Unlike Chichen Itza, Tulum, or Palenque in Mexico, Tikal is a city deep in the jungle.
To walk from one complex of buildings to another means a stroll along a jungle path, which, as likely as not, will be crossed by the trails of leaf-cutter ants.
In the 360 square kilometers of protected forest in Tikal National Park, no one shoots the animals and birds, so wildlife sightings are frequent and extraordinary.
Inside the National Park, there are 54 species of mammals and 333 species of birds. Trogons, motmots, and an astonishing array of parrots, woodpeckers, manakins, and warblers are all there to be seen.
Among the 285 species of birds recorded here is one that even those who can’t tell a sparrow from a starling couldn’t ignore: the large and raucous Montezuma oropendola. (Look for their intricate hanging nests at the edge of the Great Plaza complex.)
You can easily see more birds than people at Tikal.
![Wild Turkeys in Tikal Jungle](https://tikalnationalpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Tikal-Nature_Wild-Turkeys.jpg)
We make efforts to keep the area of the national park clean and free from poachers, thus creating an environment for wild animals to strive.
![Tikal Jungle](https://tikalnationalpark.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Tikal-Jungle.jpg)