Tikal Sunset Tour from Flores to Lost World Pyramid

Afternoon departure from Flores

Flores, a colourful island town on Lake Peten Itza joined to Santa Elena by a short causeway, is the gateway to Tikal and to the whole Peten region of northern Guatemala. Built on the site of Nojpeten, the last capital of the Itza Maya, it has pretty lakeside promenades, small hotels and a hilltop church, and it makes the most convenient base for visiting the ruins.

This tour leaves Flores at 12:00, so you can enjoy a slow morning by the lake or arrive from another town the same day. We confirm the exact meeting point in Flores after booking. The drive north-east to Tikal National Park takes about an hour and a quarter, through farmland and then into the forest, and the guide introduces the history of the Maya on the way.

Tikal National Park in the afternoon

Tikal National Park was founded in 1955 and listed by UNESCO in 1979 as one of the first sites recognised for both culture and nature. It lies at the heart of the Maya Biosphere Reserve, and its ruins, from small shrines to pyramids rising far above the trees, are spread over a large area of tropical forest linked by shaded paths.

Arriving in the early afternoon means quieter trails, as many visitors on morning tours have already left. The heat eases as the afternoon goes on, and wildlife becomes more active again towards evening: spider monkeys swing through the branches, howler monkeys start calling and toucans fly between the treetops. Tikal opening hours usually run to 18:00, and your entrance is included with the default option.

The Great Plaza with Temple I and Temple II

The Great Plaza was the ceremonial centre of Tikal for centuries. Temple I, the Temple of the Great Jaguar, is about 47 metres high and was built around 734 AD as the funerary temple of a powerful king, whose richly furnished tomb was found beneath it. Opposite stands Temple II, the Temple of the Masks, named after the large carved faces that once decorated its upper façade.

In the warm afternoon light the grey limestone takes on golden tones, and the plaza is often quiet enough to hear the echo of your footsteps between the temples. The guide explains the carved stelae lining the north side, which record the dates and victories of Tikal's rulers, and how the city fought and allied with its great rival, Calakmul, in present-day Mexico.

The North and Central Acropolis

The North Acropolis, a raised platform of temples on the north side of the Great Plaza, was the burial place of Tikal's kings for more than a thousand years. Each new building was raised over the one before, and inside, under protective roofs, you can see huge stucco masks of Maya gods from the earliest phases, still with traces of their original paint.

On the opposite side, the Central Acropolis is a complex of palaces arranged around six courtyards, where the royal family and court officials lived. Its long buildings with many small rooms and stone benches show the domestic side of Maya life. The guide leads you through its passages before the walk west through the forest towards the Lost World.

Sunset from the Lost World Pyramid (Mundo Perdido)

The Lost World complex, Mundo Perdido, is one of the oldest parts of Tikal, begun centuries before the great temples of the Classic period. Its Great Pyramid, about 31 metres high with stairways on all four sides, formed part of an astronomical complex that marked the solstices and equinoxes, which makes it a fitting place to watch the sun go down.

From the top you look west over an unbroken sea of forest as the sky turns orange and pink, with the roofcombs of the great temples rising above the trees and the calls of birds and monkeys filling the air. The Mundo Perdido sunset is the high point of the tour. Afterwards the group walks back to the vehicle and returns to Flores in the evening.