Just across the border from Belize, some 2 hours by minivan, is the little township of Flores which is an island connected to the nearby town of Santa Elena by a bridge. Flores is a small area where you can find a cheap hostel with a view of the lake and close to plenty of tour operators where you can book a Tikal tour, as well as onward travel and other tours.
Tikal is one of the largest Mayan sites in Mesoamerica and has been a World Heritage Site since 1979, as a result, restoration is now slow as it has to be all done by hand and not one of the buildings can be restored by more than 25%. Tikal National Park is some 576km2 and using infra red, NASA says there are between 16000 -17400 buildings in the park. Obviously not all of these are restored and when you to the park only a few temples and buildings are accessible in a 4km2 area in the centre of the park.
Getting here is easy if you book transport through a tour company, expect to pay around 60Q for round trip transport or 100Q for trasportation and an English speaking guide, totally worth it so you actually have an idea of what you are looking at. You can always try to get to Tikal on your own steam but unless you have your own vehicle, it's a lot of hassle when you could pay just a fraction more and get a shuttle bus there.
Entry at the park is 150Q and if you arrive before 6am it is an additional 100Q, no point trying to get here early for the sunrise, didn't hear anyone raving about it and you have to pay more for the priviledge. If you paid for a guide, he/ she will meet you and the rest of your group in the park and from here you proceed to Complex Q. If you don't have a guide then all you have to do is walk around the park at your own leisure, but as mentioned before it is better, in my opinion to see some of the highlights of the park whilst gaining some knowledge about it. You can always walk around after the guided tour has finished.
Most of the complexes comprise of similar buildings ranging from sacrifical pyramids with underground tombs to residences, from palaces to administritive buildings and stelae with carvings. The numbers 9 and 13 were very important in Mayan culture, with Complex Q, for example, having 9 stone stelae with sacrificial alters, to respresent the Gods (there are 22 in total), and four buildings (incuding two pyramids) to make up a total of 13, representing the underworld.
Tikal is one of the largest Mayan sites in Mesoamerica and has been a World Heritage Site since 1979, as a result, restoration is now slow as it has to be all done by hand and not one of the buildings can be restored by more than 25%. Tikal National Park is some 576km2 and using infra red, NASA says there are between 16000 -17400 buildings in the park. Obviously not all of these are restored and when you to the park only a few temples and buildings are accessible in a 4km2 area in the centre of the park.
Getting here is easy if you book transport through a tour company, expect to pay around 60Q for round trip transport or 100Q for trasportation and an English speaking guide, totally worth it so you actually have an idea of what you are looking at. You can always try to get to Tikal on your own steam but unless you have your own vehicle, it's a lot of hassle when you could pay just a fraction more and get a shuttle bus there.
Entry at the park is 150Q and if you arrive before 6am it is an additional 100Q, no point trying to get here early for the sunrise, didn't hear anyone raving about it and you have to pay more for the priviledge. If you paid for a guide, he/ she will meet you and the rest of your group in the park and from here you proceed to Complex Q. If you don't have a guide then all you have to do is walk around the park at your own leisure, but as mentioned before it is better, in my opinion to see some of the highlights of the park whilst gaining some knowledge about it. You can always walk around after the guided tour has finished.
Most of the complexes comprise of similar buildings ranging from sacrifical pyramids with underground tombs to residences, from palaces to administritive buildings and stelae with carvings. The numbers 9 and 13 were very important in Mayan culture, with Complex Q, for example, having 9 stone stelae with sacrificial alters, to respresent the Gods (there are 22 in total), and four buildings (incuding two pyramids) to make up a total of 13, representing the underworld.
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After here it's a short walk to the Great Plaza which houses the famous pyrmaids of Tikal, there are two that face each other, built in honour of a past monarch. The main pyramid, Temple I, standing at 45m in height, is in honour of King Jasaw Chan K'awil and the one directly opposite, Temple 2, is to commemorate his wife, this one stands at 38m in height. They are no longer accessible to tourists but the Northern Acropolis and Central Acropolis adjacent to them are free to be roamed on, the Northern one has some 278 rooms and you could easily lose yourself wandering around.
Close by are Temples III. IV and V, along with the El Mundo Perdido (The Lost World) and the Seven Temples Plaza. Temple IV is 70m tall and said to be the tallest structure in the Mayan world, Temple III is 57m tall and the second tallest in the park. From the top of Temple IV there are great panoramic views of the Great Plaza and Temple III, you aren't able to climb up Temple IV however. The Lost World has a few buildings but the Pyramid there dwarfes everything else, not so much in height but it is very wide. Whislt seeing these structures, the guide provides useful information and history at each spot.
Getting back to Flores is easy, by purchasing a ticket with a tour company there are various shuttles that go back to FLores and drop you off at your hostel at 1100, 1230, 1500 and 1700. A 0430 start is early for most people so many opt for the 1100 bus back, there's only so much you can take in and close to five hours in the park is plenty to see the highlights and more. I would definitley recommend doing this through a tour agency as it just makes things easier, especially as it is better to get to the park early before the crowds, and to pay just that little extra for a guide as it will make the experience that little more enjoyable.
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