Coz to Tikal

[tangfish]

does anyone know what the best way is to get from Cozumel to Tikal, Guatemala going through Palenque?

How long would this take, roundtrip, considering a pretty brisk travel schedule?

Are Chichen Itza and Uxmal in close proximity or on the way at all?

 

[westy]

does anyone know what the best way is to get from Cozumel to Tikal, Guatemala going through Palenque?

How long would this take, roundtrip, considering a pretty brisk travel schedule?

Are Chichen Itza and Uxmal in close proximity or on the way at all?

cozumel is 1 day by bus to palenque, spend 1 whole in palenque and then bus/boat/busto tikal 1 day from palenque going through the jungle route this leaves very early in the morning taking best part of 1 day
if doing palenque and tikal don't worrry about itza as very overcrowded and also don't worry about uxmal. bus from tikal bck to cozumel not quite sure but from tikal to belize city 1 day
have a read of lonely planet, rough guide for more details

 

[tangfish]

Thanks a lot Westy, I will definitely avoid itza and uxmal then, I think palenque and tikal are much more up my alley. So then the route back from tikal to cozumel goes through belize city?

 

[westy]

Thanks a lot Westy, I will definitely avoid itza and uxmal then, I think palenque and tikal are much more up my alley. So then the route back from tikal to cozumel goes through belize city?

not quite sure about going back up but the only way north from tikal is either back through palenque or up through belize. from what i can remember there is a direct tourist bus from tikal up to mexico ever day through belize, 3 hours tikal-belize, belize-mexico border maybe 6 hours. have a look on the web though as things are always changing. 1 tip for tikal. get there at 6, explore until 11ish and then go eat and chill on top of tempel 4 while all the tourist buses turn up and come bck down at 3ish to continue exploring in peace. any other questions please feel free to contact me

 

[Bob3]

Palenque is a must-see in the very early morning, when the mist is still hanging low.
I've got some black & white pictures I took that are downright impressive.
Watch out for the mushrooms.

 

[terrydarc]

I'm not sure I'd pass up Uxmal, but bus to Palenque is several hours. Then overland bus to Flores and on to Tikal. I strongly recommend staying in Tikal National Park. Cannot overstate how wonderful it is to spend the dawn and dusk hours inside the park, surrounded by the jungle. Tikal is worth at least a couple days roaming around. If you stay in the park, you can miss the hoards or tourists coming in from Flores, 50km away. They get to the park at 10am or so and leave by 4. If you go out to the park at 530-6am and watch the jungle come alive and wander the pyramids early, it is an unforgetable experiece. After 930-10am, wander back for a beer to your room. Laze about until well after lunch and hit the trail back to the park by 3pm and wave bye-bye to the tourists. Then watch dusk fall from the eastern acropolis. Magic!
=Terry

btw - the Lonely Planet Central American thorn tree is a better place to ask questions about Tikal and the Mayan ruins.

 

[Seadeuce]

When I did it in '94 I used San Ignacio in Belize as my gateway. Hotel is cheap, and best to hire a local Taxi driver to do the return trip. Faster than bus, safe if you are stopped by any bandidos(

I echo Terrydarc's description of the temple complex.
One other thing - if you stay at the Jungle Lodge, don't order beef!
We were served a beef substitute, probably the Royal Rat rodent they have over there.

Enjoy!

Seadeuce