Belize & Guatemala: Anthropology & Archaeology

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Length

7 days

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Cities

Belize City, San Ignacio, & Caye Caulker

Program includes

  • Roundtrip Airfare
  • 6 Nights of Accommodation
  • Daily Continental Breakfast
  • Welcome & Farewell Dinners
  • 3 Traditional Group Lunches
  • All Ground Transportation
  • Entrance to All Venues Listed
  • Full Time Guidance & Assistance
  • Travelers Insurance

Program highlights

  •  Caracol Maya Archaeological Site
  •  Tikal Maya Archaeological Site
  •  Actun Tunichil Muknal – ATM Caves
  •  Xunantunich Maya Archaeological Site
  •  Snorkeling Excursion Hol Chan
  •  Marine Reserve
  •  Traditional Chocolate Making Experience

Itinerary

Day 1 – Departure

  • Depart Home for Belize City, Belize
  • Arrive in Belize City, Belize
  • Airport Transfer – Orientation Walking Tour
  • Check-in, Relax & Refresh
  • Welcome Dinner & Group Discussions – The group will be taken for an authentic dinner with a variety of menu options to cater all diets.

Day 2 – San Ignacio

  • Breakfast & Day Briefing
  • Transfer to Caracol Maya Archaeological Site – Once one of the most powerful cities in the entire Maya world, Caracol now lies enshrouded by thick jungle near the Guatemalan border. Sitting high on the Vaca Plateau, 1650 ft above sea level, this is the largest Maya site in Belize, having stretched over possibly 70sg miles at its peak around AD 650.
  • Transfer to San Ignacio Via Rio Frio Cave, Rio On Pools, Big Rock Waterfalls
  • Traditional Chocolate Making Experience – It all started with the Classic Period Maya(250 – 900 C.E.)- The first people to discover the cacao plant. Chocolate played an important Religious role in their lives. The Mayans drank chocolate on special occasions and during religious events. In addition, the priest would also present the cacao seeds as an offering to their god. It was primarily a beverage for royalty; however, recent findings have encountered traces of chocolate in the potteries of the ordinary Maya households.

Day 3 – Tikal

  • Breakfast & Day Briefing
  • Day Trip Tikal Maya Archaeological Site – Tikal is an ancient Mayan citadel in the rainforests of northern Guatemala. Possibly dating to the 1st century A.D., Tikal flourished between 200 and 850 A.D. and was later abandoned. Its iconic ruins of temples and palaces include the giant, ceremonial Lost World (Mondo Perdido) Pyramid and the Temple of the Grand Juguar. At 70 meters, Temple IV is the tallest pre-Columbian structure in the Americas.
  • Group Lunch Included
  • Return to San Ignacio
  • Structured Free Time & Cultural Immersion

Day 4 – Actun Tunichil Muknal

  • Breakfast – Day Briefing
  • Full Day Excursion to Actun Tunichil Muknal – ATM Caves – The ATM cave, otherwise known as the Cave of the Stone Sepulcher, was first entered by the Mayas in AD 300-600. It was not until the late AD 700-900 that the Mayas went deeper into the cave to perform their ceremonies. The cave was officially opened to the public in 1998.
  • Group Lunch included
  • Return to San Ignacio
  • Free Time & Cultural Immersion

Day 5 – Caye Caulker

  • Breakfast & Day Briefing
  • Xunantunich Maya Archaeological Site – The name of this ancient Mayan ruin is a tongue twisted, but to indigenous peoples who made this secred site their home for millennia, Xunantunich was a safe, secure hilltop area with plenty of usurpers or explorers from abroad sought to claim this stronghold.
  • Transfer to Belize City
  • Ferry Transfer to Caye Caulker
  • Island Orientation
  • Free Time & Cultural Immersion

Day 6 – Caye Caulker

  • Breakfast & Day Briefing
  • Full Day Snorkeling Excursion Hol Chan – The Hol Chan Marine Reserve was established as a marine protected area in 1987 under the Laws of Belize. It incorporates the southermost marine and coastal areas of Ambergris Caye including the barrier reef, seagrass beds and the mangrove islands of Boca Chica and Cangrejo Shoals. A zoning scheme was developed in order to ensure sustainable use and guarantee its conservation. Ho; Chan is divided into four zones which include no-take areas and zones that regulate and promote sustainable fishing practices.
  • Marine Reserve
  • Group Lunch
  • Free Time & Cultural Immersion
  • Farewell Dinner & Program Closing

Day 7 – Return

  • Breakfast & Day Briefing
  • Ferry Transfer to Belize City
  • Airport Transfer
  • Depart Belize City for Home

All of our programs are 100% customizable

Is there an experience you would like to provide that isn’t included in our itineraries?
Let’s add it!

Are there sites that better fit your subject than the ones provided?
Let’s swap them!

Contact us to get started building a fully-customized itinerary.
Tell us your dream program and we’ll make it a reality!

All of our programs are 100% customizable

Is there an experience you would like to provide that isn’t included in our itineraries?
Let’s add it!

Are there sites that better fit your subject than the ones provided?
Let’s swap them!

Contact us to get started building a fully-customized itinerary.
Tell us your dream program and we’ll make it a reality!

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