Blogs from Tikal, Petén Region, Guatemala, Central America Caribbean - page 6

If you're a fan of stone passageways, secret corridors, temple entrances hidden behind waterfalls, and counter-weighted floor plates that trigger traps and open doors ... go play tomb raider. But if you want to see real Mayan temples used by real Mayan folks for real purposes, then Tikal is one of the largest remaining Mayan sites today. Much of its remains are very much in their original state, some temples still only partially unearthed and covered in undergrowth. The draw card for Tikal was the advertised authenticity of a real Indiana Jones experience. So we were slightly disappointed when we arrived at Tikal early morning to be greeted by a nicely cut pathway with clear tourist signage. Okay, so it was a tad naïve to expect otherwise, given its Guatemala's number one tourist destination. But the ... read more

We left early from Antigua on a shuttle to the Linea Dorado bus station in Guatemala City for the nine hour bus ride to Flores which is in northwest Guatemala, a short distance from Belize and Mexico. The ride was quite surprising with the varied landscape of high altiplano and high desert and then descending into the El Petén jungle area. The prime purpose in going there was to see Tikal, a Mayan city state that lasted for 1000 years until it was abandoned approx 800 AD. We stayed in El Remate which is about 15 miles from the Tikal Park. El Remate also is right on the lake. Being so close allowed us to get there early to the park. The entrance gate is massive and reminded us of that gate scene in Jurassic Park! ... read more

Waking up at 4am was a little rough but it seemed like almost everyone in the hostel was trying to as well. As I rolled out of bed in our 8 bed dorm I saw a few people sit up trying to shake off the little sleep. We were out at the bus stop at 5am, ready to go but the bus was late so we waited for a bit. We got up to Tikal at 7ish and decided to go our own way without a guide. Imediately we passed a crocodile on the shore  and a huge family of sloths. Jeff and I got pictures beside the croc before we all headed out into the ruins. They were absolutely amazing and we climbed everyone we could. On the trails we saw many small monkeys and ... read more

wow ! imaginez : 40°C, humidité 100%, la jungle à perte de vue et des temples mayas qui surgissent partout, par delà les arbres où s'ébatent perroquets, toucans, singes... magnifique, énorme ! a voir absolument dans sa vie ! guatemala 2002... read more

We took a shuttle from Antigua to Guatemala City, then a ten hour bus to Flores, in the El Peten region of Guatemala. Flores is often used as a base to visit the Tikal ruins. It is a sleepy little lake island with a bridge to the mainland; we can walk all the way around the island in about 15 minutes. We booked a tour to Tikal leaving at 4am, since we have a better chance of seeing animals in the early morning, and less of a chance of too many other tourists. Our tour guide at Tikal was amazing. He grew up in the park, and learned about animals and medicinal plants from local elders. He taught us all about the functions of the buildings we saw - most interesting were the plazas of four ... read more