Mayan Tours
Flores is the gateway to the Mayan World in Guatemala and Dos Mundos Spanish School is the place to book your Mayan adventures. We organize day trips to the two most famous archaeological sites in the region, Tikal and Yaxha, as well as to the lesser-known Mayan sites of Nakum, La Blanca and San Clemente. Furthermore, at our school Dos Mundos we organize special Mayan dinners with informative slide shows about Mayan culture for small or large groups.
For exceptional experiences, we offer two to five-day trips to sites that lie deep within the Guatemalan jungle and are only accessible by foot, such as El Zotz. On their jungle hike, participants learn about local animals and plants. At the sites of La Blanca and San Clemente, they gain comprehensive insight into the detailed operation of a running archaeological excavation project. Our ecotourism aims to support the communities of the villages that lie next to small and rarely visited Mayan sites. Our hope is that once community members realize the importance of "their" sites, they will attempt to protect them from illegal grave-robbers and vandals.
Tikal
Tikal is arguably the most impressive of the Mayan sites in Guatemala. Tikal National Park contains six huge temple pyramids, some of which are over sixty meters (200 ft) in height. Visitors can admire outstanding steep pyramids and temples towering above the top of the jungle. Temple IV, in fact, is the second tallest pyramid in Mesoamerica after "La Danta" in El Mirador.
Archaeologists rediscovered Tikal in 1848. Although excavation work began in 1956 and continues today, only a fraction of the thousands of ancient structures including remains of royal palaces, numerous smaller pyramids, palaces, residences and stelaes (inscribed Mayan stone monuments) have been excavated. This gives visitors an idea of the remarkable size of the city-state of Tikal.
Do not miss the opportunity to visit majestic Tikal!
Daytrip to La Blanca and Yaxha
The Mayan sub-center La Blanca is located on a small country lane far from the mass tourism of the Petén. Since 2004, the University of Valencia has been excavating the site, which means that visitors have the unique opportunity to gain direct insight into excavation work and admire incredible murals inside the edifices of La Blanca.
Our tours aim to support the communities of the villages lying next to La Blanca and Yaxha. We hope that with more outside recognition, - such as allowing visitors to eat lunch with Guatemalan families - community members will begin to protect "their" sites from thieves.
Yaxha is a unique Mayan site in the Petén. Restoration work began in 1989 in cooperation with the German KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau), and over the years, archaeologists have restored and excavated many of the buildings. Today, the former shape of the city is once again recognizable. On our tours to Yaxha, visitors have the chance to admire sacred roads, the observatory, several huge acropolises, and numerous temple pyramids. Temple 216, the highest temple in Yaxha offers a breathtaking view over the lake.
El Zotz and Tikal - 3 days
The Mayan site of El Zotz lies at the western border of the Tikal territory and has several impressive plazas and two high temples. On our tours, visitors hike through virgin jungle from El Zotz to Tikal and discover countless plants and animals, such as howler and spider monkeys, coatis, deer, and wild boars along the way.
Tour Schedule
- Drive to Dos Aguadas, meet the jungle guide
- Hike six hours to the biotope camp of El Zotz ("the Bat")
- Watch thousands of bats fly out from a Mayan cave after sunset
- Camping in a jungle camp
- Hike through the biotope to visit the mystic archaeological ruins
- Climb over virgin Mayan temples covered by jungle
- After lunch 3 hour jungle walk to the camp El Yesal
- Camping in the jungle
- Wake up at 5:00 am
- Hike for six hours through the jungle
- Reach Temple IV in the Mayan site Tikal at noon and leave guide
- Explore Tikal at your own pace
- Return to Flores by minibus
All times and routes are subject to change due to the weather or other unforeseen factors in the jungle.
