Tikal Heartbeat of the Mayans

These ancient Tikal Mayan city ruins are located in the northern rain forests of Guatemala. Tikal was known as a major Mayan capital city and one of the Mayans’ most important urban centers. It could be said that Tikal was the heartbeat of the Mayan civilizations from 200AD to 900AD.

During this time, it was the most powerful city of this Mayan region in terms of economic, political, and military power. Tikal covered an area of about 16 square kilometers and a population of around 90,000.

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Today’s Tikal consists of various impressive structures and buildings that are a must-see for their sheer size and beauty. Another advantage of visiting Tikal is it is not as crowded as other Mayan ruin sites such as Chichen Itza or Uxmal.

Cindy and I both thoroughly enjoyed our 2 days in Tikal. This being said, we would highly recommend a minimum of a two-day stay here on-site at Tikal. There is so much to see, experience, and Tikal is very much spread out. A once in a lifetime adventure.

Getting to Tikal Mayan Ruins

Getting to Tikal, we booked flights with Avianca (out of business) from Guatemala City to Flores. Flights are expensive; we paid USD 200 each. That said, it’s only a 1-hour flight, which beats other forms of transportation, hands down. Shuttle service picked us up from Flores airport delivered us to Jungle Lodge’s accommodations took an hour. Jungle Lodge is located right at the park entrance. Besides being a great place to stay, it makes for a full-day experience at the park, sunrise to sunset. No time lost due to travel from Flores as most people stay there and shuttle to Tikal for the day. We recommend the Jungle lodge because of its location, a short walk to the ruins. The food was good and reasonably priced; the staff was accommodating and friendly.

Visiting the Mayan ruins of Tikal was part of a 2-week excursion from San Pedro that we had planned earlier in our winter away from Canada. We had looked into the shuttle to Flores, but we hate shuttles, think can of sardines. Flying was so much quicker; the only thing we regret is that we would have stopped at Semuc Champey going by shuttle. We heard later that Semuc Champey is a must-see as it’s a lot of fun.

The flight to Tikal wasn’t without its issues as Cindy was not feeling well at all (maybe Dengue fever), stomach issues, fever, chills, and sweats. Upon arrival at Jungle Lodge, an elderly gentleman saw how sick Cindy looked. After asking a few questions, he then proceeded to make Cindy an allspice tea made from the leaves from the allspice tree. By the morning the tea was helping Cindy, but needless to say, the first day of touring Tikal, I was on my own. YouTube Tikal

Entering Tikal

• Tikal National Park is open daily for visits from 6:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
• Adult tickets for foreigners cost 150 GTQ (about $20 USD).
• Children under 12 can enter Tikal free of charge.
• Visiting Uaxactun costs an additional 50 GTQ
• If you sign up for a sunrise tour and enter the park before 6:00 AM, the ticket fee is 250 GTQ.
• (I was told by many that the Sunrise tour was not worth booking as most mornings have a heavy fog and you can’t see anything)

Tikal Park Map

Tikal Day One By Myself

Entering the park I was glad that I had a map as Tikal is literally a Jungle, it is very hard to grasp the overall expanse of these ruins. Thousands of Mayans lived here in Tikal, with all the temples and other structures but it is difficult to visualize because of all the jungle growth that now encompasses the City of Tikal. The main Temples I & II along with the Central Acropolis buildings are in a location that is open and clear. Here you can appreciate the size and vastness that these temples and structures take up.

Honestly, it helps if you are in shape as there is a lot of area to cover with many stairs to climb if you wish to see from the tops of the temples. In the park walking around trying to see everything, I put on approximately 28,000 steps (Samsung Gear Sport watch) along with climbing 60 some floors (floors equal 10 vertical feet). I was able to climb most of the structures; you climb wooden staircases to get to the top of most structures. Both Temple I and Temple III had no means to get to the top, so I got to appreciate these temples from the ground. My god, the views from these vantage points are amazing! You can see right over the top of the jungle to the other temples. Tikal is spectacular and a must-see; it should be on your bucket list!

Morning Fog Shrouded Tikal’s Mayan Ruins

Arriving at Tikal entrance at 6:00 am, I found the ruins were bathed in a misty fog that laid itself over the ruins like a blanket. As a result, the fog, the absence of people, and the ominous howling of the howler monkeys atop the jungle canopy added a completely different feel to these Mayan Ruins of Tikal. Making it easy to imagine yourself somewhere else in time. Subsequently, this fog greatly added to my experience in those early hours—a truly incredible time to be seeing the ruins and be out in the jungle. If you are an early bird, this is an experience you do not want to miss out on.

Tikal Ruins Day Two

Returning to the lodge by 9:00 am as promised after experiencing Tikal in the mist. I found Cindy was feeling much better. Tikal is a hell of a workout, so you need to feel good. That being said, we were about to head back to the park when it was suggested we go with a guide (150Q). Thought that this would be a great way to see and learn more about Tikal.

Joining up with another couple; made our party small so that you could get the most from the guide. For this reason, we were pleased to have our guide as we learned so much from him about Tikal and the Mayan civilization. Our only regret here was not paying extra for the sunset part of the tour, which we were told was amazing. Sounds of the jungle at night as well as the night sky and all the stars.

Mayan Stelae’s At Tikal

In Maya society, the stelae was an important medium through which historical information was recorded. Stelae are free-standing stone slabs carved that usually depict rulers’ portraits, which are accompanied by hieroglyphic texts recording the rulers’ identity and actions.

Here are some pictures of Tikal Stelae’s that we saw in Tikal. Some can be very difficult to see what is sculptured onto them.

Mayan Princess selection

Cindy and I were very fortunate this day; an event was taking place at the Grand Plaza. Today was the election of a new Mayan Princess. During the ceremony, a fire was lit for the young women to make offerings to the Gods, items like sugar, candles, homemade alcohol, cigars, etc. One by one, each participant would add their offerings to the fire while praying to the gods.

On this day it was about 28 degrees; needless to say, it was hot. Not to mention the girls standing close to the fire, wearing their traditional Mayan clothing, colorful and bright. I don’t know how they did it. In the end, we believe, the girl from San Pedro was voted the Mayan Princess. This appears to demonstrate that Tikal is still the heartbeat of the Mayan people. Mayan princess selection YouTube.

Tikal Wildlife

We were very fortunate to see many wild animals while on the trails of Tikal. The Howler monkeys are an amazing experience with their screeching sounds while they are scrambling the top of the jungle canopy. Pictured below are the Howler & Spider Monkeys, Keel-Billed Toucan, Ocellated Turkey, Coatimundi, and Wild Pig. Incredible sites in the wild

Other Interesting Pics

Final Thoughts On Tikal

• We were fascinated by Tikal and very much enjoyed our time there. We definitely recommend adding Tikal to your bucket list.
• Take the time to appreciate where you are and the significance of Tikal to the Mayan civilization; you will probably never go back.

Our Positives

• The sheer size and jungle atmosphere of this Mayan ruin!
• Very fortunate to witness the ceremony leading up to the crowning of a new Mayan Princess
• Friendly Mayan people and hotel staff
• Not as busy as Chichen Itza, Uxmal, or other ruins.
• No hawkers sell souvenirs on the grounds
• The wildlife was different & amazing! i.e., Keel-Billed Tocan, Coatimundi, Howler (the howl bone-chilling), and Spider monkeys.

Our Negatives

• I wish Cindy wasn’t sick so she could have had more time in the ruin (nothing we could do about this).

Would have, Could have, Should have

• Should have stayed another day.
• Taken in the sunset tour

Next Stop

Flores for a couple of days and then flying back to Guatemala City and onto Antigua for a couple of days, before returning to San Pedro for our last 2 weeks in Guatemala

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Recommended Travel Essential

Cindy and I call ourselves nomadic so with this lifestyle, we use certain essentials to make this way of life easier and more comfortable. With this in mind, we have composed a list of what we feel are essentials and some tips you might use to plan or take your next travel adventure.

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Accommodation Options While Traveling The World

• Booking.com is one of our go to’s when we are looking for a place to stay for a couple of days or longer
• Agoda.com we find is best best to use when in Southeast Asia, but hey you never now what you might find
• Airbnb.com usded to be our go to but some of their cancelation policies are resonable, give them a try as well

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