Off The Beaten Track Belize

Today, we will head out to the Xunantunich Mayan archaeological site, located across the Mopan River, from San Jose Succotz Village.  We will take the small hand-cranked ferry across the river to Xunantunich, sitting on a limestone ridge. This is the largest ceremonial centre in the Belize River Valley, offering spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. This is one of the most important archaeological sites in Belize, with three ceremonial plazas enclosed by pyramids, palaces and small houses. Its name in ancient Mayan means “The stone woman”. We will then head towards Cahal Pech, which is located in a spectacular forest, overlooking the twin towns of Santa Elena and San Ignacio. Most of its important structures are situated around its seven courtyards and include tall pyramids and a number of palaces.  We will then head back to the hotel for the evening. 

Today, we will wake up early to head off to the Mountain Pine Ridge with its spectacular scenery of rolling pine forest surrounding granite hillsides. Along the way, we can relax by taking a swim in the refreshing pools or take a soak in the natural jacuzzi. We can also enjoy a natural water slide or have a hydro-massage underneath a cascading waterfall. 

Our next stop is the archaeological site of Caracol, found on the western side of the Maya Mountains, inside the Chiquibul Forest Reserve. This is considered one of the most important archaeological site in Belize found in canopy rainforest and contains five plazas, an astronomic observatory, causeways, amongst other important constructions.

The massive pyramid of Caana remains one of the biggest man-made structures in Belize. We also have the possibility of a wildlife encounter in the tropical faunas we explore this incredible archaeological site. 

After breakfast, we will head to the magnificent Actun Tunichil Muknal, one of the most remarkable caverns in the Mayan Lowlands. This sacred cave is found in the middle of the Belizian rainforest and has been an important religious site of the ancient Maya of Belize for centuries. Here, we will enjoy a caving activity exploring a natural cave system with a group of chambers, with a 300 metre cathedral, where sacrificial rituals took place, back in the day.

Offering incredible insight into Mayan history, this is like a living museum, where human sacrifices and artifacts can be seen in their original context. We will then head through dense Jungle within the Tapir Mountain Nature Reserve, where we will cross 3 different streams, to experience the flora and fauna of the rainforest

Today we will wake up early once more to appreciate the spectacular Tikal in all its glory. We can see the incredible flora and fauna in the jungle, with an array of Mayan temples offering the most spectacular setting for an archaeological site. The National Park is the perfect opportunity to discover birds that are endemic to Tikal, as well as Howler & Spider monkeys, butterflies, and spectacular insects. In the afternoon, we will head back to our hotel in San Ignacio to relax.

Today, we will visit the Lamanai archaeological site, which is one of Belize’s largest Mayan ceremonial centres. Lamanai means “submerged crocodile” in the Mayan language, and we can appreciate many examples of crocodiles throughout this site. We can see monumental architecture of temples and palaces dating from the classic and pre-classic Mayan periods.  

We will then head back to the Belize international airport for your flight back home or on to your next exciting destination.