Tikal 2, Guatemala - Wander the Planet .net

TIKAL (CONTINUED), GUATEMALA

Omar picked us up at Aguada at 9:30am and we were off to the border. We changed money at the border, got our passports stamped departing Belize, and got our passports stamped entering Guatemala. There's a crafts shop and a couple of snack shacks at the border. We also picked up our Tikal guide (a friend of Omar's) named Caesar. He was also excellent and knew countless facts about Guatemala and the history of Tikal. Be warned though - usually you do not get Tikal guides at the border, only at the park entrance. There are a number of 'guides' at the border but they will just take you to Tikal and make you pay for a real guide at the park's entrance.

On our way to Tikal, we stopped at a gorgeous freshwater lake with a number of craft shops on the shore. I believe it was in El Remate but I'm still trying to figure out where we stopped. It had a long pier and people were swimming off of it. The water was so clear that I wanted to jump in - but didn't. Caesar told us to look around at the craft shops and price items - then we could compare when we were in Flores. We did and later found that the prices (for what we wanted to buy) were cheaper in Flores.

Once at Tikal, we stopped at their open-air restaurant for lunch. We had delicious grilled chicken, potato salad, and veggies and I had a beer. The beer really hit the spot! We made a quick bathroom stop and were on our way to the hiking trails. Immediately we saw wildlife including Howler Monkeys, Ocellated Turkeys, and Coatimundis. The Coatimundis were adorable and very tame. Unfortunately, visitors have made a habit out of feeding them anything from Power Bars to candy and some are suffering from stomach problems. So if you go, please don't feed the Coatimundis - even if they beg - as they can find plenty of food to eat.

In addition to exquisite temples and pyramids, Tikal has an abundance of wildlife to see. In one afternoon, we saw many Coatimundis, Spider Monkeys, bats, countless birds and butterflies, and an Ocellated Turkey. We heard the erie cry of the Howler Monkey - but did not see any. We also saw the Strangler Fig, which wraps around living trees and sucks the life out of them. Before we left for Belize, we were told that two to three days were necessary to see Tikal. However, we found the one day to be sufficient - especially since we only had 10 days to see Belize.

Guatemala flag

COSTS

Necklace at El Remate craft shop was 30 Quetzals

Tip for our Tikal guide was $15 US

El Plato del Dia or Plate of the Day in Flores restaurant was 18 Quetzals (I had stew meat, rice, and veggies)

Guatemalan Machete was 64 Quetzals

2 large and 1 small tapestries was 90 Quetzals

Large orange juice in Flores was 5 Quetzals

Hand-woven backpack was 35 Quetzals

Ladders to Temple IV