How to Visit the Tikal Mayan Ruins in Guatemala

The best way to visit Tikal is to join a guided tour.

→ Book a guided tour to Tikal on Get Your Guide.

We were picked up in Flores just after 5am for a one-hour drive north on a shuttle the park entrance. There, we had to show our passports and pay 150 Quetzals (~€17 at the time of writing) for the park ticket which was not included in the price of the guided tour.

Then it was back onto the shuttle for another 20-minute drive into the park where we had an hour in the restaurant where coffee and breakfast was available for purchase. This was a little frustrating for me because I didn't want to buy breakfast there having already eaten before so having had to wake up at the crack of dawn just to sit in a restaurant for an hour was a bit silly. But that's the joy of being on a scheduled guided tour!

The rest of the day was fabulous and I quickly forgot about the first hour as we then were led by our great guide on foot into the park for a four-hour tour of all the main highlights of Tikal. I seriously recommend a guide because otherwise you'll find yourself just wandering around the big stone ruins not really understanding their significance.

There is a decent amount of walking and climbing up the various pyramid-like structures so wear comfy shoes, drink plenty of water (drinks are available for purchase throughout the park) and don't forget your camera!

→ Check out my reel on Instagram of my highlights from Tikal!