parque tikal guatemala

This was an awesome part of our trip. Our tour guide, Genny, is the reason for that - he is amazingly knowledgeable. We arranged our trip through the Cahal Pech resort. I think you would be sabotaging your own trip if you did this without a guide. He had so much information that he freely shared, starting with the drive to Tikal, local culture, and included historic information about the ruins, and tons of information about the plants and animals in the area. He allowed us all the time we needed to climb and explore the ruins and even helped me see a Toucan! It was awesome to see the tops of ruins extending above the tree canopy! While there is quite a bit of the site that has been excavated, there still remains a good portion that is not yet. It is really interesting to see both - it made me wonder how they ever found this site!! Must do!

After have just done the mother of the Incan ruins "Machu Picchu" I was a bit hesitant with the idea of doing a day tour to Tikal, but WOW, I was very glad I did. The journey to get to the park is beautiful. The entire area has such a unique feel. The history is amazing, and the serenity cant be ignored. Im an outdoors lover and this was a great "walk/hike/explore" kind of day. You can make it as short or as long of a day in the park depending on your interests. I definitely see why it's on the 1000 places to visit before you die list.Tip: Take snacks , water , bug spray, comfortable walk/hike shoes, & Camera ( climb to the top of temple 4, although it seems like a drag of stairs, it's worth the views & the photo opp !)

This is a beautiful national park although not ideal for young children, handicapped or the elderly. You will walk and walk and walk! Make sure to stay hydrated! The ruins were in good condition~an excellent view into history! One of the favorites for our family of 6 (4 young kids) was the monkeys and the toucan.

We just returned from a trip to Belize with a detour to Tikal to see the ruins. Our plan was to go from Belize city to Flores Guatemala and stay a few nights there. Then to Tikal to stay a few nights just outside the park. After that we wanted to go back to Hopkins in Belize. Before we left we checked into transport and found that there was a express bus from Belize city to Benque Belize and after clearing customs in Guatemala we took a mini bus to Flores. The cost from Belize City to Benque was $5.00 US/person and the taxi from the bus station was $5.00 for the 2 of us. The Mini bus from the border to Flores was $10.00 per person. It took about 5 hours. Getting from Flores to Tikal and back to Belize was another thing. We were quoted numerous prices from Flores to Tikal and ended up paying about $9.50 per person. Once we got to Tikal we were quoted any where from $35.00 to $70.00 us per person to get to the border. After much ado we found the local bus that took us to the crossroads and then took another local bus to the Belize Border. Total cost per person was $7.50. We then took local Belize buses to Hopkins. Do not let the tour guides and hotel people sell you expensive transport. None of the prices are set and everyone asks for different amounts. It was very frustrating but it all worked out.

Tikal has been one of my favorite places to visit the reason why is it still has a very Mayan feel it's less commercial then Chichen Itza, the views are amazing although if you're gonna do one of the tours I totally recommend the sunset tour, bring lots of bug spray, comfy clothes, flashlight and lots of water! It was wonderful and I totally recommend anyone if they have the chance to go!:)

We visited Tikal in January 2015 and were very happy we did. We were staying in Belize and did a full day tour across the border to the ruins. The whole trip was fun, including crossing the border by foot. Once we got to Tikal, we were amazed at how beautiful the site was. The site is very large and there are a range of diverse areas to explore. Many of the ruins allow you to climb them for gorgeous views of the surrounding landscape. There also is a lot of nice wildlife in the park, including many monkeys. We would definitely recommend Tikal to anyone looking for a unique ruin experience.

This is a great experience, best done with a knowledgeable guide to get to the unknown areas of the park and explain the history. You will need at least a full day as the area is large and it is worthwhile to do more than just the famous temples.

So much to see a one day visit leaves you wanting for more. Take a private guide and bring cool clothes and comfortable shoes. There are many temples and pyramids, palaces and whole complexes that take your breath away. There are lots of people visiting always. February was great though, low season, fewer visitors, warm and delicious weather.

I have been to Tikal a couple times now. Once in a lifetime for many people. If you are fit you can do the park in 1 long day but to see everything I recommend 2 days. Florez is the best place to stay the night. Stay hydrated if you plan on climbing all permitted Pyramids.

Really, really happy I went to Tikal. My family and I stayed in Belize and weren't sure the all day adventure to Tikal would be worth it. But, it definitely was. I think it was the highlight of our trip to Central America. The view from Temple IV was the icing on the cake. Well worth it! If you get the opportunity to go there, seize it.

We got up at 2:00am to meet our group and shuttle in Flores as we stayed in San miguel a few minutes away from water taxi, the shuttle take about an hour to get to Tikal, then you must walk to site. Bring a flashlight and warm clothes as it is cold before sunrise. There is coffee and a biscuit offered before you enter park for 5 Q , but grab a snack if you can from your hostel. Depending on your guide, guided tours can be good or not . Sunrise tours make guided tours mandatory due to it being dark out. Sunset tours available as well, where guided tours are optional...

Tikal was by far my favorite of the ancient Mayan cities I visited in Central America. What I loved most about it was the wildness of the place. It is almost the antithesis of a Chichen Itza, which is manicured and largely devoid of trees and animals. I was told by a guide that because Tikal is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, a very high percentage of the land must remain uncleared. As a result, the wildlife viewing is fantastic here, and the way the structures jut up from the forest canopy is magical. I prepaid at the visitor/information stand for an early entrance pass so that I could visit the site before dawn (with a group and guide) and watch the sunrise from atop a pyramid. While the weather can make this a dubious proposition, it was still an unbelievably unique experience to sit in the cool predawn air and watch the city materialize through the mist. When the crowds have gone home in the late afternoon, you can almost have the place to yourself, and the howler monkeys really come to life. I also saw spider monkeys, toucans, coatis, and many other species at different times throughout the day. The site is huge, and you can hike for quite a few miles without running out of new trails to explore. I would suggest spending at least two partial or full days here, the first including a late afternoon visit to avoid the crowds and the second including the entrance before sunrise. Tikal is easy to access if you are traveling from San Ignacio, Belize.

Iconic. Hard to believe I was there.Incredibly well maintained when you think of the jungle constantly wanting to encroached. Easy trails, harder trails... you can do this in any physical condition. Stairs to view points and top of pyramids. An easy flight from Guatemala city to Flores gets you close by. Do not miss the restaurant. The food is fabulous.

I was so looking forward to this site, and was not disappointed.Our group awaited a 'cart' at the start (visitors centre), which I was a bit impatient with, but it saved us the long walk to and later, out of the site proper. The walk is fairly level, but you'll save an hour or so by taking a 'cart' (seats on the back of an open top small truck!). The time saving is important when the tour is limited by time.Around the site the trails are well marked, although the map I had was very stylised and inaccurate. I would suggest planning your route beforehand, as there are numerous branches you can take, and something significant might be missed. There are toilets scattered about, and places to buy water. Most of the temples are not-climbable, which I liked, although several are, including the tallest, which gave magnificent views. In both cases the climb is via wooden staircases, so much easier to climb than the high stone Maya steps (and which are used at Carocal).Crowds on the February day I visited weren't too bad - 'average' according to the guide; a crowded day (2-3,000) would be a bit of a struggle.I think we had 3 hours at the site, which was comfortable to walk round nearly all of the main areas.

Tikal is the ruins of an ancient city found in a rainforest in Guatemala.It is one of the largest archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization and in 1979 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You can see there the Ceiba trees that are sacred to the Maya people. Also there we saw grey foxes, spider monkeys, Howler monkeys, turkeys, toucans, parrots, a falcon and various other birds. It was built from limestone and includes the remains of temples that tower over 70 metres (230 ft) high. That's the only one I climbed and the view from there was fantastic. There are large royal palaces, some smaller pyramids, residences, administrative buildings, platforms and inscribed stone monuments. There are also seven courts for playing the Mesoamerican ballgame, including a set of 3 in the Seven Temples Plaza. Much of Tikal has not yet been cleared, mapped, or excavated. All they need is a lot of money to do so.