Private Tour to Maya Sites Xunantunich and Cahal Pech

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.

Cahal Pech is located on the imposing hill that overlooks the twin towns of Cayo District, San Ignacio and Santa Elena. The name of the site means "Place of Ticks" in the Yucatec Maya language. Archeological investigations indicate that Cahal Pech was first settled between 1200-1000 BC and abandoned around 800-900 AD.
The central of Cahal Pech consists of 34 structures compacted in a small area covering slightly more than 2 acres. Most of the structures are located seven courtyards. This includes tall temple pyramids and several range type buildings or palaces. The tallest temple is structure A1 which stands 77ft high.
The site also has two ball courts, one carved stelea and one altar. Visitors enter the site as how ancient settlers did, through a large courtyard known as Plaza B.