How To Visit Tikal National Park

A visit to the Mayan ruins of Tikal Guatemala would have to be one of the most spectacular things you can do in Central America. Like something from Indiana Jones, these ancient temples once made up the biggest capital of the Mayan civilization.

If you’ve been to the giant pyramid of Chichen Itza in Mexico, this place is similar but arguably even better. Tikal National Park is home to all kinds of wildlife, and many of the Mayan temples here are open for climbing, so you can enjoy panoramic views of the jungle surrounding the ruins!

The other good news is that Tikal is relatively easy and affordable to visit on a day trip from Flores in Guatemala, or you can visit Tikal overland from the neighboring country of Belize. Either way, it’s a bucket list experience that you can’t miss if you’re traveling in Belize or Guatemala!

This Tikal travel guide will explain where the ruins are located (plus a map), how to get there from Guatemala or Belize, hours & entrance fees, safety tips, best tour packages, and everything else you need to know before you go!

Best Tikal Tours

Tikal Guatemala is one of those places that’s best visited with a tour. It’s the most convenient way to get transportation to the ruins, and a guide is very helpful for explaining everything and taking pictures for you.

GetYourGuide has Tikal day tours from Flores in Guatemala, or they also have day tours starting from San Ignacio in Belize. Some of these tours also include lunch and hotel pickup and drop-off to make things even more convenient.

We’ve used GetYourGuide for lots of tours and activities around the world, and they’re great! Highly recommended.

Book Now: Tikal Tour From Flores / From Belize

Where Is Tikal?

Tikal is located in northern Guatemala, in the Peten department.

The nearest town is Flores in Guatemala, which has plenty of tourist-friendly hotels and restaurants, or you can also visit Tikal overland from San Ignacio in Belize.

How To Get To Tikal Guatemala

• From Guatemala

If you’re coming from Guatemala, the closest airport to Tikal is the Mundo Maya International Airport (code: FRS) in Flores, Guatemala. You can also go by bus from Guatemala City, which is a bit cheaper but much slower, taking about 10 hours.

There are daily nonstop flights to Flores from Guatemala City or Cancun, Mexico. Airline choices are Avianca or TAG Airlines, and Avianca is better if you have the option (best safety record and more flexible about baggage).

The flight to Flores from Guatemala City only takes about 45 minutes, and you can sometimes find prices as low as 400 Quetzales ($50 USD). You can shop for flights on Skyscanner.

Once you arrive in Flores, the next step is getting to Tikal, which is a 1.5 hour drive from Flores town. The easiest way to do this is a shared tour by bus from Flores, which can be very affordable.

If you’d rather visit Tikal without a tour, that’s also possible if you rent a car or take a shuttle from Flores. However, it doesn’t work out to be much cheaper than taking a tour, and having a guide can be helpful for explaining things in the park and taking pictures for you.

• From Belize

If you’re coming from Belize, your first step will be getting to San Ignacio, which is a city in Belize near the Guatemala border.

The drive to San Ignacio from Belize City takes about 2 to 2.5 hours, and you can go by car (taxi), bus, or shuttle. I think the shuttle is the best way to go.

Sometimes there are also flights from Belize City to the tiny airport at San Ignacio, but those are puddle jumper planes and the options are pretty limited. You can inquire about that with Tropic Air or Maya Island Air.

Once you arrive in San Ignacio, it’s another 2 to 2.5 hour drive to cross the Guatemala border and get to Tikal. The easiest way to do this is with a day tour package that handles all the transportation for you.

The border crossing adds a step or two to the process, but it’s not very difficult. If you’d rather go without a tour, you can rent a car or take a shuttle from San Ignacio to Tikal.
 

Visiting Tikal: What To Expect

The Tikal Guatemala ruins cover a pretty large area, but it’s still small enough to be walkable on foot. All of the paths are flat and easy, although if you choose to climb any temples then that part can be a bit strenuous. Some temples are easier to climb than others.

There are hundreds of animal species living in Tikal National Park, and you have a good chance of seeing some of them on your visit. In one day tour, we saw spider monkeys, coatimundis, turkeys, and other wildlife. You can also see tarantulas and toucans here, and even the occasional jaguar or puma.

You can see the highlights of Tikal in a few hours, so I think one full day trip is enough time for most people, although some photographers might want to stay longer and take more pictures. There are hotels at Tikal if you want to stay a night or two.

Best Tikal Temples & Ruins

This isn’t a complete list of all the Tikal ruins, but these are just some of the best temples in the park, in my opinion:
 

• Temple I

Also known as the ‘Temple of the Great Jaguar,’ Temple I is probably the most beautiful and iconic of all the temple ruins in Tikal Guatemala. It’s also one of the tallest.

You can’t climb Temple I, but you can climb the opposite building (Temple II) and use that as a vantage point for taking pictures of Temple I. This is where the most famous pictures of Temple I are taken.

There are lots of other nice photo spots in the Great Plaza where Temple I is located, and it’s photogenic from almost any angle. This temple was the burial place of the Mayan king Jasaw Chan K’awiil I.

• Temple II

Also known as the ‘Temple of the Masks,’ Temple II is a nice building in its own right, but the best thing about it is that you can climb it for amazing views of Temple I and the Great Plaza, which sits right next to it.

This temple stands 38 meters (125 feet) high, but the backside has a wooden staircase, which you can climb to reach the top in just a few minutes. The view is well worth the climb!
 

• Temple IV

Temple IV is the tallest temple in Tikal, with a height of 65 meters (212 feet). You can also climb it! The wooden staircase has almost 200 steps to reach the top of the temple, so it’s a serious workout.

Also known as the ‘Star Wars temple,’ this one was used as a filming location for the jungle planet Yavin 4 in Star Wars: A New Hope. In the movie, a Rebel guard watches the Millennium Falcon spaceship landing on Yavin 4.

The movie shot was taken on top of Temple IV, and in the distance you can see Temples I, II, and III rising above the jungle canopy. It’s a great view in the movie, and also in person.

I’ve always been a big fan of Star Wars, so it was fun to visit this spot in real life!
 

• Temple V

This is a very big and photogenic moss-covered temple located near the Central Acropolis of Tikal National Park. It’s the 2nd tallest building at Tikal after Temple IV, standing 57 meters tall (187 feet)!

You can’t climb the stairs of Temple V, but it’s still very impressive and great for photos. Archaeologists aren’t sure about the purpose of Temple V, but it’s believed to have been a mortuary temple (tomb) for one of Tikal’s ancient rulers.

Entrance Fees At Tikal National Park

Adult tickets to Tikal for foreigners cost 150 Quetzales (about $20 USD) per person, while kids under 12 can enter free. If you do a sunrise or sunset tour at Tikal, there’s an extra fee of 100 Quetzales per person.

Sadly there’s no way to buy tickets online yet, although you can buy your Tikal tickets up to 30 days in advance at Banrural bank agencies in Guatemala. Remember to bring enough cash (in local currency) because they do not accept credit cards and there’s no ATM at Tikal.

IMPORTANT: A passport is required to buy your Tikal tickets. They won’t let you buy tickets without showing a passport for each person. I’ve heard of people using a photocopy of their passport and that was fine.
 

Opening Hours At Tikal National Park

The Tikal National Park is officially open daily from 6 AM to 5 PM, although you can enter outside of these hours if you do a sunrise or sunset tour.
 

Other Tips For Tikal Guatemala

• Facilities: There are a couple of small cafes in Tikal that sell snacks and drinks, plus you can find maps, bathrooms, picnic spots, and souvenir shops at the entrance of the park. There are no ATMs at Tikal yet.
• Credit Cards: Everything at Tikal is cash only, including the entrance tickets. They don’t accept credit cards for anything yet.
• Mosquitoes: Our group saw some mosquitoes at Tikal, so I would definitely recommend wearing bug spray with DEET. Malaria is not a significant issue at Tikal nowadays, and cases are rare in Peten. There isn’t much risk of dengue or Zika virus in the area either, although those can’t be ruled out completely so it’s a good idea to use bug spray and protect yourself anyway.
• Cell Service: I had a little bit of cell service/phone reception while walking around in the Tikal area with Claro/Tigo via my T-Mobile roaming package, but it wasn’t very dependable. If you have any important texts or emails to send, best to do it before going to the park.
• Drones: Flying a drone is not allowed anywhere at Tikal National Park. According to the signs at the park entrance, they’re worried it might disturb the birds and other animals.

Best Time To Visit Tikal Guatemala

The best time to visit Tikal Guatemala depends on what you’re looking for, although you can visit all year round.

The dry season for this part of Guatemala runs from December to April. During these months, it’s more sunny and there’s less rain, and the daytime temperatures are slightly less hot than normal. Dry season is generally the best time to visit Tikal.

The wet season for Tikal basically runs from May to November. During these months, there’s more rain and clouds on average. You can still visit in the rainy season, but you might want to bring a poncho in case of bad weather.

The best time of day to visit Tikal is in the morning. With an early start, you can avoid some of the heat and crowds. Sunrise is also nice because you can hear the animals awakening and the Mayan jungle coming to life.

If you’re a photographer and mainly wanting to take pictures without crowds, try to avoid weekends and holidays, when there are a lot more Guatemalan locals visiting the park. However, overall Tikal is a huge park so it absorbs crowds quite well!

Is Tikal Guatemala Safe?

As you might know, Guatemala is not the safest country in the world, and there were some armed robberies at Tikal in the past. However, it seems like safety has improved now, and I haven’t heard of any crimes like that happening here recently.

If you want some extra peace of mind, you could also bring a hidden travel belt (like this one) and put some of your valuables in it, such as cash and credit cards.

With that said, our group had a great visit to Tikal and we didn’t encounter any crime issues at all. Even though Guatemala doesn’t have a very good reputation on safety, I think it’s improved a lot in the last 20 years, and still seems to be getting better.
 

More Guatemala Travel Tips

Thanks for looking! I hope you enjoyed this Tikal travel guide for visiting the ruins on a day trip from Belize or Guatemala.

I’ll be writing more Guatemala guides soon, so don’t forget to bookmark my travel blog and check back later!

Happy travels!