Tikal

Chichén Itzá and Uxmal in all honour but the Guatemalan site Tikal easily kicks the other Maya cities’ arse, at least twice per day. Tikal, located deep in the jungle, is famous for its tall temples raising above the trees. It is in fact so remotely located that to ease research, an air strip had to be built on the site in the 1950s. The road to Tikal was not improved and paved until the 1980s and before this the city could only enjoy visitors in form of research teams.
The area contains traces of more than 4000 structures, of which the highlights are Temple I, Temple II, Temple III, Temple IV, Temple V and Temple VI (easy). To visit all major building complexes, one has to walk between 10-20 km on jungle trails and it’s therefore best to arrive in the morning with lots of time to spare. The following pictures should illustrate why Tikal is so special.

Temple I is magnificent and is located on the “Gran Plaza”, facing several impressive structures. One is not allowed to climb this temple anymore since at least two people have tumbled towards a certain death by falling down from its steep steps.








Temple II is located just opposite Temple I and is slightly lower. There are beautiful views over the plaza and Temple I for the ones who dare ascend the steps after hearing what happened on Temple I.






Temple III is not yet excavated and this is how the first Tikal explorers saw the city, forgotten and reclaimed by the jungle.










Temple IV, 64 metres high, is Tikal’s highest building and by climbing this, the visitor can enjoy stunning views of other high-rising structures as seen from above.






Temple V has the most breath-taking climb up a steep wooden structure that is more a ladder than a stairway. Again, nothing for people suffering from fear of heights.