PETÉN - Guatemala - page 540

humid Petén jungle, you may want to stay outside the park, as ceiling fans go silent once
the electricity turns off. It can get very hot here, even at night. None of the lodges have
air-conditioning.
Coming from the ruins, the first place you'll come across is the Jungle Lodge (tel.
2476-8775, www.junglelodge.guate.com , $40-80 d), offering decent bungalows with
private hot-water bath, ceiling fan, and two double beds as well as a few very basic, less
expensive rooms with shared bath. All are set amid a pleasant tropical garden atmosphere
and there is a swimming pool. The restaurant here serves breakfast ($5), lunch, and din-
ner ($8-10). Be advised the lodge is closed every year during September. As you head
toward the old airstrip just past the museums, you'll reach the friendly Jaguar Inn (tel.
7926-0002, www.jaguartikal.com ) , where you can choose from nine comfortable bunga-
lows with small front patios with hammock ($60 d), a dormitory ($10 p/p), hammocks
with mosquito netting ($5), or camping ($3.50). You can rent a tent for $7. The restaur-
ant here is a safe bet, serving adequate portions of good food three meals a day. Dinner is
about $8. There are laptops available for Internet surfing and checking email ($5/ hour),
but the electricity shuts off at 9 P.M. Next door, Tikal Inn (tel. [phone] or 7926-0065,
[e-mail], $60-100 d), gets consistent praise for its large, comfortable
rooms centered around the swimming pool just behind the hotel's restaurant. You can
choose from standard rooms or pricier, more private bungalows; all have ceiling fan and
private bath. The restaurant serves three meals a day.
Tikal's campground is opposite the visitors center with a spacious grassy area for tents
as well as palapa structures for stringing hammocks. There are showering stalls among the
bathroom facilities. Hammocks and mosquito netting are available for rent and there are
tiny, two-person basic cabanas for $6.50 p/p. It costs $4 p/p to camp here.
FOOD
Your best bet for food is at one of the three lodges on-site, but there are a number of
comedores here serving basic yet passable fare in adequate portions for about $5 for a full
mealandadrink.Themenusarevirtuallyindistinguishablefromoneanotherandareheavy
on local staples such as beans, eggs, and tortillas. The restaurant at the visitors center, Res-
taurant Café Tikal, is fancier but a bit overpriced and you are probably better off eating
at one of the lodges if you're not on a small budget. It serves pasta, steaks, chicken, and
sandwiches and is open until 6 P.M. daily. The other comedores are across from the visit-
ors center on the right-hand side as you enter the park from the main road. They include
Comedor Tikal, Restaurant Imperio Maya, and Comedor Ixim K'ua, allofwhichopen
early for breakfast and close at 9 P.M. daily.
As for the hotel restaurants, the large dining room at the Jungle Lodge is a popular stop
for lunch with tour groups. As such, it tends to offer dependable set-menu lunches of meat