Tikal

Yaaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwnnnnnn... more Mayan Ruins... but these were different. They are deep in the Jungle. They are huge, well preserved and surrounded by amazing wildlife. Welcome to Tikal, the best Mayan ruins i`ve been to by far.

Straight out of an Indiana Jones movie (although a scene in Star Wars was shot here), this site is north of Flores and is well known to be one of the best. Along with a bunch of other backpackers, we hopped in a minibus at 4.30am and hit the road. We arrived around 6am just after sunrise in the hot, sweaty jungle where we were met by our guide Cesar - a Brooklyn born Guatemalan.

Tikal was one of the most powerful Cities of the ancient Maya and was at it`s peak between 200 & 900 AD. The site has a selection of well preserved/restored pyramids, some of which we were able to climb. Once at the top, you are above tree-level and the views were spectacular, across to the other Temples and Pyramids and far out across the Jungle. The air was filled with noises from the Jungle, the most eerie being that of the Howler Monkeys, who scream at each other across the treetops.

I`ll spare you the detail, but if you`re interested, find out more about Tikal here.