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The
National Park and Mayan Ruins at TIKAL- Guatemala
By
far the most exciting and best of all the Mayan Ruins to visit
Culture - Nature - Jungle - Mayan Architecture - Uncrowded
The
Day Trip:
Guided
Tour with Lodge by Van or Limo, Or fly round trip from Belize
City, Or drive a rental car, Or take a Bus. You can fly to
Flores and take a tour from there and be back by 330p.
There are 2 flights a day.
Surface trips begin about 7am. Your expert driver/guide will take
you across the border and to the town of Flores and then to the
Park. A popular way to go is to drive one of our rental cars that
have special insurance arrangements and are provided with an
ice chest.
It is also
common to take a guided tour from your lodge in the Cayo District.
You will appreciate the convenience and expertise but It is even
possible by a combination of bus and other 'public' transportation'
You will have lunch in the park and see the vistor's center, the
park and 2 museums.
Your lodge
provided (Guided tour) includes expert guides (1 from Guatemala,
1 from Beliza), the Guatemalan Visa, entrance fee to park and
museums and lunch. If you drive you should convert about 25.00
into Quetzales. Guide are available in the park.
Overnight
In The Park:
Can be done
as part of a lodge package but it is popular to drive a rental
car, tour the park and museums as above and have lunch, dinner,
overnight and breakfast the following morning in the lodge. The
Jungle Lodge and the Jaguar Inn are located in the park. Staying
overnight and waking in Tikal in the morning provides more opportunity
to see the birds and animal life at dawn and dusk.
| Guatela
Visa $5,00, Tikal park entrance fee: $7.00 (approx.--payable
in Quetzales only: Q50). If you desire a guide at Tikal, they
charge $40 for 1-4 persons, $10/extra person. There are 2
museums that require entrance fees of about $2.00. |
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A
view from higher up.
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The
spectacular Great Plaza.
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Cottage
at the Jungle Lodge in Tikal National Park.
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You
will enjoy cooling off at the Jungle Lodge Pool.
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Ground
level view showing 2 main towers.
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Lots of birds and wildlife while walking the Tikal trails.
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About Tikal
National Park:
The park covers
222 square miles amidst the thick, tropical jungle of El Peten.
Created in 1958, UNESCO declared the park a "Monument
of the World's Heritage" in 1979. It is regarded as one
of the most important cultural and natural reserves in the world.
8am - 5pm
There are
more than 4,000 structures or constructions in Tikal. The
oldest date from the Pre-classic period (800 BC), and the most
recent from the Post-classic period (900 AD). It was during this
period that the Maya attained their artistic, architectural, mathematic,
agricultural and commercial heights.
The most important
plazas and temples in the park are: The Great Plaza: The
most spectacular structure in Tikal is the plaza surrounded by
stelae and sculpted altars, ceremonial buildings, residential
and administrative palaces, and a ball court. At each end of the
plaza loom the Temple of the Great Jaguar and Temple II.
Temple
of the Great Jaguar (Temple I): Located on the eastern side
of the Great Plaza, it is more than 150 feet in height. The temple
was erected about 700 AD by order of Ah Cacao, whose tomb was
discovered inside.
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