Tikal Day Trip to Guatemala

Marked as an UNESCO World Heritage Site and comprising the largest ruins of the ancient Mayan empire, Tikal is located near the town of Santa Elena in Guatemala's department (state-like organization) of El Peten. Tikal National Park also includes a great deal of unique rainforest fauna, such as toucans, agouti, and howler monkeys, in addition to the occasional ambling jaguar or jaguarundi. In short, Tikal is an expansive ruined Maya city surrounded by flourishing rainforest; what's more, the site is accessible as a day trip from Belize and Mexico, respectfully a result of the Western Highway in Belize and the Inter-American Highway that passes from Chiapas to El Salvador through Guatemala. Many tour operators use these roads, or air transportation when arranging to transport tourists to Tikal for a one-day visit.

Though the name "Tikal" is considered to be relatively recent, as archaeologists are not entirely sure of the ancient name, some have suggested that it may be "Yax Mutul," related to a hieroglyph containing a bundled traditional hairstyle. New name or old, the area has been settled since around the fourth century B.C., before being abandoned by the 1000. The site contains thousands of individual archaeological sites, resulting in a large number still having not been uncovered since excavations began in 1956. Lowland tropical forest dominates the area, with common trees covering the area including Ceiba-genus species which were an essential part of Mayan mythology. In addition, one may see oft-famed cedar trees, well-known throughout the developed world for producing fine hardwood furnishings.