“Tikal is the center of the universe,” my friend Steve Whitesell told me. Steve has travelled this part of the world before and I have learned to trust him with his advice. Already his insights have lead us to Lake Atitlan and Rio Dulce, which we loved. I was going to give him the benefit of the doubt on Tikal, so off we went.

Tikal is a remote destination. The travel options are a one-hour flight from Guatemala City into Flores (where most travelers stay) + a 45 minute Uber ride direct into the jungle (where a permit fee is required to enter), or a 10 to 12 hour shuttle ride over the horrendous Guatemalan roads. We chose to fly.

Steve suggested that we stay at the Jungle Lodge Hotel - a little out of our travel budget, but totally worth it.

The Jungle Lodge Hotel’s lobby and restaurant.

Kelly had never seen monkeys outside of a zoo so it was wonderful to see her reaction to these acrobatic creatures flinging themselves effortlessly from tree to tree above our heads during happy hour. Just what we came for!

We decided to experience the full extent of the jungle’s pyramid ruins by hiring a local guide and hiking in early the next morning to watch the sunrise. The next morning we set an alarm for 4 am to meet our guide Juan. The hotel packed us sack lunches of ham and cheese sandwiches, apples, cookies and a juice box for our hike through the pitch black jungle.

We were the first ones to arrive at Pyramid 4 at 5 am. We climbed up the steep steps of the pyramid and settled in to wait. We enjoyed the most spectacular star-lit sky, but weren’t prepared for the morning chill, so we huddled together to wait. Other than seeing the sunrise, we were uncertain what to expect.

Slowly the sky started to glow, revealing the shadows of distant pyramid ruins.

As the sky revealed the jungle’s mysteries, disturbing sounds echoed from the forest below. We immediately perked up. These weren’t sounds we had heard before. They were otherworldly. More like monsters than animals — breathy, guttural growls. We thought it was a Jaguar at first — a rarely seen creature here in this jungle. Then we heard another growl from the opposite side of the jungle. And then from another location just below us. We anticipated aliens rushing out of the jungle and having us for breakfast. But no, we learned these were sounds from the not-so-ferocious Howler Monkey.

Truly unforgettable.

As soon as we realized our death was no longer eminent, we focused on the ever-changing sky. It was great to finally have a sense of where we were; in a jungle dotted with ancient pyramids poking their heads above the trees, as if to get their own view of the forest.

I’ve been to Angkor Wat, Monte Alban, Teotihuacán and Machu Pichu. I would say Tikal is one of the most amazing ruin sites in the world.

Around 6:30 the sun broke through the horizon, sending its warmth onto the ledge where we sat. Such a beautiful site. The magic of Tikal had revealed itself in all its glory. We descended from our look-out and toured the remainder of the park ruins.

Our guide Juan added immensely to our experience. He gave us the history of how Tikal was started several centuries BC and evolved until around 900 AD, when these buildings were abruptly abandoned. The theory is that an extended drought, and imminent famine, may have caused its demise. It’s an interesting reminder of how climate change can bring down a powerful society. Perhaps a lesson for us?