There are all sorts of drinks (cans and bottles of soda, juice, and water) available at kiosks in the visitor center reasonably priced considering that they could charge much more. If you're buying orange juice at the Jaguar, Inn buy the bottled stuff (Q6 - Jugo De La Granja), as it is likely the same as the stuff in a glass but half the price.

Around the Grand Plaza small covered shops offer water. These close pretty early so plan ahead and carry some extra water in the afternoon.

The restaurant at the Jaguar Inn, which is open to everyone, also sells craft beer.

Sleep
Many people prefer to stay in the park and wake up with the jungle to the sounds of birds and nature rather than the vehicle sounds of Flores, and staying here one of the ways to be in the park for sunrise. Unfortunately the park options are not the cheapest, and demand often exceeds supply. As of June 2024, prices started at around Q500 (possibly a low-season rate). Many visitors instead choose to stay in the cute historical center of Flores island and hour or two away, which has many affordable hostels, and take an early shuttle bus to the park. There are also several cheap lodges lakeside in El Remate, in between Flores and Tikal, where your hotel can arrange a shuttle pick up for you.

Hotels
Three hotels next to the park entrance provide somewhat basic but decent accommodation, all within very short walking distance to the entrance to the ruins. 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.



Camping




Connect
There is no cell signal in Tikal, except sometimes at certain points within the ruins, mainly at the viewdeck atop Temple IV (at the farthest point of the park from the entrance), and usually yat the ticket booth on the road to Tikal, 12km before you reach the ruins.

If you're staying at one of the Tikal hotels, which are all located just outside the ruins, they will probably have free WiFi for you. But if you're on a day trip or camping, you can only access the internet at restaurant by the visitor center (Q10/hour, Q30/day) or at restaurant of Hotel Jaguar (free for paying customers). These wifi networks seem to remain active into the evening, though you'll need to acquire access before they close (16:00 for the visitor center restaurant, 20:30pm for the Hotel Jaguar). Campers should know that neither wifi signal reaches the campground, and that the park guards may not want you want you wandering the grounds after 21:00.

Be aware that this is a remote jungle location, and it's possible wifi could be unavailable if there's a problem with electricity or the satellite internet link.

Stay safe
As of June 2024, robberies do not seem to be an issue anymore, either at Tikal or on the way to it. Though park staff may scare you about jaguar attacks (technically possible), the main danger is dehydration or heatstroke from the extreme heat and humidity. Make sure to carry lots of water - you can buy it at a few points along the main east-west path of the ruins, but it's probably cheaper at the shops just outside.

The park staff have been spooked by a few incidents and close calls recently: a hiker died from heatstroke in 2022, a middle-aged birdwatcher disappeared in 2023, and a family of French tourists got lost for two days in the jungle later that year. Because of this, the park recommends taking a guide, but they do not require it. However, the trails are very well signed, and the reality is that you won't get dangerously lost as long as you stay on obvious trails and don't pass any "no passing"/"no trespassing" signs.

The park guards may also not allow you to wander the parking lot and public roads at night between 21:00 and 06:00, though if you have a very good reason to be out, you're encouraged to go straight to the guard post at the roundabout and ask them for an exception.

It's unlikely you'd want to jump into any of the shallow, muddy ponds around the park, but be aware that this is considered dangerous, since there are usually crocodiles in them.

There can be a lot of bugs in Tikal, including the type of mosquitoes that carries dengue fever - bringing insect repellent is strongly recommended, especially if you'll be out in the evening or early morning (but you can be bitten in shady areas even in the day).

Go next
If you are going to Belize, you have few options. To leave directly from Tikal, you'll have to hire a cab all the way to the border, which can be pricey. From there you have a good jumping off point to San Ignacio. You can return to Flores to catch a bus, but most departures are in the morning and early afternoon. The best option is to plan to return to Flores and stay the night before moving east.