|
|
TIKAL
NATIONAL PARK (PARQUE NACIONAL TIKAL)
Located
in Central America, in the Northern Guatemala area
of Peten, 60 kms. by paved road from Peten's capital city of
Flores. There is no Tikal village
or town.
The
park entrance is located 16 km. before the parking lot and Visitors
Center. Tikal Park has an entrance
fee of Q150.00 or about $20.00 (at time of posting). It's best to
pay in
Quetzales, because if you pay in U.S. dollars you may not get a good
exchange rate. Tikal is open everyday from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm.
There is no electricity in Tikal. Generators run about 3-4 hours
in the evening for services and accommodations offered
there. In the high season sometimes generators run longer.
The main arrival area includes the Visitor's Center,
2 museums, a post office, Park
Administration offices, souvenir handcraft shops,
3 hotels, a campground, and 2-3 restaurants
and "comedores".
The Visitors Center, open from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm, is located just
before entering the trails that lead to the ruins, which are approx. 20
min. away by foot. At the Visitors Center entrance you will see a large
model of Tikal, the way it would have looked when inhabited. Here you
will also find one of the two museums, consisting of carved stone
monuments and photos taken during the restoration in the 1960s. Also,
there is guide service, information desk, souvenir shops and a
restaurant.
A smaller museum housing some Tikal artifacts is
located a few hundred meters away, near the hotel area. A small fee is
charged to enter (in addition to the park
entrance fee).
Please note, access to the ruins is by foot only, all
cars must remain at the
parking lot. People requiring handicapped assistance can get special
permits at
the park headquarters.
If you are only in Tikal for one day, plan on
just
hitting the main spots. You can
easily
spend two days to a week or more at the park and not see every ruin
that has been
excavated. Also plan on plenty of walking, and try to climb at
least one of the
temples.
The view from the top is great.
Tikal facts
-Tikal National Park is
located within the
6,000 square mile Maya Biosphere in the
northern part of Peten, Guatemala
-Park area: 576 sq. km. (222 sq. mi., 125,000 sq.
acres)
-the
ruins area encompasses about 24 sq. kms. About 80% are still
unexcavated.
-Only
30% of
the ruins area has been mapped (around 6 sq. mi.)
-Tikal was declared a National Park by the Guatemalan
Government in May of 1955,
and a National Monument in 1970. It was the first National Park
established in
Central America.
-The name "Tikal" means "Place of Voices" or "Place
of Tongues" in Maya.
<>
At its height, during the Classic period around 500AD, Tikal had a
population of 50,000 to
100,000
people. Many considered it the main governing city of the Maya
civilization. For reasons not yet clear, around
870AD the city began to decline. It was completely
deserted by the end of 900AD.
Tikal has an estimated 3,000 structures including
temples, palaces, shrines, ceremonial platforms, residences, ball
courts,
terraces, causeways, and plazas, most interconnected with aqueducts and
cisterns for holding water. In the main ceremonial precincts there are
200 stone monuments, known as stelae. Stelae were elaborately carved
with
glyphs, a form of writing, and other images that tell stories about the
rulers during that time. <>The
partially restored area of Tikal consists of nine groups of courts and
plazas. There are 5
large temples: Temple I or Temple of the Great Jaguar, standing at
around 44 m (144 ft), Temple II or Temple of the Masks, 37 m (120 ft),
Temple III or Temple of the Jaguar Priest, 60 m (180 ft), Temple IV or
Temple of the Double Headed
Serpent, 70 m (230 ft), and Temple V at 59 m (190 ft).
One of the most impressive and tallest structures, Temple IV, is where
you can get spectacular sunrise views.
<><>Since
rediscovering Tikal in the late 1800s, archaeologists from all over the
world have been excavating. Some structures are almost fully
restored but the vast majority are high mounds with stones and lush
growth of trees and
vegetation. After the Maya abandoned
Tikal, the city was reclaimed by the
jungle. Even today it is
only with a great deal of diligence that the restored ruins are not
overgrown
with trees and jungle vegetation. The park is rich with
tropical plants and wildlife. Tikal
is truly a sanctuary for flora and fauna covering more than 200 square
miles. Over 285
species of exotic birds, monkeys, jaguars, pumas, tapirs, small deer,
and more rare and endangered wildlife inhabit there. Hundreds of orchid
species and
more than 30 hardwood species. Trees include zapotes, from
which chicle, a base
for
chewing gum is derived, Spanish cedar, Ceiba (a tree sacred to the
Maya), mahogany and over 25 other precious hard woods. Tikal
is no doubt a birdwatchers paradise, one of the best
birding areas of Central America. see
bird list
<>
The most viewed animals in Tikal are spider monkeys, howler monkeys,
agoutis, coatimundis, red-fronted parrots, oscellated turkeys. Jaguars
are rarely seen. You will not see Macaws or the Resplendent Quetzal
(national bird of Guatemala).
Sunrise in Tikal
A
very popular and special experience, visitors sit atop Temple IV to
watch the sunrise, catch the early morning mist rising from the
pyramids and witness the jungle "waking up". In prior years, access to
view the sunrise was permitted by the park. As of September 2008,
access before opening hours of 6:00 am will not be permitted unless you
are staying within the park boundaries. Therefore, if you are
interested in viewing a sunrise atop one of Tikal's temples, you will
need to stay at the park.
Tikal National Park Lodging/Accommodations
There are only three hotels within the park. All are
near the parking lot and Visitors Center. Since there is no electricity
within the park, generators are run for a few hours in the evening for
services and accommodations offered.
-Jaguar Inn (9 bungalows)
-Tikal Inn (17 rooms)
-Jungle Lodge (44 rooms.)
It's best to make your reservations well in advance.
All are approx. 20 min. by foot from the Main Plaza of the ruins, and
35 min. from Temple IV.
Other area lodging and accommodations
A great alternative to staying in Tikal, the village
of El Remate is where you will find La Casa de Don David. El Remate is
located 32 Km from the Tikal ruins entrance, and is a good base for
your stay in the Peten area. Being the
closest acommodation area to Tikal National Park, El Remate
has a few good hotels and numerous small, rustic places to stay, and
camping areas. Many visitors consider El Remate a pleasant option to
the often crowded and noisy area of Flores or the expensive hotels in
Tikal. Transportation to Tikal from El Remate can be easily arranged.
Located on Lake Peten Itza, El Remate offers swimming, birding,
horseback riding, boat
trips and other activities. Located just 2 km from El Remate is the
Biotopo Cerro
Cahui natural reserve. This park is
great for jungle walks, hiking, bird watching and good lookout points
over Lake Petén Itza.
El Remate has numerous open air restaurants and some
acommodations with private bath. Most acommodations in Remate are
family
owned and have shared baths. In total there are about 14
places to stay in the village. A nice room will cost from
$25-$70 double. Camping is available from $2-$6 per person. When
making reservations, be sure to ask and understand clearly what you are
getting, since here, as in other areas of Latin America, a place to
stay may be called a hotel or bungalow, and may actually be a thatched
roof structure with makeshift beds, with no windows or doors. Even a
nice camping area may be called a hotel, with only half-walls and a
roof. Just make
sure you ask before you reserve.
Although there is electricity in the village now, power blackouts can
be frequent. Be prepared. There are
now a few places to stay that provide
internet service and accept credit cards (note most charge an extra fee
to use a credit card). La Casa De Don David does not charge a fee to
use credit cards and accepts Mastercard, Visa, Paypal and Traveler's
Checks.
Within 12 kms. of El Remate, on the lake, you can find the following
accommodations: Hotel Gringo Perdido, Hotel Camino Real, La Lancha
For more information about El Remate, click here
For
information on Transportation To and From Tikal/El Remate
area, please click
here
For Maya information, click
here
Other Tikal links:
Tikalinformation.com
TIKAL
DIGITAL ACCESS
PROJECT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Guatemala,
Belize & Tikal Guide Books
|