|
|
| .. |
Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
|
|
|
TIKAL, GUATEMALA
Tikal is one of the most famous of all Maya sites and is located in Guatemala about 50 miles northwest of the border with Belize. GO TO TIKAL!!! IT'S GORGEOUS!!! The admission fee to Tikal is good for the day of entry only. An additional fee gains entrance to an impressive museum housing many artifacts recovered by researchers. The park officially opens at 6:00 am but people go earlier to catch the sunrise. The site is in a high canopy jungle, and encompasses at least 3,000 buildings, including a few tall temples that can be seen above the forest. At its peak (about 1,500 years ago), Tikal was home to an estimated 100,000 Maya. The first settlers arrived in the area now known as Tikal around the year 900 B.C. The first village was small and consisted of simple farms. Between 200 and 50 BC the first large ceremonial buildings were constructed.
We took an overnight tour to Tikal (staying in Flores) through the Aguada Hotel - which included all border fees, Tikal park entrance, Tikal guide, meals, transportation, and overnight lodging. It was way above budget but easy and fast (which was preferable since I was with my mother). Our guide for the 2-day excursion, Omar, is highly recommended (we also took Barton Creek Cave tour with him) and can be reached through the Aguada Hotel and Cahal Pech Village. He was very cool, knew a lot about the area, and had a cool Izuzu Trooper.
|
COSTS Tikal overnight tour from Aguada Hotel was $145 US Departure fee from Belize into Guatemala was BZ$ 7.50 (keep the receipt for the amount deducted from your departure fee when you leave Belize to go home) Entrance fee into Guatemala was free for us but tourists behind us had to pay 30 Queztals each - apparently it is pretty random Exchange rate at the border was 7.4 Queztals for $1 US Soda at the border snack shack was 5 Quetzals Hand-woven Purse at Guatemala border shop was 50 Quetzals Admission fee to Tikal National Park was $50 Quetzals Tikal guides are $10-20 US depending on group size. Room with shared bath at the Jungle Inn is $30 US.
|
During 250-550 A.D., Tikal was the more important city of the Mayan world and was the first city to adopt an Emblem Glyph. The ruling elite were controlling more and more of the general population and were depicted in monumental art as god-men - forcing others to worship them as deities. Human sacrifices became common and elaborate ceremonies of bloodletting and mutilation were celebrated. Towards the end of this period, Tikal had almost 100,000 residents and covered 120 square kilometers.
