Belizing goes to Tikal!
Tikal is one of the most popular archaeological sites in all of Central America and a
UNESCO world heritage site. Every year thousands of people visit this site to experience and see the remnants of an advanced civilization that once flourished. While Belize and Mexico have numerous astonishing Archaeological sites, Tikal is considered to be the biggest Archeological site in all of Central America, with approximately 220 square miles.
Just this week, the
Belizing team got the opportunity to visit Tikal with one of our most trusted tour providers,
TikalGo. We were ecstatic for this trip! Having the opportunity to experience and see breathtaking views and wildlife was a dream come true for Derrick, Nico and myself. Tikal is definittely a must for anyone’s summertime adventures!
What to expect when you travel to Tikal?
Traveling to Tikal from Belize is quite easy and an adventure – at least, that is how
TikalGo made of us feel.
Early Tuesday morning, Don Carlos from TikalGo Tours, picked us up in his comfortable, air-conditioned van at the
Belize/Guatemala border. He mentioned that he also does pick-ups at San Ignacio Welcome Center or a particular hotel in
town, depending on the tour package you've reserved.
Crossing the Belizean Western Border
When crossing the Belize/Guatemalan border, here are the important requirements and steps to keep in mind:
- Passport: Ensure your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your travel date.
- Belize Exit Tax: Be prepared to pay a fee of $20 USD per person upon exiting Belize.
- Currency Exchange: If needed, exchange currency near the border. Typical exchange rates are approximately Q7: $1 USD.
As you exit the Belize border, look for your TikalGo tour guide. They will be holding a sign with your name of "Belizing.com" and wearing a shirt with the TikalGo logo. Your guide will assist with processing at the Guatemala border. If needed, you can show them your booking confirmation for reference.
Before taking off on our two-hour journey from the Guatemalan border, we were told that we would stop at a souvenir shop, where we can enjoy some coffee, use the restrooms, and buy any souvenirs that captured our eyes. I have always been amazed at how artistic and intricate some of these arts and crafts are. What was so exciting to see as well, was a local craftsman making wood carvings inside the building.
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee was incredible as well. It lured me to wait in a line for a cup. There, I managed to meet some of the other tourists who were in the van and we talked about their travel experiences. We were also asked what we wanted for lunch, providing us with different options to choose from.
Once we got enough snacks, souvenirs, coffee, and sorted our lunch options, we then moved back into the van and drove towards Tikal.
On our way, we came across a lake that is the third largest lake in Guatemala, approximately twenty-three miles long and three miles wide, and up to five hundred feet at its deepest point, according to our tour guide.
We then drove for another fifteen minutes where we eventually made it to the entrance of the national park where
Tikal is located. Just a few minutes in, we saw spider monkeys swinging and climbing up the tree branches! The jungle kept getting denser as we drove, until we came across some buildings and a sign that welcomed us to Tikal. We quickly stretched and prepared to go on a journey under the jungle canopy; but first, we grabbed a bottle of cold water from one the coolers for the hike.
Our tour guide then directed us to one of the trails that would lead us to one of the main temples in Tikal. The guide was well-spoken and was keen in answering our questions. Every response led to another question, which made this tour exciting for me.
Captivated by an interactive tour guide and birds chirping above and around us, we quickly came across some of the smaller temples in Tikal. We learned that many of these temples were still unexcavated, mainly due to preserving the biodiversity of the jungle and wildlife that now flourish in the area.
Hiking under the jungle canopy is one of the activities that I enjoyed the most, this was a major highlight of this tour. There is nothing like breathing fresh air combined with the aroma of humus around.
I was perplexed by the sheer size of some of the structures. Thankfully, there were wooden steps with railings to make the journey to the upper world much easier! This journey up the temple was still a bit tiring, but the view from the top was so beautiful! From there I could have judged the distance it would take us to walk the other temples in the area, only peeking out slightly above the canopy. Once we made it back down, we took a break to use the restrooms, rehydrate, and get some more snacks for the rest of the tour.
From here, we once again hiked under the canopy for a few minutes until we came across a bigger opening, where we saw the main temples and plazas. Many of us scattered in different directions and would then meet between two of the main temples. There, we sat down and took cover from the midday sun under the shade provided by the only tree between these two temples. I truly did not want to leave this spot. I was in complete Zen mode, almost taking a nap when our tour guide and my stomach reminded me that it was lunchtime!
Lunch was spectacular! Lunch was provided inside a cabin under the canopy. We were greeted with wet towels to cool off and a friendly staff. Once we cooled off with these towels, we were served vegetable soup with freshly made corn tortillas as an appetizer. I do not recall the exact name of the cuisine we got for lunch, but I recall ordering beef as my meat option. The beef was grilled, served with vegetable rice, and a salad. I was a bit concerned about my vegan companions but was happy to find out they also had different cuisines for different diets. I was about to leave to have a quick meeting with the Belizing team when we were surprised with watermelon and pineapple as dessert. After devouring the dessert, the group started to walk towards the exit. It was time to head back home! :/
Tikal was truly a magnificent experience, and I would go return any time for a full day of adventure. We would like to give a massive thank you to TikalGo for offering this tour to the Belizing team. We were content with the entire Tikal experience. Book your
Tikal adventure today and let's go Belizing in Guatemala with TikalGo!