Page 44 - Off the Tourist Trail - 1000 Unexpected Travel Alternatives (Part 1 of 2)

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ANCIENT AND HISTORICAL SIGHTS

Tikal

vs Chichén Itzá

ABOVE Tourists crowding around El Castillo, the largest
pyramid at Chichén Itzá, Mexico
If you like your Mayan sites tame and manageable, Mexico’s Chichén Itzá fits the bill,
but if you prefer your ruins living, breathing, and vertigo-inducing, it has to be Tikal FORGET
CHICHÉN ITZÁ?

across the Plaza Mayor at the temple tops rising THE BUILD-UP Iconic Chichén Itzá was
NEED TO KNOW crowned one of the New Seven Wonders of
above the rain forest canopy.
LOCATION Tikal National Much of Tikal remains unexcavated, unlike the World in 2007 (Tikal didn’t even make
Park is northeast of Flores 5*,"- the final) and is undoubtedly one of the
in the Petén region of Chichén Itzá, which was fully cleared in the 1930s essential Mayan must-sees. The main temple of
northern Guatemala 'MPSFT #&-*;& and is all there, catalogued and on a plate. Tikal
.&9*$0 Kukulkán is particularly spectacular at the
VISITORS PER leaves much more to the imagination – its ancient
YEAR Around 215,000 Equinox ceremonies of light and shadow.
(6"5&. "- " ruins are always keeping something back, whether
DAYTIME
TEMPERATURES (VBUFNBMB )0/%63"4 shrouded in dawn mist or covered in tropical foliage. THE LETDOWN Chichén Itzá is just too
Jan: 82°F (28°C); Apr: 88°F $JUZ And when you’ve found yourself a spot in which to accessible from Cancún to maintain any sort
(31°C); Jul: 86°F (30°C);
Oct: 84°F (29°C) 1BDJmD 0 DFBO &- 4"-7"%03 sit and take it all in, Tikal allows you to believe that if of mystery. The site is on the receiving end of a
you closed your eyes and drifted into a daydream, long line of coaches morning and evening, so
you might open them again to find yourself in the don’t expect a “real deal” experience – even
climbing the pyramids is now forbidden.
If Tikal were a volcano, it would be on perpetual midst of a Mayan ceremony; an ancient ball game,
amber alert. You tell yourself that nothing’s going perhaps, or a shamanic ritual. It’s almost as though
GOING ANYWAY? Make sure you stay
to happen while you’re there, but then again, once the Maya had downed tools and left this, their
overnight at one of the nearby hotels and arrive
in situ suddenly you aren’t so sure. Perhaps it’s the largest city, hours before your arrival. at the site at first light or in the late afternoon
incessant chattering, rustling wildlife, or the feeling While Chichén Itzá provides the stage for Plácido to beat the coachloads of tourists. As well as
that the on-site archaeologists are on the verge of Domingo concerts, Tikal has played host since the being crowded, it will be seriously hot around
unearthing something spectacular, but this ancient 1990s to sacred rituals and traditional festivals. midday, so visiting at this time is best avoided.
site has the air of a place about to rumble into During modern Mayan ceremonies, such as the anti-
action at any moment. Whereas better-known Columbus Day gathering in October, huge fires are
Chichén Itzá can feel a little like a historical theme lit in Plaza Mayor, and the spirits are recalled to this
park, Tikal’s winding jungle pathways and remote once-powerful citadel, which to this day, although
location combine with its sheer scale to devastating ruined, is a very long way from being spoiled.
hairs-on-the-back-of-your-neck effect.
At one time the epicenter of the Mayan PRACTICAL INFORMATION
civilization, the city of Tikal dominated Mesoamerica
in the 6th century AD, during the region’s late Classic Getting There and Around from where it’s a 20-minute boat
period. The most impressive of Tikal’s structures are Visiting Tikal entails a 7-hour bus trip across Lake Petén Itzá to the
journey or a 45-minute flight from four-cabin Ni’tun Lodge (www.
its six huge step pyramids, known as Temples I–VI,
Guatemala City to Flores, which nitun.com), a charming,
some of which tower over 200 ft (61 m) above the is in the steamy Petén area of peaceful eco-retreat.
humble tourist. Yet the majesty of Tikal is apparent northern Guatemala. Tikal is an When to Go
wherever you are, whether you’re craning your hour’s road journey from Flores. Visit Dec–Feb, when mornings
neck upward, peering giddily downward, or gazing Where to Eat and nights are cool. Avoid Easter
There is plenty of choice in Flores and Christmas, which can get
itself, where the cuisine tends to busy, and May to September,
be international and more Tex- the peak time for rain and
Mex than gourmet. Café Yaxha mosquitoes.
(www.cafeyaxha.com) has a Budget per Day for Two
decent menu as well as books US$220 including
and photos on Mayan culture. accommodations at Ni’tun
Where to Stay Lodge, food, and travel to and
There are three hotels at Tikal from Flores. Prices for Tikal tours
itself, all of which are pricy and vary considerably and are best
often booked out by groups. booked locally.
Avoid these and head to the Website
picturesque island city of Flores, www.visitguatemala.com
ABOVE Temple I and the Plaza Mayor, Tikal

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