DON'T PUT OFF YOUR TRIP TOO LONG
The sooner you can take
your trip the better. More and more tourists are visiting the sites, now that it is
becoming easier to travel and get hotels down there. While it is great (from a visitor's
point of view) that things are being improved and being made more convenient, you have the
disadvantage of having to deal with more crowded conditions at some of the sites. I think
my trip occurred at the right time, when travel was convenient enough to do everything I
wanted, but not so convenient that I had to deal with masses of unenlightened tourists.
Another disadvantage of the increased flow of people is that some of the
famous buildings are now off limits to climb on. In my pre-trip research I saw plenty of
photos of people climbing on the Temple I pyramid at Tikal, or the Temple of the Warriors
(with it's famous chacmool). However, that is now a thing of the past. Both of these
buildings are now off limits to climb on (the wear and tear from the tourists was damaging
the structure). I have since heard rumors of even more structures being made off limits,
so don't put off your trip for too many years.