|
 You
will be pick up at your hotel in Belize City and transfer to the
Belize International airport to flight to Flores Guatemala.
The largest and most spectacular of all the
Mayan Sites. Located in Guatemala's El Peten area, near the city of Flores, deep in High Canopy Jungle, "yet only
two hours from the Belize border." Tikal has become a archaeological national
symbol in the region. The
 ruins are so extensive, it would would take at least
two days to see it all thoroughly, although you could visit most of the major
temples in a single day. The highest temple on the site is the Temple of the
Giant Jaguar, (seen here.) Two or three small rustic style jungle resorts are
located just outside the Tikal park entrance itself to accommodate visitors,
however, the park is also
conveniently located to cozy jungle resorts in El Peten of Guatemala.
Full
day tour of Tikal Maya site with guide. Tikal was one of the most important urban Mayan centers. This is evident with
its more than 3,000 structures including palaces, temples and stelas. Tikal is a
place for wondering -- not only at the engineering accomplishments of the Maya,
but at the jungle splendors of the Peten. The site of Tikal is a national park,
where the native flora and fauna now flourish relatively undisturbed. Howler and
spider monkeys swing in the treetops, foxes, pumas and wild turkeys roam the
grounds and hundreds of bird species, including toucans and macaws, are visible
in the surrounding jungle.
 Visitors
are dazzled by the imposing Great Plaza and the architectural immensity of its
temples. Temple I, known as the Temple of the Great Jaguar, looks to the west
through the plaza from a height of over 170 feet. Temple II, which faces it, is
called the Temple of Masks, has a flat form and reaches 139 feet. The esplanade
which separates them covers approximately two-and-a-half acres, and its original
floor goes back to 150 years before Christ. 70 stelae and altars, two palace
complexes known as acropolis can be find here. But the colossal remains of Tikal
include many other buildings, among them Temple IV, the highest in the area at
about 200 feet.
 Archaeologists estimate that it required almost 2,000 tons of
material to build. At the same time, there are another 200 altars and stelae,
hundreds of burial sites and ritual offerings. The findings in Tikal, which can
be seen both in museums in the park itself and in Guatemala City, show the
delicacy of its ceramics and jade carvings, as well as lintels carved from
hardwood. All these monuments and L
|
