{"id":13982,"date":"2021-09-29T19:00:57","date_gmt":"2021-09-29T18:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/girlaroundtheworld.co.uk\/?p=13982"},"modified":"2023-06-19T16:41:27","modified_gmt":"2023-06-19T15:41:27","slug":"visiting-tikal-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/girlaroundtheworld.co.uk\/visiting-tikal-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Complete Guide to Visiting Tikal Mayan Ruins, Guatemala"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A visit to the Tikal ruins in Guatemala<\/a> is one of the MUST do things when you\u2019re in Central America! And if you\u2019re planning a trip here soon, you\u2019re in luck – my complete guide below will tell you EVERYTHING you need to know about visiting Tikal: how best to visit, ticket prices, the best time of day to visit, whether you should book a tour or not, where to stay, what to pack for your trip – and more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you ready to start planning your Tikal trip?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>First of all, why should I visit Tikal?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Spoiler alert:<\/strong> The Tikal ruins are one of the best Mayan ruins in the world! Not only are the temples breathtaking, but the entire surrounding area makes these ruins special compared to others. Imagine this: Mayan temples set in a lush jungle – Tomb Raider style. Already sounds exciting, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tikal National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it\u2019s thousands of years old. It\u2019s pretty impressive, trust me! Tall temples of at least 44m, lush rainforest and the sound of wildlife echoing through the trees – you\u2019ll find all this in Tikal, plus some happy spider monkeys and some random turkeys waddling about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, Tikal is also less crowded than other world-famous Mayan ruins such as Chichen Itza (Mexico) and bigger than Copan (Honduras). It seems to be the perfect combo, my friends!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ready to get lost in the jungle looking for ancient Mayan temples? And I mean that only metaphorically, of course, \u2018cause after going through this guide, it should be impossible to get lost at Tikal!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we go:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Everything you need to know about visiting Tikal in Guatemala<\/h2>\n\n\n

I\u2019ll guide you step-by-step through all the most important things to know before visiting Tikal and its ancient ruins:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Where is Tikal?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Tikal National Park is in North Guatemala, close to the Belize border, in an archaeological region called Peten Basin. The most important thing about it is that it stretches over more than 575 km2. The Maya temple complex is located right in the middle of the National Park complex and it is part of the Maya Biosphere Reserve. Tikal is also 65km away from Flores, the closest town where most hotels are located.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The map below will show you the exact location of Tikal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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How to get to Tikal, Guatemala<\/h3>\n\n\n

Here are the most convenient ways of reaching the destination depending on where you’re coming from:<\/p>\n\n\n

FLORES TO TIKAL<\/h3>\n\n\n

The most popular and most convenient option. Flores is 90 minutes away by car. You can get from Flores to Tikal with a shuttle bus. The buses run frequently; the first one departs at 3:30 AM and it\u2019s a great option if you want to get there to see the sun rising. The next one is at 4:00 AM and you will arrive at Tikal right in time for the gates opening at 6:00 AM. The price is Q60 (7.80 U$) per person for the roundtrip ticket. Keep in mind, the last return bus to Flores departs at 5:30 PM, half an hour after the park\u2019s closing time.<\/p>\n\n\n

GUATEMALA CITY TO TIKAL<\/h3>\n\n\n

Guatemala City is 525km away from Tikal, which is 9h30\u2019 by car or bus. There are overnight buses that go on this route which is a great budget option. I would always recommend the first class ticket, as they are much more comfortable and have fewer stops along the way. The bus departs at 10:30 PM from Guatemala City, so you\u2019ll be arriving sometime between 5 and 6 AM at the gates of Tikal, close to the opening time. If you take the Fuente del Norte night bus, the price is Q145 (around 19 US$) for the first class option (premier service). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also the option of booking a flight from Guatemala City to Flores (Mundo Maya Airport), then taking the shuttle bus to Tikal. The price for flight tickets are usually around 100 US$.<\/p>\n\n\n

SAN IGNACIO TO TIKAL<\/h3>\n\n\n

Being so close to the border, there\u2019s also the possibility to visit Tikal from San Ignacio in Belize. You can either take the bus or organise a private car to cross the border. The journey usually takes around 2h20\u2019 depending on immigration. Remember to bring your passport! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

OUR EXPERIENCE: <\/strong>Personally, we found we didn\u2019t want to arrange the transportation by ourselves and decided instead to book an organised tour from Flores which took care of everything for us. This is my recommended choice, I\u2019ll talk about this option in detail below in the \u201cWhat is the best way to visit Tikal\u201d<\/a> section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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<\/a>Entrance fee and types of tickets for Tikal National Park<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Entrance tickets for Tikal are bought at the Banrural Bank Gate before you enter the park or at Banrural Bank in Flores town (or any other city) if you want to buy them in advance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are different ticket options and most travellers find it VERY confusing to decide which ticket they need. Worry-not, as I will explain everything down below!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are the 3 basic options for Tikal tickets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n