Free Adventure Newsletter

Mayan Jungle Highlight

Highlights

From Mexico through Belize and into Guatemala, this jungle adventure gives you the best of Tri-National Tri-Sport adventure tours and the opportunity to see two very popular Mayan sites: Tikal and Yaxha. We take bicycles or horses on a 2-day off-road trip that rewards us with intense jungles.

Tour Information


Details
Quick Details

Tour Departure Days
Every Day of the Week
Duration
8-day tour
Price
From 1.399 $
Countries
Mexico, Guatemala and Belize
Departure from Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Trip Style
Off the Beaten Track
Activities
Hiking, Mayan Ruins, Biking
Physical Demand
Medium
Season
Year Round

The Tour

We take bicycles or horses on a 2-day off-road trip that rewards us with intense jungles. More of the trip’s highlights include a visit to the well-hidden Mayan site, Nakum, and an exclusive crocodile tour. Before we return to Mexico’s beautiful Caribbean coast, we will take a special cave adventure in Belize.

campsitenakum
back_of_temple_...
yaxha02
duendetoursdec2...

 
Day by Day

Full Itinerary

Day 1: Travel to Bacalar, visit Cenote Azul.

Day 2: Travel to Yaxha, night walk.

Day 3: Visit Topochte Island in the morning, sunset from Yaxha ruins in the afternoon, camp in Yaxha.

Day 4: Cycle or horseback ride* to Nakum, see ruins in Nakum, camp in Nakum.

Day 5: Cycle or horseback ride* back to Yaxha, sleep in Tikal.

Day 6: Visit Tikal, transfer to San Ignacio.

Day 7: Cave tour in Belize, transfer to Corozal.

Day 8: Travel to Tulum.

cenote_azul
back_of_temple_...
horseback02
peten_itza_guat...

Day 1

to_the_caves

You will meet your group and guide in Playa Del Carmen from where we travel 5 hours south by first-class bus to Bacalar. Once at Bacalar we will spend the remainder of the day exploring the surroundings area and enjoying a swim in Bacalar´s Cenote Azul. The Yucatan Peninsula has many cenotes, which are natural sinkholes connected to an endless system of underground-rivers. One of the most impressive cenotes is the 90 meter deep clear blue water Cenote Azul.

In the days of Spanish occupation, Bacalar was an important defense point as pirate ships used to visit the lagoon. Nowadays the old Spanish fort holds an interesting museum about the history of piracy. We’ll spend the night in typical Cabanas in preparation for the upcoming journey.

Day 2

These next days will be dedicated to Mayan ruins and incredible sights. We travel across Belize and into the jungles of Yaxha, Guatemala. We have the convenience of having camp and lunch set-up before our arrival to the Yaxha National Park site. Before calling it a night, we take a night walk through the Yaxha National Park to explore the jungle’s nocturnal flora and fauna.

Day 3

copy_of_tikal_r...

We set-out on boat or canoe across Lake Yaxha to Topoxte Island to explore a very peculiar Mayan phenomenon: miniature Mayan ruins. The Guatemalan locals claim that these ancient pyramid miniatures were built to pay homage to the duendes, or spirits, of the Mayan jungle. After our trip to Topoxte we head back to our camp and relax at the lake's shore or explore its surroundings. Late in the afternoon we walk to the Yaxha ruins and climb the site’s tallest temple for an awe-inspiring sunset view.

Day 4

Today we follow a jungle road that leads us 17 km (11 miles) deeper into the Mayan world en route to another archaeological site, Nakum, Guatemala. For those that have off-road cycling experience this is a very enjoyable and challenging ride*. Another option is horseback riding (no experience needed) to reach this amazing destination. After arriving to Nakum's beautiful campsite we explore the remote Mayan ruins hidden deep inside its protected jungle. Few people ever reach this ancient Mayan site where, to this day, excavations still continue.

Day 5

We saddle-up and leave Nakum, heading back to Yaxha, where we enjoy a refreshing break at Lake Yaxha before a private van will bring us to Tikal.

actun_tunichil_...
actun_tunichil_...
actun_tunichil_...
baby_crocodile

Once in Tikal, we check-in at the Jaguar Inn hotel, just a minute's walk away from the entrance of Tikal’s archeological site. Spending the night in the Tikal National Park allows us to see the park at sunset and sunrise; an unforgettable experience of beautiful colors and abundant wild life.

Day 6

yaxha01

We start the day with an amazing guided tour of the Tikal ruins and National Park. We climb Tikal's highest pyramids and indulge in the spectacular views over the vast Mayan jungle. And to top it all off, we enjoy the company of exotic jungle wildlife like toucans, coatis and monkeys. In the afternoon private transportation will take us to the Cayo District in Belize, just across the border from Guatemala. We will spend the night in a typical Belize-style hotel on a beautiful riverbank just outside Cayo's main town, San Ignacio.

Day 7

The Cayo District is world famous for its natural beauty and magnificent caves. We take full advantage of these natural wonders by touring through what the Mayans considered to be the underworld! At the end of this impressive cave tour, we travel north to Corozal, Belize and spend the night at a local hotel.

Day 8

At the end of our journey we cross the Belize -Mexico border and travel up the Riviera Maya, where, depending on departure schedules, we can explore coastal ruins and pristine beaches of Tulum, scuba dive in the world famous reefs of Cozumel, or sightsee in Playa Del Carmen or Cancun.

 
Included

Tour Price Includes:

  • 4 nights hotel.
  • 3 nights camping.
  • 9 meals.
  • Transfers.
  • Camping and sport equipment.
  • Visit to Cenote Azul.
  • Night walk in Yaxha.
  • Visit to Topoxte Island.
  • Visit ruins in Yaxha.
  • Visit to Nakum ruins.
  • Tikal guided tour.
  • Belize cave tour.
  • 2 day jungle adventure.
  • Entrance fees.
  • Multilingual guide.

 
Pictures

These are pictures from this tour.

 
Price

Pricing For This Tour

2 passengers US$ 1899.00 / € 1379.00 per person

3 passengers US$ 1649.00 / € 1199.00 per person

4 or 5 passengers US$ 1499.00 / € 1089.00 per person

6 passengers or more US$ 1399.00 / € 990.00 per person


Single room preference: $140 / €100*

*the single room preference is an option for single travelers that wish not to share a room or tent with a fellow group

 
 


Inquire and Book Tour


Ready to book? Use the Booking Form to book this tour now.

Please use the form below to ask any questions you may have regarding this tour.

Departure Date or indication : calendar
Adults :
Children :
Your Inquiry :
First Name :
Last Name* :
Email Address* :
Telephone Number :

Please check the provided information one more time before submitting the form.

4 Testimonials

  • Visiting the Mayan World was always going to be exciting but doing it the active Duende way was just magical! From the start, Chantel was unfailingly courteous and did an excellent job organizing a 9-day tour to our specifications. This tour not only included the archaeology but also a complete immersion into the ecology and natural beauty of this area. Our favourite times were spent at the El Sombrero Ecolodge in Yaxha.
    Last but not least, our guide Ismael was Fab-u-lous!! He constantly managed all aspects of the tour, as well as delighting us with his knowledge of local birdlife among other things.
    Never having travelled in this region before, I do think that the local knowledge Duende has is invaluable.
    Overall, this rates as one of the best holidays we have ever had- it was the business!!
    Haido Hansen, United Kingdom.

  • Had a fabulous time visiting the Mayan World with Duende. The tour was very well organized and Chantelle found a solution to our every wish. Ismael, our guide during the week, was very knowledgeable and friendly and added even more to the overall experience.
    We will definitely recommend Duende Tours to everyone, and will also be using Duende again for my next visit to Central America.
    Palle Hansen, United Kingdom.

  • The tour included a good mix of activities to appeal to most “active” travelers interested – archeological ruins, wildlife viewing, horseback riding, cave tours. I really felt we had gotten “off the beaten path”! Steve, USA

  • Onejungle

    We have had a fantastic journey on the Mayan Jungle Highlights Tour. Our guide, Jorge, has been a brilliant friend, very knowledgable and full of advice. Also thanks to Alex for his fantastic cooking, i still can´t believe how he managed to cook such good meals on a campsite! He also had so much knowledge about the jungle plants and animals wich was very interesting. The same goes for Lou´s knowledge of the Mayans history and the local bird life.
    And we couldn´t forget about the yummy pies and cake. All in all a fantastic trip. Definitely money well spent and we learned a lot about the area.
    We would definitely recommend Duende Tours ( specially our new friend Jorge ) to our friends. Thank you.
    Unless you can stop the Mosquito biting there is nothing else to suggest! But it was worth putting up with for the fabulous trip we had.

    Jo Hunter & Elliot Miller/ UK, Australia

More in this category: Deep Jungle Biking Tour »

Testimonials

  
  
  
Visiting the Mayan World was always going to be exciting but doing it the active Duende way was just...
  
  
  
  
  
  
Very professional booking and organization staff. Extremely knowledgeable and service-minded guides....
  
  
  
  
  
  
We had a great time visiting the cenotes. Cesar was an excellent guide, he taught us a lot during our...
  
  
  

Adventure Trips

For amazing adventure trips, try the tours below.

More Tours

Day Tours



Multi-Day Tours