For every traveler that wants to experience great adventures in new destinations, Tikal archaeological park in Peten is one of the main recommendations.

Here you have some curious data about this ancient city, so you can know more about one of the main cities of the maya civilization:

A huge city

Tikal is recognized as one of the biggest cities from the late Classic period, while the city was active it had a population of almost 90 thousand people.

After the city was abandoned, a dense layer of vegetation covered the remainings, it was discovered almost a thousand years later, and the exploration was initialized by the end of the XIX century.

The park extends for 570 square kilometers and is the main location of the Mayan Biosphere, the 4th longest extension of forest in the planet.

Hidden Secrets

Over 1,500 people visit the Tikal National park every single day during the high season.

Even though the ruins occupy almost 24 square kilometers, almost 80% of it hasn’t been excavated yet.

It’s believed that the cities close by were connected with Tikal, making this city one of the main connections for commerce and political alliances between cities.

Impressive Views

You can only walk to get to the ruins and every vehicle must stay in the parking lot, outside the park grounds, you can also do several types of exploration or strolls in the park.

You can enjoy the sunrise by arriving at the park around 4 am and walking up to the highest point of the Temple IV, to have an incredible view as the sun rises between the wilderness.

You can also watch the sunset and stay inside the park from 6 to 8 pm. To enjoy both experiences you must pay a bit extra and get a certified guide to keep you company and to avoid any mishaps during your visit.

Natural destination

The park is a protected area, because of that you will not find any restaurants or stores inside the park grounds. There are no sources of electricity and it’s difficult to find phone signal.

Because of this all the considerations are taken to preserve the monuments and the wild life that is essential to maintain the environmental balance and the structures in optimal conditions.

Majestic cities close by

If you want to explore a bit more, here are some suggestions of other archaeological sites that you can visit:

Yaxha: This location is surrounded by a lake that has the same name, this makes the site have magical and exceptional views of the surroundings. If you want to spend a day surrounded by nature or stay during the night camping on the grounds, this is an ideal place.

Uaxactun: To get to this archaeological site that is closer to Tikal, you must travel through a dirt road. On this location there are space observatories, esteles and monuments from the years b.C. y 900 a.C.

Aguateca: This archaeological site is located in Sayaxche and is considered to be one of the most impressive, because of its location and small mounds. You can also get to the site by having a boat ride along the river, which makes this experience a hole adventure.