Tikal SUNSET, Archeological focus and Wildlife Spotting Tour (South and East)

Marlon our tour guide was phenomenal. Lots of wildlife spotting along the route include spider and howler monkeys, small lizards, rare birds, and more. Lots of walking and contextual historical facts to understand the connection between the sits. Lots of stops at beautiful views. Highly recommend one of the best hikes of my life!

Visiting the Tikal temples was truly the highlight of our trip. The site itself is breathtaking — walking among the towering pyramids surrounded by the jungle feels like stepping back in time. What made the experience even more special was having a knowledgeable guide with us. Our guide brought the ruins to life with fascinating stories about the Mayan civilization, their culture, and the significance of each temple. He knew the best spots for photos, the hidden paths away from the crowds, and even pointed out wildlife we would have missed on our own — from colorful birds to monkeys in the trees. The tour was perfectly paced, allowing time both for learning and for quietly soaking in the atmosphere. Climbing the temples and seeing the endless jungle canopy stretching to the horizon was unforgettable. If you are planning to visit Tikal, I cannot recommend going with a guide enough — it makes all the difference. This was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience that we will always remember!

Extraordinary tour! This is one of the best in my life. Great experience to know about the Maya civilization, the wild animals. Our tour Guide Marlon Díaz was very knowledgeable, he had an answer to all your questions and tought you about the nature, birds, and mammals from the area. In other words highly highly recommend this tour! Go for 100% guarantee!

Such a wonderful experience! Start to finish - highly recommend! I was picked up in a brand new EV for my ride to the Tikal national park. Very comfortable trip! My guide was a wealth of knowledge & I learnt a lot from him. Thank you for a lovely day!

The sunset tour of Tikal was an un unexpected pleasure. My shuttle from the airport was running late to the Jungle Lodge. Even though I was able to get my park entrance and sunset tour passes online and ahead of time at the recommendation Marlon and Gem Tours, the rest of the folks on the shuttle had to purchase in person which was a good 30 minute detour. Marlon and Jose we kind enough to wait for me to arrive and stow my luggage before starting the tour. Not saying they do this for everyone, but it was very nice of them to do so! My guide Jose was just as personable as he was professional. We were immediately able to bond over lunch at the Jaguar Inn (which is included in the price of the tour) where Jose was able to make some good recommendations on Guatemalan fare sourced locally or from the Highlands. There's nothing like a shared meal to get to know someone and we discovered we had common interests in family, gardening, and hot sauce 😀 The tour was nothing short of a menagerie of various sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and feels. I got to experience everything from the scent of eucalyptus from fresh crushed leaves of local trees to the soft touch of natural blooming tree cotton to the sticky running sap laced with strong traces of incense. Jose was able to point out various plants and wildlife throughout the tour from falcons, parrots, and various monkey species to the slightly more worrisome hornets and scorpions which were still pretty cool to see. Jose is really knowledgeable about the Tikal / Peten area as well as the rest of Guatemala as a result of extensive education and training in tourism science. While from Guatemala, Jose' travels and living abroad lended itself well to his English fluency which I very much appreciated. The pyramid and temple structures were spectacular in their own right which I will leave for you to discover on your own. Honestly temperatures are on the hot side reaching or exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit on May 2, but the temps are quite well balanced with a lot of natural shade and cool breezes (particularly at twighlight) from the jungle that has overgrown much of this lost city. There are some restrooms available, but make sure to bring a bottle of water as beverages are only available for purchase towards the entrance or at the Lost world. I did not need to apply any insect repellent at all though I brought some with me. There's a progressive elevation to be walked as you make your way towards Temple 4 and even steeper stairs or steps for climbing the temples themselves (if you so choose). Finally, the lookout over the the Lost world provided a fantastic view of the sunset. Jose made sure I was able to get there early enough to get a good seat on the platform before many of the other tourists wanting to get the same view. The photos don't do it justice, but I've added a few to get an idea of what you might experience.

Our guide was Jose Moreno and he was absolutely amazing! He was very knowledgeable, friendly and had a great sense of humor. We did the sunset tour for Tikal by accident. We meant to get the day tour, but our group was so glad that we got the sunset tour. We could all tell this was something Jose cared about. He did such an awesome job explaining the history and making it interesting and engaging. He pointed out a lot of wildlife (we saw a toucan, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, a red breasted hawk, and many others). Other guides (from other companies) were not as helpful for their groups, but Jose was very attentive and aware of our group. This tour was well worth the money we spent and we would gladly do it again!!!

This tour was amazing I learned so much about the Mayan culture and got to see so much wild life. Our tour guide Marlon was nice, attentive and knowledgeable. I felt safe at all times and appreciated his passion for the Mayan culture.

Excellent tour with Jose. We had lunch first at the Jaguar Inn before heading into the park. You really need a guide to make the most of your day there. Jose was so knowledgeable on the history and the wildlife of the park. Jose was great at pointing out and identifying lots of wildlife which we would have completely missed! There was only 7 of us so not a large group which makes a difference. If we had gone on our own the experience would have been so different. He got us to the last pyramid at sunset at exactly the right time to get ‘front row’ seats. And the sunset was amazing! It was lovely walking back in the dark through the jungle with fireflies buzzing around us. Would highly recommend going with Gem tours.. their communication via WhatsApp before the tour was also really easy.

Our guide Marlon was FANTASTIC! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Tikal and showed us all the significant temples and explained the archeological process. He also was a wealth of knowledge on the local flora and fauna and helped us spot crocodiles, coatis, spider and howler monkeys, parrots, toucans, and many more bird species. What a great experience and we would highly recommend it! Sunset was breathtaking!

The trip was exceptional from start to finish. The biological beauty coupled with the Mayan ruins was breathtaking, mind-blowing, all those words. Roberto our guide and Cruz our driver could not have been more knowledgeable or friendly. A+ all around.