Guatemala Day Six. More Hikes And An Informative Guided Tour In Tikal National Park.

It was Wednesday , and I had   been exploring  the Tikal National Park  from the Tikal Inn  in remote northern Guatemala for almost a week. I enjoyed getting up at dawn and exploring the jungles and ruins of ancient Tikal on my  own. I had taken one sunrise tour, which was excellent, but I loved the freedom of hiking the remote jungle trails by myself.  I was hoping to see snakes and jaguars but I only saw monkeys and birds .  I actually purchased  another sunrise ticket and two sunset tickets for guided tours which I didn’t use. I preferred exploring the jungle on  my own.

So I was early again, this time a little after sunrise and hiking on the trail near the Inn that led to the pond with the boat billed herons.I came to know and love this trail.The rays of the early sun were filtering though the dense jungle as I walked out to the pond.

Near the Inn I saw a couple crested guan walking under the trees, flying up into the trees as I approached.

I also saw this beautiful bird perched in a tree near the trail, a barred forest falcon. I was told they are rarely seen so I was lucky.

I also saw,  what I believe,  is a long billed gnat wren with a grant it caught for an early morning meal.

I walked out to the pond,and saw my friends, the boat-billed herons perched on the trees, squawking loudly as I approached.

I usually would return to the park after visiting the pond but I decided to hike a little further on the trail. It was a nice hike but I wasn’t seeing and bird or wildlife activity so I started back toward the park.

I did see this  pinkish puffball like fungi on my walk back.

I had my daily  ticket, with the help of the helpful and friendly staff at the Tikal Inn,    with me so I walked to, and entered,  the park.

Here in the trees along the main road, I saw a few birds I was familiar with from my hikes back home,  a turkey vulture flew overhead. These birds are  very common back home in Northeastern Pennsylvania in the Spring and Summer.

 I saw a black and white warbler. I often see these birds on my hikes back home,  and they are usual easy to photograph,

and I saw this American redstart. These birds are also common in Northeastern Pennsylvania in the Spring and Summer although they rarely sit still so I was lucky to get photos of this one eating an insect. 

I followed a side  trail along the main road  that took me on a wooded path to a restaurant on the road outside of the park. I didn’t see any wildlife on this trail or on my hike back to the Inn.

I returned to the Inn around 9 a.m. after hiking  almost 4 miles ready for another hearty breakfast. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos from my early morning hike.    Guatemala Day Six. Tikal early morning hike November 13 2024.

Although I loved the freedom of exploring on my own I wasn’t learning much  about the Mayan city of Tikal, it’s history and culture. So on Wednesday, my last full day at Tikal,  I decided to use the  archaeological  tour ticket I had also purchased. A last minute 10 a.m. tour was scheduled with Nixon, the Mayan guide who led us on the sunrise tour on Sunday.  I had a quick breakfast and got ready for my four hour tour.

I met Nixon in the lobby Nixon and learned only Nixon, myself and Luis,  the bartender at the Inn Louis would be  the only ones on the tour.  I like this. We walked over to the Tikal Museum,  also known as the  Museo Sylvanus G. Morley. I hadn’t visited the museum during my stay,  which was a mistake.  Nixon showed me the model of the ancient Tikal. I should have came here on my first day. It was a great way to see the entire layout of Tikal in the jungle that has grown over and around it.  It was a great way to start the tour. 

We stopped for a quick espresso at this great coffee shop,

before entering the park.

We followed the Tikal Road to the Group  F and G ruins and  Acanaladuras  Palace. (Palace of the Vertical Columns).  I had already visited these ruins twice on my hikes but this time I learned so much more about this palace and the many rooms and buildings and their uses.

Nixon had us climb above the ruins where he explained so much about the history and culture of the Mayans who built it. 

We left Group G and followed the rugged trail over tree roots in the jungle,

learning about the flora and fauna of the region too. I learned about this staple food of the Mayans the bread nut or ramon.

We followed the trail through the dense jungle where I learned there were once large reservoir built by the Mayans for water, wind control and recreation ,  and we came to some of the buildings and palaces of the Central Acropolis.

We climbed through the ruins of the palaces and their support buildings,

seeing the rooms the residents and guests, probably visiting dignitaries or wealthy merchants.

I sat on the stone beds in the small rooms,

looking  out the same windows  the occupants would have a thousand years ago.

I learned the the Mayans designed the temples, pyramids and other buildings with rounded corners to direct the winds from the cool reservoirs through the city  providing energy free air conditioning.

Nixon took us to the top of one of the structures to demonstrate how the wind flowed through the acropolis.

We climbed atop a building across from Temple I with a great view of the Grand Plaza. Nixon continued to provide us with information on the daily lives of the 70, 000 Mayans who would have lived in the city over a 1000 years ago.

After spending some time in the Grand Plaza we  followed another remote trail through the dense jungle.

walking past large tropical rain forest trees, ,

vines ,

and even some mushrooms.

I learned that this mushroom,

a pig or wood ear, because it resembles an ear when turned inside out is edible.

Nixon also showed us tree cutter ants and this tiger ant.

We walked past many of the buildings that were still covered by the jungle.

Here, on this remote  trail we saw a few birds including a Swanson’s  thrush,

and, I believe,  a green backed trogon..

We also encountered  a group of spider monkeys,

crossing the  trail  right over our heads.

It was a great encounter with these  nimble climbers through the lush  jungle canopy of trees.

We walked on  the trail to Group Q,  which I had visited before on one of my hikes,  and we learned more about the twin pyramids and  the 20 year Mayan katuns. These pyramids were built to end these 20 year cycles so important in the Mayan calander.

It was now after 2 p.m. when we  finished our 5 mile tour on another remote trail that took us past a junk yard of vehicles from the early  archaeologist and scientists, many from the University of Pennsylvania. I left Luis and Nixon at  the lodge. It was a good decision to take this tour since I now knew so much more about Tikal, it’s people,  their culture and the flora and fauna of the National Park.  Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos from my guided tour through the Tikal  temples and ruins. .   Guatemala Day Six. Tikal  guided tour November 13 2024.

I had now walked over 9 miles much of it in the hot afternoon sun. I rested a bit in my room, I was grateful for the air conditioning, and edited photos, However I couldn’t sit still for long on my last full day in Tikal, so around 3;30  I left my room to explore some more. First I roamed the gardens around the Inn seeing a few tropical butterflies, I am no  expert but I think, according to Google lens these are the female,

and male of a species of  prepona butterfly.

I also saw this I believe a banded peacock butterfly. 

I walked to to the campground again where I saw the ocellated turkeys again,

this and also this critter, I believe a Central American agouti.

I next walked to the crocodile pond near the park entrance where I saw this pretty birds a russet-napped  wood rail.

I watched as it waded in the reeds along the edge of the pond. Here is a link to a gallery with some more photos of the wildlife I saw  on my hikes exploring Tikal.  .   Guatemala Day Six. Tikal  wildlife  November 13 2024.

The sun was now setting  and the last rays of the day filtered through the trees. I headed back for my last meal amid night at the Tikal Inn. I had hiked over 10 miles, much of it in the afternoon heat, and I was hungry and tired.  I enjoyed my last dinner at the Inn before  checking out the almost full moon, then editing some photos and retiring early. I had one more morning to explore the jungles of Tikal, and find a jaguar,quetzal  or a fer-de-lance snake.  Actually I’d settle for a lot of birds, monkeys and a crocodile. I love hiking and exploring our planet.

“The rise and fall of civilizations in the long, broad course of history can be seen to have been largely a function of the integrity and cogency of their supporting canons of myth; for not authority but aspiration is the motivator, builder, and transformer of civilization.”   Joseph Campbell

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