Tikal National Park in Guatemala is the New York City of the Mayan kingdoms! I have been there several times, and it is always an exciting and enchanting experience. One choice is to fly into Guatemala City and get a plane to the park. Since Tikal is located just over the border from Belize, a good way to experience it is to fly into Belize, stay at one of the Ambergris Caye (Caye = Island) resorts a couple of days, fly round trip from the island airport to the Flores, Guatemala airport and take a tour bus for the short distance into the ruins. You will walk among history!

One of the fantastic ways to experience the mystic ruins is to spend the night at one of the three hotels located within the Tikal National Park.

The Jungle Lodge, the Jaguar Inn, or the Tikal Inn. They are all very similar and the ruins are just a very short walk away. If you have the time spend a night in Peten, Flores, one night. This is only 40 minutes away, near the airport, and a very quaint village located on an island connected by a man-made driveway. The lodging in the park is modest, but adequate. Lights are out about 10:00 p.m. due to generators being turned off. In the night you sit on the veranda and listen to the sound of the jungle (of which you are in the middle). With the lodging you can get meal packages, pool, and visit the nearby museum, handicraft shop and vendors. Three days would make a good visit. There are very rustic, bare-bone, camping facilities available.

After the amazement of the towering pyramids that rise above the green jungle canopy you will experience howler monkeys in the wild as they chatter and jump from tree to tree as well as other jungle wildlife. You are surrounded by parrots, toucans, and a background of jungle sounds. If you are a movie and television person, you will recognize some of the magnificent jungle ruins featured in ìStar Wars,î James Bond movies, and other shows. The entire area looks as if it just stepped out of a movie scene. Nothing this fantastic could be realóbut it is!

Facts about the park: In the heart of the jungle, surrounded by lush vegetation, lies one of the major sites of Mayan civilization, inhabited from the 6th century B.C. to the 10th century A.D. The ceremonial center contains superb temples and palaces, and public squares accessed by means of ramps. Tikal National Park is undoubtedly the most spectacular on the Ruta Maya Seeing the early morning mist and sunrise from the top of one of the temples is a special experience you'll always remember. The park usually opens about 6:00 a.m. Tikal is the largest of the Mayan Ruins and certainly the most important you'll see on the Ruta Maya. Be sure to climb at least one of the large temples or pyramids! The experience is awe-inspiring! The tranquil feeling of looking out over the jungle from atop one of the temples 212 feet up gives great satisfaction and reminds one of the great importance of protecting the rainforest forever. Plan to see only the main plaza and immediate surrounds if you just have one day at this site.

Climate conditions in the region are warm and humid, with mean annual precipitation of 2000mm. The rainy season lasts from May to December and it usually rains for approximately 150 days of the year. During the rainy season the winds are from the north, north-east, south and south-east, and blow in a north to south direction during the dry season. December to February cool nights and mornings. March and April hot (80+) and dry with rains in May to Septemberóhot, muggy, buggy and a variety of mosquitoes. October starts with cooler nights.

FAUNA Fifty-four species of mammal occur, including mantled howler monkey , spider monkey, giant anteater, lesser anteater, dwarf anteater , three-toed sloth , nine-banded armadillo , squirrel, pocket gopher, raccoon, brown coati, kinkajou, long-tailed weasel, hooded skunk, otter, puma, ocelot, jaguar, Baird's tapir which is limited by water availability, collared and white-lipped peccaries, white-tailed deer red brocket deer, four species of Bothrops and two sub-species of rattlesnake Crotalus . Fishes include Petenia splendida , the cichlids Cichlasoma melanorum , C. bifasciatum , C. heterospilum , C. lentiginosum , C. margaritiferum , C. champotonis , C. affine , C. hyorhynchum and C. pasionis (Lehnhoff Temme, 1990). A rich invertebrate fauna, especially arthropods, also occurs.

(From web site: http://www.ddat.com/discountstudenttravel/discount_travel/tikal_national_park.htm) Due to it being a jungle, and shadow bandits have mugged or raped some tourist through the years. It is well to travel with other people, which one can easily join up with around the hotels, entrance, etc. Take your own snacks from the states and drink only bottled water. Carry mosquito spray and umbrella. Wear shoes with non-slippery soles (very important on ancient moss covered rock steps).

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Happy Traveling.

“To The Ends Of The Earth And Then Some”
You may contact me for travel information or questions @
jones@photoandtravel.com