Maya cities
The hidden cities of the Mayas
The Maya culture is a fascinating pre-Columbian civilisation that arose around 2,000 years BC and had its glory days between 250 and 900 years after the start of our era. An interesting civilisation that built beautiful cities in the dense jungle. In Guatemala, you can visit the famous Maya city Tikal, but also lesser-known cities like Uaxactún and Yaxha.
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Guatemala’s most famous Maya city
In the dense jungle of Peten in the north of Guatemala, you can find the massive Maya city Tikal. At the peak, over 90,000 people lived here and 3,000 have now been mapped including many temples. Tikal has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1979.
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Unique camping experience
The special Maya town Uaxactún has barely been discovered and is only 19 kilometres away from Tikal. Here you can stay in luxury tents between the temples, while our very skilled guide Carlo who grew up in this community, tells you more about this unique place.
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Recent discoveries in the Maya world
Archaeologist and National Geographic Explorer Francisco Estrada-Belli discovered a massive frieze (artistic relief) of 2 by 8 metres in a hidden pyramid near the city Holmul in 2013. Johan had a conversation with him about his discovery during a Gente Mágica interview. You can read about it in our blog.
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Dine next to the most important Maya monument
You will experience many things during your stay in Uaxactún; “The hospitality in Uaxactún, where we were served an incredible dinner in between dozens of burning candles next to the most important Maya monument, is unforgettable”, one of our travellers says.
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Sunset at Yaxha
This third largest Maya city in Guatemala is located near the Yaxha lake and is surrounded by a tropical rainforest. You can experience an amazing sunset from the top of the largest temple.
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Four-day trekking to El Mirador
El Mirador is the largest pyramid in the world in the middle of a Maya city. At its peak, it was as big as modern Los Angeles. Yet, there are very few visitors. Why? This is because the city is hidden deep inside of the rainforest and can only be reached by helicopter or by a four-day trekking.
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Choose to stay at La Lancha
This special lodge with 7 houses is located in the rainforest and offers a beautiful view of Lake Peten. It is the perfect starting point for your visit to the Maya cities Tikal and Yaxha. The owner of this lodge is Francis Ford Coppola; a famous American director and film producer.
The special Maya civilisation
The ancient Mayan civilisation is one of the best known and most complex pre-Columbian civilisations, that the Latin American continent has ever known. Its glory days were between 250 and 900 years after the beginning of our era. The Maya were highly developed engineers and astronomers. Using the position of the sun and the stars, they determined their agricultural cycles and built very large cities with beautiful temples. The Mayan cities are deep inside the dense jungle and some of these cities such as El Mirador are very difficult to reach now, even though thousands (and in some cities even millions) of people must have lived then.
Many things about these Mayas are still a mystery, and the researchers say that they have only just discovered the tip of the iceberg. With the right guides we will unravel the secrets of this fascinating culture for you and we will not only take you to the more famous places, but also to temples and palaces, where hardly anyone comes.
Travel through Guatemala?
Would you like to make a trip through Guatemala yourself and are you curious about the possibilities? Then take a look at the travel itineraries that we have put together for inspiration. You can book these trips directly, but we are also happy to create a personal programme based on your wishes and ideas.
Do you have a question? Feel free to contact us. Call +31 73 610 62 04 or send an e-mail to info@sapapanatravel.nl. We are happy to help.