The monkey was gesturing at me. I swear he was. I looked over my shoulder. My husband was long gone down the trail, and there was nobody else around to see. I looked back at the monkey. He was doing it again! Sort of pointing at me, then flailing his arms above his head, then pointing at me again. What did it mean? Does he want me to come up for tea and bananas? Do I have something stuck in my teeth? What? This was surreal.
After my long-tailed possibly-insane friend lost interest in me, I wandered to the nearby ancient stone wall to find my hubby. I was amazed where I found him. He was in the largest plaza area that we had seen since starting our day-long exploration of Tikal National Park. Temple (Pyramid) I (44 meters) and Temple II (38 meters) stood on opposite sides of the Great Plaza. The flat grassy area in the middle served to highlight the steepness of the temple sides. To one side of the plaza was a covered excavated hole. Looking in, I saw a huge carved stone head. Wild, for sure!
History
In additions to Temples I and II, Tikal has hundreds of other structures both large and small to explore and climb. I read that originally there were over 4000 structures in the 16 square kilometer area. To make a loop around the entire area means a 10km walk at least, although one day is sufficient to see most of the site.
It is thought that this area was attractive to the Mayan people due to its location on a hill (and out of the low swamps surrounding it) and also because of the abundance of flint. Tikal was inhabited from approximately 700BC to maybe 1200-1500 AD. The disappearance of the Mayan people from Tikal, like most other ancient Mayan sites, is a mystery.
The late 1800s brought renewed interest in exploring this long-forgotten site. Numerous international archaeologists worked on excavating the area over the years, inspiring the Guatemalan government to protect the area. The 576 square miles of jungle, including the archaeological site, make up Tikal National Park. It is also a World Heritage Site.
Big ones
While the pyramids in the Great Plaza cannot be climbed – due to a couple tourists falling to their deaths in recent years – there are two other large pyramids that can be. Temple V (58 meters) was impressive for its size as well as for the nearby group of howler monkeys. Temple IV, I believe, is the most often climbed. There are vendors with cold drinks at the base. The view from the top, looking over the jungle with the tops of the other pyramids sticking out, will not be soon forgotten. Temple III is also huge, at 55 meters, but is yet uncovered.
Quiet corners
While most people congregated around the main large temples, there are plenty of quiet corners of Tikal to find some peace and solitude. One place that I especially enjoyed was Mundo Perdido, or Lost World. This is a perfect spot for journal writing or for a quiet lunch break.
Wildlife
I have already mentioned my monkey experiences at Tikal, but there is plenty of other animal life to be seen. The park is a birders paradise. The critters we saw most often were wild turkeys, and some obviously tourist-fed coatamundis. Please keep wildlife wild, and don’t feed them! It only leads to their demise.
Tips
Tikal is larger than I thought. Be prepared with good walking shoes and plenty of drinking water.
I did not find the food to be very good (plus it was very expensive) at Tikal, so I recommend bringing a lunch and snacks.
Gifts and film were also very expensive at Tikal – bring plenty of film, and save the shopping for Flores or Santa Elena.
Licensed guides are available near the steps to the museum. We did not use a guide, but I think it would be a very good experience, and not too costly. I do not know the price, but the price is per group, not per person, so the best approach to hiring a guide is to get some other people to go in with you and split the cost.
If you go without a guide, Lonely Planet recommends the book "Tikal – A Handbook of the Ancient Mayan Ruins" by William Coe, which is available at Tikal and in Flores.
How to get there
It is very convenient to hire a minibus to pick you up at your hotel for round-trip transport to and from Tikal. We did this and the price was US$5 per person. Because of the hotel pickup and dropoff (vs. walking to Santa Elena for public bus), the extensive hours of operation (vs. public bus), and the reasonable cost for the 1.5 hour ride (each way), we felt that this was a good choice for transportation. Any hotel clerk can arrange this for you.
Fees and staying overnight
Entrance Fee to Tikal National Park is US$6.25 per person. We also bought a map from the ranger for US$0.75, but I think our guidebook map would have been sufficient. Overnight accommodations are available at Tikal, but they fill up very fast. Make advance reservations. Campers will usually not have a problem getting a spot.