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Private Tour to Maya Sites Xunantunich and Cahal Pech: Exploring Ancient Civilizations
5.0
7 Ratings
Xunantunich
Embark on a private tour to Maya sites Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, where you’ll explore ancient civilizations, learn their history and daily life, and even climb the temples. Experience the past firsthand!
Embark on a private tour to Maya sites Xunantunich and Cahal Pech, where you’ll explore ancient civilizations, learn their history and daily life, and even climb the temples. Experience the past firsthand!
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Xunantunich - Xunantunich is one of the wonders found in Belize. This archeological site is just a 15 minutes drive away from the beautiful town of San Ignacio. The word Xunantunich derived from the Yucatec Maya language meaning “Stone Woman.” The centre of Xunantunich sits on an artificially leveled limestone ridge that stands almost 183 meters…
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Xunantunich - Xunantunich is one of the wonders found in Belize. This archeological site is just a 15 minutes drive away from the beautiful town of San Ignacio. The word Xunantunich derived from the Yucatec Maya language meaning “Stone Woman.” The centre of Xunantunich sits on an artificially leveled limestone ridge that stands almost 183 meters above sea level. The epicenter consists of fours major architectural groups. The most prominent group is group A which is dominated by a 40-meter structure A6, known as “El Castillo.” This massive structure is a large multi-complex building that served as dwellings shrine and administrative hub for the elite rulers of the center. Early settlers may have established a small village at the site during the middle pre-classic (600-300BC). The ancient city rose to prominence and declined between AD.700-1000.
This tour will allow guest to walk within and ancient Maya city. It will educate them about the history and culture of ancient civilization. Xunantunich is a city that was first discovered in the 1800s however, major excavation projects took place until 1991-1997. so how will guest get to the site? Simple! they will be picked up at their place of stay and will be transported to Mayan City. Before reaching the site, guest will be crossing a hand-cranked ferry across the Mopan River. Here, observation of Green Iguanas and bats can be done at the riverbank.
What's Included
- Travelers pickups around San Ignacio Area
- Water
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- All fees and/or taxes
- Travelers pickups around San Ignacio Area
- Water
- In-vehicle air conditioning
- All fees and/or taxes
What's Not Included
- Lunch
- Out district pickups.
- Lunch
- Out district pickups.
Additional Information
Alongside the guide guests will explore the ancient city of Xunantunich for 3 hours and Cahal Pech for 2 hours. During this period of time guest will learn the history, daily life of this ancient civilization and beliefs. You’ll be able to climb most of the temples if you are pleased to do so. Educating whilst reliving a wonderful past through the path…
Alongside the guide guests will explore the ancient city of Xunantunich for 3 hours and Cahal Pech for 2 hours. During this period of time guest will learn the history, daily life of this ancient civilization and beliefs. You’ll be able to climb most of the temples if you are pleased to do so. Educating whilst reliving a wonderful past through the path of our ancestors. ‘Don’t just visit the past, experience it’.
- What to bring along: Cameras, Insect repellent, Sunscreen, Long pants/shorts, Hats, Binoculars (optional)
- No age restriction
Location
Xunantunich
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(7 Ratings)
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1 star
Johnhx8837sn
Dec 30, 2023
Excellent Tour Guide, Interesting Ruins, Exciting Climb - This was a fantastic trip for our family of four with 2 teenagers. Our guide, Agusto, was very knowledgeable and helpful throughout. If you desire to climb to the top of Xunantunich, it will require some effort and it is not for the faint of heart, as there are no railings, but the view is fantastic! Would highly recommend this activity and CMA Tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
256gordonf
Sep 29, 2023
Great tour - Excellent guide. Been to many Mayan ruins before but we learned a lot from Augusto. Stopped for lunch at Benny's where we tried all three appetizers. Try the soursop juice if they have it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Onair708016
May 3, 2023
Highly recommend! - We did a wonderful private tour to Xunantunich and Cahal Pech and would highly recommend CMATours! It was very easy to coordinate the details with Wilton by email ahead of our trip, and the team was very flexible in accommodating our requests to slightly customize the itinerary. We had the pleasure of spending the day with Agusto as our guide / driver; he was very knowledgeable about both sites and we had a wonderful half day tour. Highly recommend this excellent family-run business!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Williamm2121
Apr 10, 2023
Great guides for the Cayo District, Birding and Mayan Sites - We had a great experience with CMA Tours as our tour guides in the Cayo District. This was our first trip to Belize, and we found the guides at CMA Tours to be excellent, with a thorough knowledge of the area, the wildlife and the Mayan sites. If you are birders, or interested in the Mayan sites or local history, these folks are great guides. In addition to being our tour guides at the sites, they provided comfortable transportation to and from the airport area and daily transportation to our preferred locations. We found their detailed descriptions of the sites, the birds, and other wildlife to be very interesting and enjoyable. I would highly recommend them for anyone traveling to Cayo District of Belize.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rod
May 5, 2022
Fantastic, knowledgeable tour guides and drivers! - Hard to pick a favorite, but it all started when Damian picked us up from the airport. We immediately felt as ease and the drive to the resort was the beginning of our education about Belize and it's culture and environment, as Damian was knowledgeable and easy to chat with. We later did several tours (Xunatunich, the butterfly sanctuary and Saturday market with Agusto), Barton Creek with Damian again, and a shuttle ride to the coast with Wilton. All were engaging, friendly, extremely knowledgeable, and genuinely interested in sharing their knowledge of the Mayan culture, the area and country as a whole. We learned so much and are grateful to all three for sharing their knowledge and importantly, their friendship. Your trip to Belize would be missing out if you don't do a tour with Cma Tours or get them as a driver. We already have plans to return and do more tours with Damien, Agusto or Wilton.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Threechicksdiving
Jan 6, 2022
Brilliant guide on a spectacular tour! - This tour to Xunantunich and Cahal Pech was way above my expectations. CMA is a family owned company with Mayan guides. Brothers Damian and Agusto Ixtecoc and Damian's son Wilton are the senior guides with the CMA. We have a new friend in Damian, who took us on this tour, as well as being our chauffer to and from the airport and on guiding several other private excursions throughout the week.
The best part of the tour was Damian's passion for the Mayan culture. His extensive knowledge and fun way of communicating it was exceptional. He made the temples come alive with the vivid descriptions of life during their heyday. The ability to put the structures into the context of those ancient times is such a gift.
I own a boutique travel agency specializing in unique, personalized experiences which incorporate the heartbeat of the region. Classic May Adventure Tours checks all my boxes. They are professional, incredibly knowledgeable, and passionate about their role in sharing the Mayan culture and the beautiful country of Belize with their guests. This was a familiarization tour for us, and we will be back with our guests. See you soon CMA team!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pattons
Mar 29, 2020
Classic Maya Adventure a great company - Classic Maya Adventure Tours is a great touring company. It is family owned and managed. All guides are knowledgeable and experienced. Their ease with English makes for great communication. Their friendly willingness to answer questions about the culture and area is wonderful. I strongly recommend you contact them if you travel to Belize and want help getting to know the country.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
