Located in El Peten just a few hours through the jungle from Belize, Tikal is the most impressive and magnificent Mayan ruin in Central America.  Believed to have been one of the most powerful cities in the ancient Mayan world, Tikal was inhabited between roughly 800 B.C. and 900 A.D., and was home to 100,000 people at its height.  Today, a wildlife preserve covering 220 square miles of lush rainforest surrounds the ruins, and visitors commonly see monkeys and several species of tropical birds that inhabit the trees around the ancient city.  The ruins are 66 kilometers from Flores on paved roads.  It is recommended that you take at least 2 days to see the ruins.

The city and surrounding areas are believed to have spanned an area of 23 square miles.  The temples are mainly constructed out of limestone, which was very important for construction because it also provided lime for stucco and plaster.  Pyramids represent the sacred mountains where it was believed that maize came from.  The temples used to be covered in rich color patterns and some temples were even painted completely red.  The east plaza was the main plaza in the Classic era, although today the Great Plaza is the center of the site.  Seventy stelae, originally painted red, have been located around this ruin.  These stelae, each of which once had an altar beside it, commemorate the rulers of Tikal, and their faces can still be seen today carved on one side of the large stone monuments.  The nearby Temple of the Giant Jaguar is a 100-foot high pyramid concealing the tomb of Ahau Cacau, the divine ruler of Tikal.  Other noteworthy temples and plazas: the Temple of the Masks, Temple of the Jaguar Priest, the North Acropolis, and to the south of the great plaza complex, the Central Acropolis.  Here there are 42 palaces, all excellent examples of Mayan architecture.  

The Great Plaza, the East Plaza, and the Plaza of the Seven Temples all have ball courts.  In the Plaza of the Lost World, pyramid 5C-54 is one of the oldest pyramids with a core which is believed to have been built around 500 B.C.  Southeast of Group G is a causeway that leads to the Temple of the Inscriptions, completed around 750 A.D.

An official expedition to Tikal was not made until 1848, although the locals probably knew about the site for years.  It was declared  a national park and countless other archaeological studies have been carried out. 

attractions

Tikal ruins

Flores, on a small island on Lake Peten Itza and itself the last Mayan stronghold to withstand the Spanish

Birding and wildlife

Guatemalan life

El Peten, in which the whole area is located, a sparsely populated region representing a third of the country and rich in flora, fauna, and Mayan ruins

Mayan ruins of Dos Pilas, Aguateca, Ceibal, Petexbatun

visitor info
You can see the highlights of Tikal in one day, and be back in Belize at night. Otherwise at least 2 days is recommended to appreciate these extensive ruins. There are plenty of lodges and hotels in the Tikal area: these are either in the town of Flores, 40 miles (66kms) away, or in between Tikal and Flores. Flores has a number of small restaurants and bars. 

getting there
Tikal is 40 miles (66kms) from Flores, which is the same distance from the Belize border and its border town Benque Viejo. A visit by road is thus quite feasible, although this needs to be either with a tour operator, or a Guatemalan taxi from the border, or a car rented in Flores. You cannot drive across into Guatemala with a car rented in Belize. From Flores there are many ways (buses, taxis and minivans) to reach Tikal. There are also daily flights from Belize City or San Pedro with Tropic Air and Maya Airways, the flight lasting about 75 minutes, and connections from other Belize airports serviced by these airlines are possible. If you are tight on time, it is feasible to do a day trip by plane, and be back in Belize the same day.