Belize & Guatemala: Anthropology & Archaeology

7 days

Belize City, San Ignacio, & Caye Caulker

Itinerary

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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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!