Beautiful Bays and Ancient Sites: Beyond Belize's Mayan Ruins | Yampu Tours

Custom Travel Experiences Since 1998

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Beautiful Bays and Ancient Sites: Beyond Belize’s Mayan Ruins

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PRIVATE TOUR - 9 DAY SAMPLE ITINERARY

FROM £$ 4626

Private Tour Highlights

  • Walking the unusually constructed Maya site of Cahal Pech.
  • Exploring an intricate ancient cave system while floating down its inner passageways and surrounding rocky canyons.
  • Learning of the many ingenious ways in which the Mayans used the vegetation of the rainforest for medical and healing treatments.
  • Visiting the impressive, mystical Maya city of Tikal for a full-day, immersive tour.
  • Swimming to Hol Chan Marine Reserve and snorkeling the famous ‘Shark Ray Alley’.
Interested in this tour?   Let us build you a customized quote based on your budget.

Tour Overview

When visiting Belize, one must experience Beautiful Bays and Ancient Sites: Beyond Belize’s Mayan Ruins! This combined tour includes a visit to Belize’s Mayan ruins of Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, and a visit to the Maya ruins of Tikal in Guatemala. Yampu travelers will also visit the Rainforest Medicinal Trails and Butterfly Farm near San Ignacio in the Cayo District, the Belize Zoo, and the amazing barrier reef of the Hol Chan Marine Reserve in Ambergris Caye. We will spend the last 4 days relaxing in Ambergris Caye. This island, largely unaltered by human hands, is mostly a mangrove swamp surrounded by a ring of white sandy beaches.

Inclusions
Prices includes Belize City to San Pedro return, hotel accommodation including continental daily breakfast, guided tours in English, meals where specified, entrance fees, transportation between hotels, transfers between airport and hotel, naturalist guides, and taxes. Local airport taxes that are payable in the country of destination are not included. Taxes and security fees that can be paid at time of ticketing are already included.
Best Time to Travel
JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN
JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC

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Package Price: From £$ 4626

Prices shown above are per person. Hotel categories do not adhere strictly to international ratings; Yampu has evaluated the hotels according to destination and availability. Prices include local airfare (where applicable), hotel accommodation including daily breakfast; all transfers with baggage handling, all guided tours in English and all entrance fees.

Please note that prices are subject to change based on availability and seasonality, especially during the holiday season from December 20th through January 5th each year. Please contact a Yampu Travel Specialist for more information on best times to travel.

Trip Type:

All our trips are operated on a private basis unless specified otherwise. This is only a sample itinerary; your Yampu Tour Consultant will personalize this trip for you according to your available dates, interests and type of hotels. This is your trip and we will work on making it perfect!

Tour Itinerary

Day
1

Belize City

Upon arrival in Belize City, be met by the guide who will assist with the transfer to the Cayo Disctrict. En route, visit the Belize Zoo and the Xunantunich Maya Site. The Belize Zoo is located at Mile 31 on the Western Highway, a 40- minute drive from Belize City. Only indigenous species are housed at the Zoo, all of which have been either rescued or donated from owners who could not take care of the animals properly. The "guests" are housed in large compounds containing what would be their natural habitat. Birds, cats, crocodiles, monkeys, the list seems endless. A great opportunity to view and photograph those beasts of the rainforest not easily seen in the wild.
Lunch and a great shopping opportunity will recharge the batteries for the afternoon's delights! Tour continues along the Western Highway through San Ignacio in the Cayo District, until we arrive at the village of San Jose Succotz where a hand cranked ferry carries vehicle and passengers to the other side of the Mopan River. One more mile will bring the visitor to the impressive Maya Site of Xunantunich (Maiden of the Rock). A major ceremonial center, and one of the countries larger excavated sights, the view from the largest pyramid El Castillo is remarkable. Overnight in Cayo Hotel.


Note: if one is to arrive in the afternoon, a night in Belize City will be reqired.
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Day
2

Full day tour of Barton Creek & Greens Hills Butterfly Farm

It takes 45 minutes approximately from San Ignacio to this exciting canoe trip into a remote cave formerly used by the ancient Mayans as a burial site and for ceremonial purposes. A visit to Barton Creek Cave involves spending over an hour paddling canoes along an ancient Mayan waterway inside the mountain. The guide will point out skulls and artifacts as one passes between stalactites. The high ceiling, beautiful rock flows and cathedral chambers make this a beautiful place to photograph. The cave is adorned with stalactites and stalagmites. Mayan pottery shards and bones can be observed by the guide’s spotlights.
After lunch have a relaxing afternoon at the Green Hills Butterfly Ranch where one can enjoy the unique pleasure of seeing beautiful and spectacular butterflies fluttering about in a tropical environment; flitting and feeding from flower to flower. See the amazing life cycle of the butterfly and compare the colors and difference of caterpillars and cocoons. The Belize Butterfly House, Located in the Cayo district, between limestone’s hills covered with lush vegetation one will find "Green Hills", the Belize Butterfly Ranch and Botanical Collections. Flocks of butterflies, from brilliant blue to gorgeous orange, dazzling yellow to intriguing gray, fly freely in a 3,300 sq. ft., beautifully landscaped flight area: The largest live butterfly display in Belize. En-route to the cave one will drive through the traditional Mennonite village of Upper Barton Creek. ...read less

Jungle_Roots_Belize
Day
3

Transfer to Tikal. Full day visit to the impressive and mystical Maya city of Tikal.

One of its largest buildings is the Temple of the Two-headed Serpent, which measures up to 70 meters high. From its highest point, one can perceive the sounds of the rain forest: more than 300 species of birds, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and toucans. Due to its immense value, UNESCO declared Tikal Cultural and Natural Heritage of Humanity in 1979. Overnight in Flores.

One of its largest buildings is the Temple of the Two-headed Serpent, which measures up to 70 meters high. From its highest point, one can perceive the sounds of the rain forest: more than 300 species of birds, howler monkeys, ocelots, jaguars and toucans. Due to its immense value, UNESCO declared Tikal Cultural and Natural Heritage of Humanity in 1979. Overnight in Flores.

Tikal-
Day
4

Day at leisure

Optional return visit to Tikal or other Mayan ruins.

Optional return visit to Tikal or other Mayan ruins.

Ambergris-Beach
Day
5

Belize City- San Pedro

Private transfer to Belize City to take the flight to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. Overnight in San Pedro Hotel.

Private transfer to Belize City to take the flight to San Pedro, Ambergris Caye. Overnight in San Pedro Hotel.

Day
6

Hol Chan Marine Reserve

Half-day snorkel trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight in San Pedro Hotel.

Half-day snorkel trip to Hol Chan Marine Reserve. Afternoon at leisure. Overnight in San Pedro Hotel.

Day
7

Day at leisure

Overnight in San Pedro Hotel.

Overnight in San Pedro Hotel.

belize-ambergris
Day
8

Day at leisure

Overnight in San Pedro Hotel.

Overnight in San Pedro Hotel.

belize-dock
Day
9

Flight Home

Transfer to the airport to take the flight back to Belize, or choose from optional add-ons in Belize, Guatemala (Tikal) or other Central American countries.

Transfer to the airport to take the flight back to Belize, or choose from optional add-ons in Belize, Guatemala (Tikal) or other Central American countries.

Places You'll See

  • Tikal_Peten

    Peten

    Dotted with many Mayan Archaeological sites the area of Peten, once the hub of Mayan civilization, is full of history and ancient mysteries. Deep in the rainforests of Peten is the ancient city of Tikal, among other lost Mayan cities that have begun restoration.

  • Ambergris_Belize

    Ambergris Caye

    Take in the striking white sands and blue waters at Ambergris Caye, the largest Island of Belize. With so many options for entertainment and adventure, one will never grow bored! Take on the Mayan Underworld, a series of caves that one can experience through tubing. Enjoy the wildlife with birding or scuba diving, or just relax in the soft snow-white sands.

  • xunantunich-belize

    San Ignacio

    Known for its lush forests, waterfalls and archeological sites, San Ignacio is the place for adventure. Hike and trek through the dense jungle and visit ancient Mayan sites such as Xunantunich, once a Maya ceremonial center. Also, get acquainted with nature with a visit to the Noj Ka’ax H’Men Eljio Panti National Park.

Hotel Options

3 Star Properties

San Ignacio : Black Rock Lodge

Ambergris Caye : Ramon’s Village

Ambergris Caye : Sunbreeze

Peten : Hotel Peten

4 Star Properties

San Ignacio : San Ignacio Hotel

San Ignacio : Pooks Hill Lodge

Ambergris Caye : Victoria House

Ambergris Caye : El Pescador

Peten : Villa Maya

Peten : Camino Real Tikal

5 Star Properties

San Ignacio : Ka’ana Boutique Resort

San Ignacio : Chaa Creek (cottage collection room)

Ambergris Caye : Portofino

Peten : La Lancha (Rainforest Casita)

Luxury Properties

San Ignacio : Chaa Creek Hotel (garden suite)

Ambergris Caye : Las Terrazas

Ambergris Caye : Matachica Resort

Peten : La Lancha (Lakeview Casitas)

Testimonials

Kay E.

Traveled August, 2012

thanks for all the work you did to make this a memorable experience

Mom loved Belize we are already thinking about the possibilities of a family trip someday soon. She did her first ever (at 83) snorkelling and her first golf cart ride the country is delightful and everwhere we went the people were fantastic. I would recommend this trip to anyone and have already mentioned it to several people (even in airports) our guides at Lamanai were very knowledgeable and attentive San Pedro was so different from the jungle what a fantastic experience. We did get a boat to the Blue Hole thanks for all the work you did to make this a memorable experience!!

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Debbie

Traveled February, 2011

We loved our tour guides and will keep in touch with some of them.

We had such an amazing time and must say most of the reason was due to your wonderful coordination of services in Belize and Guatemala! We loved our tour guides and will keep in touch with some of them. I will go on travel web sites and comment about Yampu and the great job you did. The only place that we did not like was the hotel (Carnino Real Tikal) and especially the food in Guatemala; our guide said it was not known for the best food. All else was the best!

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Lorrie

Traveled August, 2005

Your office did an excellent job of showing us the country

I just returned from my trip to Belize with my daughter and wanted to report that it was spectacular. Your office did an excellent job of showing us the country. They were prompt, courteous and knowledgeable. We had lovely accommodations and saw a lot of the variety that Belize has to offer. Lascelle was our guide for most of the time on the mainland and I know we would have missed a lot without him. When he took us to specific trails, however, he turned us over to the local guides who were also very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their specific area. The excellent care continued once we were on Ambergris Caye. We only had one scheduled adventure out there. We went snorkeling in a marine preserve and our guide was again very good at spotting the various sea creatures and in identifying them. I was also very impressed with the concern all the guides had with the care of their local ecology/ environment. One member of our snorkeling group was abusing the coral and our guide chewed him out and actually threatened to make him go back onto the boat if he did not follow the rules. I hope all the guides are as concerned as he was.All our flights were fine and the entire trip was beyond my expectations. I wanted to thank you and your staff and your Belize office for doing such an excellent job. I will definitely be on your website when I start planning my next trip!

Traveled To

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