Visiting Tikal in Guatemala: Expert Tips & Planning Ahead

With so many Mayan archeology sites in Guatemala and Mexico, you might wonder if visiting the Tikal ruins is worthwhile. After all, tickets are pricey, the bus ride is long, and perhaps you’re thinking that all ruins look the same.

However, after we visited Tikal, we agreed that it was one of the best Mayan archeology sites we had seen on our trip through Mexico and Guatemala. The Tikal ruins were worth the trouble to get to.

Keep reading to learn why we loved Tikal and what several of our top tips are while visiting this fantastic archeology site. Tips include when to get there, the best photo spots, and a suggested route through this gigantic complex.

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Is Tikal Worth Visiting? (Why We Loved Tikal!)

With hundreds of major Mayan archaeology sites, and many of them considerably cheaper to visit, you might be wondering:

“Is Visiting Tikal Worth It?”

And we can confidently say, “We think so!” And here’s why:

• Tikal National Park – Not only are you visiting archeology ruins, but you are also wandering through the thicket of Tikal National Forests. You’ll likely see peacocks, macaws, howler monkeys, toucans, and turkeys throughout your visit. If you’re lucky, you might catch a jaguar or leopard!
• Awesome Viewpoints – No other Mayan sites we visited allowed us to climb so many pyramids as in Tikal for breathtaking treetop skyline views. We’ll discuss further below which pyramids have the best views.
• Less Crowded – Though Tikal gets its fair share of annual visitors, the overall numbers pale compared to Mexico’s major Mayan sites: Chichen Itza & Teotihuacan. Get off the beaten path in Tikal, and you’ll likely find yourself alone next to some forgotten ruin in the vast jungle. Tranquility!

How Much Does Visiting Tikal Cost?

Depending on where you are and your mode of transportation, prices to visit Tikal can vary.

• Entrance tickets – 150Q (~$20)
• Private guide (prices vary wildly) – ~Q400 ($52)
• Roundtrip bus ticket (from Flores) – 80Q (~$10)
• Group guide from a travel agency – 40Q (~$6)

Note: Entrance tickets can be purchased at the front gate when you arrive, but if you are in Flores, you can buy your ticket in advance at any “Banco Rural” branch. This can be useful if you don’t want to stand in line at the entrance gate or if you want to participate in the Tikal Sunrise Tour.

Best Ways To Visit Tikal

For most visitors, there are three ways to visit Tikal:

• Option 1 – Visit Tikal as a day trip from Flores
• Option 2 – Sleep overnight at one of the hotels (or campsite) that are situated within the Tikal Ruins complex
• Option 3 – Sleep overnight in Uaxactun, a village 30 minutes north of Tikal

What we did: We also opted to sleep in Uaxactún to visit the Uaxactún ruins. We talk more about Uaxactún at the end of this article.

Option 1: Day Trip to Tikal From Flores

This is the most popular way for most visitors to visit Tikal.

To visit Tikal as a day trip, it’s best to stay in Flores, a beautiful and serene island town 1.5 hours away from the Mayan site. Finding a tour operator to take you from Flores to Tikal is easy; information for these trips should be provided at most hotels and hostels.

Pros of visiting Tikal as a day trip:

• Time efficient
• You get to unwind back in Flores after a day of exploring.

Cons of a day trip to visit Tikal:

• If you want to arrive at Tikal right when the gates open at 6:00 AM, you’ll need to get up at 4:00 AM
• You may feel rushed knowing you must catch the bus back in the afternoon. The last bus back to Flores is at 5:30 PM

Option 2: Stay Overnight Inside Tikal National Park

Several overnight options are available to those wishing to stay in Tikal. Although not technically inside the Tikal ruins complex, you would still sleep inside Tikal National Park.

1. Jaguar Inn – Clean beds, hot water showers, and even wifi (although slow).
2. Camping – If you’re on a budget, rent a tent or pitch your own here.

Pros Of Sleeping Inside Tikal National Park:

• Can wake up later in the morning
• Best if you plan to take the sunrise or sunset tour
• Allows you to enter Tikal twice in two days with only one ticket

Cons:

• The cost of rooms can be higher than back in Flores
• Less time efficient if you’re in a rush

Do You Need a Guide To Visit Tikal?

Just like with virtually every other Mayan site, you’ll be inundated with offers to take a guide, and it will be up to you to decide if you’d like to hire one or not.

Hire a Guide When Visiting Tikal

At Tikal’s main entrance, you can hire a guide to accompany you throughout your visit. Don’t worry, you don’t have to try to find them. They will find YOU!

Prices for guides vary wildly and depend on how many people are in your group and how long you’d like to hire the guide for. But 400Q for a guide is a good starting point for negotiations.

Most guides speak well enough English, and their knowledge of Tikal’s history and architecture will keep you entertained throughout your entire trip.

Note: If you purchased transportation to Tikal from Flores through a travel agency, you may have the option to pay for a group guide. Participating in the guided group tour should cost ~40Q/person.

Visit By Yourself

Self explanatory. You’re pretty much on your own by visiting the Tikal ruins without a guide. You’re free to wander wherever you like and at your own pace.

Though you won’t have a guide to teach you about the history of Tikal, you can download this handy app, which has a self-guided tour of Tikal.

Did We Go With a Guide When Visiting Tikal?

We opted to visit Tikal WITHOUT a guide because we valued wandering the complex and taking in this massive site at our own pace. We loved sitting quietly at some of Tikal’s less famous ruins and soaking alone in the jungle wilderness.

To better understand Tikal’s history, we used the Tikal self-guided tour app, which was helpful. But we admit that this app is not a replacement for the knowledge of an actual guide.

Sunrise or Sunset Tour at Tikal?

Visiting Tikal at sunrise and sunset is popular among visitors and provides a unique view of this Mayan site when the sunlight is low and less harsh.

To be inside the Tikal complex during sunrise or sunset, you must join a group tour, which costs 250Q (~$33) per person. This price includes your entry ticket.

Also, taking part in a sunrise or sunset tour at Tikal may require you to get accommodation within the Tikal grounds, either at the Jaguar Inn or the nearby camping option.

Pros Of Tikal’s Sunrise and Sunset Tour:

• Cooler morning and evening temperatures
• Best times for photography
• Fewer tourists

Best Photo Spots in Tikal

Tikal is full of great spots for photographs. And unlike many other famous Mayan ruins, you can climb up several pyramids here for excellent horizon views of the jungle.

Below are our favorite photo spots in Tikal:

Pyramid Of The Lost World – Although not along the main tourist drag, we felt the view atop this pyramid offered the best view of Tikal. From here, you can clearly see the peaks of Temples I, II, III, & IV and gauge the distance between them.

Temple IV – Summiting Temple IV is a must for most visitors, as the view here also allows you to view the entire Tikal complex. But in peak times, it can get busy.

Temple II – To get a proper top-down view of the Grand Plaza and to properly photograph Temple I, climbing up Temple II is a must.

Central Acropolis – Wandering through this acropolis and its many courtyards and rooms just south of the Grand Plaza, you’ll find numerous picturesque photo opportunities.

10 Top Tips When Visiting Tikal

1. Bring Plenty of Water

No matter the time of year that you visit, Tikal gets hot! This is the middle of the jungle that we’re talking about. Bringing plenty of water should be at the top of your list to help keep you hydrated. We knew we would be exploring the Tikal ruins for at least five hours, so we brought five liters of water for the two of us.

2. Bring Your Own Food

Though several food stalls are situated throughout the Tikal ruins complex, food is overpriced and unimaginative. You don’t get your money’s worth here. Bringing your own food into Tikal is the better option if you can.

3. You Must Bring Your Passport When Visiting Tikal

Your passport is needed to purchase Tikal’s entry ticket. They will type your passport # into their computer system and print a ticket. So it’s vital to bring your passport with you when arriving at Tikal.

4. Plan Your Route in Advance

Because of how hot the weather gets, planning your walking route in advance can help improve your Tikal experience. Without a pre-planned route, you might walk in circles and backtracking, wasting valuable time and energy.

Most of the Tikal ruins complex is covered in a thick layer of trees, but Tikal’s best part, the Grand Plaza, has virtually no shade cover and can get brutally hot during mid-day.

Therefore, we recommend timing your arrival at the Grand Plaza either early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the mid-day heat.

5. Use Maps.me Instead of Google Maps

Google Maps does an awful job displaying all the different walking paths in Tikal. We extensively used an offline smartphone map app called “Maps.me” in conjunction with our paper map (tip #8) to plot out our walking course.

6. Shorts & Bugspray Are Your Friends

Because it gets so hot and humid, wearing shorts is recommended. This allows you to stay cool and get rid of sweat. But depending on the season, there can be hoards of mosquitoes at Tikal, so bringing your favorite brand of mosquito spray is necessary.

7. Get off the Beaten Path

The Grand Plaza can get quite busy! So, if you’re keen to have a corner of Tikal all to yourself, wander around the lesser-known sites along the north and south edges of the Tikal complex. You may find it surprisingly easy to get away from the crowds.

To escape the crowds, we enjoyed visiting the Group G ruins.

8. Buy the Map at the Entrance

Maps are sold at the ticket entrance gate for 20Q. The brochure folds out to a large map of the Tikal complex on one side and a few sentences of background history for each ruin site. For ~$2.5, the map offers excellent value and helps you plan your route while walking inside.

9. Enter After 3 PM and Visit the Next Day for Free

If you fancy yourself a history and ruins enthusiast and want to visit every single ruin in the Tikal complex, staying for two days might be best. Generally, the Tikal entrance ticket is only good for the day you enter. But if you enter the complex after 3 PM, you can revisit Tikal the following day for free.

If this interests you, finding sleeping accommodation inside the Tikal complex might suit you.

10. Don’t Make the Monkies Mad!

Look up, and you might see a few Macaws swinging above you in the jungle canopy! These macaws are not afraid of humans. On the contrary, they are more annoyed by our presence, and making noises to get their attention only makes them more angry. And when push comes to shove, angry Macaws have been known to urinate on trouble-making visitors. You’ve been warned!

Where To Sleep in Tikal

Options are limited if you’re interested in overnighting within the Tikal area. However, you can also stay in Flores and take a bus to Tikal.

Sleeping Options in Tikal

The Jaguar Inn – The best hotel option of the bunch. Rooms are clean, wifi is available, and breakfast is included to start your day of exploration, right?

Tikal National Park Campground – At 70Q a night for a tent, this is the most affordable option within the Tikal complex. It’s hard to reserve in advance, but show up early and ask for the campground.

Hotel rooms can be purchased at the ticketed entry gate (20km south of the ruins) or online.

Sleeping Options in Flores

• Best Budget: Hostal Don Cenobio – An excellent hostel by the water with a beautiful 2nd-floor terrace to watch the sunrise and the boats go by.
• Best Mid-Range: Hotel Casazul – A picturesque hotel by the water with a relaxing lake-view terrace. Great value!
• Best Luxury: Bolontiku Hotel – Located 15 minutes by boat to Flores Island, this hotel features a gorgeous swimming pool and delicious international restaurant. Spa on-site.

Is Tikal Safe To Travel To?

We heard from someone that the entire state of Petén, which includes Tikal, was unsafe to travel. But after we visited Tikal, we could not disagree more.

We felt safe throughout our visit and never had any negative experiences in Tikal, Flores, or other nearby towns.

It pays to keep your wits up and learn some street smarts, as usual. But overall, we think you’ll love your visit to Tikal. We sure did!

Brief History of Tikal

We believe learning a little bit of history before visiting any archeological ruin is integral to understanding the site’s historical significance and a glimpse of a once-great city’s cultural and political importance.

Otherwise, we’re just looking at a bunch of rocks, right?

Tikal’s Rise

Though some of Tikal’s oldest structures date as far back as 400 BC, the city did not fully reach its prime until roughly 750AD. There have been at least 33 confirmed rulers of Tikal, but the most critical two leaders to know are the father and son duo, Jasaw & Yik’in K’awiil.

The son, Yik’in, was primarily known for building the grandest structures, including the great Temple I, a funerary pyramid dedicated to his father, Jasaw.

In the city’s prime, Tikal was the capital of one of the most powerful kingdoms in ancient Maya. Tikal dominated economic trade and political rule and had the strongest military in the region. At the height of Tikal’s reign, the city’s population reached 90,000 people.

Tikal’s Demise

However, as with all ancient cities, success and power didn’t last. By the 9th century A.D., Tikal and many other surrounding Mayan cities began a slow, irreversible collapse. And by around 950 A.D., Tikal was just a shell of its former glory.

When Hernan Cortéz, the famed Spanish conquistador, set foot in Mayan territory in 1525, the jungle had completely taken over Tikal. In fact, Tikal was so well hidden by the trees that Cortez failed to discover the site, even though notes suggest he passed by the ruins just a few kilometers away.

Tourists began flocking to Tikal as early as 1850, and in 1979, Tikal was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our Tikal Itinerary

Because we had our own campervan, our experience and itinerary might differ from that of a usual visitor or backpacker.

Day 1: Visiting the Uaxactún Ruins

We reached the ticket entrance the day before to visit the Uaxactun ruins first. When we arrived at the main ticket entrance, we bought tickets for both Tikal (150Q) and the Uaxactún (50Q).

We visited Uaxactun first and slept overnight in the northern village.

Day 2: Visiting Tikal

We drove south from Uaxactún the next day and entered Tikal at 10 AM. The day was already getting warm, but we walked along the southern rim, which was cool and shaded by the trees. The main sights on the south rim include the Group G ruins, Temple V, and the Pyramid of the Lost World.

We enjoyed visiting the south rim first because most visitors head straight to the Grand Plaza. Therefore, we found many ruins along the south rim almost devoid of tourists and had many of these sites to ourselves.

Lunch Atop Tikal’s Temple IV

By 2 PM, we arrived at the top of the famous Temple IV, which offers one of the best skyline views of Tikal. Mid-afternoon was an excellent time to summit this temple because the temple’s apex was already casting shade across us as we sat near the top to eat lunch. Had we arrived earlier, the sun would have been right in our eyes, and temperatures would have been uncomfortably hot.

Late Afternoon Arrival Into the Grand Plaza

Finally, by the time we reached the Grand Plaza at ~3:45 PM, where Temple I and II are situated, it was already late afternoon, and the day had already begun to cool off.

We felt that a late afternoon arrival at the Grand Plaza was ideal because there were fewer tourists during this time, and the sun was at our back and shining directly at Temple I, which is perfect for photos.

By 5:00 PM, we were heading for the exit.

Tips for Visiting Uaxactún Ruins

The ruins of Uaxactún are located 20km north of Tikal. This ancient city was a rival of Tikal until 378 A.D when Tikal’s forces overran the city. Though the city had been defeated, residents of Uaxactún were still allowed to grow and prosper under Tikal. However, the city’s decline coincided with Tikal’s decline by the mid-1700s.

Is Uaxactún Worth Visiting?

Getting to Uaxactún can be tricky, and we were hesitant to visit, knowing that Tikal would have the more impressive ruins. But we came away grateful that we also took the time and effort to visit Uaxactún.

For more information, read our guide: Uaxactun Ruins – Travel Tips & Guide 

Fewer Crowds

To say that Uaxactún had fewer visitors would be an extreme understatement. When we visited the ruins there, we saw just four other people throughout the complex. The jungle was peaceful, and we spent several hours sitting and daydreaming alone among the ruins.

Astrological Significance

Site E was the most impressive group of ruins in the Uaxactún complex. This site is of major astrological significance and comprises three small temples and a pyramid viewing point. During the summer solstice, equinox, and winter solstice, visitors can climb the viewing pyramid during sunrise and watch as the sun rises exactly behind one of the three temples.

Although we did not visit during those occasions, we appreciated the view from the pyramid anyway. We even took a pleasant mid-day nap by ourselves on the viewing platform.

How To Get To Uaxactún? (And How To Leave)

There are several ways to get to Uaxactún, depending on where you are and your mode of transportation.

• Tour Agency From Flores – Tour agencies in Tikal can easily arrange tours for you to visit Uaxactún. You should be able to pair your visit with Tikal as well.
• Public Transport From Flores – Public transportation (colectivos) leaves the market in Santa Elena at around 2 PM. This bus will pass through Tikal first before heading up to Uaxactun.
• From Tikal – You can catch the same public bus from Tikal. The bus arrives in Tikal sometime between 4:00 PM and 4:30 PM.
• Your Own Vehicle – We drove up with our own vehicle.

Leaving Uaxactún

The public bus leaves Uaxactún early at 6:00 AM for Flores. So you’ll likely need to sleep two nights in the Uaxactuún village.

Or you could hitchhike on the small road back south to Tikal. There aren’t many vehicles traveling along this road, but we’re confident that friendly locals would pick you up.