Caracol Maya Ruins Tour Including Rio On Pools, Rio Frio Cave and a Picnic Lunch
San Ignacio, Belize
Trip Type: Day Trips
Duration: 8 hours
Adventure through Belize on this tour of the Maya Ruins in the ancient city of Caracol. This guided tour explores jungle archaeological sites including pyramid temples, plazas and monuments. Journey to the Mountain Pine Ridge with stops at Rio On Pools and Rio Frio Cave for a refreshing swim in the crystal waters. Enjoy a homemade Belizean style picnic lunch with soft drinks and rum punch. This tour includes guide, entrance fees, lunch with drinks and round-trip transportation.
More About This Activity All Day Trips →
Adventure through Belize on this tour of the Maya Ruins in the ancient city of Caracol. This guided tour explores jungle archaeological sites including pyramid temples, plazas and monuments. Journey to the Mountain Pine Ridge with stops at Rio On Pools and Rio Frio Cave for a refreshing swim in the crystal waters. Enjoy a homemade Belizean style picnic lunch with soft drinks and rum punch. This tour includes guide, entrance fees, lunch with drinks and round-trip transportation.
Caracol is a major and dominant site in Maya history. It is a fantastic site to visit, and it is an expansive city covering nearly 80 square miles and rivaling the ancient metropolis of Tikal in size, power and riches. A subtropical forest south of San Ignacio sits near the Guatemalan border, set high on the Vaca Plateau in the heart of the Chiquibal Forest Reserve. Caracol is accessed through the Mountain Pine Ridge, a beautiful area with flowing rivers and hidden caves.
Embark on a 1.5-hour drive from our office up rough dirt roads and through small Maya Villages and scenic countryside. Arrive at the sprawling archaeological site of Caracol and learn about the anthropology and archaeology, as well as the flora and fauna of the area including rare and endangered wildlife such as Keel-billed Motmots, Tapirs, Jaguars, Oscillated Turkeys, Gibnut (the “Royal Rat”) and Coatimundis.
Caracol had a huge population center at its peak, with over 150,000 inhabitants and 30,000 structures. You might get lucky and see a family of howler monkeys in the trees over the ancient Maya ball-courts, or revel at the engineering and architectural sophistication of the Maya people as you climb up the temple pyramid structure of Caana (Sky Temple), the highest man-made building in Belize still to this day. Once at the top, nearly 135 feet above the plazas, you will get impressive panoramic views of Belize and neighboring Guatemala.
The histories of the inhabitants of Caracol are documented by scribes of the past in hieroglyphics and carvings on the monuments, stelas, and altars that are found throughout the site. Caracol has a very unique history from other major ancient cities in the region, and your guide will illuminate the rich and complicated past of this glorious civilization with a fully guided tour of the excavated portions of the Caracol site.
After touring the ruins, refresh with drinks and a picnic lunch. We then continue back through the Pine Ridge where we take a break at the Rio On Pools, a series of natural swimming holes, and the lush Rio Frio Cave to cool down and relax in the clear water.
Embark on a 1.5-hour drive from our office up rough dirt roads and through small Maya Villages and scenic countryside. Arrive at the sprawling archaeological site of Caracol and learn about the anthropology and archaeology, as well as the flora and fauna of the area including rare and endangered wildlife such as Keel-billed Motmots, Tapirs, Jaguars, Oscillated Turkeys, Gibnut (the “Royal Rat”) and Coatimundis.
Caracol had a huge population center at its peak, with over 150,000 inhabitants and 30,000 structures. You might get lucky and see a family of howler monkeys in the trees over the ancient Maya ball-courts, or revel at the engineering and architectural sophistication of the Maya people as you climb up the temple pyramid structure of Caana (Sky Temple), the highest man-made building in Belize still to this day. Once at the top, nearly 135 feet above the plazas, you will get impressive panoramic views of Belize and neighboring Guatemala.
The histories of the inhabitants of Caracol are documented by scribes of the past in hieroglyphics and carvings on the monuments, stelas, and altars that are found throughout the site. Caracol has a very unique history from other major ancient cities in the region, and your guide will illuminate the rich and complicated past of this glorious civilization with a fully guided tour of the excavated portions of the Caracol site.
After touring the ruins, refresh with drinks and a picnic lunch. We then continue back through the Pine Ridge where we take a break at the Rio On Pools, a series of natural swimming holes, and the lush Rio Frio Cave to cool down and relax in the clear water.
« Go Back