Belize/Guatemala
Hike and Snorkel to Find the Mystery of the Maya in Guatemala and Belize
Program No. 20813RJ
Experience the diverse wonders of Central America as you hike and snorkel with experts, learn about ancient Mayan culture and discover local wildlife at the Caye Marine Reserve.
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DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
DATES
& starting prices
PRICES
Nov 4 - Nov 13, 2024
Starting at
3,739Feb 3 - Feb 12, 2025
Starting at
4,539Not seeing the date you're looking for?
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10 days
9 nights
26 meals
9B 8L 9D
3
Belize Zoo, Transfer to Guatemala, Ixpanpajul Nature Park
Tikal/Peten Region
4
Tikal Ruins, Views of Lake Peten Itza
Tikal/Peten Region
5
Yaxha National Park & Ruins
Cayo Disrict
6
Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave Adventure, Free Time
Cayo Disrict
8
Belize Barrier Reef, Free Time
Placencia
9
Belize Barrier Reef, Free Time
Placencia
At a Glance
For outdoor enthusiasts and pre-Columbian history buffs the Central American neighbors of Belize and Guatemala offer the best of both worlds. Swim to a jungle cave to find Mayan ceremonial artifacts. Discover the jewel of Mayan civilization at Tikal. Rappel down a 300-foot sink hole and snorkel in Belize’s Barrier Reef. Virgin rain forests with orchids, howler monkeys and toucans and hundreds of species of exotic birds make getting to these magical and mysterious Mayan sites half the fun.
Activity Level
Outdoor: Spirited
Very active program, includes walking on forest trails and suspension bridges, rappelling into a large sinkhole, snorkeling and swimming. Less strenuous activities are available on most challenging days.
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.
What You'll Learn
- Swim, hike and climb your way to Actun Tunichil Muknal Cave to view the ceremonial pottery, burial chambers and petrified remains of ancient Maya.
- Discover the beautiful underwater world of Belize's barrier reef while snorkeling at a local caye.
- Hike to the edge of the Black Hole, a large sinkhole used for Maya religious ceremonies, and rappel into its 300-foot crater.
General Notes
Due to the nature of this program, listening devices are not available.
Suggested Reading List
(20 books)
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Hike and Snorkel to Find the Mystery of the Maya in Guatemala and Belize
Program Number: 20813
Ghost Lights
In Millet's anticipated follow-up to How the Dead Dream, a mild-mannered IRS bureaucrat follows a runaway millionaire into the surreal tropical jungle. The prose has a lovely stillness and has been hailed as a haunting, mesmerizing novel of ideas.
Popol Vuh: The Definitive Edition of The Mayan Book of the Dawn of Life
The definitive, unabridged collection of creation myths and stories of the Quiche people, fundamental to understanding the worldview of the highland Maya.
Belize, Travellers' Wildlife Guides
An all-around field guide featuring color illustrations of 200 birds, 50 mammals, 150 coral reef creatures and 80 reptiles and amphibians.
Tropical Nature
A lively, lucid portrait of the tropics as seen by two uncommonly observant and thoughtful field biologists. Its 17 marvelous essays introduce the habitats, ecology, plants and animals of the Central and South American rainforest
Belize Marine Life
This handy guide to the ocean life around Belize is a 14-panel, full-color reference. Includes illustrations for reef fish, marine mammals, sport fish, and sea turtles.
A Field Guide to the Mammals of Central America & Southeast Mexico
This second edition of Fiona Reid's wonderfully detailed and comprehensive field guide to the mammals of Central America and Southeast Mexico features 59 vivid full-color illustrations. Reid painted most of the creatures in the field, a formidable challenge and -- given the quality of the results -- well worth her while. With parks, and protected areas, habitats, range maps, tracks and natural history.
Snorkeling Guide to Marine Life
Humann's photographs of the fishes, corals, invertebrates and plants of the Caribbean are perfect to take along in the boat or to the beach.
A Natural History of Belize: Inside the Maya Forest
Presenting the habitats, biodiversity, and ecology of both the tropical Chiquibul Forest (also known as the Maya Forest) and Belize in its entirety.
The Maya Tropical Forest: Peoples, Parks and Ancient Cities
Jim Nations draws on field work in the region over the last 25 years in this personable, detailed overview of the people, history and wildlife of the lowland tropical forest of southern Mexico, Guatemala and Belize.
The Code of Kings, The Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs
A vivid guided tour of seven Maya sites, including Palenque, Tikal and Chichen Itza. This outstanding book features photos and line drawings throughout, and introductory chapters with a succinct introduction to Maya history and culture.
Belize Field Guide
Mammals, amphibians, and reptiles are all included in this 14-panel, fold-up pocket field guide
The History of Central America
A brief history, beginning with the ancient Maya and moving through European contact and conquest, independence movements, finishing in the 20th century.
Central America Map
A detailed map of the Central American isthmus at a scale of 1:1,100,000.
Guatemalan Journey
Opening with a long chapter on life in Guatemala City, Benz’s memoir moves on to the remote highlands and other little-visited regions. An excellent account of Guatemala’s political history, traditions, and indigenous cultures.
Insight Guide Guatemala, Belize & the Yucatan
This handsome guide gives a profusely illustrated overview of Guatemala, Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula, featuring concise essays by well regarded authors on natural history, politics and culture.
Maya Art and Architecture
An illustrated overview of the art and architecture of the Maya, making use of the latest discoveries at Tikal, Copan and Palenque to demonstrate the range of Maya artistic influence. With 200 illustrations, 50 in color, including site plans, maps, strikingly rendered reconstructions and color photographs of key temples and buildings.
How to Cook a Tapir
The coming-of-age memoir by Joan Fry, a young newlywed, who moves with her anthropologist husband to the jungles of Belize. Her introspective account is interwoven with stories, portraits of locals and traditional recipes.
The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw, One Woman's Fight to Save the World's Most Beautiful Bird
The gripping tale of Sharon Matola's six-year campaign to stop a dam that would flood the forest home of Belize's last scarlet macaws.
Time Among the Maya, Travels in Belize, Guatemala, and Mexico
An account of travels among the contemporary Maya of Guatemala and Yucatan (with a side trip to Belize City). Organized geographically, it devotes chapters on Belize, the Peten, highland Guatemala, Chiapas and the Yucatan. Unlike most travelogues, this book includes a glossary, notes, bibliography and index. Wright (who also wrote the excellent Cut Stones and Crossroads, set in Peru) combines journalism, archaeology and a fine ear for dialogue in this engaging account.
Belize in Focus, A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture
A brief, authoritative guide to the history, cultural heritage, politics and economy of Belize. With maps, photographs and some travel information, it's an excellent synopsis from an unabashedly left-leaning perspective, strong on facts.
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