Totally buzzed that I finally got to visit the Tikal National Park UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Guatemala.
The archaeological site of Tikal, the most magnificent of Mayan ruins, the temples of which rise up out of the jungle:
This place is simply stunning. Which is exactly why it should be on your bucket list.
Its remoteness is part of the charm.
Teotihuacán is just an hour from Mexico City. The pyramids of Giza are just a short trip from Cairo.
Tikal lies 520km from Guatemala City. 12 hours +/- by bus, though there is an airport in Santa Elena. But either way, a trip to Tikal requires some planning.
You can’t just think, ‘Hmm, what shall we do this afternoon? I know, let’s go to Tikal”
And the Tikal Ruins lie in the middle of a 576 km² UNESCO-designated Tikal National Park.
Flores is the traditional gateway for travellers going to Tikal. Many chose to fly up from Guatemala City, get bussed out to Tikal, do a sunset tour, relax in a jacuzzi, get up for sunrise, take the obligatory InstaPic and fly back.
I took a Fuente del Norte bus from Rio Dulce.
Those with more time than money, like me, hang out in Flores for a week, scheduling a trip to Tikal when the moment feels right. I’m a part of a dying breed.
Many described Flores as being the noisiest town in Guatemala. Not in my experience. Maybe just because of Covid.
Maybe because it’s the height of the rainy season. Though it does not rain every day. It’s just that when it does, it really comes down.
They could do a lot to improve the small island, which takes about 15 minutes to walk around, if that. They could ban all non-essential cars and the young lads on motorbikes who just like to cruise around, looking cool, creating small traffic jams.
The author, backpacking Guatemala, posing in front of Temple I, also known as the Temple of the Jaguar, which stands 45m high and dates from around 700 AD. The tomb of Ah Cacao was found inside:
Tikal was first inhabited way back in 800 BC and, for unknown reasons, abandoned around 900 AD.
Only 16 km² has been ‘mapped’, and they say that this is just 15% of what lies ‘out there’, hidden in the jungle.
Above and below: Temple II. Also known as the Temple of Masks, it stands 38m high and dates from around 700 AD.
You can climb up the wooden steps on the south side of Temple IV, which is the tallest of the 6 main temples at Tikal, at 65m. Also known as the Temple of the Bicephalous Snake, and dates from 740 AD. Awesome views across the trees of Tikal:
Temple III, also known as the Temple of the Great Priest, stands 60m high and dates from around 810 AD. It is best viewed from Temple IV, as it is very overgrown:
Temple V, 57m high and built between 550 and 850 AD:
The Lost World. Here you can pretend you are Indiana Jones or Lara Croft:
How to get from to Tikal National Park from Flores
I bought a transport-only ticket from the Hotel Posada Tayazal in Flores for just 85 Q. If you wanted a guide, it was 125 Q. The ticket using a colectivo from the bus station in Flores (Santa Elena) was 150 Q. (These were the ticket costs in 2021).
Be sure to check all options before committing.
Pick up was at 04:30 the next morning, just next to the causeway linking the Isla de Flores to Santa Elena.
We all agreed on 12 noon for the return ride, which was plenty of time.
Flores to the archaeological site of Tikal is 63 km, but the entrance to the Tikal Parque Natiónal, is at KM 51, where you stop and pay the entrance fee. The ticket office opens at 6 am sharp.
Check out the latest entrance fees and opening hours on the Tikal National Park website.
You then continue the final kilometres to the archaeological site of Tikal.
Backpacker Accommodation in Flores
I stayed at the Hotel Posada Tayazal in Flores. It’s on a quieter street than the hotels and restaurants on the ring road.
I should share how I find these cheap options, but yup, you get what you pay for.
Flores is a tropical place. It’s damp. In the rainy season, even more so. And it’s common in Guatemala that rooms with external windows are rare. Rooms open to the corridor. This means it can be noisy, and ventilation is not the best. You get what you pay for.
I had my own room with a shared bathroom on the ground floor, with a fan, probably a bit dingy for too long. But just 50Q a night (6.50 USD), you do indeed get what you pay for.