Tips for Visiting Tikal National Park with Kids

If you're considering adding Tikal to your Guatemala itinerary, there are many factors to consider.

It's not easy to get from the other main tourist destinations in Guatemala to Tikal. Antigua and Lake Atitlan are located in the southern part of Guatemala, while Tikal is in the north, close to Belize. Ground transportation is slow in Guatemala, so many opt to fly from Guatemala City to Flores, the city closest to Tikal. You'll need to add at least 3 days to your Guatemala Itinerary if you want to see Tikal!

It also adds considerable extra expenses to your trip budget. Whether you choose to fly or take a tour bus, the transportation costs add up quickly for a large family like ours.

So is it even worth it to visit Tikal with kids?

My answer is a resounding YES!

Our day exploring the Tikal ruins was easily my favorite experience of our trip to Guatemala. The sites were breathtaking, and we learned so much about the Maya people and saw some wildlife up close.

I do not regret the extra time and money we spent to see the ancient ruins of Tikal, and I'm going to share exactly how we planned our trip, where we stayed, and what to know before you go.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.

What is Tikal?

Tikal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the ancient ruins of the Mayan civilization in the rainforest of Guatemala. It has been designated a World Heritage Site for its natural biodiversity and for its cultural and archeological importance.

It became an important ceremonial, cultural, and commercial center for the Maya. It's one of the best places to see Mayan ruins in Central America, and now you can see the remains of temples, pyramids, residences, and more.

Nowadays, Tikal is a National Park and a protected area in Guatemala.

How to Get to Tikal National Park

Tikal is quite remote and requires a little planning to get there. It's located about 1 hour and 15 minutes from the city of Flores, Guatemala, so most people stay in Flores as a home base for visiting the ancient ruins.

We decided the best way to get to Flores was by flying from Guatemala City to Flores on TAG Airlines. The roundtrip flights cost around $143 per person, plus we ended up having to pay around $25 per bag even though we only had one backpack each. The luggage is charged by weight, so you can either pay ahead of time on the website or stop at the airline counter before going through security to pay for your bags.

The hotel we stayed at provided a free airport transfer, but you could also arrange for a private driver to take you to and from the airport to your hotel.

I would highly recommend visiting Tikal National Park with a tour guide, and most tours include transportation to and from Flores.

If you want to visit the park on your own, you can hire a driver or rent a car to get from your hotel or vacation rental home to the National Park.

Where to Stay with Kids Near Tikal

Las Lagunas Boutique Hotel

As a family of 6, it can be hard for us to find accommodations that fit our entire family in one room or suite. We didn't find many hotel options for large families in Flores, so we considered renting an Airbnb like we did in both Antigua and Lake Atitlan.

However, we came across a luxury boutique hotel called Las Lagunas Boutique Hotel and fell in love with the property. We couldn't find any information about connecting rooms on the website, so we asked via WhatsApp if they offered connecting rooms.

To our surprise and delight, they did! Even though it was a splurge, we were excited to book a luxurious jungle experience for our trip to Tikal. When we weren't exploring the park, we had plenty of time to swim and relax at Las Lagunas.

I cannot recommend Las Lagunas Boutique Hotel enough for families that want to add Tikal to their itinerary but aren't used to roughing it. The rooms had air conditioning and comfortable beds. The pool was lovely, and they brought pool toys out whenever they saw that our kids were swimming. The hotel is also very small, so the employees learn the names of all the guests, including the kids, and remember your food and drink preferences throughout the stay.

We felt so pampered and would return to Las Lagunas in a heartbeat.

Jungle Lodge Tikal

Another hotel I strongly considered booking if Las Lagunas did not work out was the Jungle Lodge which is located inside of Tikal National Park.

It has a swimming pool and a shuttle to and from the airport. The real perk is having access to Tikal National Park at all hours of the day.

How to Tour the Park

There are 3 ways to tour the park
1. Book a private tour

2. Book a group tour

3. Explore the park independently

Booking a Private Tour

We chose to book a private tour to visit Tikal National Park with kids because we wanted an epic and personalized experience. I wanted our kids to soak in the information about this important archaeological site, and I knew that if we didn't have a local guide with us the kids would lose interest quickly.

I also avoided a small group tour since we had little kids with us, and I wasn't sure the pace of a group tour would work for us. We took a few small group tours on our trip to Rome, and the kids did fine, but there were definitely moments when they were "over it" and wanted to move on to the next part. There were also plenty of times when the group moved on too quickly from something the kids were interested in.

By hiring a private tour guide, we could focus on the kids' interests and take as much or as little time as we wanted.

This was definitely a splurge for our family, but I felt that it was worth the splurge since our flights to Guatemala were fairly cheap, and the rest of our trip was pretty budget-friendly.

We booked our tour through Las Lagunas Boutique Hotel, and we chose the sunset tour. (There was also a Tikal sunrise tour, as well as midday tour options which were much cheaper). I wanted to avoid the heat of the day as much as possible, so we spent the entire day swimming until it was time to leave for our tour around 2 p.m.

The price of the tour included water and Gatorade, snacks, organic bug spray, private transportation to and from the park, and entrance fees into Tikal National Park.

The drive from our hotel to Tikal was about an hour long, and we spent a few hours exploring the park, observing wildlife, and learning tons of history from our guide.

Here is a private tour through Tikal Expedition if you’re not staying at Las Lagunas but you still want the experience of a private tour (well worth the splurge, in my opinion).

Booking a Group Tour

Booking a group tour is much more budget-friendly, and you'll still get all of the perks of an expert guide showing you the highlights of Tikal.

There are so many great options on both Viator and Get Your Guide. They even have a sunrise group tour and a sunset group tour.

Exploring The Park Independently

If you choose to explore the park without a guide, you will need to arrange your own transportation to and from the park, pay the entrance fee to Tikal National Park, and find your way around by yourself.

Personally, I would not want to come all the way to Tikal and not have a local tour guide share their knowledge with us, but I can understand how this might be the best option if you're on a budget.

Things We Loved in Tikal with Kids

Wildlife

We had the best time with our guide who made sure to search for all kinds of wildlife within Tikal.

He spotted tons of spider monkeys and howler monkeys, and he even had a pair of binoculars along so all of us could see them if they were high up in a tree. We also saw parrots, toucans, and tarantulas.

On the drive into the park, he talked about how he's spotted jaguars a few times. A few of my kids were nervous about running into a jaguar in the dark on the walk back from the temples, but thankfully we made it back to the parking lot safe and sound.

As we were walking through the jungle on our way to the main plaza, we heard a rustling in the bushes. Our guide suddenly became quiet, listening intently and trying to spot whatever creature was making the noise.

Finally, he pointed out a few baby coatis! They look like raccoons with masks around their eyes, but their noses are long snouts that are used for digging and searching for food.

Our best wildlife encounter in Tikal was at the top of the Pyramid of the Lost World where we stopped to watch the sun set. When we reached the top of the wooden stairs, we came face to face with a spider monkey swinging in the tree beside the pyramid.

We were captivated by this adorable monkey until 2 toucans showed up on the other side of the tree. We all rushed over to the other side of the viewing platform to see these tropical birds up close. It truly felt like a dream come true.

Great Plaza

The first stop on our tour of the Ancient Mayan City of Tikal was the Great Plaza.

The Great Plaza was the center of life in Tikal and is characterized by Temples 1 and 2 which face each other with the Great Plaza stretched between them.

Temple 1 is the iconic pyramid you see in Guatemala's tourism marketing. It's also known as the Temple of the Jaguar. It faces the setting sun and was thought to be the portal to the underworld. Temple 2 faces East toward the rising sun. You can climb Temple 2, but we decided to move on because we had more to see before the sunset.

Our guide showed us that if you stand between the 2 structures and clap your hands together, it mimics the sound of the quetzal bird, which is the national symbol of Guatemala. We were fascinated by this and marveled at how the Maya figured out the exact acoustics to make that sound. Truly incredible.

As our guide was sharing some information about the residences in the North Acropolis and Central Acropolis, my 3rd grader leaned over to me and told me that in school he learned about how the Mayans had a ball game. We asked our guide about it, and he showed us the ball courts where they used to play! But he also shared that archaeologists believe that human sacrifices were made at the games, but they don't know if it was the losing team, or simply captives. Definitely much more high stakes than my kids' grade school basketball games!

Temple of the Lost World

Our last stop was the Temple of the Lost World, which was once an astronomical viewing platform. You can climb to the top, and there are wooden stairs you can take so you don't destroy the pyramid.

We climbed to the top before sunset and were treated to spectacular views of Temples IV and V, the tallest structures in the park peeking out over the treetops. This is a great place to be for sunrise or sunset. We enjoyed viewing wildlife and taking in the views for a good 30 minutes before we were joined by a few small groups to watch the sunset.

By that point, our kids were getting antsy, and we didn't want to ruin the peaceful atmosphere, so we headed back down before it got too dark, and even grabbed a few more photos and videos by Temple 1.

I was really thankful to have a private guide so we could do things at our own pace. If we had been part of a group guided tour, we would not have had the flexibility to leave the viewing platform early.

Top Tips for Visiting Tikal with Kids

If your tour doesn't provide bug spray, be sure to bring some of your own!
Wear good walking shoes. Most of us had close-toed tennis shoes, but a few of my kids wore their hiking sandals and were fine.
Bring a portable battery-operated fan. It gets hot!
Go early in the morning or in the evening to avoid the extreme heat.
Guatemala has a rainy season and dry season, so if you're visiting during the rainy season, bring a rain jacket.
You can climb to the top of Temple IV, Temple II, and the Lost World Temple.
You can certainly visit Tikal independently, but I think you'll have a better experience with kids if you have a knowledgeable guide. We learned so much, and all of the information he shared with us truly made it a site worth visiting.
If you have any Star Wars fans in your family, you can share with them that the Great Plaza was used as the background for the Rebel Base in Episode IV: A New Hope. It's also the landing site for the Millennium Falcon! My third grader LOVES Star Wars, and now we've seen 2 filming locations: Death Valley National Park, and Tikal National Park!

Visiting Tikal was one of the best things we've done with our kids.

There is so much rich history, diverse flora and fauna, and plenty of natural beauty in the dense jungle.

In my opinion, it was well worth the extra time and money it took to get there.

It can certainly be done with small children, and I think they would enjoy the wildlife. There aren't a lot of specifically kid-friendly activities, so this might be a site better suited to older kids. Our 3rd and 5th graders loved the experience.

Other Things to Do in Guatemala with Kids

Visit Lake Atitlan and see Panajachel, San Juan La Laguna (our favorite town along the lake), San Marcos La Laguna, ride a lancha speed boat, and go ziplining over the rainforest canopy! Read my blog post here!
Stay in the City of Antigua for a few days where you can make your own chocolate bar, climb one of Guatemala's active volcanoes, and see the iconic yellow arch (Santa Catalina Arch). Read my blog post here!