GUATEMALA CITY (dpa) – A thick fog is hovering above the jungle.

In the tree-tops a monkey is screaming, while down on the ground, leaf-cutting ants are making their way to their nest.

Tikal is wilderness territory: the Maya ruins in northern Guatemala are located in the heart of a huge rural district, Peten. There are no large cities here, no dense network of roads - only rainforest and wild animals.

Those wanting to experience Tikal as intensively as possible must be early risers. It is in the morning that the animals are the most active, yet only a few groups of alert visitors are under way. The starting point for many tours is the city of Flores, about 60 kilometres from the ruin sites.

On the left: jungle. To the right: jungle. The arrow-straight road leading to the ruins is like one long green tunnel. Only the bright-yellow warning signs here and there along the side of the road distract one’s vision of the green-upon-green of the thick vegetation.

One sign depicts a stylized snake, another a turkey, another a jaguar.

For drivers, it’s a warning of ‘’watch out: wild animals crossing the road.’’ For visitors, the signs help to prepare them for what soon lies ahead. During the journey through the rainforest all of one’s senses are called into play.

A group of coatis - mammals of the raccoon family - scamper across the path, while in the background, birds are bawling. There is a scent of damp earth.

A sign warns to watch out for howler monkeys which ‘’throw their excrement at the tourists in order to gain their attention.’’  Everything is steaming when the first gigantic pyramid rises up above the tree-tops. It is the 45-metre-high pyramid Temple of the Great Jaguar.