Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
park allows you to enjoy its equally splendid natural setting. After the crowds have depar-
ted, you'll be free to wander about the ruins unhurried, and at times you may feel as if you
have the site all to yourself. The sunset from the top of Temple IV is truly inspiring, but
is now only an option in the winter months when the sun sets earlier as park rangers make
sure everyone is out by 6 P.M. For movie buffs, the view from Tikal's Temple IV can be
appreciated in Star Wars: Episode IV, asthesite oftherebels' secret base. TheGreat Plaza
also made an appearance in the movie 2012 .
The park's main gate is found along the road from Flores and El Remate, where there's
a checkpoint. From here, it's another 17 kilometers to the main entrance, parking lot, and
visitors center. Entrance to the park costs $19 ($3 for Guatemalan nationals) and is collec-
ted at the booth just opposite the parking lot. The park is open 6 A.M.- 6 P.M. daily. If you
arrive after 3 P.M., your ticket should be stamped with the next day's date, allowing you to
enter the ruins the next day at no additional cost. Tickets are checked at a second booth on
the trail between the first gate and the entrance to the ruins proper, opposite an oft-photo-
graphed ceiba tree gracing the side of the road. Sunrise tours, once a popular activity, are
no longer an option, as no one is allowed inside the park before 6 A.M.
The visitors center is at the main entrance to the park on your left. There are a scale
model of the site, the Museo Lítico, an overpriced eatery, and a few small shops selling
topics, souvenirs, snacks, and sundries, including color print film, bug spray, and sun-
screen. Nearby are the park campsite, police substation, and a post office. The other mu-
seum is farther along, near the airstrip next to the hotels. You can book licensed guides at
the visitors center for $40 for up to four people, plus $5 for each additional person.
Theparkwebsite is www.tikalpark.com andhaslots ofveryuseful information forplan-
ning your visit.
Guided Tours
Guided tours of Tikal are best arranged with one of the recommended Flores travel agen-
cies, though you can also hire the services of a certified freelance guide at the visitors cen-
ter near the park entrance for $40 for up to four people.
THE RUINS OF TIKAL
There is plenty to explore in this vast Mayan city that once harbored thousands of people
and you could easily spend several days here taking it all in. The ruins in evidence today
are representative of the latter years of Tikal's existence, as the Mayans built on top of ex-
isting temples and palaces. Most of the major structures you'll see were built after the time
of Tikal's resurgence in the late 7th century A.D.
The Great Plaza
 
 
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