Day 1: Transfer to San Ignacio (Cayo District)
After arrival (early afternoon) we are heading to Xunantunich. The Maya site lies directly on the route going to Tikal. It’s easily accessible from the Western Highway in Belize. Less than one mile below the site are the surging rapids of the Mopan River. The actual reserve of the site covers 25 square km and is fast becoming the only piece of “jungle” in the surrounded area. The view from “El Castillo” is superb. Overnight in San Ignacio (Martha’s Inn).

Day 2: Tikal
The Maya metropolis of Tikal was once one of the greatest cities in the world. At its peak around AD 750 over 150,000 people lived here, in the heart of the Guatemalan rainforest, Huge temple pyramids dominated the skyline. Today Tikal has become one of the most visited sites on the Maya tourist itinerary. But why did the city flourish? And why did Tikal collapse? The word “Tikal” in Yucatec Maya divides the word “ti” meaning place of” and “k’al” meaning “spirits”. This renders such romantic translations as “place of spirits”. Towering above the rainforest, Tikal is the most magnificent of all Maya sites. The ruins, 68 km from Flores down a smooth paved road, are dominated by five enormous temples: steep-sided limestone pyramids that rise to more than 60 m above the forest floor. Around them are thousands of other structures, many semi-strangled by giant roots still hidden beneath mounds of earth. The trees around the ruins are home to hundreds of species including howler and spider monkeys, toucans and parakeets. The sheer scale of the place is overwhelming, and its atmosphere spellbinding. Overnight in San Ignacio (Martha’s Inn).

Day 3: San Ignacio – Punta Gorda
Return to Punta Gorda