Visiting Tikal, Guatemala Without a Guide

When I was a kid, my life’s goal was to be the girl-version of Indiana Jones. To a girl growing up in the suburbs of the USA, books and movies were my escape into a world of adventure.  I can remember summers spent at my grandparents’ house looking through my grandfather’s collection of National Geographic, dreaming of the day when I too could explore these far off places. 

While the famous archeological site at Tikal, Guatemala is a far cry from discovering a lost city in the jungle whilst fighting off Nazis, it still evoked in me that same sense of wonderment. 

Walking out from the jungle path, seeing the tops of the temples reach out into the sky I contemplated how everything must have looked thousands of years ago when Tikal was in its prime.  Maybe it’s the history nerd in me, but I always get such an awestruck feeling walking around historical sites.  Tikal brought that same magical feeling. 

Some history about Tikal: 

The structures of the Tikal ruins date back to the 4^thcentury BC and way back then, it was a huge bustling capital city in the Mayan empire.  The city was abandoned in the 10^thcentury AD.

Archeologists began excavating and restoring the structures of Tikal in the 1950s.  The site was also used to to film Star Wars in 1977.   The site became a national park in the 1960s and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979. 

Getting there: 

We had spent the previous night at Maya Zacpeten Jungle Lodge in El Remate and got up reasonably early for a full breakfast at our hotel before heading out to Tikal.  The drive to the park entrance took approximately 30 minutes.  

While I love a good sunrise, I was traveling with my family and we all were in need of a relaxing vacation so we were taking it easy and going at our own pace, sleeping in a bit every day. 

We arrived at around 10:00 am, which I was worried would mean huge crowds, especially given it was New Year’s Eve and a holiday, but even at this time the crowds weren’t that bad. Definitely nothing compared to my trip to Machu Picchu two years ago where we waited in line over an hour at 5 am for the bus to the entrance!  

When we arrived at Tikal, there was no line at the entrance to buy tickets and it was very easy to find a parking space. 

Note: If you don’t have a rental vehicle you can reach the park via public transportation. There are shuttle services and public mini-buses to Tikal from Flores and El Remate that leave throughout the morning. If you want to spend the entire day you may want to stay on site as the minibuses only run into the afternoon.

Here’s some information about transportation to and from Tikal.

Navigating Tikal:

The site itself is fairly large.  Guided tours are available, though we chose not go with one as we wanted to explore at our own pace. 

The site is easy to navigate with many signs and a few maps located along the trails. I would recommend having a map of your own though, just in case you get a little lost.  We purchased a map as we drove in for Q20, but near the entrance there is a map of the entire park which you could just as easily take a picture of with your phone.  I recommend taking a picture of the map as it was basically the same as the one we purchased unless you’d like the map as a little souvenir. 

Walking along the paths, the site did not feel very crowded.  Often we would see just a few other groups of people.  The site is very large and walking between many of the different sections, the path goes through the forest.  The highlight of the entire day was as we made our way back to the entrance, walking along the path we heard a rustling in the trees above us. I looked up and there was a monkey! Hearing some more rustling we saw 3 or 4 more monkeys swinging through the trees—a couple adults and a baby!  After standing in awe of the adorable monkeys swinging around for several minutes, our hungry stomachs were telling us it was time to head back to the entrance. Turns out, the monkeys were going the same way! I almost felt like they were following us!

Where to Stay:

Flores is the nearest city to Tikal and offers many different accommodations. 

If you want to stay in the park for sunrise or sunset tours, there is camping inside the park as well as two hotels on site: Hotel Tikal Inn and the Jaguar Inn. 

We booked rather last minute around the New Years holiday, so these options were all booked.  But, sometimes circumstance leads you to the best possible things.  We stayed nearby in El Remate at the Maya Zacpeten Jungle lodge.  The lodge was located right on the lake, with lakeside bungalow accommodations.  Breakfast is included and you can order lunch and dinner as well.  We ate dinner both nights and our hosts’ cooking was excellent! 

One of our hosts told me about the wildlife he has seen around the property.  Every afternoon a family of monkeys comes down to get water from the lake.  We were out visiting Tikal so we missed seeing them, but we could hear them in the distance in the morning. 

After a civil war in the area several years ago, much of the forest was destroyed and the wildlife gone. Our host had seen the animals returning after building up the forest on his property.  He has even spotted a couple jaguars at night on occasion! 

Maya Zacpeten Jungle Lodge is perfect if you are looking to get a little off the grid and out into nature. They do have wifi, hot water, and a refreshing swimming pool.  We were the only guests when we stayed so it felt like our own private jungle retreat! Laying out by the lake at night I have never seen as many stars in the sky as I did there.  Light pollution is totally non-existent!

I recommend an SUV to drive in and a 4-wheel drive if it is the rainy season.  The hosts will also pick you up in El Remate if you do not have your own transportation. 

Tips on Visiting:

• Wear comfortable walking shoes and clothes.  You will be doing some light hiking and walking up a lot of steps!
• If you’re getting there early or staying for sunset, wear layers.  The temperature was pretty cool at night for me.  I wore some leggings, tank top, and brought a light jacket in my backpack. 
• Bring water and a snack. There is a little restaurant and places to buy drinks and snacks, but as at most tourist sites it’s a bit overpriced. 
• Skip the maps for sale and take a picture of the map inside the entrance.  Its pretty much the same map!
• Bring your passport or a photocopy of it.  You’ll need your identification to get into the park.  I had a copy of my passport and they accepted that. 

I love visiting historical sites and learning about history when I travel.  Tikal was my favorite site I have visited and it definitely lives up to the hype.  For how beautiful it is, I was completely shocked that there weren’t more crowds! The countryside around Guatemala was such a relaxing atmosphere, I can’t wait to return and explore more of such a beautiful, wonderful country.