Hi! I'm Stephan and I blog about my travels around the world! follow me so you can always see my latest updates in your feed!

Currently, I'm putting out a series of my latest trip to Guatemala and Belize. This is part 3. If you haven't read the first two parts, you can do it by clicking here and here.

In this part we will visit Tikal!

At the end of part 2, we were wrapping up our visit to Caye Caulker in Belize. We took the ferry back to Belize City and from there we booked a bus ticket to Flores (Guatemala). The bus ride was pretty comfy (coach bus) and we just killed the time by reading and enjoying the view. At the border crossing with Guatemala, we were provided with instruction how to get in the country. So we had no issues there.

Since you cannot stay on the bus when it crosses the border, everyone needs to get out. First, you need to go to the customs of Belize to exit the country. You need to pay an exit fee which is around $ 18. After the Belizean customs, you need to walk a bit further and be on the lookout for a big building/hall on the left side. Watch out, as it can be completely blocked from your view by trucks and buses that are parked in front of it. If you walk past it, you are illegally entering Guatemala... So be aware. At the building I just mentioned you can get your stamps for Guatemala, they should be free of charge. After you are permitted to enter the country, you can wait for the bus since they need to go to some checks as well.

Flores

The people who go to Flores usually go to the little peninsula on Lago Petén Itzá. Since big vehicles can't go there, you will be transferred to a smaller van. Flores Is a beautifully picturesque town with narrow streets and colorful buildings. We came to it without any expectations and I think that’s always a good thing because that way there is just a small space for any disappointment =). The town has some good restaurants where you can drink and/or eat something, watch the sunsets over the lake and play some games. Every evening on the eastern part of the peninsula, locals built markets stalls where they cook some really cheap and fantastic meals. The whole village is out there, so it's a nice change to see some local people as well.

Timelapse of the lake

Delicious meals

Enough to choose from

We also crossed the lake to go to San Miguel. There is not much to do there but it's fun to walk around and lay in a hammock and do a bit of drinking. A bit to the west of San Miguel there is also a place whit a diving board and a rope swing. It's a good place to enjoy the sun and the water. A boat will take you there from Flores.

Flores

A statue at San Miguel with Flores in the background

Of course, like almost everyone else, we came to Flores to visit the ancient Mayan site Tikal. Visiting this National Park is a part of many personal bucket lists. The area of Tikal was one of the biggest Mayan cities during the Classic Period (around c. 250–900 AD). You simply cannot leave Flores without a visit to Tikal.

Tikal was not discovered until 1840. Before that, it was a mystery if the city even existed. Nowadays over 3.000 monuments have been uncovered. And recent studies shows that the place is way bigger than what you can see today. More structures are supposedly still covered by a thick layer of vegetation.

survey of the area has revealed 60,000 previously unknown structures (source: http://www.theyucatantimes.com)

How to get to Tikal

You can book a transfer to the park at any tour operator in Flores. A regular tour is around 200 quetzal but you can also do sunset or sunrise tours which are slightly more expensive than the regular. It’s best to book those sunny tours not too far upfront because it would be a waste of the extra money if it's a cloudy day and you don’t have a sun to look at. After you arranged the ride, a van will pick you up early in the morning at your accommodation. It will bring you to the entrance first where you can buy your entrance ticket (take your passport with you). A short ride later, you're ready to discover the park. Either with a guide or on your own.

Tikal is an amazing National Park with a lot of Mayan temples and pyramids. Some small and deteriorated some bigger and beautifully restored. You can also climb upon some of the bigger ones which will provide you with a wide view of the jungle. The highest is around 74 meters tall. It's pretty amazing to see the vast jungle around you and to see some of the other temples sticking out above the trees. It's a bit of an outer world sight.

Temple 1 near the Great Plaza

The Great Plaza

The Great Plaza from the other side

Tikal is a big place. If you want to see everything you will easily walk like 8 kilometers. So take some good shoes with you. Although you will walk in the shade most of the time, I advise you to take some sunscreen with you as well. Also, since there are no shops in Tikal, take enough food and water with you for the whole day.

It's really easy to walk around in the park by yourself. It's a good way to avoid the crowds. A guide is not a bad thing of course since they can tell a lot about the park and the Mayan history. But they also travel in large groups. We bargained a free guide whilst booking our tickets (and some other tickets we needed later on) so we tried it out of course. It was a big group of 30 people and after a while, we left the group because it was so hard to shoot a decent photo. Despite the interesting stories the guide had. Since you are provided with a map when you buy your entrance ticket (and there is also an app for your phone with everything on it) it's quite easy to roam around on your own. So don't be afraid to go out there =)

Monkey in the trees

So, to recapitulate: do not leave Flores (or maybe even Guatemala) without a visit to Tikal =)

In the next part, I will take you with me on the road to Semuc Champey and Lake Atitlan where I did an altitude dive. Here's a little preview what you can expect!

If you enjoy my work, please consider upvoting it and follow me for more travel blogs around the world. Also, check out my Steepshot account for daily travel shots!

Cheers, Stephan

Steemit banner.jpg

If you’re interested in any of my previous work, feel free to check it out below:

!steemitworldmap 17.221836 lat -89.623528 long Tikal d3scr

Things to do in Guatemala. Travel tips for Guatemala and Belize part 3