Tikal

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Tikal is in the Guatemalen department of Petén. Flores is the nearest gateway city and airport.

	tikal Travel Guide : 1 Understand 1.1 History 1.2 Landscape 1.3 Flora and fauna 1.4 Climate 2 Get in 3 Fees/Permits 4 Get around 5 See 6 Do 7 Buy 8 Eat 9 Drink 10 Sleep 11 Stay safe 12 Get out

Understand

Tikal was a Mayan city of great power and size. Many beautiful buildings have been uncovered and many more wait to be discovered. Amongst the many Mayan sites in Central America, Tikal is perhaps the most breathtaking because it is completely enveloped by the jungle. The sight of the temples poking through the canopy is quite awesome.

History

Landscape

Flora and fauna

If one goes early enough in the morning (or better still, stays at one of the hotels in the park), it's possible to see and hear the monkeys. Spider monkeys sleep together in large groups, but during the day they disperse. It's easiest to see them when they've woken up and are beginning to move around. The other kind of monkey is the howler monkey, which is more often heard than seen.

Climate

Get in

The park's main gate opens at 06:00, and officially closes at 18:00. Buses and minibuses come in from all surrounding areas on a well maintained road. Tickets are purchased at the main gate, which is some miles away from the visitors center, where everyone parks.

Fees/Permits

Cost is Q50 and must be paid in Quetzales.

Get around

See

Do

• Museums - there are two small museums, one in the main visitor center, the other a short distance away. Cost for non-locals is Q10.

• Jungle canopy tour - An thrill ride along cables slung between tall trees in the jungle just outside the gate to Tikal National Park. You sit in a harness, slide from tree to tree, then climb up the tree to the next platform for the next cable. The highest trees poke above most of the canopy so you can see a long way. The longest cable ride is some 150m. This company has two routes. The main one is USD$30 (as of December 2005). The second one is lower and shorter, at the end of a 20-minute walk into the forest, and costs USD$10. The equipment and construction appears solid, and the ride itself is simple enough that everyone from seven-year-olds to grandmothers can do it. A lot of fun. There appears to be a bit of a rush at 11:00 am, but try to wait and go in a smaller group if you can -- it will be more fun. Reservations possible but don't seem necessary. It might make sense to take the canopy tour on the second morning of a two-day Tikal tour, and arrange for the hotel transfer to Flores to pick you up at the park gate, rather than backtracking to the hotel first. web canopytikal.com (http://www.canopytikal.com/) (Spanish and English).
  • Especialistas en Ecotourisma, a travel agency in Guatemala, offered these courses for USD $25 plus $5 (as of December 2005). You have to pay them in advance by making a bank deposit or wire transfer, which can be awkward. Especialistas en Ecotourisma Canopy tours information (http://www.tikalpark.com/canopytours.htm)

Buy

The visitor's center hosts a number of souvenir shops, selling T-shirts and assorted local handicrafts.

Eat

The Jungle Lodge offers dinners, and some travellers report that it is better than the Tikal Inn.

There are several comedores (food stalls) on the road leading from the ruins entrance to Flores.

Drink

Sleep

Three hotels located next to the Tikal National Park entrance provide basic accommodation. They have the advantage of letting you get to the park before dawn to watch the sun rise, and the jungle awake, from atop one of the pyramids.

• Jungle Lodge 1 (http://www.junglelodge.guate.com). Has the reputation as the best of the Tikal hotels.
• Tikal Inn. Breakfast included.
• Jaguar Inn.

It's also possible to sleep in Flores (Guatemala) and take a shuttle bus from there to the park.

There is also a campsite (free?) near the park entrance, in the vicinity of the hotels.

Stay safe

Security in the park seems to be decent (2005), with tourist police patrols on ATVs. The oft-mentioned crime wave in and around Tikal was 2000-2001, prior to the formation of the tourist police.

Get out

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