Tikal

The holidays and some additional time off work provide an excellent opportunity for me to get off the grid, travel further inland, and explore a new country. An hour and a half water taxi ride gets me back to the Belize mainland. Another 5 hour bus ride from Belize City and a quick border crossing take me well into Guatemala. I spend the night at a hostel in Flores, a popular lake resort town.

The next morning I hitch another bus ride that takes me into the rainforest of northern Guatemala, to my final destination – Tikal.

Welcome To The Jungle

I decided to spread this potential day trip out over the course of 2 days. I splurge and spend the night at The Jungle Lodge Hotel located directly inside the park.

Besides a cool hotel experience, my first obvious observations are that this is a very sticky place. I was jokingly going to say that this was “the land of 95% humidity”, but then I looked up the actual weather conditions and it indicated 100% – so I would’ve been selling it short!

Fortunately, it has been rainy and cooler the last few days. My night at The Jungle Lodge was a cool and sticky 70 degrees. That was definitely a new sensation. I do believe it’s better than the alternative as I’m not sure I’d want to be here when it’s 100 degrees.

I settle in for the night and research how best to explore Tikal. The park doesn’t officially open until 6am, however popular guided sunrise tours are available starting at 4 am. Given the forecast calls for early clouds and some potential for rain I decide to skip the sunrise tour.

I could hire a guide, but much prefer to move at my own pace. Especially at a place as large as this.

Even with a map I am concerned about how best to navigate through the 220 sq. miles of park. I’m also concerned that without a guide I really wouldn’t understand what I was looking at.

Instead – I opt for Plan C. During my research, I stumbled across the Tikal Audio Guide app. Not only can it assist me with navigating through the park, but it will also highlight notable landmarks along the way to supplement my self-guided tour with pictures and informational audio.

Perhaps a local guide would provide some additional flavor, but I feel like this app is pretty well done and provides a best of both worlds strategy for me.

Road To Ruins

Tikal was once one of the largest and most powerful sites of the ancient Maya. Dating back as early as the 4th century BC, Tikal reached its peak during the period between 200 to 900 AD.

6 AM – The Jungle Is Alive!   

Walking through the jungle alone in the dark can be intimidating (who would’ve guessed!?). I’m surrounded by movement and sound, much of which seems menacing. This includes the Howler monkeys announcing their presence. Their guttural groans are what my overactive imagination assumes is coming from something much larger and more fierce – say a small T-Rex.

After finding cover from a brief rain shower, a misty and damp morning slowly gives way to the sun. I spend the next 4 hours walking the grounds, and seeing some wildlife along the way.

I trek back to the lodge to grab lunch. After I rest up a little, I head back out into the steamy afternoon sun. Unlike the morning where I felt I had the place to myself, it’s crowded now. Not wanting to fight the crowds, I take a few more photos I couldn’t get in the morning and call it a day.

Walking around Tikal National Park today was educational. It’s difficult to comprehend or even interpret what happened here and how the ancient Maya lived. It’s a beautiful place that is still somewhat shrouded in mystery.

As recent as 1200 years ago, the Maya were a powerful and thriving civilization. Tikal was flourishing, then later abandoned. Today, all that we know about their existence is told to us through the stories of these ruins.

In relation to the history of the universe, 1200 years is a snap of the fingers. It makes me wonder – 1200 years from now, how will our stories be interpreted?

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