Tikal, Guatemala

Took an overnight bus on Dec 25 from Antigua to Flores, since the Christmas holiday transportation jam was finally ending. Flores is a quaint little island in the middle of the Lago Petén Itzá, and the perfect leaping-off point for a trip to the Ruins of Tikal. I had enough time in the morning to throw my bag in the hostel locker and grab the earliest bus to the ruins some 25 km away.

Tikal has been my favorite of the ruins because much of it remains shrouded in jungle. There are many opportunities to see the temples as they appeared to the first explorers to the region.

My first glimpse of the ruins.

A couple of the dozens of foraging coati on the grounds. No begging, but quite accustomed to human presence.

Temple 1, the most prominent of the bunch

The view from the top of Temple IV, with Temples I and II visible in the distance in the jungle

This tree is a Ceiba, a species believed by the Maya to be the axis of the world.

Couldn´t resist the low-hanging vines. Just watch out for the nearby beehive!

Stelae and their respective sacrifical altars in front of a temple.

One of the temples in Group Q, way out on an unvisited corner of the park. Awesome.

Cuidado, Cocodrilos!