Tikal Full Day with Dedicated Exploration of the Archaeological Monuments.
Description
Extensive tour, with enough time and flexibility, excellent for photographers Guaranteed departure, we operate only with 1 guest. If we go over 9 guests, we make 2 groups Premium tour visiting the best spots to photograph the monuments Hassle free entry fees, those are not included because price varies according to nationality and age, but available in advance, we pay those for you, then you reimburse our guide during the service. Excellent English-Spanish bilingual guide with deep knowledge of local history, flora and fauna and with a service attitude to give a meaning to each monument visited. Enough food included: water refill and lunch at Jaguar Inn Restaurant (chicken, gluten-free and vegan options) We will walk approximately 6 to 8 kilometers during this tour, but not consecutively. The longest walk between two stops is approximately 20 minutes. Bring your camera! We love taking photos, we will show you the best spots.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our driver pick you up at your hotel or at the airport, when booking, please choose the time according to the location where you want us to pick you up. In case you don't know the location of your hotel yet, just book the cheapest tour option, later you let us know your hotel location and if there is a price difference, you can pay it to our guide. The walking tour begins at Gate 2 of Tikal National Park DURATION OF EACH WAY OF TRANSFER BY LOCATION WHERE WE PICK YOU UP a. Tikal: 00h: 05m b. El Remate: 01h: 00m c. San Jose, Peten: 01h:20m d. San Benito, Santa Elena Flores or Flores Island: 01h: 30m e. San Andres and Melchor de Mencos: 02h: 00m f. San Ignacio, Belize: 03h: 30m g. Guatemala City La Aurora Airport: 04h: 30m h. Guatemala City hotels: 05h: 00m i. Antigua Guatemala hotels: 05h: 30m Tikal is cultural and natural heritage of humanity, we'll spend more than four hours exploring different archeological monuments, we'll use nature trails to spot some wildlife.
We'll explore this complex with you, it was built as the residential area of the royal family of Tikal, it has 6 courtyards, 3 of them have been restored, this complex was also probably the place to host to all the royal visitors that came to Tikal from other mesoamerican cities for diplomatic reasons. It has a palace with 5 floors and some of the lintels on the doors of this palace are still the original wooden lintels placed by the people who built it about 14 centuries ago and the wood is still in good shape.
We will walk around the most iconic monument of Tikal taking pictures of it from different angles. The official name of this temple is Temple of the Great Jaguar because when the temple was discovered, it's original wooden lintel had a Great Jaguar carved on it, now, that beautiful carving in wood is in a famous museum. Back in 1960's when archeologist excavated this temple, they found underneath this temple, the greatest treasure ever found in Tikal, it was the burial of Hasaw Chaan K'awil, the most famous king of the dynasty of Tikal, the jewelry over the skeleton of the king included 16.5 pounds of jade jewels.
The Great Plaza is the place in Tikal with the largest amount of energy, it's also the most restaured complex of this mayan site, it has multiple stelae, some of them with carving showing the portrait of some kings of the city. This complex was excavated back in 1960's by the Museum of University of Pensinvania.
This complex was used as a Royal Cemetery for the kings and queens of Tikal, it's compared with an onion, because of the multiple layers of interesting architecture it revealed, in some of these layers we can see the masks of the rain god and the sun god. The guide communicates efficiently with all guests. During the tour, the guide accompanies you to climb the monuments to explain the most important details while you are above the monuments. We take you to the best spots to take pictures at the right times, this is ideal for photographers and we'll see many Mayan structures.
We'll climb this temple with you and enjoy the best view of the Great Plaza, looking at the masks carved on top of this temple. The view from this temple is a great chance to take a picture of Temple I, North Acropolis and the Great Plaza.
We'll visit this beautiful temple, it has round corners, it's the only temple facing North, it was built around 650 a.D. and it was restored in 2002. Temple V is the second tallest of Tikal, it's architecture is very different than the other temples of the city, this is the first temple discovered in Tikal back in 1848 because the back of it's roof comb as it's totally vertical, it was never covered by trees and it was visible from far away south, the direction of Flores where the discoverers of Tikal came from.
This Plaza has Seven temples in line, three ball courts and three palaces, which makes the number thirteen, a sacred number for the mayan culture. It looks like a place for sports and for the aristocracy of Tikal to have fun. It has the only triple ball court found so far in Mesoamerica.
The Lost World is the astronomical observatory of Tikal, it has the Great Pyramid as the point to watch the stars, the planets and the sun and it has three buildings on the east side to mark the seasons of the year. The lower plaza is part of The Lost World, this plaza has a podium in the center with the architecture of Teotihuacan, a clear evidence of the cultural interaction between these two ancient cities.
The official name of this temple is Temple of the Double Headed Serpent, as when the temple was discovered, it had a wooden carved lintel with the sacred double headed serpent carved on it, now this wooden carving is in a famous museum. The nickname of this temple is Temple of Star Wars as back in 1977 the movie director George Lucas came to Tikal to film part of the original Star Wars Movie, Episode IV "A New Hope"
The walking tour ends at Gate 2 of Tikal National Park at 02:00 pm and we offer you a hot meal and a cold drink at the Jaguar Inn Restaurant, after eating you can walk around the visitor center to see more wildlife, visit the scale model or buy souvenirs. The activity ends when we drop you off at the location we picked you up, or it can be to a different location, but for this, you need to let us know in advance. This tour is ideal for passengers flying from Flores Airport (FRS) that day on the flight: TAG 5U111 leaving to Guatemala City at 19:15
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
When booking, please make sure you pick the right price option according to the desired pickup location. We pick up from the door of any hotel or Airbnb in Flores, Tikal, El Remate, Santa Elena, San Benito, San Andres, Belize Western Border, San Jose Peten or San Ignacio Belize. Guests staying in San Miguel come by boat to Raices Restaurant in Flores Island for pickup.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Wheelchair accessible
- Seat belts available
- In case you don't know yet the location of your hotel, just book the cheapest tour option, later you let us know your hotel location and if there is price difference, you can pay it to our guide.
- If you are the only adult in your group and you pick a small group option and at least one more adult reserves for that same schedule, we’ll include the cost of the entry fees for you, which reduces the price for USD21.
- Bring the best walking shoes
- Bring a raincoat just in case
- Bring the best clothes for hot weather
- Bring a canteen to refill water (in Tikal the entry of disposables is not allowed)
- If you have a Guatemalan local ID (DPI) send us a picture of it, in this event your entry fees will be only USD 4
Reviews(73)
Amazing experience with Alberto. We told him how much we love birds and other wildlife so he took us on some back paths for better animal viewing and went out of his way to spot birds with us. He was so knowledgeable about the ruins, we learned so much. Thanks for an amazing day in Tikal, we loved every minute.
Tikal was a bucket list dream come true, made even better by Lucio, the most excellent guide. His knowledge of the history of the huge complex was substantial, as was his knowledge of the flora and fauna. We saw all of the highlights, but Lucio also guided us to places most tourists do not go making the experience that much more comprehensive and memorable. Lucio is clearly committed to teaching the history, culture, and environment of the region to those who have the opportunity to spend time with him. I am forever grateful to him. It was best day.
Tikal was a bucket list dream come true, made even better by Lucio, the most excellent guide. His knowledge of the history of the huge complex was substantial, as was his knowledge of the flora and fauna. We saw all of the highlights, but Lucio also guided us to places most tourists do not go making the experience that much more comprehensive and memorable. I am forever grateful to him.
Wonderful tour experience through out the Tikal ruins. Lucio is a fantastic guide who speaks three languages, knows the history of the park well, and points out interesting animals and plants (including a tarantula!). Highly recommend this experience, especially with Lucio!
Our tour of Tikal was amazing! Our guide, Jose, was extremely knowledgeable and shared so much information with us about the history of the site as well as information about the wildlife that live in the park. We saw so many birds and some monkeys as well! After the tour, we enjoyed a delicious lunch. I highly recommend!
Our experience (my son, my cousin and myself) with these wonderful people was unforgettable. Marlon, José, César and the other guy from Gem Trips whose name I could not remember made those three days among the best ever lived. With them, we visited Tikal , and then flew to El Mirador in helicopter, an incredible experience that I recommend to anyone interested in knowing a fantastic Preclassic Mayan city close to the Mexican border, including the most voluminous pyramid in the world.
We had the most amazing tour with Marlon. He met us in Flores and took us to Tikal for the most wonderful experience. His deep knowledge of the area and it's history was so exciting that we are still talking about it years later asking ourselves when we are going to return. This was the single best tour we have ever taken. If you would like to learn more about the wildlife and specifically the birds in the area Marlon was able to provide us with amazing sightings of animals hidden in plain sight. If you are looking to have a once in a lifetime experience Marlon is the person you should be speaking with.
Lucio (driver) and Jose Moreno (guide) were the best. They made the whole experience smooth and amazing. Highly recommended. Jose was very knowledgeable and always with a great attitude. He took great care of all of us, even going above and beyond. We would use this company again.
Marlon was an amazing tour guide. He took his time to explain things and answered our questions. He was also helpful in pacing the tour to match our needs. He made a point of leaving the place cleaner than we found it by picking up litter along the way. He cares about Tikal and the people he guides through it. Unforgettable great.
We really enjoyed this excellent tour of Tikal. The company is very well organized and very responsive. Every part from booking to ending the trip was well done and enjoyable. We were treated very well. Highly recommend this tour company.
