Templo IV, Tikal

Wooden stairs leading up to the top providing panoramic views of Tikal.

This temple is known for it’s height (70 meters) and the sunrise. Also for the views over the Maya site. A lot of steps but worth the climb

Our guide referred to this as Temple IV, and did not give or know its actual name. It was the first temple we visited and we were super pleased to climb to the top and look at at the rest of the temples on the horizon, poking above the jungle below, imagining the Millennium Falcon to come screaming over the tree tops (yes, this is the Rebel Base scene on Yavin). A bit of a climb to a partially overgrown temple, the age is apparent by the rocks and where some have crumbed away leaving rounded edges. The stairs on the temple itself are very steep (all temples were) and we gained access through climbing a wooden staircase erected along the perimeter

This is also known as temple IV and is the farthest that most people go. There’s a little bit of stuff to see beyond it, but not that much. This temple is famous because it is the one that the park allows visitors to climb up on before dawn and watch the sunrise over the forest with the other temples in the foreground. If you plan to do this, bring a good flashlight because it could take 45 minutes to an hour or more, depending on how fast you walk, and it will all be in the dark. Once you get there, people sit on the steps of the temple facing east And watches the sunrises. Coatis come through looking for food, so that is kind of cool, and the dawn chorus of birds here is fantastic. On the way out, you may get lucky and hear the howler monkeys beginning to wake up and take their claim to their territories before they go out forging. This is one of the unique experiences at Tikal.

It was an amazing experience; we took the 4 am tour with a guide, it was amazing be prepared to walk the terrain was rough and muddy since it rained the Night before; we saw the temples, ruins under the stars and saw the sunrise ! For the morning tour bring a small flashlight if you can, we used our phones but it's better to conserve the battery; apply lots of mosquito repellent! Lots of walking and climbing upstairs

Very beautiful and interesting temple complex, which is surrounded by a forrest. Here you can easily spend the whole day and immerse yourself in the life of the Maya. Chitzen Itza could be considered as the boring brother. Scenes from Star Wars: Episode IV were filmed here.

Truly a great set of impressive Mayan ruins. Best done with a guide for the historical details. If you have time and a vehicle, also go on to Uaxactan ruins.

The place to see the sunrise in Tikal is somewhat remote Templo IV. And even when it's cloudy and foggy, this is a magnificent, almost mystical experience. If you then see a group of breakfast howler monkeys passing by, your day cannot go wrong.