The Wonder of Tikal

Tikal is a special place. Tikal was one of the most powerful Mayan kingdoms during the Mayan Classic Period of 200-900 AD. The population may have been up to 90,000 people. It fought many wars with surrounding Mayan kingdoms (including Calakmul to the north which I visited earlier). The temples are simply amazing, tall with very steep sides. Sheri and I were here in 2008, but it was certainly worth the trek to visit again. This time we walked around the entire area and visited all six temples. A highlight was hearing the howler monkeys screaming at each other. A highlight of our visit in 2008 was getting up at 4 am and hiking with a guide and three other tourists to Temple IV, climbing the scaffolding around the temple to a near the top and watching the sunrise and the monkeys and birds come alive at dawn. The guide pointed out a very rare bird, the orange-breasted falcon, which is known to nest only at two temples in Tikal and on a rock face in Belize. We stayed at a nice but modest hotel on the shores of Lake Peten Itza, El Muelle in El Remate. Very nice staff. Beautiful location.