TIKAL

The 2 days we spent exploring the Mayan ruins at Tikal and Yaxha were strenuous but exhilarating. A long drive into the jungle doesn’t prepare you for the heat and humidity that awaits. The ancient cities were obviously once completely cleared and free of undergrowth but the jungle has reclaimed its own with time and to explore the whole city requires quite a trek. Walking along the wide pathways through the jungle with howler monkeys making their din and the occasional toucan appearing in treetops was quite wonderful, especially when gaps in the trees provided tantilising glimpses of temples and other stone constructions. The area at Tikal is huge! We walked over 10kms and didn’t visit the two areas furthest out. The sheer size of the city becomes apparent when you realise that the large mounds of dirt and trees etc that litter the jungle are actually buildings that have not been excavated! There are thousands of structures here and only a very small proportion has been uncovered– the residential area of Tikal cover 16 sq kms !
 * TIKAL**

We visited another Mayan site the next day but reduced the walking to only 2 hours (much to our guide's disappointment) This place is called Yaxha - there are hundreds of sites through out Guatemala, Belize and Mexico, most as yet not excavated.
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