Tikal, gT

This won't be a typical summary. Just an overview of a thing to see here in Guatemala. Tikal. It has its own page, because it really is deserving of that. It's one of the largest attractions in the entire country, and for good reason. So it has its own page. Tikal is an absolutely massive Mayan city full of extremely well-preserved ruins and pyramids. Tikal itself is an old Mayan city, or was. It's one of the largest archaeological sites of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization. Tikal is the remains of a city called Yax Mutal, which was the capital of a powerful ancient kingdom. The site has more than 3,000 structures on it, so it's absolutely massive. When you enter the park it feels like you are entering a massive national park. There's roads, and parking lots and a bunch of different routes you can take to see different things in the ancient city. The main things to see here are the large temples. One of them is considered to be the tallest Mayan temple in history. The reigning leaders of the civilization used temple-building — and size, specifically, as a way of signifying their level of power. The bigger the better, essentially. The city is the one featured in the 2006 movie 'Apocalypto' actually. As these kings built their temples, it required a massive amount of wood, and deforestation actually led to massive famines and a significant decline in the population as a result. A common story of over-industrialization and development leading to the downfall of a civilization. A recognizable echo to what is happening today. Well that's enough of a history lesson here. You can look up the full history of Tikal here. Tikal is located in the jungle in far northern Guatemala. Only 100 kms or about 2 hours by car from the border of Belize. There's a number of ways to go and see Tikal, but typically people will go on a tour from the nearby town of Flores. — That is, if you don't have a car. There is really no accommodation anywhere near the national park. At least none that is remotely affordable. So the best way to see it, without your own vehicle, is to do an organized tour, or take a shuttle there from Flores. There are cheap shuttles to and from Flores. The ride is about 90 minutes. But to end it all the ruins of Tikal are absolutely mind-blowing and stunning. They are massive, you can really feel like you are in a city and it's an overwhelmingly cool experience. I am usually not the biggest fan of ruins — they are kind of like churches in Europe, or temples in Thailand (once you seen one, you've seen them all mentality). But Tikal is different. Even if you don't like ruins, Tikal is certainly not to be missed. Keep your eyes out for all the monkeys and other crazy animals running around here as well.

GENERAL OVERVIEW

LOCATION - Tikal is located in the jungle in far northern Guatemala. Only 100 kms, or about 2 hours by car, from the border of Belize. There's a number of ways to go and see Tikal, but typically people will go on a tour from the nearby town of Flores. That is if you don't have a car. There is really no accommodation anywhere near the national park. At least none that is remotely affordable. So the best way to see it, without your own vehicle, is to do an organized tour — or take a shuttle there from Flores. There are cheap shuttles to and from Flores. The ride is about 90 minutes.

ACCOMMODATION - Tikal is a national park, and surprisingly enough there is actually some accommodation inside. There's a number of hotels inside, and even a hostel. But it's not going to be very cheap, and it's also not going to be very social. You will be in the national park, and that's it. Not much to do at night, and the accommodation will be pretty expensive. At around $60 or so for a night. I would personally recommend getting accommodation in Flores, and making a day trip into the park from there via shuttle. It's a quick trip, and the accommodation options are much better. However if you want to stay in the park for a night, be there for the beautiful sunrise you can witness in the ruins, then a night in the park could be cool. —At a place like Jungle Lodge Hotel.
- Also if you are overlanding and traveling by car, you can sleep in your rig in the park, in the Tikal Campground. It's 50Q ($6 USD) per person per night. That's an excellent option, but you obviously need the vehicle.

EATS - There's a few little food options in the park, but nothing that I would really recommend. It's going to be national park food. There's a small place called Comedor Tikal where you can get pretty cheap food if you get hungry. But no one is coming to Tikal for the food.

NIGHTLIFE - You are in a national park. Nightlife does not exist here.

SIGHTS - The park. This is the sight. Below are some of the key things to see in the park.
- Tikal Temple III - Is a 55-meter-tall temple pyramid. It was built around 810 A.D., and is also known as the 'Temple of the Jaguar Priest'.
- Tikal Temple V Pyramid - Also known as the 'Temple of the Two-Headed Snake', this is the tallest structure in Tikal. It's 65 meters tall, and reveals the scale of Tikal.
- Great Plaza - Is a 1.5-acre open grassy area, that was the center of life in Tikal. It was built around 700 A.D.
- Temple I - Also known as the 'Temple of the Great Jaguar', this temple was built for the king, and completed by his son.

SURFING - You're in the jungle. — Nada.