| Page Views: 446 Last Visit to Parque Nacional Tikal: November, 2006 | Parque Nacional Tikal by calcaf38 - last update: Dec 17, 2006 |
| L to R: Templos I, II & III seen from Templo IV |
Tikal is one of the major archeological sites on earth. It is fairly isolated, and surrounded by nature. There are three hotels at the site, but most visitors commute from Flores, and some others, as I did, from El Remate. Coming all the way from Antigua for the day must be rather a horror.
Try to arrive at Tikal early. You might catch a possible sunrise, and in any case it will not be crowded. A shuttle leaving from Flores at 5:00 or from El Remate at 5:30 will be just fine. I felt like I had Tikal to myself for hours. I actually took a short nap in the Acropolis Del Norte. By noon, however, there were quite a few visitors around, including groups.
Minibus drivers return 8 hours after they arrive. If this seems too short (it isn't), buy a one way ticket with one minibus, and come back with another.
The drink huts open late in the morning: bring a quart of agua pura to make it until then. Mosquito repellent, sun screen, and a couple of cereal bars are also recommended. The bathrooms are clean.
The visit entails a lot of walking. I was happy to have a Disneyland style schematic map I bought at the entrance ($4) in addition to the map in my guidebook. The entrance to the park costs $7 - a steal.
The two ratty museums are barely worth it except that you will see paintings of the temples in their glory (purportedly in sorbet colors) and also when they were rediscovered - buried under dirt and vegetation.
Not all of Tikal has been excavated, by the way, and some of the most spectacular monuments are not completely excavated either. |
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| Pros: | "One of the wonders of humanity" | | Cons: | "Skimpy little museums" | | In A Nutshell: | "You can't go to Guatemala and skip Tikal" |
calcaf38's Parque Nacional Tikal Travel Tips
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 Comments for calcaf38 about Parque Nacional Tikal | | | | |
MalenaN Tue Apr 21, 2009 16:41 UTC
I have been to Guatemala, but didn't visit Tikal. I absolutly have to go back one day! | volopolo Mon Mar 24, 2008 16:11 UTC
Excellent picture!!!!! | martin_nl Tue Dec 18, 2007 23:05 UTC
Looking at these pics make me very excited about doing a trip to Guatemala. Thanks for the info about the temples. | atufft Wed Mar 14, 2007 08:20 UTC
Nice photography and catalog of the temples Oliver. It seems that some temple off-limits at the time I was there, now have wooden stairs to the top! |
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