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Tikal National Park Tours › Temple IV at Tikal: the Climb, the View and the SunriseUpdated 2026-09-10

Temple IV at Tikal: the Climb, the View and the Sunrise

Hours, prices and access verified by the Tikal National Park Tours team — last checked 2026-09-10

A row of visitors, seen from behind, watching the sun on the horizon from a temple-top platform above the canopy at Tikal

The short answer. Temple IV, the Temple of the Two-Headed Serpent, is the tallest structure at Tikal: about 65 m from its platform, and some 70 m from the plaza floor to the top of its roof comb. It was built under the king Yik'in Chan K'awiil, and its carved lintels carry the date AD 741. Visitors climb it by a wooden staircase, and it is where sunrise is watched. Staircases do close for repairs.

On most daytime routes Temple IV comes after the Great Plaza, near the end of the walk. It is the highest point you can stand on at Tikal, above the canopy, looking back across the city. Here is what it is, how you get up it, and what to expect at the top, at dawn or at dusk. The Tikal day trips from Flores show which fares put you on its stairs.

Where is Temple IV?

At the western edge of the central city. It stands at the west end of the Tozzer Causeway, about 750 m west of the Great Plaza. The causeways are named after explorers, and the Tozzer is the one you walk to reach it.

From the Visitor Centre the Great Plaza is about 1.3 km on foot. Temple IV adds the walk west, so allow time and water. The map page shows the route from the gate to the temple.

Who built it, and when?

Temple IV marks the reign of Yik'in Chan K'awiil, the son of Jasaw Chan K'awiil I, the king buried under Temple I. Its wooden lintels carry the date AD 741. Lintel 3 celebrates his victory over El Perú, also called Waka', in 743.

Those lintels were carved from zapote, the same tree that gives chicle. Two of them did not stay at Tikal: Gustav Bernoulli had Temple IV's carved lintels removed with others in 1877, and they have been in Basel since 1878. The history page tells the story of the kings and the explorers who came later.

How tall is Temple IV?

It depends where you measure from. From its supporting platform it rises about 65 m. Measured from the plaza floor to the top of the roof comb, it is some 70 m. Either way it is the tallest structure at Tikal, and one of the tallest the Maya ever built.

You will read that it is the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the Americas. It is not: La Danta at El Mirador is taller.

StructureHeight (about)Climbed today
Temple IV65 m from its platform, 70 m from the plazaYes, wooden staircase
Temple V57 mNo
Temple III55 mNo
Temple I45 mNo
Temple II38 mYes, wooden stairs at the back
Lost World pyramid31 mYes

The climbing column reflects what visitors do today. The park allows climbing only on structures it has opened, and says those rules can change.

How do you climb it?

By a steep wooden staircase built against the pyramid. You do not climb the ancient steps, and you never climb the roof comb. The stairs take you up to the level of the temple at the top, where there is room to sit and look east.

Wear shoes with grip, and keep your hands free. In the rainy months, roughly May to October, some surfaces turn slippery. The post on climbing the temples covers the other stairs you can use.

The staircase can close. The ministry closed Temple IV's stairs for repairs on 7 and 8 April 2025, and for about three months from 16 August 2023; the rest of the park stayed open. If the climb is the point of your day, check the visiting page before you book, and choose a fare you can cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.

What do you see from the top?

The canopy, at eye level, running to the horizon. Looking east you see back towards the Great Plaza, with the tops of other temples standing out of the forest. Birders come up here for the upper-canopy species, and the birding post explains why first light is the time.

Did you know? In March 1977 a film crew spent five days shooting from Temple IV, looking east, for the rebel base on Yavin 4 in the first Star Wars. Temples II and III show above the canopy in the shot. The scene of the heroes at the temple entrance was filmed in England, not here.

Sunrise from Temple IV

This is the temple the ministry names as the observation point for sunrise. Sunrise entry runs about 04:00 to 06:00. You need three things: the park ticket, the sunrise ticket and a guide authorised by INGUAT. For a foreign visitor the two tickets come to Q150 plus Q100.

Because entry closes by 06:00, you are already on the stairs or at the top when the sun comes up. How early that is depends on the month:

  • Mid-January: sunrise around 06:30.
  • Mid-April: around 05:41.
  • Mid-July: around 05:32.
  • Mid-October: around 05:50.

Weather decides the view, and the ministry says only that it affects visibility. Some mornings are clear and some are not. Bring a torch for the walk in, and buy your tickets before the day: the cash window at the gate is reported to open at 06:00, after sunrise entry has begun. The sunrise tours page compares the dawn fares.

Sunset, and why winter sunsets come early

The sunset window runs about 18:00 to 20:00, with a sunset ticket, Q100 for foreign visitors, and a guide. From about October to February the sun sets before 18:00. On 15 October it goes down around 17:38. A winter sunset visit is really a dusk visit, and the walk back from the temple is in the dark.

In April and July the sun sets later, around 18:16 and 18:37, inside the window. If you want the sun on the horizon, plan a sunset visit for spring or summer. The weather page has the sun times and the rain month by month.

How long to allow at Temple IV

At sunrise you wait at the top for the light, and on one small-group tour breakfast is served up there. By day, allow for the walk west from the plaza and the climb, then stay as long as you like at the top. Most daytime itineraries end at Temple IV or pass it, so check the route on any fare you are considering. The ruins page describes what else stands along the way.

Want to be at the top when the light changes? The three below reach the park for dawn or for dusk; every other fare is set out on Tikal National Park Tours.

Tours for dawn and dusk at Tikal