Maya Ruins Canoe and Cave Tour

Departs from Playa del Carmen and Cancun Airport Overview

Leaves from Playa del Carmen, Mexico. 8-day tour Medium physical demand.

Beginning at one of Mexico’s most famous and unique underground passages, Cenote Azul, we tour into Guatemala, through Belize and back in 8 days. After visiting the impressive archeological site Tikal, we will dedicate 3 days to traveling to and from ancient Mayan ruins by canoe via Guatemala’s jungle rivers. We further explore the Mayan underworld in Belize's astonishing caves before ending our tour on the Mexican Caribbean coast.

Day by Day Itinerary Day 1: Travel to Bacalar (4.5 hrs), visit to Cenote Azul. Day 2: Travel to Tikal (7 hrs). Hotel Jaguar Inn Tikal. Day 3: Tikal ruins guided tour. Transfer to El Remate village (30 min.) Night in hotel. Day 4: transfer to Paso Caballos village (2.5 hrs) and canoe to campsite (2.5 hrs). Day 5: Canoe and hike to El Peru and explore its archeological site. Night at campsite. Day 6: Canoe back and transfer to Belize (4 hrs). Night in hotel. Day 7: Cave tour in Belize and transfer to Corozal (3 hrs). Night in hotel. Day 8: Travel to Tulum (5 hrs).

Day 1

You will meet your group and guide in Playa del Carmen and travel 4.5 hours south by bus to Bacalar. Once in Bacalar, we will spend the remainder of the day enjoying lunch and swimming at Bacalar´s Cenote Azul. The Yucatan Peninsula has many cenotes, natural sinkholes or caverns, connected to an endless system of underground-rivers. One of the most impressive cenotes is the 90 meter deep, clear-blue water, Cenote Azul. In the days of Spanish occupation, Bacalar was an important

defense point as pirate ships used to visit the lagoon. Nowadays the old Spanish fort holds an interesting museum about the history of piracy. We’ll spend the night at Bacalars hotel in preparation for the upcoming journey.

Day 2

The next two days of the tour take us to and through Tikal, Guatemala: one of the lesser-known, but most impressive Mayan archaeological sites. Surrounded by lush jungle, these very well preserved Mayan ruins have become an increasingly popular attraction in Guatemala. Watching the sunset or sunrise atop the temples that overlook the vast jungles of the Mayan world are incredible sights you won’t find anywhere else on earth.

Day 3

We begin day 3 with a fascinating guided tour of the Tikal ruins and National Park in the morning. Aside from climbing the tallest temples in Tikal, we’ll also have a chance to see exotic wildlife like toucans, coatis and monkeys. In the afternoon we will leave the park and head towards El Remate, Guatemala. This ecotourism village is situated on the shores of Lake Petén Itzá. We’ll get into our bathing suits and swim in the lake's transparent,

turquoise waters! We’ll also meet some of the local woodcarvers who dedicate themselves to this wonderful forest-saving art. Then we end the day by indulging in delicious cuisine at one of the local restaurants. And what community experience would be complete without a night in genuine typical limestone cabañas.

Day 4

Off-road vehicles will take us deeper into the jungle to a small village called Paso Caballos. Here, we will set off in canoes, paddling our way down the Rio San Pedro. This calm river is surrounded by jungle and leads us into the National Park Laguna del Tigre. After 2,5 hours canoeing we arrive to our campsite at the Biological Research Station. This comfortable campsite has clean bathrooms, showers (no hot water) and a kitchen area where we cook our meals on wood fires and mingle with the local forest protectors of the research station.

Day 5

Today is dedicated to exploring the jungle with its wildlife and visiting the archeological site of El Peru. From the campsite we canoe for an hour to the dock of El Peru. From here we will hike 2 hours to reach the hidden Mayan ruins. These very exclusive ruins are unreachable by road and only seen by a handful of people each year. One of the highlights of the pristine forest surrounding the ruins is the very rare and endangered Scarlet Macaw. There are under 150 breeding pairs of these beautiful parrots left between

Mexico and Guatemala and here chances are big of seeing them in their natural habitat. At the end of the day we’ll return to the campsite to enjoy the delicious campfire meals and relax.

Day 6

We canoe back up the San Pedro river and reach Paso Caballos village in 2.5 hours. We leave the village in off-road vehicles that bring us to the Cayo District, Belize. This area of the world is famous for its incredible natural beauty and magnificent caves. We will spend the night on a beautiful riverbank just outside Cayo's main town, San Ignacio in preparation for an exciting cave tour!

Day 7

We take full advantage of these natural wonders by touring through what the Mayans considered to be the underworld! These magnificent scenes are the product of thousands of years of nature’s work. At the end of this adventure vacations tour, we travel north to Corozal, Belize, and spend the night at a local hotel.

Day 8

At the end of our journey we cross the Belize – Mexico border and travel up the Riviera Maya, where, depending on departure schedules, we can explore coastal ruins and pristine beaches of Tulum, scuba dive in the world famous reefs of Cozumel, or sightsee in Playa del Carmen or Cancun