Tikal is a highly doable day-trip from San Ignacio, and this all-day excursion ensures that you don’t miss out on seeing one of the most spectacular ruins left behind by the Maya. This is an all-day tour, and includes a stop for lunch. Join your guide for an exciting trek to the jungle, which with any luck will include sightings of some incredible wildlife – keep an eye out for the famous resplendent quetzals and their tremendous tail feathers. Sightings of monkeys and birds will continue once you arrive, and you’ll get to watch jungle animals skitter up and down the stony faces of the many temples.

Your tour will take you to some of the site’s most recognizable landmarks, including Temple IV. You’ve probably seen pictures of its elaborate roof comb peeking over the tallest trees in the jungle canopy. At 212 feet (65 m) tall, it’s one of the tallest temples in the Maya world and dates all the way back to the 8th century.

The rest of the tour will take you to the other ceremonial centers and the ball courts, where Maya athletes demonstrated their agility in a game played with a rubber ball. You’ll also learn about the site’s long history, which lasted for over 570 years – from 292 BC to 869 AD. Your guide can tell you about the site’s impressive rulers, who etched their legacy into the many altars and stone buildings in the complex.

Passport, comfortable clothing, comfortable shoes, sunglasses, hat, bug spray, sunscreen, extra water, camera, and money for personal expenses.

Tour guide, transportation, water, lunch, entrance fees, border development fee, and departure tax.