Tikal is bucket list kind of destination and deservedly so. The Mayans built something truly impressive here and I dare you not to take 100 pictures from the top of the temples. Just walking the paths between the structures is an experience as well because of the diverse wildlife you can see (the howler monkeys and the toucans are my favorites) and the dense foliage of the jungle.
Tikal isn't the easiest of destinations to get to though, nor a luxury place to stay overnight--although I strongly recommend you do stay at least one night in the park. This summer marked my 3rd trip to Tikal and on each trip I have learned some helpful hints, many the hard way. Don't repeat my mistakes; here are 10 tips to make your trip better.
1. You Need Water. Lots And Lots Of Water.
The bad news is that Tikal is hot, and I say this as a person who grew up in the Southern US. The temperature isn't the main issue, it's the 100% humidity. Walking through the jungle is sweaty business and you need to keep drinking water.
The good news is that water is easily found everywhere around Tikal. You shouldn’t drink the tap water but bottled water is readily available at your hotel, at small kiosks inside the park itself, at tourist stalls just outside the park and from roadside markets on your way in.
I dislike single- use water bottles (and it gets expensive after awhile) so we bought a large 8L water container from a Texaco minimart just after we crossed the border into Guatemala. It cost us about $5 and we refilled our reusable water bottles from it throughout the trip.
Kiosks adjacent to the ticket gate in Tikal will sell water for a better price than you might expect considering the location.
2. Bring Bug Spray And Use It Liberally
Tikal is in the jungle, meaning you get the whole experience--the cool howler monkeys, the gorgeous birds, the lush foliage, and the aggressive mosquitoes. They aren't the worst I have seen, (that's reserved for the mutant, sadistic bloodsuckers on Capers Island, South Carolina) but they are abundant.
Using bug spray liberally will help keep everyone remembering how much fun Tikal was and not how many bug bites they got. Family Off worked fine for us but don't forget to reapply often as you will sweat it off. You will need to pack the pump kind as airlines dislike aerosols in luggage.
3. Wear Sneakers
Part of the fun of Tikal is climbing all the temples and most of those stairs are not made with fashion in mind. Or modern safety standards. The stairs are steep and the limestone can be slippy, especially if its rainy.
You will also walk miles everyday just to see everything. Tikal is not a good place for sandals and a downright silly place to wear flip- flops.
4. Take The Sunset Tour
Watching the sunset from top of Temple IV or the big platform in Mundo Perdidio section of Tikal is an amazing experience but the real reason you should do a sunset tour is for the walk back to your hotel in the dark.
It is surprising how quickly it gets dark in the jungle and how much louder the jungle sounds when it is pitch black around you. You will need headlamps or flashlights to see the trail but it will be an experience that you and your kids will love. Unless they are very scared of the dark, then I would skip it.
Our kids thought it was an adventure although I will have to say I had a lot more fun the second time when we has guide versus the first time when we were on our own trying to find the correct path out of the myriad of choices. In the dark. And not knowing the layout of Tikal well at all. I don’t think they let you stay after sunset anymore without a guide so you won’t have to worry.
*Guides are easily organized through your hotel or online- see #5 below for guide recommendations.
Sunset from the platform in the Mundo Perdido section of Tikal.
Another great reason to do the sunset tour is that the day crowds are gone by late afternoon so it is your best chance to get pictures of the Grand Plaza without some photobombing tourist in the background.
This picture is taken about 10 minutes after sunset in the Grand Plaza, which is a big cleared area. (This was taken a couple of years ago with a terrible cell phone camera.) From the Grand Plaza, you must walk 2 km back to the entrance of the park on a path through the jungle that is almost total darkness. It is really fun.
5. Hire A Guide
A guide is not a requirement in Tikal unless you do the sunset or sunrise tours. (The authorities don't like you in the park in the dark by yourself, plus dumb people keep trying to camp on top of the temples.) But a guide will add a whole extra level to your trip.
There is so much knowledge (and literal ground) to cover when visiting Tikal that you will miss some of the more fascinating aspects without a knowledgeable guide. Plus, the good ones are also excellent wildlife spotters as well as patient answerers of the obligatory one million and one questions your kid will have. "Where did the Mayans poop? Did they sacrifice people? How many people? Why?"-- the sacrifice thing will be a hot topic, I promise.
Our guide spotted this trogon, a relative of the quetzal, the national bird of Guatemala and which was revered by the Mayans. We never would have seen this guy on our own. Then he taught the kids to whistle like it. They spent the rest of the trip perfecting their bird calls.
My family has paid around $80 for a 3-4 hour guided tour each of the 3 times I have visited Tikal and thought it was well worth it every time. You can hire one from your hotel or arrange one ahead of time- I have used Juan Bendfeldt with Arqueologia Mesoamericana and he was a hit with my 6 year old nephew who still talks about him. We also have used Luis (arranged through Horizontes Mayas) and he was great fun as well.
The family listing intently to our guide explaining the importance of the ceiba tree to the Mayans.
6. Bring Binoculars For Each Kid
Ornithologists will go crazy in Tikal what with the hundreds of birds all around you. And the most spectacular ones always seem to be at the top of the trees. The monkeys are also often at the top of the trees so binoculars can really help you see the detail of their movements and gestures.
The animals can move fast though so sometimes by the time everyone gets a chance to take a look, the moment is lost. Your guide will have binoculars but bringing a few extra pairs of cheap ones will make everyone happy and you don't have to hear as many "My Turn!" arguments.
Spider monkey as seen through my binoculars.
7. Check Your Shoes Before Putting Them On
Our tarantula after he escaped the shoe and ran under the bed.
This is the jungle so tarantulas and scorpions are around. My niece learned this viscerally when she went to put her shoe on and found a tarantula peering back at her. The subsequent squeal left the poor arachnid and us partially deaf. But I never again had to nag the kids to check their shoes so thanks, tarantula!
8. Bring Batteries For Electronic Devices And Actual, Paper Books
If you are staying in Tikal National Park, there is only electricity from 630am-8am and 6pm-930pm when the hotels run generators. That means there is limited time for phone and tablet charging.
We didn't have any problems with this, except for being a little hot at night without AC, but the kids read their old school (to them) paper books while we recharged phones for more pictures. There are only so many outlets to go around.
*Headlamps will also come in handy when using the bathroom in the middle of the night after the hotel generators turn off. Plus, you want them for walking through the jungle in the dark after watching the sun set.
9. Do A Little Research Ahead Of Time
There is so much to know about the Maya and how and why they built their cities. A little background ahead of time will help you get a lot more out of your visit and things will make a lot more sense. We found documentaries on YouTube and checked every book we could find from the local library.
We enjoyed watching the documentaries together as a family and the kids got spending money for Tikal souvenirs for each book they read about the Maya.
Our guide Juan sent a list of videos to watch--ranging from National Geographic to History Channel documentaries. I have watched most of the ones below and they were good, although some may be inappropriate for younger kids due to discussions of child sacrifice and blood letting ceremonies.
Suggested YouTube Videos
Ancient Megalopolis discovered in The Maya World
The Tikal Project
The Dawn of the Maya
Cracking the Maya Code
Code of the Maya Kings
The History Channel: Engineering an Empire: The Maya
The Ancient Maya: Tools of Astronomy
Lost Kingdoms of the Maya
The Red Queen
BBC´s Secrets of the Maya Underworld
BBC´s Ancient Apocalypse: The Maya Collapse
Climate change 800-1250AD:
Mystery of the Maya
Who Killed the Maya
La Camioneta: The Journey of One American School Bus * Not a Mayan video per say, but the kids will enjoy watching a familiar school bus become a Guatemalan 'chicken bus'- a cheap form of public transport that they will see often on their trip.
Guns, Germs & Steel
10. Start Early
Whether you hire a guide or not, I would start your tour in the morning as close to the 6am opening time as you can get everybody up and moving. There are a couple of reasons for this but mainly because it gets really hot in the afternoon. The morning is much better. Also the animals are most active in the morning so it is often your best chance of spotting them.
The bonus reason for starting early is that it is much less crowded. The day trippers don't usually start arriving until after 10am. There is something pretty neat about standing in front of those temples with only the jungle sounds around you. It is not the same when a tour group of 20 is crowded around you.
Just me and the temple.
Tikal makes for heck of a memorable family vacation and is well worth the effort to get there. It isn't as hard as you might think, the people are incredibly friendly, and the ruins are spectacular.
My last piece of advice would be to tell you that it is okay to call it a day. Tikal is a huge place and you can easily wear yourselves and your kids out trying to see it all. Do a little research ahead of time to know which temples and sections you really want to see, talk to your guide (they are pretty good at sizing up your group and deciding on a doable plan that everyone will enjoy), and don't be afraid to leave some sights unseen.
When you look back, it always better to recall several things in great detail and remember everyone having a good time than just have memories that are a blur of temples and exhaustion.
I have enjoyed returning to Tikal over the years and I like having somewhere new to explore each time as well visiting the old favorites.
